Alpha Instinct

Before he asked the question, something in his gut told him the answer. “How?”

“Lupine shifter attack—the animal was feral. Happened down in South Carolina. Seems the sheriff and his sister saw it happen. Luckily a local rancher managed to kill it before it could kill them too. They moved to Fontana not long after the attack.” His voice was grim.

“December saw it? Shit. You didn’t say anything to Liam, did you?”

Ryan shook his head. “No. Wasn’t sure if she’d already told him, and besides, I figured you’d want to take care of this either way.”

“You were right to keep it to yourself. Don’t tell anyone about this, all right?”

Ryan nodded. “Of course not. How’s Ana?”

“She’ll heal.” But the men who’d hurt her wouldn’t. And now Connor wondered if Liam had been holding back that information about December or if she hadn’t told his brother. Either way it could be very bad if she had an ulterior motive. Liam was already feeling insanely protective of her, and if she wanted to hurt him she could. In more ways than one.

Liam’s palm tightened around his cell until the distinctive click of someone picking up sounded in his ear.

“December’s Book Nook.” December’s voice was breathy and seductive and wrapped around him like a warm summer breeze.

So much so, he forgot to breathe or speak.

“Hello?”

He cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry. It’s Liam.”

“Hey. I’m about to close up so—”

“I won’t be able to make it tonight.”

“Oh.” That was definitely disappointment he heard.

“I’m really sorry, December. We’re dealing with a lot of pack stuff over here and I can’t leave. Believe me, I’d rather be with you than anywhere else.”

“Don’t worry about it, Liam. I … It’s probably better this way.”

Better? What the hell does that mean? “I still want to see you. Once all this sh— stuff is settled, I really want to see you again.”

There was a long pause and his chest constricted. Finally she spoke but her voice was guarded. “Liam, I like you. A lot. But I don’t think you should come into my store anymore. Or call me. There’s stuff you don’t know about me and things would never work between us. Okay? I can’t believe I’ve let things go as far as they have,” she muttered.

“December—”

“Just leave it alone. Leave me alone. If you really do care for me, you’ll do as I ask.”

Before he could respond the phone went dead. He started to call her back but knew it would be pointless. Things weren’t over between them. Far from it. But maybe it was better this way. If he couldn’t talk to her while he was helping the pack deal with the poisoning problem, maybe it would be easier. Who was he kidding? Being able to hear her voice kept him grounded in a way he hadn’t thought possible. Now he’d just worry that much more about her.

Shoving his phone into his pocket, he stalked toward the main house and fought his dark mood. The burial ceremony was soon and there were still things that needed to be done. The last thing anyone had time for was his self-pity.

Ana swung her legs off the bed when she heard the front door open and shut. Testing her strength, she stood and was satisfied when there weren’t shooting pains splintering up her body. Her bones had already fused together but she still hurt and would need help getting to the ceremony. Even thinking about another death in the pack made her sick. Her stomach swirled with nausea but it subsided when Connor entered the room.

He frowned when he saw her standing. “What are you doing up?”

“I’m fine. I’ll need help getting the whole way there but I’m healing nicely.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you.” His voice was ragged.

She took a step toward him but he quickly covered the distance. “Connor, you’re the Alpha. I get that. If I’ve made you feel like you’ve abandoned me or whatever, I swear I didn’t mean to.”

He cursed under his breath. “It’s not that, Ana. You never ask for help. I’m worried that I won’t be able to tell when you really do need me. You’re too … too …”

Too stubborn, pigheaded. Oh, she’d heard it all before from her father. Some days she wondered if he’d have preferred a son to her. She gritted her teeth, waiting for the lecture. “Gonna finish that thought?”

“Too good for me,” he muttered.

The softly spoken statement made her jerk back in surprise. “Wait, what are we talking about here?”

His green eyes were shuttered as he turned away and stripped off his shirt. “I need to change, but then we’ll head over there. Liam is helping your sisters with Alicia’s body.”

“Connor, you can’t keep shutting me out like this. I’m not used to asking for help but that doesn’t mean you can shut me down every time I ask you a simple question. You won’t tell me why you left, you won’t tell me why you and Liam have been arguing, you held back the existence of the cubs, you won’t even discuss the possibility of not going after those assholes who shot me and I have to find out from your brother that he thinks his mate is a human. I know that last one isn’t even a big deal, but it’s like you don’t want to actually talk to me about anything. You just want someone to warm your bed!”

“You know that’s not true. And now’s not the time.” He didn’t turn from the open closet door as he pulled a black sweater from it and tugged it over his head.

Anger burned hot and wild inside her and the fact that he passively stood there only stoked the fire more. “Yeah, well, when is the time? You want me in your bed but you don’t want me to be your mate in every sense of the word. If you want this thing between us to go anywhere, then you better get used to sharing things with me because I’m not going to be someone you sleep with but get nothing else from.”

When he didn’t respond, she scowled at his backside. She’d agreed to a lot when he’d come to her ranch, offering his protection. Was it really too much that she wanted him to open up to her a little? Her parents had shared everything with each other and she wanted the same thing. Connor might not love her, but she knew he cared for her. And maybe with time … She shook her head as traitorous tears pricked her eyes. If he couldn’t even open up to her about simple stuff, then they had no future. She shoved all her feelings for him back inside.

He started to take off his pants so she stalked from the room, knowing it would piss him off.

“Ana,” he called out.

But she ignored him. Despite the discomfort she hurried down the stairs and grabbed her coat on her way out the front door. Her entire body ached and screamed at the quick getaway she’d just made. She knew she should take it slower and wait for him but right now she wanted him as annoyed as she was. She slammed the door behind her and felt irrationally pleased at the booming sound it made. Before she’d taken three steps, however, she felt the whoosh of the door open behind her and Connor scooped her up in his arms.

She tried to struggle against him but fresh splinters of discomfort coursed through her. Every second that passed she gained strength, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t painfully sore.

“How do you think it will look if you show up hobbling without my help?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“I don’t care how it’ll look.” She glared at his profile because he refused to make eye contact with her. His jaw was clenched tight and that pissed her off. What did he have to be so angry about? He was the one holding stuff back from her. Not the other way around.

“Damn it, woman. Now isn’t the time.”

“Then tell me when is the right time. Keep pushing me away like this and I hope you don’t ever expect more than a temporary mating. I will never be your bondmate if this is what I have to look forward to.” Her words were harsh and drew the reaction she expected.

He glanced sharply at her. The hurt in his eyes surprised her, however. Still, he said nothing. And that hurt her worse than the physical pain humming through her.

As they neared the field next to the barn, Ana shoved aside her anger at Connor when she saw all her packmates standing somberly around the funeral pyre. “Will you put me down?” she whispered to Connor. She didn’t want everyone to see her like this. Now of all times she needed to appear strong.

He did as she asked but didn’t remove his arm from around her shoulder. Despite her anger at him she was grateful for his strength and show of unity. No matter what, it seemed she could count on him for at least that. Even though her parents had loved each other, if her mother had disagreed with her father he’d given her the cold shoulder until one of them caved on an issue. Connor was so different in that respect. Leaning against him, Ana wrapped her arm around his waist and used him to support her.

Vivian came to stand by her side immediately. Wordlessly she grabbed Ana’s free hand and gripped it tightly. Ana squeezed back, knowing this was hard on the little she-cat even though she hadn’t known Alicia. Hell, dealing with death was always hard for their kind, regardless of species. Despite the few angry humans who thought shifters were evil and planned to take over the world, their numbers were so few they were technically bordering on extinction. They were increasing every day, but it was one of the many reasons the Council had decided to come out to the world. For the most part they could now live and procreate without worrying about hiding or moving every couple years. With the advancements of satellites, government agencies becoming more intrusive in civilian lives and even social networks, it had been harder and harder to keep the fact that they didn’t age at the same rate as humans a secret anymore. The world was just too connected. Despite their longevity, every time one of them died the grief spread throughout the entire pack with a vengeance. It was another reminder how small in number they were and how fragile their lives could be.