Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Forced Mate Chapter 3

Tanner

"You must be out of your damn mind."

The words flew from me before I could contain them. Silent opposition with authority figures was alwa Why would he pair me with a woman who had lied to me?

Anger forced my mouth to pop open again, a softer and lower voice emerging this time. "Do you reme Blake pierced me with a critical gaze as Jermaine stepped forward. Even Neil was glaring at me, the gr than any of his detailed ink. They were on the prowl, searching for a reason to bat me with his giant li My nostrils flared indignantly. "This won't work."

A chair screeched the floor across the room. "I couldn't agree more."

Murmurs traveled through the crowd. Such public outrage over a stated mate bond was unheard of-e But Blake didn't know everything. He clearly didn't understand the history between Leah and me. Eith Blake's chest rumbled with a growl.

I bowed my head. "Respectfully, Alpha. Leah and I tried. We're not a good match."

"My word is bond," Blake stated flatly. "We must continue with the meeting. Please, have a seat-both That was it.

End of discussion.

My alpha had spoken and it was up to me to honor his word. If I didn't, then I might face even worse c

I sat down. I crossed my legs. I closed my lips.

It was the respectable thing to do.

As Blake droned on about security procedures I had covered earlier with Jermaine, my heart thudded hadn't gone for a run as he had wanted us to earlier.

est in packs. Yet the way Blake ran things, I knew he would understand my disgust.

what happened four years ago?"

bastard. His alabaster skin hosted a medley of tattoos that contrasted the golden strands of his shoulder-length hair. Those eyes were far more menacing

aw.

lly with a newly appointed alpha.

or he didn't care.

have a seat."

uences than remaining unmated.

ly in my chest. Every molecule in my body shuddered with irritation. My wolf yowled every chance he got, agitating me to pieces about the fact that we still

The beast was driving me wild. And the sight of my ex-girlfriend sitting across the room with my sister next to her made it all worse.

How can she do this to me? I fumed. How can she prance back into Beaufort with a kid in her lap like it wouldn't tear me to shreds? I glared at my sister. And why is Brandi being so goddamn nonchalant about it?

Voices crackled in the background as a debate ensued over curfew. Blake insisted that it would keep the pack safe. Others protested that it was just another militant way to keep them in line. Offense ran on both sides. And understandably so. Our pack wasn't used to being restricted like this.

But the days of old were being put to rest. Our cemetery was full of fun and fancy-free activities that we weren't permitted to do anymore. Not because Blake didn't endorse them. But because they could inevitably get us killed.

And over what? A pack leader who had lost his damn mind?

Not Blake, of course. The other guy-the one who had sent that weird book.

We won't stop until the right alpha is in place.

Cryptic-and beyond loud and clear.

Raymond was out of his depth. He had gotten drunk on power and wanted more. Veronica had fallen under his tutelage, assuming that her upbringing had been exactly what shifter life was about. But it wasn't.

And it would never be that way.

While the conversation dimmed to a low murmur in the background, Blake motioned for me to follow him through a rear door. The meeting had wrapped up while I was stuck in my head. Had he noticed my thoughts about his mate? It wasn't like I was thinking ill of her.

But then again, she had tried to kill my best friend. A wolf just needed to know that he wasn't about to come across his beheaded alpha in the gardens or something. That was all I needed.

Maybe Blake had sensed that need.

That's what makes him a great friend, I thought as I followed him. And a great alpha too.

Leah wandered through the door behind us. She lingered close to the doorway with the toddler on her hip. Thank the gods that little girl looked nothing like me. I would have been pissed if she showed up here with my kid after lying to me the whole time about getting pregnant.

My irritated gaze locked on her like the predator I was. Is she proud of herself?

"Stop it," Jermaine hissed. "You're stinking up the room with your stress." "Whatever," I snapped.

Blake shot us a look of warning. "I will excommunicate you until this is over if you don't behave."

"Hey, man. I didn't do anything." I raised my hands and flashed him my dashing grin. Worked like a charm. "You know I keep myself in check. Mostly."

"You'll do well to follow my orders."

I bowed my head. "Yes, Alpha."

It wasn't in me to deny him. As awful as the situation was, I had to give it to him-his word was bond. The pack knew that. I knew that.

I just didn't want it to be true.

Or at the very least, I didn't want it to apply to this situation.

Leah stepped forward. Her daughter babbled while playing with the teal necklace hanging around her neck. Nimble fingers managed to undo the clasp and send the necklace tumbling to the ground. Instead of dropping to pick it up, Leah simply closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. The little girl looked ashamed. "Sorry, Mommy."

Leah opened her eyes, her mocha-brown eyes glittering with understanding. Well, that was quick. She'd always had such a bad temper.

Motherhood must have instilled patience in her.

She smiled warmly at her daughter. "It's alright, Inez. It was an accident."

I scooped the beads from the ground, holding them up to the light to inspect the stones. "These look like the ones my mother used to wear."

Leah snatched them from me. "I can assure you they're not the same ones."

"I wasn't accusing you of anything."

"I wouldn't put it past you to think it, Tanner."

A drain on my energy-that was all Leah ever was to me. She'd used up whatever I had to propel herself through the pack, flirting with the guys that rolled through for training with the previous alpha.

Nathan had been a shining example of what good alphas should be made of. His son was nothing short of brilliant.

It was up to me to make sure people could see Blake's brilliance.

My shoulders dropped. "Alright, sorry."

Leah blinked rapidly. She drifted back toward the door while handing her necklace to Inez. "No harm. No foul."

Gods, that was an old phrase. How many times had she said it in the past? We'd just been a couple of weird kids exploring the beach, gathering shells, building castles together. When I bumped into her, she would say that.

No harm. No foul.

It made me long for the days of simplicity. Not whatever weird shamble my life had suddenly become in a matter of hours.

Jermaine was already irritated with me. I didn't need Leah to join the brigade. Though in truth the two of them could probably fill entire libraries with their complaints about me.

Who cared? I wasn't here for them. I was here for my alpha. In service. Always.

"Listen," Blake said gently, "I know the two of you haven't gotten along in the past. It's a lot to cope with. I understand."

I glared at him. It was all I dared to do at the moment.

He leveled his gaze with mine. "But the pack endorses the union. We think you two would get along if you just tried."

"We did try," Leah stated pointedly. "He rejected me in front of everyone, Alpha."

"He won't do that again," Blake promised. "I'll make sure of it."

She frowned while turning her attention to Inez. As before, any agitation that had been present melted away. My flesh warmed at the sight of her caring for her daughter. Deep down, a hole opened up, swallowing the inkling of anger that had crested in my solar plexus. The way my wolf pranced around made me wonder why I had ever given her up at all.

And then it all came crashing back.

She lied to me. I ran my hand over my chest repeatedly, trying to calm my heart. No good mate bond can come from a foundation of lies.

"The only reason I pulled you two back here is to make sure you're going to give it your all," Blake explained. "Especially since there's a child involved. We need to protect our own."

Leah nodded, her expression unreadable. "She's already started shifting a bunch. She needs to be around other kids like her. I'm afraid it wouldn't have lasted with Edward, even if he had stuck around."

So, her husband left her. Was that why she'd come crawling back?

Blake smiled warmly. "You're both welcome here. There will never be a time when you aren't."

"I appreciate that, Alpha."

The tension in the room dissipated slightly.

At least that was going away.

I sank toward the window on the other side of the room, staring out into the great expanse. The sky looked amazing. Weather conditions were perfect for a beach run. I just had to wrap this up before I- "Tanner?"

Oops. "Yes, Alpha?"

"Are you paying attention?"

If Blake's eyes had been knives, I would have been sliced to pieces. Nothing about his demeanor felt friendly. Though it hurt to see my best friend looking at me like that, I knew I had disrespected him. For the second time in the same hour.

It wasn't a good look. "My apologies, Blake. I'm just thinking this over."

"There's nothing to think about. You two are going to do the mate ritual. What you do after that is up to you."

Leah adjusted her daughter on her hip. "Can it be platonic?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What? Is that possible?"

Blake appeared thoughtful while Jermaine opened and closed his mouth in quick succession. For the first time since entering the room, Neil made his presence known.

By cackling.

"A platonic bond?" Neil mocked. "You can just roll right out of town if that's your idea of mating, sweetheart."

I puffed up. "Don't call her sweetheart, Neil."

"Oh, somebody is touchy about that, huh?"

Blake held up his hands. "Don't start. I've had enough of Jermaine fighting with Tanner. I don't need you doing the same thing, Neil."

The lion rumbled with annoyance but obeyed his alpha. As he backed into a corner, I stepped toward Leah. "You're serious about that?"

"Beyond serious," she stated while adjusting Inez on her hip. I didn't need to read her mind to know what she meant by that movement. No more kids.

Meaning none of my kids.

But I couldn't be particularly upset by the notion. A platonic bond had never been done before. If we pulled this off, then many of our pack members would be able to protect themselves with an ease not afforded them in the past. Up until this point, we had always assumed that romance and s*x played a part in mating-which seemed a fair assumption if I was being honest about it.

Without love-without sex-there wouldn't be as much pressure to perform. She had a point in recommending it without saying as much.

But the disdain in her eyes was uncalled for.

I nodded at Blake. "I'm down for that."

Blake shook his head with surprise. "Well, that didn't take long."

"Let's just get this over with so we can move on to the next pairing, shall we?"

"It's settled," Blake announced. "An elder will perform the ritual at dawn."

Leah scoffed. "At dawn? Some of us like to sleep, Alpha."

"And some of us like to get things done appropriately, Leah," Blake snapped. "You're here on my good graces. Don't take advantage of that."

An alpha fit to lead, indeed. Blake wasn't messing around anymore. He had that determined expression about him that I hadn't seen for years. Not since the last attack on our pack lands.

When his father was alpha, we'd had a rogue group of shifters invade the neighborhood. There wasn't a whole lot of damage, mostly overturned trash cans and broken windows, but it had rattled everybody. That was the day Blake had started to seem more intent on stepping into his father's shoes as heir.

I had never seen him so committed.

It was good to see the same emotion in him now, that striking passion that made him a good friend. As much as I despised the pairing he'd chosen for me, I couldn't argue with his decisiveness on the matter.

I would do it for my friends.

For my alpha.

For my pack.

And not for anyone else.