Moon Shine

Chapter Eighteen

He stood on her doorstep, the world totally changed from the last time he’d waited for her to answer the door.

This was it. This conversation was either going to break him or turn things around.

The door opened, and Amy stuck her head around the corner. Her big eyes were as mesmerizing as before, but she had dark shadows under them, and everything in him hated the thought he was responsible.

“You have a key,” she murmured.

“I didn’t want to take anything for granted.” He paced past her as she swung the door open and made room.

It was like walking on eggshells, and that was the last thing Evan wanted. “I know you said we should talk. I have some important things to say as well.”

She headed into the living room, tucking herself away in a chair that was too small for him to join her.

How had things come so far, so wrong?

He ignored all the other places in the room he could have sat, instead choosing to kneel at her feet.

Moisture filled her eyes, and she swallowed hard. “Please, don’t.”

He reached for her hands, tangling their fingers. “Don’t what, Amy?”

The utter misery on her face was breaking his heart. “Don’t make this even harder than it’s going to be.”

“What’s so difficult you needed to tell me?”

Amy’s voice shook when she finally got the words out. “I came here for all the wrong reasons. My search for revenge has only brought pain to the packs, and it’s hurt you. I’m so sorry we started all of this wrong because of me and my assumptions.”

He wasn’t going to mess this up like he had done their other conversations. He listened to what she said. “Thank you, and I accept your apology. But we need to get past the mistakes. I’m more to blame than you are. I’m stubborn, and far too focused on what’s obvious, when I should be thinking about more than what’s right in front of my face.”

Amy nodded. “So, we put the past behind us.”

“We have to, which means one more secret needs to come out. I’m sorry I didn’t share with you earlier. You need to know everything. About your brother.”

She stared at the ceiling, blinking hard as if to stop tears. “I’d like to know. I don’t want to, in a way, but I need to put it behind me and stop letting my imagination torment me.”

Evan understood. “I have nightmares about it, sometimes.”

Stillness grew between them, this time connecting more than dividing. Amy stroked his cheek. “I heard you that night, when you were having a nightmare.”

He stood, their hands still joined. “Come sit beside me. I need you in my arms if I’m going to face this again.”

When she didn’t deny him, a flicker of hope flared.

He settled on the couch, and when she would’ve sat beside him, he directed her straight into his lap so he could physically close her in his embrace. She leaned her head against his chest, and for a couple of minutes they didn’t say anything. Just sat and breathed together.

“Hudson Bay pack is smack dab in the middle of some of the best hunting territory in the world. Expeditions had always contributed to the pack finances. Only at some point, and I’m not sure exactly why it happened, Kirk Gatlann crossed a line that should never be crossed.” Evan stroked her head and shoulders, drawing strength from the contact. “Instead of caring for the pack, Kirk did the unthinkable.”

Amy leaned back, one hand resting on his shoulder as she met his gaze.

Evan took a deep breath. “One time the hunting party went to the airport and picked up visiting clients, took them on the hunt, then returned them to the airport.”

She frowned. “That seems perfectly normal.”

“It does, except afterward, one of the pack went missing. They announced he’d decided to move away, and there was no further contact. It was as if he had vanished. A young man in his late teens. It’s not uncommon for people that age to leave the North and head into Toronto or Montréal, but they usually kept in contact. He simply vanished.”

“Something bad happened?”

Evan couldn’t say this while he was looking at her. “He was dead. I found him. There was a set of subterranean caves on pack land. They were useful for many things—that’s where the moonshine still was hidden. Youth used the side passages as places to fool around. The younger ones played hide and seek. Dan was in the caves, in his wolf, and he’d been shot.”

A gasp escaped her.

“The fact Kirk wasn’t more upset with what I found made me suspicious, so I went snooping. The last hunting party he’d led had a special request. They wanted to hunt wolf.”

She quivered in his arms.

“After I finished getting sick, I didn’t even think about it. I went and challenged Kirk.”

Her fingers tightened on his shoulders. “You were young.”

“Too young to challenge an Alpha and win. The only good part of it was there were no more mysterious disappearances for a while, and then it started again.

“I was older now, and in contact with more pack. Nothing was being said in public, but you could tell things were going wrong on the inside. Those who were part of Kirk’s inner circle felt overconfident, those who weren’t in on the secret knew they were in trouble, but saw no way out.”

“That’s sickening.” Amy’s fingers stroked his face. “You challenged him again?”

Evan nodded. “There’d been three more disappear, this time a family. I still wasn’t successful in getting rid of Kirk, but more people knew things were bad. We just didn’t know how to get rid of the sickness.”

He held her close so he could finish.

“Did Kirk hunt down my brother?” she whispered.

Pain struck again. “Kirk came for me.”

She froze.

No matter how much Evan wanted to stop now, he couldn’t. “I’d already set a trap. I’d figured out how to blow up the still, and I was determined to take Kirk out when he was alone and running in his wolf. It was a simple plan, and the only one who’d be hurt was an animal that desperately needed killing.

“Only before I could act, he came for me. Told me to take my chances running in the hunt, or he’d shoot me where I stood. I had no choice. Philip must have seen me leaving with Kirk and guessed something was wrong. He followed us.

“There was a fair-sized group, all laughing and getting their guns ready. Kirk grabbed Philip and told him he was part of the hunting party and to act as a guide. I had everything in position to get rid of Kirk, but suddenly Philip was there as well.”

The utter frustration of that day came raging back, and Evan shook his head.

“I led them to where I had set up the booby trap, the entire time debating what to do. No one knew what I had prepared, and maybe I could have waited for another day. But there were no guarantees, and when I got the chance I took it. While they were directly above the caves, I snuck down a side tunnel, shifted and lit the moonshine still to blow. I made it to the surface just in time for the explosion to go off and see the entire tabletop collapse. All the leadership, the group of hunters who had arranged the illegal hunt—the entire group fell in. Trapped or dead.

“Philip with them.”

Of all the horror stories he could have told her, she never would have expected this. It seemed unreal, impossible, and yet it made total sense in a terrifying, life-changing way.

There had always been moments when she had to make choices, deciding for the good of the pack. Many times serious decisions as well, life and death on the line for more than one person.

Maybe it wasn’t the choice she would have made. But there was no way to know for sure, not unless she’d been in his position, dealing with the fear and anger Evan would have faced.

Was her brother an acceptable sacrifice? She didn’t know.

Would her brother have considered his sacrifice acceptable?

That was an entirely different question, and somehow she hoped he would have. If it had been her, knowing a terror like Kirk Gatlann was running the pack, she would’ve done everything she could to take him out.

Evan hadn’t said a word since he finished. He barely seemed to be breathing, holding motionless in anticipation of her response.

The only thing she could do was offer him comfort. She pressed closer, easing her forehead against his and holding him to her body. “I was wrong to make you a target.”

His body shook. “Do you forgive me for killing Philip?”

She swallowed hard and hung on tighter. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

Something brand-new appeared in his eyes. Muted joy? Or maybe it was hope, plain and simple. “Tell me somehow in the next fifty years you can learn to trust me. I need you, Amy. I need you as my mate, and while I’m so sorry I broke your heart and caused you pain, I can’t stand the thought of not being with you anymore.”

“We need to trust each other. Not in the future, but now. That’s the only way we can actually be together.”

His eyes darkened, his breathing grew rapid. “We’ve known each other such a short time, so filled with chaos, yet you’re already a part of me. You don’t believe that yet, but I’ll show you. Whether it takes a day, a week, or longer, you’ll know how much you are cared for. How much you belong to me, and I belong to you.”

It was the time for sharing secrets, so she had to be brave. “I haven’t belonged to anyone in forever. Any time I tried, people disappeared. My brother, my family. One foster home after another was ripped from me for reasons I never understood. My world was continually torn apart, and I always thought if Philip hadn’t died, everything would have been different. I would have had a family who loved me and were always there for me.”

He pressed his lips to her temple.

Amy pushed the past aside. “I won’t blame you anymore. I needed to share that because it’s part of what built me. What made me afraid.”

He stroked her, both with his hands and the other part of himself that was so reassuring, so comforting. “I would’ve hated me too.”

“I don’t want to hate anyone anymore.”

Evan cupped her chin in his hand. “You aren’t alone. God, I’ve been such a fool, and made such mistakes. But we’re going to fix this. This is not just about our pasts. It’s about the fact I want to be with you, and I want to be everything I have to be so you’re never alone.”

Inside, her wolf uncurled. Over the past weeks, the beast had retreated, upset and saddened by what she thought was the rejection of her mate. “How do we move on?”

“The same way you start anything. At the beginning.” He brushed his lips over hers. Infinitely tender before pulling back to stare into her eyes. “Yes, we have two packs that need us to unite them, but this isn’t about them. This is about us. The stronger we are, the better we will be able to support them. It’ll become a circle. The stronger they are, the more you and I will be happy. Because that’s who we are, and what’s important to us. But we need to come first.”

Another crack split the ice around her heart.

“I can’t leave them. I thought about it,” Amy confessed. “I thought maybe if I did leave, Canyon would be forced to accept you as Alpha, but I can’t do it.”

Evan shook his head. “And you shouldn’t. The truth is Whitehorse will be the strongest with both of us. The packs aren’t independent of each other, no matter what they think. They need each other, and we need each other.”

Something inside melted more, and Amy risked a smile. “Then it’s a good thing we have each other.” Fear was fading. It had no place when faced by such truth. She found her fingers tangled with his. “We serve the wolves.”

“We,” he emphasized. “We’ve only begun finding ourselves.”

There was no way she could deny him.

Her head and heart were so full that when he leaned closer, she wasn’t sure at first what he planned. By the time his lips touched hers, she’d lost the ability to protest.

Besides, they were past the point of protesting. This was what they needed, not as a frustrated way to deal with two wolves and two people who weren’t sure what they wanted. This was a time for them to affirm they were mates, and that no matter what, they would face the future as one.

He held her tenderly even as the kiss grew more intense. Amy lifted up so she could straddle his body. She grasped his shoulders and held on tight as their mouths met. He sank his teeth into her lower lip, and a shudder rolled through her. Acceptance and trust building.

She got his buttons open, desperate to make contact with skin. Then one long, slow stroke followed another as she explored his pectorals, and up over his shoulder muscles. Dragging her nails down his biceps before repeating the move all over again.

He was busy as well, peeling away her top so he could tease and pet. Hands so gentle on her body even as she understood there was no escaping his touch.

He cupped his palms around her breasts, circling his thumbs over her nipples until they peaked. When he leaned over and licked the tight points, satisfaction rippled over her skin.

This was what she needed. Not just a mate she was attracted to because of fate and circumstance. This was a man who was totally connected with her and ready to take on the world at her side.

Evan brought her with him as he took them down the hallway to her bedroom. She smiled against his lips as he lowered her to the bed. “I disconnected the remote control. Sorry.”

“I’m still seeing stars, and if this bed isn’t rocking on its own soon, I’m doing something wrong.”

It took ten seconds to get rid of the rest of her clothes while he was busy doing the same. There wasn’t a frantic need for massive foreplay. Instead, it was all about connection. Being there for each other.

They lay naked on the bed, body and soul exposed. Touching gently, exploring and talking quietly at the same time.

“I wanted to wake up with you in my arms,” Evan confessed. “That first morning, after we spent the night together. I missed you. Deep down inside my soul, I knew something was still wrong and I ached for you.”

Amy understood. “That night you had the nightmare. I wanted so badly to comfort you, but I was so afraid. What if I opened myself up to hope, and you were torn away like everyone else in my world?”

He kissed her. Pressed his lips to hers, to her cheek, up and over her eyes. Brushing away tears that came involuntarily. Kissing her temples, and her nose, and her chin. As if he couldn’t get enough of touching her.

“I’m yours. I’ll never leave you, and we’ll find a way to be together and serve the pack.” He tucked her against his body so they were connected. Not like while making love, but every inch plastered together until neither of them could move without the other being totally aware of it. “If it ever comes to a choice, we’ll work together to find a way. I promise.”

Amy’s heart was so full she could have exploded. He rolled her under him, opening her thighs to let his hips settle. The hard length of his heavy shaft pressed to her softness, and as she dragged her nails down his back he rocked, teasing her to a higher pitch.

Between one breath and the next, he slipped into her. Filled her completely, joining them the way they were supposed to be as mates.

Trust. Connection.

She held on tight as he convinced her they belonged together. For the next couple hours, he convinced her. Her loneliness and doubts finally erased.

Chapter Nineteen

Evan wasn’t sure how he had survived before. It was as if he’d been asleep, and now woken up. He wanted to wax poetic about how the sun seemed brighter, and the air seemed clearer, but mostly he just wanted to hold Amy’s hand and be with her.

His brain was playing every cheesy Beatles song imaginable, and he didn’t even give a damn.

It was time to move forward together. Not only were they mates, but united they were powerful enough to accomplish whatever was necessary to calm the packs.

He knew it was his fault it had taken so long to get to this point. Amy resisted saying I told you so, and he appreciated it.

He expected no such restraint when he next saw his Beta.

“I want to do this.” Amy rubbed his fingers absently as they walked from his car to the Moonshine Inn, headed to the bar. “Merging is going to be tough, but it doesn’t need to become a huge war.”

“Unfortunately, it might be too late. We’re already doing damage control. But since I’ve got a commitment from Canyon that they’ll support me if I behave…” he gave her a wink, “…it’s the hard heads at Takhini we need to work over, mine included.”

“That’s why I suggested dropping in at the bar. Just don’t feel as if all of them need to fall in love with me today.”

Evan had no intention of pushing things, but he was also immensely aware of what was on the line. It wouldn’t do for him to be distracted or preoccupied.

“About time you got here, Evan. Oh. It’s you. Hi, Amy.” Shaun stood in the doorway, looking her over as if checking for lice.

Oh, hell no. Tonight was going to be about challenges, but Shaun should know better. Evan readied to defend Amy, but she beat him to it, grabbing Shaun by the collar. She whipped his Beta around and pushed him back into the bar. “Show a little more respect to your betters, brat.”

Voices dropped throughout the bar as pack stopped in their tracks and turned their attention toward the door. Everyone wanted to see what Shaun would do, especially since he’d been pretty vocal about dissing her.

Then Amy stepped to Shaun’s side and hip-checked him, rocking him hard enough to knock him off balance. She laughed, catching him before he could fall to the floor. “Oh, Shaun, don’t you know women always arrive on time?”

Gem rose from where she was sitting, a real smile on her lips. “She’s got you there. Or…” Shaun’s mate raised a brow, “…did you have a comment to make regarding women and punctuality?”

Gem and Amy glanced at each other then burst out laughing, and the tension faded. Evan took his place beside Amy, slipping his arm around her and bringing her tight to his side.

Shaun wrinkled his nose, sniffed a couple of times, then rolled his eyes. “Great. This is what I get for being so smart.”

“Yes, this is your fault.” Amy glanced at Gem. The woman nodded in approval as Amy grabbed Shaun and gave him an enormous hug, kissing his cheek before she released him. Amy kept hold of Shaun’s shoulders, looking up at him, her happiness shining bright. “This is your fault, and I don’t ever want you to forget it. You wonderful man.”

A flush spread over his face, and Shaun turned abruptly. Stomped to his chair and sat with a plop, scooping Gem into his lap and burying his face in her neck.

All around the bar, people eyed the situation with unease, and not a little confusion.

Someone sidled up to Amy and paused. Looked her up and down, then dipped his head before fleeing to the far corner of the pub.

“What was that about?” Amy muttered.

Evan had a bad feeling about it. “Going to snitch on us, I think.”

He took a slow look around, examining everyone in the room. Taking in the rustic wood decorations on the walls, the pulsing beat of music in the background as conversations slowly resumed.

Moonshine Pub was his baby. This was something he had worked hard to make a success. In a way, it was very right that here was where he and Amy would make their first stand to prove they were more than Alphas of two packs. He couldn’t fault Takhini for feeling confused, not after the way he had left them directionless.

But that was going to stop. Here and now.

“Come on, let’s dance.” Evan linked his fingers with Amy’s and tugged her toward the dance floor.

A sense of normality continued to grow as people observed Amy settling against him, their questioning expressions fading to smiles as they sensed Evan’s contentment.

Soft fingers touched his face, and he looked at his mate.

Mate. A rush of happiness struck again. He could’ve been doing moonshine shots for the past five hours and not ended up as lightheaded as over one touch of her fingers.

“Heads up,” Amy warned. “There seems to be some kind of discussion group headed our way from the far corner of the room.”

Evan nodded, settling her hands around his neck before grabbing hold of her hips and continuing to sway to the music. “Until they prove otherwise, I’m going to assume the best.”

One of her brows rose. “This isn’t your fight anyway, right?”

She had him over a barrel. He’d promised to let her deal with anyone if it was appropriate, but that promise was about to drive him mad. He drove down his fears. “Fine. You spank them this time, but if they need any extra chastisement, I’m your man.”

“I seem to remember hearing Caroline had to prove her worth when she started dating you. If anything, the expectations on me are much higher.” She whispered the words, barely audible even from where he stood. “Trust me.”

And that was the most powerful thing she could have reminded him of.

“Since when did Takhini become the play toys for Canyon?”

“Damn it, Toby. You got that backwards. Evan’s found a new chew toy, and look, it’s one of the little Canyon freaks.” Lance stood behind Amy, Toby one step back. A small group of young male wolves clustered loosely behind them.

Amy rotated, leaning her back against Evan’s chest. She was short enough the top of her head barely touched his chin, but somehow she seemed to tower over the annoying wolves standing before them.

“Were you talking to me?” she asked.

Lance and Toby glanced at each other before turning back with a smirk. “Not really talking to you. You’re not going to be around for long enough for us to even find out your name. Evan has this bad habit of picking up strays. The last one had fleas. Had to fumigate the entire hotel after she left.”

“I don’t know, Lance. I think this one is worse than the last.” Toby made a show of sniffing. “Think she’s been hanging out too long with all those Canyon losers. She doesn’t know how to handle real wolves.”

Evan found stifling his growl of disapproval damn near impossible. He wanted nothing more than to knock Toby’s and Lance’s heads together, but he had to let her do this alone.

He sensed Amy’s change of body tension, but kept himself out of the fight. Just stood like a wall as she wordlessly went into action.

She jumped upward. Caught hold of Evan’s shoulders over her head at the same moment she kicked out her feet and made contact with Lance’s chest. He flew backwards into the men behind him, knocking them over like a set of bowling pins. Before they had finished bouncing, Amy was back on the floor and moving toward Toby. She leapt forward at high speed, hooking an arm around his neck and using momentum to pivot onto his back.

Toby grabbed for the arm that was cutting off his air supply. Evan clenched his teeth to stop from calling a warning that Lance was back on his feet.

He shouldn’t have worried. Amy maintained her chokehold while using her other hand in Toby’s hair like reins to turn the man to face his buddies. Her timing was so perfect the blow Lance swung struck his friend instead of Amy, the sound of fist meeting face making a sickening crack against the lighthearted music playing in the background.

This wasn’t Evan’s fight, but it was.

He folded his arms and shifted his feet to draw attention to himself. “Not that I want to interfere in your entertainment, but just a heads up. Amy has full authority. If you want to beg for mercy, she’s the one you kneel to.”

Then he did the hardest thing he’d ever done. Evan turned and walked away.

He headed to the bar. Slipped behind the counter and poured himself a double shot of whiskey. The burn of the alcohol going down calmed his human side who hated having control out of his hands.

His wolf side wanted to watch his mate rip the disrespectful bastards apart.

But Amy had insisted, and she was right. This was the proper way. So, whistling lightly, Evan grabbed a cloth and wiped down the countertop.

The pack members seated on the barstools glanced back and forth a couple of times between him and the ongoing fight, their momentary panic fading as Evan’s confidence screamed out.

Evan smiled at one of them. “She’s okay.”

The older wolf smiled back. “She’s your mate, right? Of course she’s okay.”

The sound of wood splintering nearly made him look, but he resisted temptation and focused on the pack member before him. “She is, and she’s not only beautiful and smart, she knows exactly how to take care of herself. And how to take care of me.”

Heads nodded, one of the old-timers gesturing with his chin to the side. “You know it’s okay for you to help,” he whispered. “We don’t mind.”

Evan shook his head. “Waste of time. Some things she needs me to do, but fight her battles isn’t one of them.”

Someone shouted, and the noise faded to nothing but the pulsing beat of the music from the sound system.

“It’s safe to look,” the old-timer told him. The man grinned approvingly. “She’s a feisty one. Reminds me of my mate.”

Evan turned, leaning both hands on the counter as he hungrily took in the damage from the battle. For the first moment he couldn’t see Amy, not by the broken chairs or near any of the bodies on the floor.

“Looking for me, sailor?”

She stood beside him, a thin ribbon of blood trickling from a cut on her forehead. Scratches and bruises marred her arms, but she showed a whole lot less damage than the pack boys pulling themselves to vertical.

“Do I need to call an ambulance?” Evan pulled her to his side and lifted her onto the counter.

Amy glanced over her shoulder. “I think Toby will be okay. Let me check about the other fellow.” She raised her voice. “Hey, Lance. You want an ambulance, or are you going to shuffle home without a Band-Aid on your boo-boos?”

“Fuck off,” Lance snapped, his lippy words sliding into a sharp scream of pain.

Evan and Amy watched Gem step daintily over the wolf she’d kicked. “If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. I will not accept that kind of language around here.”

She sniffed then approached the bar. “May I have another glass of white wine, please?”

Off in the background, the youth with the attitudes were helping Toby and Lance from the bar. Evan pulled Gem’s favourite wine from the cooler, pausing to rub his cheek against Amy’s.

Slowly the noise of conversation slipped back to normal.

“What would you like?” Evan asked his mate.

“Some of your moonshine. I hear it’s pretty good.”

He nodded, grabbing the slim blue bottle and gesturing into the bar. “Let’s go sit. I have a feeling there will be a few people coming to chat.”

Evan settled in his usual seat, Amy perched beside him like the queen of the wolves she was. Gem and Shaun joined them, the leadership sitting in state before pack who entered and left, checking out this new thing.

He tipped a little liquid into her glass, then his own. He raised the teeny tumbler in the air. “Whitehorse forever. To becoming one strong, united pack.”

“Whitehorse forever.” The toast was echoed by their Betas, and taken up by the pack. All around the room, glasses were raised and voices rang out.

Amy leaned against him, the warmth of her body against his so right and perfect. “That’s not the last of it, but thank you for letting me take care of them on my own.”

He looked into her eyes and smiled, glad to have put his fears behind him, although he still didn’t like the idea of her being hurt. “Hey, you just about took my head off when we fought. I had no doubt about your physical prowess. I have even less doubts about your smarts.”

Evan took a shot of his moonshine, cupped his hand around the back of her neck, and slipped her a kiss that was two hundred proof, and none of it from the liquor.

If the kiss went on a little longer then normal, he didn’t give a damn. Tongues tangling, breaths mingling. She bit his lip, and Evan growled, hungry for more.

A cheer went up from one corner of the room, and he pulled back far enough to see glasses raised in their direction.

“People like to see their Alpha content.” Amy caught him by the cheeks and smiled at him, bright satisfaction pouring from her in spite of the bruises and cuts.

“Their Alphas, you mean. Because we’re doing this together, baby.”

Evan tugged Amy into his lap, curling his arm around her waist and enjoying the sensation of being with her.

She nuzzled against his neck, the connection between them strengthening. “That was exciting,” she confessed in a low whisper.

Evan laughed, his amusement rising. “Bloodthirsty little thing.”

She shrugged, her smile twisting into something a touch more evil. “As much fun as it is to torment people via computer, there’s something satisfying about beating the crap out of a person, isn’t there?”

How had he missed seeing this? The perfect way they fit. Evan stared into her eyes, his attention focused on her. “I can hardly wait to see what comes next.”

Amy put the rest of her extra sheets into a box, closed the lid and taped it shut. She glanced around the house, searching for more things she could get rid of before Evan brought his stuff over.

In the past week, her world had changed so immensely. It seemed impossible, and yet she was a shifter. She knew impossible happened all the time.

This was her experiencing true happiness for the first time in her life, and that’s what made it so unusual.

Her phone rang and she answered it cheerfully. “Hey, lover. What’s happening?”

A low rumble sounded in her ear, raising goose bumps all over. “I’ve got everything in the truck, and Shaun tells me I’m allowed to take the rest of the afternoon off.”

“How generous of him.” Amy pulled open another drawer and dumped everything into a box. “I’d take him up on the offer if I were you. He needs the exercise in looking after things, anyway.”

“Ah, he’s got it easy. With the hotel shut down for maintenance and improvements, he gets to sit in state at the pack house. I don’t think he’s suffering too hard.”

Evan was moving in with her. Changes were happening between the Takhini and the Canyon packs. A month ago she never would have dreamed this was where they’d come to, and yet it was real.

“Whenever you get here, I’m ready.” She eyed the pile of boxes stacked against the living room wall. “Sort of. I’ve made room for some of your stuff. We can make decisions about furniture as we go. I know a few people in the pack who could use the stuff we don’t need.”

“Of course you do. I love that about you.”

Another shot of happiness rang through her. “Hurry up and get your ass over here. I miss you,” she confessed.

He hung up, and she went back to her task, nearly delirious at the changes. It didn’t seem right she could be at this point in her life. A mate, a home. A place to belong.

All of it made even better because Evan went out of his way every day to make sure she knew he wanted her, not just the pack.

Rapid knocking at the back door dragged her from her task, and she smiled.

“You don’t need to knock. It’s your house too,” she said as she swung the door open.

Laney stood on the back porch, a haunted expression in her eyes. Amy automatically glanced around the yard even as she took in the trembling woman before her. Laney’s hands were clenched, her face gone white, and her entire body shook.

Amy reached for her. “What’s wrong? Come inside—”

“No. I’m so sorry.” Laney jerked her hands free and took a step back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do. You have to help me.”

“Of course I’ll help,” Amy assured her. “What happened?”

Laney motioned over her shoulder to a car in the alleyway, the engine still running. “It’s Mike. He’s got Dexter.”

Fury filled Amy’s veins. “Your ex?”

Laney nodded. “Dexter didn’t come home after school, and I thought he might have missed the bus, but then I got a call. Mike grabbed him.”

Amy reached for her phone. “Let me call—”

“It’s no use. He’s right there.” She pointed again, her face a mask of misery. “Mike said he was sick of your interference. I’m sorry, but he’s got Dexter in the backseat, and I didn’t know what else to do.”

Amy pressed her hands to Laney’s upper arms and offered as much calming reassurance she could. “You did the right thing coming here. I’ll take care of you and Dexter.”

Laney shook her head. “No. Nothing is right. I’m so sorry.”

Something blurred at the edge of Amy’s vision a second before a sharp pain bloomed on the side of her head. Darkness rolled in as her legs gave out.

Chapter Twenty

Coming back to consciousness hurt. Amy rolled onto her hands and knees, bracing herself against the nausea that struck. Complete blackness surrounded her, a low hissing noise the only clue she had to her location.

That, and the familiar scent of the Moonshine Inn.

During the year she’d been tracking Evan, she’d done all sorts of interesting research. Sneaking into the hotel and finding its hidden passageways had become one of her favourite pastimes. There was something fun about avoiding security cameras and casual patrols.

That meant even in the dark she wasn’t totally lost. She was, however, in trouble. The room Mike had trapped her in was one of the least accessible in the entire building.

Amy patted her pockets to see if she’d been lucky enough to be left with her cell phone, or anything she could use to alert Evan.

Nothing. They had left her with nothing but the clothes on her back.

She took a long breath to calm herself. Evan would come. In the meantime, she knew how to escape the room, and it didn’t involve the door.

She did try the door first though, just to be sure. Her fingers slipped over the cold metal of the latch. It was firmly locked, the barrier itself hard and impenetrable.

Moving carefully in the absolute darkness, Amy orientated herself. The room held shelving, once filled with supplies, now mostly empty. The shelves made a dandy ladder to the roof. She pushed blindly on the ceiling tiles until one moved, then she stood on the top shelf and reached into the darkness to find a solid surface.

It was a good thing she wasn’t any bigger. She could shift and change her size slightly, but for the moment she preferred to stay in her human form. Amy crawled up and sideways, inching forward toward a second room where she should be able to escape into the hallway.

It didn’t take long before she had both feet on the ground, the light switch turned on. The second room held part of the mechanical system, and she moved quickly to the electrical box.

Damn. Original wiring. For what she planned, she needed a room that had been renovated recently.

Amy stood with her ear against the door, waiting silently. When two minutes passed with no footsteps or voices, she edged into the passageway and stepped forward.

In the bowels of the hotel, there were a million doors and pathways. From her earlier explorations, she knew which ones to follow, heading directly to where she should find computer access.

She didn’t bother to turn on the lights in the room this time. Just left the door partially open, the hallway lighting giving her enough illumination as she spotted a control panel. She pocketed the keys hanging beside the box, jerked open the door and brought up the security system.

Damn again.

Someone had turned off the master control. Amy pulled the cover off the wall, going for the wiring, but it was too late. Noise rose behind her, and she barely had time to turn before she was struck, smacking into the concrete floor hard.

“I figured you wouldn’t stay put for very long.” Unfamiliar voice, familiar attitude.

Amy turned, preparing to fight. At least until she spotted Dexter trapped in the stranger’s arms. “Don’t hurt him.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The stranger patted the boy’s head. Dexter squirmed, swinging his fists in a futile attempt to hit the man who held him around the waist. “Stop squirming, you little beast.”

“I’m glad you’re not my dad. I hate you.”

So this was Mike. “Let Dexter go,” Amy proposed. “You have a beef with me, we can deal with it all by ourselves.”

She put as much suggestion into the words as possible.

Mike laughed, the noise nasty and dark. “You can’t order me around. I’m strong enough, and I got people on my side supporting me. It’s time for a shakeup in Whitehorse, and I plan to be the one standing at the end of it.”

Amy got to her feet and brushed off her hands, not at all surprised to see Toby and Lance in the group.

She glared at Lance. “I should have ripped your throat out.”

“Maybe you should have. Too late. We’ve had enough of you, and of Evan, and it’s time for a change.” Lance stepped closer to sneer down at her. “You shouldn’t have felt so cocky the other day.”

Amy lifted her knee and caught him between the legs, hard enough he fell to the floor, hands clutching his crotch. “Who’s feeling cocky now?”

“Enough,” Mike ordered. “Take her and the kid, and tie her up in the room we prepared. We only need one more thing, and we’re done.”

“Kidnapping me and Dexter is a declaration of war.” Amy struggled in the grip of four wolves, all of whom seemed wary of getting within knee range.

Mike grinned harder. “That’s exactly what this is. And before the day is over, the war will be over. Whitehorse will have a new Alpha. Me.”

In spite of the hands holding her, she was ready to fight as they were dragged down the hallway. Then Dexter whimpered softly, and the plan changed in a split second. “Hey, Dex. Chin up, buddy, we’re going to be okay.”

“Depends on your definition of okay,” Toby joked, a ripple of laughter carrying through the group.

“Give me one minute with you by myself,” Amy offered. “One minute, and you’ll be joking through a set of dentures.”

How could anyone threaten a child? She didn’t care so much about herself, but she could sense Dexter’s terror, and that pissed her off more than the attempt to take over Whitehorse.

They were brought into a room off the mechanical side of the hotel. “This is where I work,” Toby bragged. “I know all the tricks how to make things work. The part that will impress you is that means I know how to make things break. And burn. And explode.”

While he gloated, the others duct-taped her wrists to a chair, her ankles to the sturdy metal legs. “If you start running now, you might make it to the Alaska border before Evan catches you.”

Toby shook his head as he reached for her, twisting his fingers in her hair to hold her still while he pressed a piece of duct tape over her mouth. “Evan? He’s not going to run any direction except straight to you. Which is exactly what Mike wants. So you may as well stop with the threats and think about how much this is going to hurt.”

She should have tried harder to bite him.

A moment later they were alone. She was secured to the chair, unable to speak or get herself free. A few feet away, Dexter was curled up in another chair, his back toward her as he cried softly.

Her only option was nonverbal. Even as she twisted at the bounds around her wrists, she reached out and comforted the boy, filling the room with as much peace as possible. Slowly his crying turned to sniffles, and he faced her, dashing tears from his eyes and lifting his chin.

“I’m sorry I was so scared.” He crawled into her lap, touching the tape over her mouth. “I need to take this off, right?”

Amy nodded.

Dexter carefully peeled back the tape. Amy felt as if she’d been given some kind of horrifying facial. “That’s much better. Thank you for helping me.”

“Are they going to burn us up?” Dexter whispered, terror in his voice.

“They think they’re going to, but they’re not very smart.” Amy tilted her head toward her hands. “They should have tied you up too. You’re a very good ally in a tough situation.”

The little guy worked to untangle the tape from one wrist. “He’s not my daddy.”

The kid might be scared to death, but that statement at least came out loud and clear.

Amy agreed with him. “No, he’s not. He’s a bad man who needs to be taught a lesson. I think someone will be here soon to help us, but until then we have to work together. If that door opens I want you to hide.” She looked around the room trying to spot a suitable place to hide an eight-year-old.

“I can’t shift yet,” Dexter warned.

“That’s okay. There are lots of places for you as a human.”

This room had more possibilities than the first one she had been stuck in, but it still wasn’t a solution. Wolves would sniff Dexter out no matter where she tucked him.

As soon as Dexter got her right hand loose, she went to work on the left. “I think I see something that will help. Let me get my feet free, and I’ll get you set up.”

“Is my mommy okay?”

Amy nodded. “But she’s going to be very happy to see you once we get out of here.”

It was a matter of timing. Out in the hotel, there was a group of wolves she needed to stay away from. She had Dexter, and she needed to get him to safety.

And somewhere out there was Evan who she was certain was doing everything he could to get to her. If she could wait long enough for him to show up, that would make all the difference.

But until he showed up, she would just have to prove she was a worthy leader for the joint packs.

It took Evan five minutes flat to discover Amy was nowhere in her house. He paced the living room, following her most recent tracks, and ended up on the back porch, totally confused.

There was another scent along with hers. Something must have happened.

His phone rang, and he slapped it on.

“I’m so sorry, I had no choice.”

The voice was somewhat familiar, and Evan struggled to place it. “Laney?”

“My ex showed up. He made me grab her, and now I think it’s a trap for you.” Laney’s words increased in speed as her terror became more apparent. “Sam and Dexter are somewhere in the Moonshine Inn. Mike said he’s taking over the pack here in Whitehorse. He said he’s heard you’d lost control. Someone from your pack was helping him, and I’m so sorry.”

Dammit. Evan was back in his truck and headed for the inn. “Don’t panic, just tell me again what happened.”

“We went to the inn. He said he would let Dexter go, but when we got there, they grabbed Sam, and tried to grab me as well. I got away. I think they didn’t expect me to—” her voice broke before she forced herself on, “—they didn’t expect me to leave Dex. But I had to. It was my only choice, and now they have my son, and they have Sam.”

He should have expected something like this to happen. “Laney, I need you to do something. Contact everyone you know in Canyon. Whatever they can do to help, tell them to do it. I’m going to the inn, and I’m going to get your son. But I need backup. Can you do that for me?”

“You would save Dexter for me?”

“You’re pack. Amy and I promised to take care of all of you, and that’s what we’re going to do. I bet right now Amy is looking after Dexter. I want you to remember that.”

Wavering sniffles came over the phone.

“But you have to be brave and help as well. Contact Canyon.”

“I will. Please, save my son.”

Evan hung up and hurriedly made another call. “They’ve made their move,” he told Shaun. “I bet it’s Lance and Toby, but they’ve hooked up with some troublemaker out of Dawson City. I’m headed to the Moonshine Inn. Meet me there, and be ready with emergency services.”

“Do you want me to call them in already?” All Shaun’s usual joking had vanished.

“It’s pack related, so we need to make sure this stays secret, at least for now. But let’s not take chances.” Evan pulled to a stop around the corner from the hotel. “I’m there. Don’t let me down.”

He jammed his phone into his pocket and headed to one of the service entrances. He paused, reconsidered and instead found a fire exit ladder, jumping up and grabbing the bottom rung so he could quickly ascend to the roof.

Stealing into his own hotel. He always figured it would come to this, but he never thought it would be Amy’s life on the line as well. Someone kidnapping her and making a challenge for pack—this was more than discontented rumbles. This was going to end in blood.

Now he had to make sure it wasn’t his or his mate’s.

He eased open a ceiling vent. Sneaking in would be slower than rushing down hallways, but less risky in terms of running into any bad guys. He lowered himself into the dark space and closed the vent to hide his presence.

And then he forced himself to slow down. To sense where he was so he could reach out with the other part of him. The strong mental link between him and Amy had to make a difference. Somehow, he needed to be able to contact her, even from here.

He kicked himself that he’d mucked up so much in the first place that they’d never made it to the point of marking each other. This entire rescue would have been a lot easier if they already had that connection.

There was only so much that he could go on, but somewhere in the building below him she was waiting. A sense of peace came unexpectedly, even in the midst of his blind fury. She was smart, very smart, and he remembered something she’d mentioned about discovering everything there was to know about the inn and the pack house during her recon days. That gave him the first inkling of which direction to look for her.

Evan stole his way to the service elevator, using the cables and sidewall to travel. He had to force his way past the actual elevator, grasping hold of the cables with a set of gloves he found tucked into a service box. The heavy leather protected him as he slid downward at a rapid pace.

He reached the bottom floor and pried the door open an inch, freezing as a wolf paced past farther down the hallway. Low conversation carried from beside the elevator before moving farther away.

Evan followed silently, thankful for the lack of air currents that kept his scent from those he was tracking. As soon as he made the main hallway, one deep breath was the only clue he needed, and after a cautious wait he took the first door.

Amy whirled silently to face him, hands up and ready for attack before she straightened and smiled. Fingers going to her lips as he stepped toward her.

He caught her in his arms and squeezed briefly, needing a moment of physical touch to anchor him.

She returned his hug then moved back, gesturing with her head toward an open duct. Dexter stared from the metal boxlike opening, surprise and hope in his eyes.

Amy squatted and pushed the little boy’s bangs from his eyes. “This is my mate, Evan. Do you remember him?” she whispered.

Dexter nodded.

She turned, slipping a hand around the back of Evan’s neck to draw him closer so she could speak quietly. “I need you to get Dexter out of here.”

“We can all get out of here.” Evan motioned toward the door.

Amy shook her head. “You have a better chance if it’s just the two of you. Plus, if I can get to the main panel, I can lock the hotel down and trap them. If we all take off, they might burn the inn then hide. We don’t want them to show up again later and keep tormenting us.”

“You’re not going to go wandering around the inn when they could kill you.”

Her expression sharpened. “Dexter can’t escape by himself, and you can’t talk to the computer, can you? I know it’s asking a lot, but this is my pack as well. I need to defend it, and this is the best way I know how.”

Evan’s heart fell as the seriousness of what she was asking hit.

He had said he trusted her, had even given her space during the fight in the bar, but this was their real world. This was a challenge not only to her leadership, but for the entire pack.

If he turned her down, he was as good as saying she wasn’t worthy of leading. He had only one option if they were going to make it as mates, as sick as the choice made him.

“I’ll take Dexter.” He caught her by the chin and forced her to look him in the eye. “But you leave a trapdoor so I can get back in.”

“Evan—”

She was about to argue. Forget that noise. He spoke firmly. “I trust you, it’s not that. But don’t ask me to stand by and do nothing to defend the pack. More importantly, I need to help you. I want to stand at your side while we do this.”

She didn’t hesitate. Just pressed up on her tiptoes and planted her lips against his. A fiery kiss full of desperation and passion. The two of them together, even though for a time their skills were needed in different directions.

Evan put everything he could into the kiss before pulling back.

“I’ll set the side service door on a code block,” Amy promised, sneaking her hand out of his pocket and holding up his cell phone. “I need to borrow this as well. The password for the door will be ‘united’.”

Evan nodded then turned toward Dexter. “Okay, buddy, it’s time for you and me to do a little sightseeing inside some secret passages. Hold on, and we’ll get you to your mom as fast as possible.”

A set of arms wrapped around his neck as Dexter settled in tight. Evan spared one last glance over his shoulder at Amy, then crawled into the ductwork and headed for the roof.

Chapter Twenty-One

Evan vanished with Dexter. The lovely sense of certainty her mate left with her washed away the urge to worry.

It wasn’t cockiness, but confidence. Even while they were apart, they were working together to get the job done.

Amy closed the panel and turned her back on the duct, focusing on the task ahead.

She opened Evan’s phone, made a couple of adjustments, then turned it on. She used the 3G connections to access the main computer she had hacked into so long ago.

She had been using illegal access to the system as part of her revenge. Now it looked as if having the cheats in place might save them.

One after the other, she checked the systems for ways to give Evan time to get Dexter free. She turned on alarms in three different sections of the hotel. None of them connected to outside authorities, but hopefully the clanging would be bothersome enough that Mike would send someone to check them.

Her thumbs flew over the teeny keyboard as she accessed a direct line to the security cameras. It took her thirty seconds to find her targets, figuring out not only where Mike waited, but where Lance and Toby were setting up mischief.

Mike had taken over the bar. All the curtains to the outside were closed—no prying eyes could spot what they were up to. It also meant she’d have to go through the side hallway and take the back door into Evan’s office.

Toby concerned her more. He was in the mechanical room, a soldering iron in his hand. She wasn’t sure what modifications he was making, but in reference to their discussion about explosions, it didn’t look good.

The entire situation had a deadline, and she had to make sure she was in the right place at the right time to get out alive.

With Evan’s phone set up to show multiple camera angles, she risked opening the door and scooting into the hallway. It would be far faster if she could take the direct route rather than crawling through ducts. She snuck forward, placing each step to avoid making any noise, moving to the emergency staircase like a ghost. She ducked through the door seconds before two wolves passed where she had just left.

By the time she reached the top of the landing, her thighs were burning from lactic acid. As she moved, she kept one eye on the shifting camera reports, the phone clutched in her hand like a lifeline. That’s how she saw the roof grid open, and Evan’s head and shoulders appear. He glanced around quickly, but none of the rebels were on the roof.

Evan sprinted to the fire escape, checking over the side of the building before crawling out of sight, Dexter clinging to his back like a monkey.

If things went well, Evan would be on the ground in less than fifteen seconds. Amy paused for long enough to set off a new series of alarms, all of them on the far side from where Evan and Dexter were descending.

Now it was her turn. She ran the length of the hallway, fiddling with the set of keys she’d taken from the maintenance room. A group of wolves were approaching, and she used the master key to access one of the larger suites.

She closed the door silently behind her, leaning against the door. Mike’s wolves paced past, unaware of her presence only feet away. Incompetent fools. They should have been using their noses. But, she was glad their skills at espionage were as bad as they were. It meant she and Evan could get the jump on them.

Amy looked around as she got her breathing under control. It wasn’t her final destination, but the room she was in was a good second choice. One of the fancier suites in the hotel, this one had an Internet connection along with the television. It was like Christmas, Hanukkah and every birthday wish she’d ever made. A couple adjustments later and she’d hacked into Evan’s system again.

Now more than one security-camera view was visible at a time. Her alarms had worked, and outside the building Dexter was in Laney’s arms, just barely visible across the street in a gathering of familiar faces.

There was no sign of Evan.

Amy took the time to trigger a program she’d written ages ago during her revenge-planning days. The one that would set off alarms at random intervals. She added in the power grid, which would set up the lights to fail in a random series. She hit start, then headed back to the door ready for the next stage of the adventure.

Down one more set of stairs, around the corner, she slipped into Evan’s office and stood motionless against the side wall, waiting for her heart rate to slow before she risked opening the mainframe.

Mike was only a dozen steps on the other side of the door from her.

She checked Evan’s phone again, but it only confirmed what she had suspected. While Mike seemed in no rush to burn things as he’d threatened, Toby was no longer in the mechanical room. Instead, he and Lance were both on their way back to the bar.

She bet anything they were hoping Evan would show up.

Which meant she couldn’t wait any longer. She tiptoed across the floor and opened the computer in the corner. Evan had crashed all the Moonshine Inn laptops at one time or another, and Amy had slipped remote access codes into all of them.

But the big old mainframe was the jackpot for taking control of the final touches.

She opened the master control and stared for a moment at the flashing command box. All of the doors in the inn had an electronic safety lock. When given the order, the doors would automatically swing open to allow visitors to exit in a rush during an emergency.

If she reversed the command codes, the opposite would be true. None of the doors would open without her specifically setting them to release. She only needed the password, and the change would be complete.

So. What would Evan pick for a master password? She was sure he would have chosen it, even if Caroline used the controls one hundred percent of the time.

No hesitation. There was only one thing Evan would have selected before anything else. The one thing always on his mind, at least when he would have set up the code.

She typed in “whitehorseforever”.

The screen she needed popped open. She did a happy dance silently in her chair as her fingers flew to input commands.

One set of commands locked the doors.

The next set primed the service entrance with the access code “united”.

The third shut down all programming access again.

Amy turned away from the computer and rushed to the main door of Evan’s office. She hesitated briefly, but it had to be done. The wolves on the other side of the door had made some big mistakes in staging a rebellion, but they didn’t know they were trapped. They didn’t know the game had changed, and unless they were told, they couldn’t change their mind and give up.

She stepped through the door and into the immediate attention of the rebel wolves.

Evan thrust Dexter into his mom’s arms, spinning on the spot to head back to the building.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Shaun was at his side, sprinting forward and matching his pace.

“Amy is still in there. I’m going to get her.” Evan attempted to jerk the door open, but it was firmly locked. “Shit, that’s right. The code.”

“Takhini has the place surrounded,” Shaun reported as Evan opened up the control panel and entered the password. “And those geeky computer dudes from Canyon who work for Amy did something they said would override any calls from inside the inn to the fire department or police department until we give the word. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I hope so too.” Evan tried the door again, but it still didn’t budge. “I need you to stay out here and keep things under control. If anything explodes, call the fire department. I’m going in and getting Amy.”

Shaun rested his hand on Evan shoulder. “She’s a smart woman, your mate. She’ll get it done, and then we can kick some butt and get those rebels to smarten up.”

Evan tapped in united again, hit enter and sighed with relief as the door swung open before he even touched it. “She is smart, and I have no idea why she’s willing to put up with me. But I’m so glad she is.”

He stepped through the door and pulled it shut behind him.

It was déjà vu. So much like a few weeks earlier when he’d walked into the darkness, only this time he knew somewhere ahead of him, his mate was waiting. He’d found her, and damn if he’d let anyone take her away.

She’d been in the hall recently. He followed her trail all the way to his office, getting in without any trouble. That’s when he realized what she’d done.

The door on the bar side of the room was open a crack, and laughter poured through. Nasty, mean laughter, followed by the sound of skin smacking skin, and the faint cry of pain from his mate’s lips.

Fury enveloped him. At that moment he had no desire whatsoever for the authorities to come and pick up the bastards. He wanted to tear them apart one piece at a time for daring to touch her.

He slung open the door and stepped through like an avenging angel, infuriated by the sight of Amy held tight between two wolves. Toby stood before her, his fist raised for the next blow.

“Touch her again and you die,” Evan promised. His words soft, but deadly.

“The guest of honour has arrived.” Another wolf rose to his feet, throwing the drink in his hand to the floor where glass and liquid splashed up over his flunkies. “We can do this so many ways, but the old ways are sometimes best. I challenge you for this territory. You’re not worthy to be in charge.”

“Let her go, and you and I can dance.” Evan stepped closer to Amy, keeping an eye on the wolf he assumed was Mike.

For some reason, Toby didn’t get out of the way. He opened his mouth to say something, but Evan had zero tolerance left by this point. He simply raised both fists, catching Toby under the chin with his rock solid hands, sending the wolf crashing into the others.

Evan turned a cold eye on the pack members who’d betrayed him and were now holding Amy’s arms. “Are you deaf? I said, let her go.”

He wasn’t sure who they were more afraid of, him or Mike. They glanced in both directions before opening their hands and stepping back.

Who they should have been afraid of was Amy. The instant she was no longer restrained she swung, one fist flying in an uppercut that crushed a jaw even as she followed through the opposite direction with a kick. The second wolf’s head snapped back as his feet lifted off the ground, and he flew backwards a good three feet.

Evan smiled at his mate. “Nicely done.”

Amy gingerly touched the swollen corner of her mouth, wiping away the blood. “Toby’s swings were getting a little boring. I’m glad you could join us.”

“Why, this is all so lovey-dovey and friendly-like.” Mike picked up the chair next to him and threw it across the room. He roared before setting himself squarely to face Evan and Amy, big fists rising to the ready. “Enough. Take the challenge, or get on your belly and crawl.”

“Hold that thought. Even though it was a touch too melodramatic.” Evan faced Amy. “Your choice.”

She looked confused, watching Mike out of the corner of her eye. “What are you talking about?”

“Do I fight him? Or do we let the authorities take care of him for everything he’s done? I’m pretty sure we can get him locked up for quite a while.”

In spite of the bruises on her face, he’d never seen her look more beautiful. “You would do that for me?”

“Anything. Because you’re my mate.”

“I’m just going to kill the both of you,” Mike snapped, picking up another chair and smashing it on a table. The wood shattered, leaving him with a long, deadly weapon. He lofted it in the air, stomping toward them.

“Kick his butt,” Amy ordered. She got out of his way, headed for the side of the room where the rest of the rebels were moving uneasily. “Any of you even think about interfering, and I’ll pull your lungs out through your eye sockets.”

That’s my girl, Evan thought, but he was too busy ducking Mike’s attack to say it out loud.

“We need to get out of here,” Toby groaned from his fetal position on the floor. “There’s no time. There’s no time.”

The deadly chunk of wood swung over Evan’s head again. This time he darted forward under the attack and into Mike’s space. He slashed out with an uppercut, following it immediately with a vicious jab to the man’s throat.

Mike jerked aside at the last second. Evan’s knuckles grazed his neck. They were too close together for the piece of chair to be effective, so Mike tossed it aside, the wood clattering on the solid floor of the bar.

Their dangerous dance continued, the physical battle somewhat reassuring. Amy had skills Evan could only dream of, but this? This was his area of expertise.

He jabbed again, making contact with the man’s temple before he scooted out of reach, headed for the bar. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, smashing the glass over Mike’s head seconds before the brute ran into him, driving him back against the solid rock lining the bar.

Somewhere below them an enormous explosion went off, the reverberations echoing through the hallways and changing the pressure in the sealed building. Evan’s ears popped, but he was too busy diving from Mike to worry about what was happening elsewhere.

Lights flickered overhead, the fire alarms going off in a strangely musical sequence all over the hotel.

Inspiration hit. He caught Mike by the shoulder, using momentum to drop his arm around Mike’s thick neck and put him into a chokehold. At the same time he brought his knee in sharply, smashing it into Mike’s kidneys. The man’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, Evan a heavy weight on his back.

Another explosion sounded, and this time Toby shrieked. “We’ve got to get out of here. The gas line is open. The whole place will go up around us.”

“I’ll let you go,” Amy promised, her volume rising to carry over the shouting and distant rumbling. “Just give me your word that you’re done with this foolishness.”

Evan jerked backwards, taking Mike with him. He twisted at the last moment to slam the other man into the floor first, once again driving a knee into his back. Mike groaned loudly, hands scrambling on the floor as he struggled for air.

“There’s no use in fighting any longer,” Amy snapped. “Take a look at the leader of your rebellion. Any of you want to fight Evan once he’s done? Any of you want to fight me?”

The struggle on the floor continued, but in the background his mate was fighting a different battle. Evan grabbed Mike by the back of the head so he could repeat the face slam into the floor. In the meantime, Amy continued to give the others hell, forcing them to make a decision which way their loyalties would lie. The exit doors refused to budge, and the windows were shatterproof.

He was a little busy with Mike, but still admiring the hell out of his mate’s evil sense of justice.

“You’re in charge. I swear I’ll follow you and Evan,” one of the rebels shouted. “Now, please, for God’s sake, let us out.”

One after the other they affirmed the decision. As the crackling sound of fire encroached, panic rose.

“I shouldn’t make you decide while you’re under such duress.” Amy clicked her tongue. “It’s not fair. Maybe you’re saying something you don’t mean. I need to think about this for a little while.”

“You’re so demanding,” Evan teased. He concentrated as Mike made one final attempt to rise. Evan squeezed harder, his biceps bulging as he closed the man’s airway as tightly as possible.

“You think?” Amy stepped beside him, squatting to tap his arm. “Hey, you used my move.”

“It seemed appropriate. And effective.”

She grinned. “He’s unconscious, by the way, so you can come and help me with these other guys.”

Evan dragged his arm free. “You seem to be doing fine on your own.”

She pulled his cell phone from her pocket and smiled past lips that were puffy and swollen. “If you escort the guys to the side door off the bar, I’ll unlock it. That’s the safest route.”

“You can open the rest of the doors,” Evan told her. “There’s a fire truck standing by.”

What followed was a rush of activity. The half-dozen men who had been with Mike, Toby and Lance raced from the building. Evan reached the door in time to see the Takhini pack, headed by Shaun, surround them and lead them off.

Which left Mike’s unconscious body to be dealt with. Evan whistled at his Beta. “Hey, come take out the trash for me.”

Shaun jogged over, patting Evan approvingly on the back as he slipped past. “Oh, look. Bad guy on the floor. Colour me shocked and dismayed.”

He slung the man over his shoulder with surprising ease, heading out to safety.

Evan held his hand to Amy, both of them rocking on their feet as another alarm went off directly overhead. “Come on, let’s get out here,” he shouted.

“Just a second. I can shut off the gas from the master control.”

And damn if she didn’t turn around and go back into the hotel.

Evan swore, pausing only long enough to gesture to the emergency crew standing on the sidewalk watching patiently. “Get everyone away from here.”

He twirled and headed for his office, yanking the door open. It was the work of seconds to drag her from the computer and scoop her over his shoulder.

“Wait, wait,” Amy protested. “There’re other things I can do. Stop it, you Neanderthal. Put me down.”

He was beyond waiting. Evan marched out of the room. Heat was already pouring through the doors on the front-hall side. “It’s not worth your life. It’s only a building.”

She relaxed, dragging her fingers up his back. “You just wanted an excuse to carry me around. Admit it.”

Evan didn’t stop until they were across the street and safely away from any further explosions. He lowered her to the ground and tucked her into his arms. “I’m glad you’re my mate.”

Her eyes shone, and that alone made everything perfect. “Looks as if you’re still in charge.”

“We’re in charge,” he emphasized.

Sirens joined the noise around them. The inn was definitely burning, smoke rising from the upper floors as the ambulance crew popped Mike into the ambulance. A police car waited to accompany them to the hospital. One of the pack who worked as an RCMP caught their attention then nodded. His chin dipped low as he affirmed his connection.

“Mike will be charged for kidnapping, and everything we can think of related to destroying the inn.” Evan turned to see Amy’s assistant, Sarah, standing with her clipboard in hand. She eyed the crowd nervously, but held her ground. “Evan will not be charged for assault or anything, obviously, since he was acting in self-defense and defending you.”

“Well done,” Amy praised her. “Anything else?”

Sarah pointed into the crowd. “The rebel wolves are in the care of Shaun and the Takhini pack. They’re probably the best ones to deal with that side of things. In the meantime, I’ve got a bunch of our people looking into insurance and researching contractors so we rebuild as soon as possible.”

Okay, that one came as a surprise to Evan. “You want to rebuild the Moonshine Inn?”

The woman blinked. “Of course. It’s a great source of revenue, plus it gives the Takhini hooligans something productive to do. Keeps them out of mischief.” Only she winked as she spoke, lowering her gaze respectfully before backing away.

It was too much to take in at once. Evan shook his head and nearly fell over. “Whoa.”

Amy snuggled under his arm and helped hold him up. “I think everybody seems to have the situation under control.”

Almost everything. “Take me home.”

Her smile lit up the area. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

They slipped back into her house, and a million years might have passed since she’d been there last. Maybe in a way the sensation was right.

Her world had changed.

Evan crowded her all the way to the shower, pausing to turn on the water. By the time he’d finished stripping off her clothes, steam billowed around them.

The aches and pains were there, but every bit of the punishment she’d taken was worth it, especially when he slid in next to her. Nothing but naked skin, his biceps flexing powerfully as he grabbed her buff puff and the soap.

“Close your eyes, and let me take care of you.”

It seemed selfish to simply take. She closed her eyes as ordered, but reached out to slide her fingers over his body. Touching him while he scrubbed and cleaned, moving tenderly over the bruises and cuts she’d received.

“You’re not supposed to do that,” he breathed unsteadily, the words trembling as she traced her fingers over the delicious muscle between his thigh and abdomen.

“Try and stop me,” she whispered. “You need some tenderness as well.”

“What I need is to care for my mate. You were incredible back there.” With his lips pressed to her temple, he turned her, settling her against his chest. The circles with the soap continued, his hands rising from her waist to her breasts.

Amy arched into his touch. “We work together. Oh, yes, right there.”

He’d transferred the sponge to his opposite hand and was playing with her nipples. “Don’t scare me like that again. When I got into the office and realized where you were, I was ready to take them all out for hurting you.”

“It wasn’t my idea of a good time, but it had to be done.” Amy draped a hand around his neck, twisting her head to one side so their lips could meet for a slow, careful kiss. The taste of him sank into her very cells. “And you’re still the one who fought Mike.”

“I have every confidence if you had needed to, you would’ve handled him just as well.”

The warm water and the comfort of his body helped release the remaining tension. “We work together,” she repeated. “And while it’s sad it came down to having to face a rebellion, we should have expected it.”

He nuzzled her neck, the scruff of his chin like erotic sandpaper against sensitive nerves. “Stupid people always make the stupidest move, but I wish I hadn’t fallen down on the job in the first place.”

“I’m sorry about the Moonshine Inn.” Amy twisted in his arms, rubbing her fingers through his hair as she tugged him under the showerhead. “I’ll do everything I can to help make the new hotel construction go smoothly.”

Evan smiled as he settled his hands on her hips. “It sounds as if Canyon already has our back.”

“You’ll find there are a lot of things that will go much smoother with their skills behind you.”

His eyes burned brighter as he looked at her, ogling her body. “Same goes the other way around, but I think we’ve had enough pack discussion today. Don’t you agree?”

Amy hummed happily. “You look as if you have something else on your mind.”

He hoisted her upward, twisting far enough to pin her to the wall of the shower with his body. Slick heat and rising passion growing between them. “I’m about to have something on my cock.”

She laughed, and it felt so good to release the stress. To have a whole new type of tension spreading through her system, driving her mad with entangling sensual tendrils. Evan adjusted her so the heavy length of his shaft rested over her sex.

They’d been going slow up to this point, but it was time to move. Amy wrapped her legs around his hips. She dragged her nails up his back, enjoying the rough response as he thrust forward, knocking her clit and sending shivers up her spine.

Things kind of got a little crazy from that point. Between his mouth and his hands, there wasn’t a whole lot of her that wasn’t being teased to a hot, quivering mass. He caressed her ass, fingers floating sensually over the curves. He stroked under her thigh, lifting her knee to one side so he could slip his fingers into her. He pumped languidly at first, then with increasing speed until she dug her nails into his shoulders and gasped for air.

A satisfied rumble filled the shower stall. “My mate. Perfect for me, exactly what I need.”

Evan pulled his fingers free. Made one adjustment, and suddenly she was filled with the full, hard length of his cock. She rested her head back on the tiles and stared into his eyes. “You like this position, don’t you?”

He held her with one arm, the other braced on the wall beside her head. She clung to his biceps, scratching her free hand down his chest as she used her legs to help him pump deeper, harder, until they were both shaking, teetering on the edge.

Evan paused, and the mood changed. No longer desperate, but fully engaged. All she wanted at this point was to give to him. He deserved so much, and she was going to spend the rest of her life showing him that.

She kissed his chest as his touch became more possessive, the blinding sensation of pleasure rising, tension growing. Evan caught her chin, and there was no looking away as he moved within her, one long, languid stroke after another until she tumbled apart, satisfaction carrying away all emotional baggage. Every moment binding them closer.

Then she broke eye contact. Not to deny him the intimacy, but to finish this. To offer the final moment of trust. She put her teeth to his neck and bit hard enough to make him gasp. Accepting who he was to her. Giving him all of herself.

Fiery passion roared through her as he came. The taste of him in her mouth. The sensation of being joined and completed shooting in a mad rush through her veins.

She let him go after marking him, savouring the intoxicating connection. And when he returned the favour, marking her and making her his, Amy shouted his name. Shaking as she luxuriated in being whole.

“I’ll never let you be alone again.”

His voice in her head. Amy swallowed hard, shivering as Evan licked the mark on her neck and then continued upward, playfully tasting her.

“Am I your personal ice cream cone?” Amy teased as delight swirled through her.

He pulled her to a vertical position, sheer joy on his face. “It’s true. You’re in my head and my heart, and it couldn’t be more perfect.”

Amy nodded. This was what she had always hoped for, but hadn’t dreamed possible. “I never want to do anything to make you doubt me. I will always choose you, I promise.”

They ended up on the bed, cuddling for the longest time. Evan stroked her hair and held her against him. It was the strangest of sensations, having given her heart, and yet it was the most right thing she’d ever experienced. “I can sense you. What you’re feeling, what you’re hoping.”

Evan snickered. “Does this mean you know already what I plan to get you for a mating gift?”

“I would never dream of spoiling a surprise. I’ll stay out of those parts of your brain.” She pulled on an innocent face—the kind that usually meant someone was up to no good.

For a moment he looked absolutely horrified. “Oh God. Tell me this isn’t like a computer, and you know exactly how to break all the codes? Because I wouldn’t have a chance at keeping anything secret, not from you.”

Amy laughed, and in spite of her bruises and swollen lips and all the aches and pains, it felt so good. So good to leave behind the heavy weight she’d been burdened under, not just for the last month, but for a lifetime. “Don’t worry, if you break anything, I’m pretty sure I can figure out how to fix it.”

He rolled onto his back and collapsed, arms overhead as if he’d given up. “I’m in so much trouble.”

Amy crawled over him, staring contentedly at the man who was her mate. “Then we’ll be in trouble together. Because that’s what mates do.”