Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) by J.H. Croix Read Free Book Online

Shana’s coffee down and was off to the next customer when her name was called from the deli counter.
    Shana took a sip of coffee and looked over at Phoebe. “Okay, spill it.”
    “Spill what?”
    “Who’s staying in the room at the end of the left wing? You and Rosie practically tripped over yourself making sure I didn’t get assigned to rounds for that wing. It’s high time everyone stopped tiptoeing around me.”
    Phoebe eyed Shana, whose expression held a touch of defiance. Everyone close to Shana had been doing all they could to shield her from the constant murmurs about Callen. Phoebe knew it had to stop at some point, but she didn’t want to see Shana hurt anymore than she already was. “Shana, no one wants to make this any worse than it has to be. Especially after what you’ve been through the last few weeks.”
    Shana straightened in her seat and held Phoebe’s gaze, her eyes clear though weary. “It’s been hell, but maybe I can help. I had no idea what Callen was up to behind my back, but he was my husband. Maybe I can help figure some of this out.”
    “Are you sure about that?” Phoebe asked, skeptical it could help her friend to delve into the level of betrayal her late husband had been responsible for before his death.
    Shana nodded firmly. “Yes. I’m sickened with what we’ve learned since Callen died. It doesn’t change the fact that I loved him, but I didn’t love the man who did what he did. So in a weird way, it’s almost easier to accept that he’s gone when I realize the man I loved was a façade. What’s driving me crazy now is facing what he did and the fact that I was too oblivious to see it. I’d like to help for more reasons than one. I want to make sure Catamount shifters are safe, and I think it will help me get over this if I can be a part of finding the truth.”
    Phoebe nodded slowly. “Okay, I can see your point. Maybe you should talk to Dane about it if you want to help.”
    Shana rolled her eyes. “My big brother isn’t about to agree to let me be involved. He’s in overprotective mode after what happened to Chloe. I have to start somewhere else and then he’ll have no choice but to deal with my involvement.”
    “I’m not sure how you’re going to have anything to do with the investigation without Dane knowing about it.”
    “If you let me help, I will.”
    Phoebe stared at her incredulously. “And how am I supposed to let you help?”
    “For starters, maybe you and Rosie could clue me in on who’s hiding out on the left wing, and why Jake was in the hospital yesterday pretending to be a repair guy.”
    Phoebe sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t help the small smile that followed. Though she had her doubts, she didn’t doubt Shana would do whatever she could to help. Not to mention that hiding things from Shana, one of her closest friends for years, was next to impossible.
    Within the half hour, she’d filled Shana in on her and Rosie’s suspicions about Paul, and Jake’s repairman gambit to assess the situation himself. Though Shana argued to be allowed to check Paul out herself, Phoebe was against it. She had her own worries about Shana, but she also knew Dane, and by extension Jake, would have a thing or two to say about it. In the back of her mind though, she knew Shana had a right to speak for herself and not be subject to the shield her overprotective brother and others wanted to keep around her.
    “No way,” Phoebe said, shaking her head firmly. “We have no idea what his plan is, but if you’re a part of it, we can’t have you risking it.”
    Shana threw her hands up. “Look, if he knows who I am, he already knows what I look like. I’m sure he knows I work in the hospital. I say we live by the rule of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.”
    Phoebe eyed her, twirling a curl around her finger. “Okay, you have a point. But what’s the idea? We’re already doing the usual rounds to his room. He somehow manages to