against his face. “Ethan!”
The building tension in her core rose to a fevered pitch. Unable to take anymore, she reached out, every muscle tense and ready to explode. He spread her lower lips with his fingers and attached his mouth to her nub while letting his chin press against her slit. He rolled her clit between his lips. Her body grew hotter and her muscles spasmed at the same time a wave of release exploded through her middle, spreading into her limbs. She collapsed on the bed and let her body ride out the powerful orgasm.
Ethan crawled up beside her and gathered her in his embrace. She nuzzled his chest. His heart raced. She closed her eyes and smiled. “I love you, mate. I knew life mates had a special bond, but I never imagined ever feeling this way about another.”
“I love you too, little one.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sleep. Tomorrow we’ll need all our strength.”
She sighed. They’d never be completely content until Ethan won back his alpha position and Jordan was home. “Promise me that everything will be okay. We’ll win against Greggoire.”
“I promise.” He pulled her tighter against his body. “I’ll do whatever it takes.” Chapter Seven
The next morning, a crowd of men had gathered in front of Dani’s home, forming a straight line on the quiet street the length of the one-story ranch house. The hair on Ethan’s body stood up, but he kept control over his wolf.
He wanted nothing more than to shift and meet the Drover pack on his own terms, but it figured that Greggoire was watching the pack’s movements and had known the moment they'd arrived back in Drover.
Ethan guessed that Greggoire wanted to keep the appearance of control, and to force them to reveal their plans prematurely. At some point, Ethan would have to show them all that he was still the alpha he was raised to be and bring order to the mess they’d created. He glanced over at Dani. Inside his wolf growled. It was inbred in him to take charge, but the timing wasn’t right. He had to think of his mate’s needs first.
He turned away from the window and led her farther back in the house away from the danger.
He stroked her skin, letting his confidence calm her nerves. The tension he sensed outside could quickly grow out of control, and he didn’t want her caught in the middle.
The delicate bones in her wrist rolled beneath his touch, and he strummed his thumb along the pulsing vein running up the inside of her arm. “Keep your wolf controlled unless the pack gives you no other choice but to shift.
Every one of them standing outside will sense fear, and if you shift, they’ll take it as a threat.”
“I know.” She stretched up and kissed him.
“I’ll handle myself. Let’s get this over with.” Ethan surveyed her body, checking that every weapon was hidden. The bulge on her stomach and the ridge on her calf under her jeans were apparent to him. He knew her body like it was his own, but he gambled on the others not noticing the arsenal she carried. He gave her a firm kiss and softened it with a sigh.
“Remember everything I have taught you.” Today, he meant to introduce the pack to the idea that their former alpha had come back, but he wasn’t stupid. It would not be easy.
Conversations came to an abrupt stop the second the door clicked behind them. Heads turned in their direction, and the musky odor wafting off everyone slammed into Ethan as if someone had taken a baseball bat to his midsection. He stepped out of the house with Dani holding his hand but trailing a step behind him. If someone flew at him, he wanted his body between the attacker and the woman he loved.
He stopped at the edge of the grassy area where the pavement of Copper Road began. No werewolf would step onto another’s property without permission. Now that he’d become Dani’s mate, it was his right to defend their private territory. That included the land around the house. Years ago, their lands were acres, often