“They won’t, Ash will make sure of that.”
“Good,” Marissa replied, stifling a yawn. “I’m tired, can we go to bed?”
Shade groaned. “Hell yeah, but please don’t be offended if my feelings for you are evident.”
Her eyes twinkled as she glanced away, a rosy blush on her cheeks. “I’m sure I’ll feel much better tomorrow.”
“We’ll see,” Shade replied, praying to the Goddess she was right. His restraint was wearing thin with the need to claim his mate burning like lava deep inside. It was almost as painful as the Hunger, not quite, but it was damn close.
Shade slipped out of bed before dawn after a restless night. Holding Marissa close was a sweet torture that he could endure no longer, so he decided to go for a quick run, then prepare her breakfast. Hoping a hearty meal to start her day would aid her recovery. That was his plan anyway. What he didn’t expect to find on his return from his run was Trixie fucking Evans screaming like a banshee and banging on his door.
Shade sped up, anger simmering as he sprang up his steps to grab her, just as his door flew open and Marissa appeared, looking furious. Shade spun Trixie around roughly. “What the fuck are you doing here and how did you get here? You and the rest of your family are banned from my land.”
Before she could answer, Marissa stepped outside, arms crossed and scowling. “Who are you and why are you acting like a common fishwife?”
“Me? Who am I?” Trixie swung back to Marissa, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulders. “More like who the fuck are you? You look like you’re a damn . . .”
Shade stepped around Trixie to join his mate. “Shut up. I’m warning you, don’t say another word.”
“Answer me.” Marissa snarled. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I’m here to challenge you.” Trixie snarled right back. “Oh, and I’m Trixie, the woman he was fucking right before you arrived. So I have the right to see who my competition is, and I have to say, Shade, she’s no competition at all. Look at her? She’s so . . . dull!”
“Trixie?” Marissa glanced at Shade, her eyes glinting angrily. “This is Trixie?”
Trixie looked at Shade then Marissa as his mate carried on, smirking. “Oh, hell, Shade. I know what you told me, but for fuck sake. You scraped the bottom of the barrel with this ho. Hey, Trixie, can I ask you something? Just between us girls, do you even bother putting underwear on in the morning? ‘Cause what I’ve heard is that it’s more often than not, down around your ankles. I just wondered why you’d bother.”
Trixie’s face grew crimson as anger filled her, rage boiling over. “What did you fucking say? Did you call me a ho? I’ll rip your throat out, you skanky bitch.”
“Aww shut your mouth, ho.” Marissa stepped closer, nose to nose with Trixie. “You’re a cheap lay that every Shifter knows about. I’ve heard them talk about you, hell, they trade stories about you like kids trade baseball cards. You have no dignity, no class, and no fucking chance of ever getting your claws anywhere near Shade again. In fact, if you don’t get your cheap ass off my porch right now, I’m going to take you down right here and now. I’ll show you what a real She-Wolf can do.”
Trixie’s eyes bulged, a growl erupting from her as her fangs descended. Marissa didn’t seem to blink, or think twice as her hand flew back, fist clenched and punched Trixie hard in the face. The blow was fierce, hurling Trixie up and heaving her off the porch to land on the ground several feet away. Marissa followed, Shade desperate to stop her but knowing he couldn’t interfere, this was the moment his mate showed her worth to his Pack, which was now assembling outside to watch the spectacle.
Fuck. Every cell in his body battled to go to her aid. It was the hardest struggle he’d ever fought but he forced his feet to stay planted where they were, watching the scene unfold before him. His arms crossed, eyes cold, face inscrutable, but his insides churned like a stormy sea as he watched his mate stalk toward a sure-fire fight.
Marissa arrived at Trixie as she rose, blood pouring from her nose and mouth. “I told you to leave. Or do you want to carry on? If so then let’s do this properly, in Wolf form.”
Trixie’s hand shot forward, grabbing hold of Marissa’s hair and tugging her forward. Marissa’s reflexes were lightning fast, snatching hold of Trixie’s thumb and bending it back hard and fast. The sound of it snapping a loud crack in the silence of the morning as the sun crept over the trees, quickly followed by Trixie’s scream.
Marissa shook her head. “Really? Hair pulling? What the hell are you? A Wolf or a fucking kid in the school yard? This is your last chance. You turn on that cheap heel of yours and get the hell off my land or I’m giving you fair warning, I’m transforming and I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”
Trixie didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t move. Shade held his breath, his blood pumping so fast he felt light-headed, but his mate merely nodded and shit-on-a-fucking-brick, she transformed right then and there. Her pajamas ripped from her body, which Shade was extremely grateful for, if she’d stopped to undress he was sure he would’ve lost it completely, but she didn’t. Marissa simply morphed into her Wolf and tatters of her
