“Enough!” Knox bellowed into the room. “If we find you’re purposefully keeping the lady’s sisters from her, we will have a problem. We will call it out to the leaders of all the shifter groups and we will call for reform of the council.”
The color slipped from Raven’s face as Knox spoke with the authority of a true alpha instead of one who was just playing at being the top dog. That was the problem with getting comfortable in the top chair, you either held it with strength or you grew weak with ego. Raven, it seemed, had allowed his ego to grow while his true strength ebbed.
Knox glanced down at his phone once more and then grinned before focusing his attention back on Raven. “We will allow you to take both your panther and your leopard with you to the council, as a gesture of good will,” he tacked on the last in such a way that I could taste the devious nature of his words on the air. It wasn’t something Raven had an ability to pick up on though. “They will be awaiting you at the door as you leave.”
Raven glared once more at my woman who was once again seated in my lap. He shook his head, and signaled to his men to follow him from the room. They complied, Knox saw them out, and I stayed put with Chantal, Brace, Bomber, and Snow.
“That won’t be the last we see of the asshole,” Snow warned.
“We’ll be ready,” I told him.
“I don’t think he’ll come back for her now, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try to get to one of the sisters before the other men of the council now. He lost what he deemed his prize. Men like that don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Hopefully, my sisters are smart enough to see through his shit,” Chantal spat.
“Let’s hope. You all good?” Snow asked me as he stood to leave.
“Yeah, brother. I’m assuming Knox already got the info he needed from the leopard?”
Snow grinned. “Thian worked his magic while we had the esteemed council member locked up tight in here.”
“Good.” I picked Chantal up off my lap and tucked her hand into my own as we both stood. “We’re going to get some actual rest now that the fucker’s gone. If you need me,” I started to say.
“It can wait. Go enjoy time with your mate, I think you’ve both earned it.”
That was just what we did. Went to enjoy some time, alone, together. It wouldn’t be long before my next security gig would be taking me away from my mate for days on end. I had to get my fill of her while I could to last me those days when we would be separated.
“Gray?” Chantal asked as I closed the door, sealing out the rest of my brotherhood and the outside world.
“Yeah, Moonbeam?”
“I couldn’t have chosen a better forever if I’d tried,” she said just before she launched herself at me. Arms closed around my neck while her legs wrapped around my hips. I held on tight to her, pulling her as close into my body as I could. I leaned in and devoured those beautiful lips that just spilled the best words I’d ever heard.
“The best kind of forever,” I whispered against her lips before killing the lights and walking her over to our bed. “We’ll need to buy a house babe, because I’m not waiting to add to our forever either. Next time you start a heat cycle, we’re putting my little ones in your belly.”
“Yes, Gray,” was her only response before we came together as one in every way we could manage. We hadn’t tracked down all the bad guys yet, or tied up all the loose ends, but I had little doubt it would happen. What I knew for sure, was that my brothers had my back. I had a woman who meant everything to me, and the promise of the best kind of future with her on the horizon. Nothing was going to intrude on our moment. Our hope. Our forever together.
About the Author
Christine Michelle (aka Christine M. Butler) writes paranormal fantasy and contemporary romance books from her fabulous home tucked away near the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains on the North Carolina / Georgia border. That means she sees a lot of rainy days to help her focus, but when the sun comes out she’s usually out and about playing in the woods, a creek, river, or lake.
She spends her free time with family and their dog and cat.
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Part XXXI
Wayward Son
West Michigan Dark Leopards MC
Mandi Konesni
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Liliom Press
Cover Design by Furious Fotog
All rights reserved
Dedication
This one goes out to all the black sheep, the misfits, the ones that don't belong. You'll find your 'normal', everyone does. Be unique. Be beautiful. Be you. Love yourself and fuck the rest.
Chapter Three Hundred Eighty-Five
Fingers loosely wrapped around the neck of a bottle of Jack, he scowled, watching the small crowd in front of him. His 'family', if you could call it that. They'd been estranged longer than they'd been together, or at least it felt that way. Thian had always been the black sheep of the group. His siblings had kids, houses. They'd gotten degrees and were excelling in their fields.
On the other hand, there was Thian. The loner, the social outcast. Spent too much time making money in various legal and illegal ways to pay much attention in school, meaning he barely earned a diploma. It wasn't that he wasn't intelligent, he just didn't care about schooling all that much. It wasn't like he was going to use any of that shit in his daily life. No, he'd needed instruction on survival.
When he'd
