Claiming Shayla

Chapter Eleven

Rory stood watching the sensuous sway of Shay’s hips until she disappeared from sight. Then, realizing he was hungry, he went into the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack. Shifting always burned a lot of calories, which was why shifters tended to be lean and muscular, and he needed to refuel.

Ten minutes later, he had a plate full of meaty sandwiches on the table along with a bag of cookies and a cup of milk. Shay joined him wearing another of his shirts. Though he loved seeing her in his stuff, to needle her he said, “You’ve seemed to acquire a fondness for wearing my clothes.”

“That’s because you have a fondness for ripping mine off,” she shot back.

He grunted rather than acknowledge the truth of her words.

“You didn’t want a shower?” she asked while pouring herself a glass of milk.

He shook his head. “Too hungry. I’ll clean up after I eat.” Rory motioned her to a chair. “Hungry?”

“I’ll take some cookies.” She grabbed a handful of the chocolate-cream-filled sandwich cookies, twisted one open, and licked the cream filling, just like on the commercials. He couldn’t help but smile.

“So did they recognize us or not?”

His smile faded. “Shay, as alpha, I have final say in all things. When I established the council, I gave them some of my minor duties to give them something to do and to free my time for more important matters. They’ve never had a say in my choice of mate.

“Recognizing you as my mate is to their benefit, not ours. The council needs me. They rule on my authority. I can and will disband them in a heartbeat if they cross me.”

“So basically they’re just figureheads?” she asked, grabbing another cookie.

He rose to pour Shay another glass of milk. “No. Shifters believe elders should be respected. These men are all that remain of the Sparrowhawks’ male elders. By giving them a title and duties, I hope to show them respect and at the same time teach the younger ones how the elders are to be treated.”

“What about the women?” She dipped a cookie in his milk and popped it in her mouth.

Amused at her actions, he answered, “From what I could see, you did a good job of winning them over.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Do none of the women have power? Oh, and thanks for leaving me alone with women who could tear out my throat in the blink of an eye,” she groused, frowning at him.

He smirked. “None of them are that fast, and as long as all the men were with me, you were safe.”

Shay stared, her mouth gaping the tiniest bit, before she snapped it shut and shook her head.

“What?”

She examined him. “You don’t get it, do you?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Get what?”

“Women. Don’t you realize in ninety percent of all species, females are the most deadly, the most treacherous?”

Rory frowned, mentally reviewing the women of the pack. “The strongest one of them is a beta, at the most. You’re an alpha like me, or will be once you learn how to tap into your wolf. Besides, you’re my mate. They wouldn’t dare touch you.”

Shay snorted, ending in an amused chuckle. “God, you are so clueless it’s funny.”

Offended because she was calling him stupid, he tried to puzzle out what she meant, but honestly in this he was clueless. Male shifters were much stronger than females. It was the men of the pack he needed to watch out for.

Shay twirled her tongue around the cookie, catching the cream on its tip before pulling it into her mouth with a look of carnal ecstasy on her face. The sight reminded him of the way she’d looked sucking his cock earlier. Immediately he lost his train of thought as the majority of his reasoning power pooled below his waist.

“Don’t worry. I handled myself. How’d your run go with your friends?”

The question snapped him back, and he shrugged, baffled and slightly uncomfortable. “It was a run. We shifted, ran until we got tired, then came back to the women.”

Shay made a small humming sound, eyed him for a moment like she was trying to see into him, then selected another cookie.

Rory decided he didn’t even want to know what that was about. His stomach growled, reminding him he’d prepared food but had yet to eat. He took a sandwich and snagged a handful of cookies before his mate could consume them all and began eating.

He’d devoured two sandwiches, drank his first glass of milk and poured another, and was munching on cookies before Shay spoke again.

“I’ve been introduced to the pack. Now what?”

“Now we get back to normal.”

Shay tilted her head to the side. “Do we have a normal?”

“We will. I’ll show you the different business systems the pack uses so you can get started on a program that will integrate them all into one, or at least let them speak to each other, and I need to get back to work. Half days, at least. I can do paperwork here at the house so I can be available to answer any questions you might have. I’ve seen how involved you get when you’re working on a project, so don’t worry about the house. Ashley’s paid to keep it clean. When you’re ready, I’ll let Caleb know it’s okay for her to return.”

Through the bond, he felt her instant and vehement recoil. “It’s just the two of us. I don’t need anyone cleaning behind me.”

Rory tried not to frown. This mate business was tricky. He thought she’d be glad not to do housework. But if that’s how she felt… “It’s your house. Your choice, but…”

“But what?” she asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

With a sigh, he admitted, “Ashley’s father was one of the men I killed during the challenge. In the beginning I paid her to clean as a way of earning extra money for her family. Now she uses the money to help with college expenses.”

Shay bit her lower lip and stared hard at the table. Finally, after the silence had drawn out, she said, “Fine. She can clean, but I don’t want anyone in our room, for any reason. In fact, I prefer she not come up the stairs at all.”

“I’ll let her know upstairs is off-limits.”

“And she needs set working hours. No coming and going as she pleases. That goes for the rest of the pack as well.”

“Shay—” He was already shaking his head.

“No, on this I’m adamant. My house, remember? The howl aside, if I want to screw you on the kitchen table, I don’t want to worry about someone walking in on us—again,” she said pointedly.

He conceded her argument was valid. As alpha, Rory felt he should be accessible to the pack when he was home, but as a mated man, he did have a right to privacy. “What if we have a few hours a day where the pack can simply drop by without notice, but the rest of the time they have to call first?”

“Why can’t they call first all the time?”

He sighed and wearily rubbed his forehead. “Eventually we’ll work our way to that, but for now let’s ease them into it. By mating, I’ve already introduced a lot of changes to the pack.”

“I’m sure the women would understand. The men should too,” she argued. “You don’t go dropping in on them willy-nilly, do you?”

“If I need to.”

She stared at him until he admitted, “Okay, very rarely. Usually I call first.”

Shay jabbed a finger at him. “See, that’s what I’m talking about.”

“You’re right. I’ll talk things over with Caleb and MacDougal—”

“We’ll talk things over,” she pointedly interjected.

“We’ll,” he corrected. “Between the four of us we should be able to come up with a plan.”

Shay laid her hand on top of his. “Rory, I’m not trying to be a pain or come between you and the pack. I get how you feel about them. Felt it tonight through the bond. You’re a good alpha. However I can’t get Conor’s warning out of my mind. I’d rather err on the side of caution than relax my guard and discover the hard way I trusted the wrong person.”

The reminder was like a punch in the guts. Rory brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “You’re right. We’ll do whatever you think is best. No one is going to harm our child.”

Ashley fluffed her tousled hair and tweaked her nipples good and hard before knocking on the door. While waiting, she bit at her full lips to give them the pouty look men seemed to find sexy. It was late, a little after midnight, and though there were no lights on inside, she could hear the low murmur of the television—wrestling.

When MacDougal opened the door, she gave him her most enticing smile and asked in a low, throaty voice, “May I come in?”

In answer, he widened the opening.

She stepped in and glanced around curiously, having never been inside. Unlike Wesley and the other leaders, MacDougal never paid her to keep house for him, preferring his privacy.

“Did I wake you?” As a lineman for the electric company, she knew he worked early hours. She’d made it her business to learn everything she could about him.

“No. Just catching some tube before calling it a night.”

Ashley turned to face him, playing with the drawstring holding the front of her low-cut blouse together over her breasts. “I can’t stop thinking about tonight,” she confessed.

Truth. Though she’d made several subtle plays for him in the past, tonight was the first time he’d shown any interest in her.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “Yeah?” he asked, sounding only mildly interested.

Cautiously she licked her lips and added, “You made me feel things I’ve never felt before and…” She allowed her voice to trail off, and glanced away as though nervous.

“And…” he prompted, watching her closely.

Careful, she warned herself. MacDougal was strong, cunning, and wouldn’t be easily led by his cock like Wesley. As though she were shy, she bounced her gaze all around the room before meeting his through lowered lashes. “Can we do it again?” she asked hesitantly.

“I like to be in control,” he warned.

She licked her lips again, the act real this time as she remembered the way he’d held her down, her wrists bound by one large hand as he’d fucked her hard. “I know.” She gave a small, delicate shudder as cream slicked between her lower lips.

His gaze homed in on the crotch of her Daisy Dukes, and she knew he could smell her arousal. “Are you willing to submit to me?”

“Yes,” she answered, allowing a small bit of her need to sound in her voice.

“Take off your clothes.”

She whipped off her shirt, dropped it to the floor, and pushed down her denim shorts. She wore no underwear.

“Kneel.”

She was panting as she sank gracefully to her knees. Wesley was a mature, experienced lover, but he was old. Michael was young and virile. She wanted him with a desperation she was only beginning to realize.

“Suck my cock.”

When he didn’t move, she crawled forward on her hands and knees, climbed her hands up his legs, and freed his penis from his jeans. He was already erect, a small bead of precum on its tip. Not as indifferent to her as he was pretending to be. More confident at this sign that she was getting to him, she took her time, licking and savoring him. It surprised Ashley to find she was more interested in his pleasure than showing off her considerable skills in this area.

“That’s it,” he praised when she deep throated him. “Take it all.” He grabbed her hair and wrapped his hands in its length, trapping her head and holding her still for his gratification. Then he began thrusting in long, slow strokes.

Ashley closed her eyes, breathed though her nostrils, and let him fuck her mouth. He got a little rough toward the end, but his roughness excited her. She wanted to touch her clit and stroke her pussy but thought he would object. When he came, she swallowed, then sucked his softening penis for more cum.

“Greedy bitch, aren’t you? Get up.”

As she rose, she managed to rub her breasts along the length of his body. Then she stood, eyes lowered, awaiting his command.

“Go to my room, lie on the bed, and wait for me.”

Her cream coating her thighs, she did as he instructed, following his scent trail to where it was the strongest. The mattress, unsurprisingly, was king-size, sitting on a four-poster frame. Ashley climbed on, crawled to the middle, and lay on her back. Above the bed on the ceiling was mirrored tile.

When he entered the room, she had the fingers of her left hand buried in her cunt while her right hand tweaked her nipple, watching herself get off in the mirror. He let her play for a bit, then commanded, “Hands outstretched.”

She indulged herself with one last, lingering stroke before obeying. He bound her hands and feet, then stood studying his handiwork. Ashley gave a little tug on the scarves, testing the restraints.

“They’ll hold until I release you. Still want to do this?”

“Oh yes.” She was so turned on her pussy was on fire. He had to fuck her soon.

He stroked a finger down her slit, and she arched into it with a gasp. “If I had more time, I’d drag this out. See how much you can take.” Her sex clenched as she moaned. “But I work tomorrow so…”

He mounted the mattress between her legs, pumping his thickly veined cock. “Since you took the edge off, prepare for a long, hard ride.” He propped a pillow under her ass to angle her body like he wanted.

After rubbing the tip through her cream-slicked slit a few times, he asked, “Ready?”

“Yes!”

Her first orgasm hit almost instantly. As promised, he took her on a good, long ride, full throttle. Ashley came twice more before Michael finally stiffened above her. His sweaty body collapsed on top of her, driving the air from her lungs. Her breath came in shallow pants until he recovered enough to move and release her bonds.

He returned to lie at her side, idly caressing the hair on her mound. She spread her legs wider and tilted her cradle, humming in appreciation of his touch.

“That was good. Good enough to repeat. What do you say? You wanna be my bitch?”

“Yes, alpha,” she answered softly.

There was a pause as he stiffened. Then he thrust two fingers into her sheath and gave her clit a twirl with his thumb. “That’s a good bitch,” he murmured.

Gotcha! Ashley smiled inwardly in satisfaction. The seed was sown. Now all she needed to do was water it and watch it grow.

“I had an epiphany tonight,” Shay declared.

Rory chuckled as he climbed naked into bed beside her, smelling of soap and water. “And what was this revelation?”

“At the howl tonight I felt my wolf. She got off on being the center of attention, on knowing the males wanted her. And later, while we were having sex, she…” Shay searched for a word. “Gloated, I guess you could say. ‘Look at me. See who I am? I’m the alpha’s bitch, top female.’ At the time it shocked me. Later I got to thinking about it and wondering about your mother.”

He slid down until his head was propped on his hand, and stroked her thigh in random patterns. “In what way?”

“Tonight while we were talking, Shannon said now that she is older, she realized your mother instigated a lot of the public interactions between your father and her.”

“Shannon’s mistaken.”

“I don’t know, Rory,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “I realize I wasn’t here and didn’t witness it, but I know what I felt inside of me tonight. If her beast was in any way the same, if it felt it had something to prove…”

“And yours did?” he asked.

“You saw how they reacted to the idea of me as your mate. How against it they were.” Shay paused to let a thought simmering in the background come to the forefront, then continued thinking aloud. “The ‘look at me’ wasn’t directed at the men. It was for the other females of the pack—her competition.”

“I never wanted any of them,” Rory interjected.

“That doesn’t matter. To my beast the other females were rivals. And you said yourself your dad only mated your mother because she was pregnant. If that’s true…” Shay stared off into space, trying to imagine it.

“What do you mean if?”

His question, the tone of it, brought her attention back to Rory. “Well”—she frowned—“you really don’t know, do you? I mean, did your father ever say, ‘Son, the only reason I mated your mother is because of you’?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Did your mother?” This time his response was slower. “No.”

“Then you don’t really know for sure, do you? But you got that impression from someone, somewhere along the way. If that’s what the pack also thought, it means she constantly had to prove she was worthy—of being the alpha’s mate, being alpha-fem, basically everything.” And wouldn’t that be a bitch, she thought, having to constantly prove the unprovable.

Rory’s brow wrinkled in thought.

Unreasonably irritated and scowling at the thought of it all, she turned on Rory. “Where’d you get an idea like that anyway?”

“My uncle, Wesley.”

At the simple response, Shay froze, her mind blank of all but one thought. “You have an uncle? I thought there was only you and Shannon.”

Rory pushed to a seated position, his turn to stare in disbelief. “I have family—a sister, a brother, uncle, cousins—”

“Hold up!” Shay held out a hand like a police officer commanding traffic to stop. “Brother?”

He shifted, and an expression crossed his face that she couldn’t decipher. “They mentioned him tonight,” he said finally.

She searched her memory and came up empty. “When?”

“When Graham questioned the wisdom of keeping me as alpha—as if they had a choice,” he scoffed. “He mentioned Kian and Shannon, remember?”

“No,” she admitted, “but then I was so busy waiting for your explosion over what he said about Shannon, I didn’t pay attention to anything else.”

He arched an eyebrow in response. Shay waited and, when Rory didn’t say anything, asked, “So where is Kian, and why haven’t you—or Shannon, for that matter—mentioned him before now? Does he know about me and the baby? How old is he? When can I meet him?”

Again with the strange expression. Why doesn’t he want to talk about this? Can’t he see I’m curious? He met my family. At that last thought, Shay glared at him, sending her determination to get answers through their bond.

When he winced, she knew he got the message. With a sigh, he glanced away. “Actually, he’s here.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Here…where?”

Still he didn’t meet her gaze. “In the house. He lives here.”

“I’ve been all over this house and never…” Her eyes met his, and she trailed off. In a sudden flurry of movement, she shot to her knees. “The basement? Your brother lives in the basement?”

Rory watched her warily. “It’s not what you think.”

“You don’t know what I think!” Oh my God! Kian’s been here in the house this whole time, and Rory didn’t tell me. What else don’t I know? She took a calming breath and ran her hands through her hair. In a lower, less sharp tone of voice, she said, “All right. I’ll bite. Why does your brother live in the basement? The one I was warned by Shannon to stay out of?”

“Shannon said that?”

When she only glared at him, he said, “Shay, you’re judging a situation you know nothing about.”

“I don’t remember making any judgments, just asking questions. So enlighten me already,” she commanded.

He shoved his hair out of his face. “Kian’s…different.”

Should she ask the obvious? No. She stared, her impatience pulsing between them.

“Kian doesn’t like being around people, not even the pack, so I don’t force him.”

“I’m not people. I’m family, or at least I thought I was,” she muttered.

“Shay, don’t make this about you. It’s not.”

Insecurity raised its ugly head. Rory never wanted a mate, pups. Like his father, was he making the best of a bad situation by doing the honorable thing? “You’re ashamed of me.”

He reared back. “What? No! Where the hell did you get an idea like that?”

“What else am I supposed to think?” she shot back. “He lives right here in the house, and you haven’t introduced us.”

“Did you hear nothing I told you? Don’t make this about you, Shay, ’cause it’s not. Ashamed of you? Hell, I claimed you in front of my men, my whole pack!” He got off the bed and paced, frustration in every stride.

He was so irate, so outraged that Shay immediately felt foolish. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she added before he could build up a full head of steam.

At her words he halted with his back to her.

My God, she wondered, was this how Rory’s mother had felt? This constant sense of insecurity that rose at the oddest moments? How many times had his parents had this very same fight? How many times had Rory’s father had to reassure his mate that she was the one he wanted? Worse, how long before he tired of it—her constant need for assurance, her lack of trust—before he tired of her?

The thought had her feet moving. Laying her hand on his shoulder, Shay made herself vulnerable in a way she never would have believed she could a month ago. “I’m trying to believe you love me, that this true mates stuff is the real deal. It’s not easy. Just like you thought you’d never mate, I never believed I’d find a man who could accept me—all of me. No one has before, so if I forget sometimes, just be patient with me. It will eventually sink in.”

Rory turned and pulled her into his arms. “Believe it. Believe me.”

She sighed and snuggled close. “When you think about it, we’ve spent what? Two weeks together? You have to admit this has all happened really fast. Eight weeks ago I didn’t even know you existed, and now we’re mated, with a child on the way.”

He rested his chin on her head. “You’re right. I guess it’s easier for me because I always knew there was a possibility—however slim—that I’d meet my one. Remember, I told you how I fought my reaction to you and would have continued fighting if the blue moon hadn’t happened.” When she stirred, he held her still. “Not because of you, but because of me. You deserve better.”

Rory’s chest expanded as he took a deep breath and let it out in her hair. “Then you left, and that changed everything.”

“Not everything. You tried to send me away,” she reminded him, some part of her still unable to let it go.

He leaned away and cupped her chin, lifting her face so she’d meet his gaze. “You have your fears. I have mine. We’ll face them together.”

Shay was smiling as Rory led her to the bed and pulled her onto his lap. “I need you to understand about Kian. I’m very protective of him. As I said, he’s different.”

The man had a way of messing up her head. She scrambled off his lap and went for the door.

“Where are you going?” Pure exasperation.

“I want to meet him.”

“Shay, for the love of God, it’s one in the morning,” he called out.

She heard him, but she was already out the door, jogging down the stairs. He came charging after her. “Shay, leave him alone.”

Shay spun to face him. “We’re family now. Kian’s this baby’s uncle. He lives in this house—my house, you said earlier. You think I’m going to have someone living here I haven’t met?”

Their wills clashed.

Rory took a deep breath, then tried reason. “I’m not trying to stop you from meeting Kian. I’m saying do it at a more reasonable hour. Would you appreciate being wakened to meet Kian if the situation was reversed?”

Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Sanity trumped curiosity. “Fine,” she said grumpily as she turned and started back up the staircase. “But I’m wide-awake now. You’re going to have to put me to sleep.”

He smiled wickedly as she came even with him. “I’ll think of something.”

Rory awakened with Shay sprawled across his body, sleeping with the abandon of an exhausted child. He shifted her to the side, giving a mild grunt of pleasure when she briefly clung to him before allowing him to be removed from her grasp. On some level not apparent when awake and alert, his wary mate accepted him. Usually their positions were reversed, and he woke clinging to her as though afraid she’d slip away from him during the night—again.

He studied her face, not liking the dark circles visible under her eyes. His mate wasn’t resting enough. Nor was she eating enough, he decided after examining the rest of her. She’d lost weight. Pregnancy was hard on a woman, and Shay had the added pressure of carrying a shifter child. Her metabolism must be off the charts. Shay’s former eating patterns weren’t enough to provide proper nutrition for both her and the babe. The woman had been a vegetarian!

Alex’s second said Shay was doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances. He’d still like to have Laurie Bell look at Shay, for his peace of mind. Not that he doubted Carol’s capability, but he preferred one of his own—a trusted member of his pack, he added mentally as he remembered Conor’s warning to Shay.

He rolled out of bed and paused at its side as Shay sent a hand seeking his warmth, waiting until with a sigh, she pulled his pillow close and buried her face in it. Definitely bonding, he thought. If he wanted his mate to eat properly, he better go downstairs and get breakfast started.

After a short trip to the bathroom, Rory silently grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from a drawer and eased out of the room. Moments later he was downstairs headed for the kitchen when a knock came at the front door.

He sniffed. Laurie Bell stood on the doorstep. Rory switched directions and went to allow her entrance. “Is there a problem?”

“Morning, alpha. Sorry to disturb you so early, but I thought your mate could use this.” In her hand she held a clear baggie of loose herbs. “For her pregnancy. She mentioned being tired. This should take care of the problem.”

“Thank you. I’ll give it to her. You coming in?”

“No, I’m on my way to work.” Laurie Bell ran All Naturale, a shop catering to, as she called it, folks wanting to get back to nature. “Tell her to seep it in a tea for three to five minutes and sweeten with honey. She’s to drink it two to three times a day, or whenever she needs a pick-me-up.”

“I’ll let her know. Did she mention having you examine her?” he asked curiously. The two seemed to have hit it off last night. Maybe Shay wouldn’t be so reluctant if he broached the subject again.

Laurie Bell’s mouth crooked ruefully in a smile. “She mentioned her fondness for professionals with alphabets after their name. Don’t worry,” she added when he frowned. “A lot of folks prefer someone with a degree and formal training over someone to whom the knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. My feelings aren’t hurt.” She turned to leave, then paused. “Did you realize the door was locked? I was going to leave it in the kitchen with a quick note but couldn’t get in.”

Rory felt a flush of embarrassment rise from his neck to his face. “Aye,” he said simply, hesitating to elaborate until he’d discussed it with his men.

Laurie Bell laughed and gave him a wicked smile. “Good for you both. I remember what it’s like being newly mated. The last thing you want is someone walking in on you at an inappropriate moment.”

Air went down the wrong pipe, and Rory immediately began to choke.

Both Laurie Bell’s brows rose in contemplation. “I see. Well…” Obviously fighting back a smile, she said, “I really need to go or I’ll be late. Tell Shay I said hello.”

With a quick wave, she was gone.

Rory glanced at the herbs in his hand, wondering how he’d convince Shay to drink them. Shay didn’t strike him as the back-to-nature type, although she had been a vegetarian, so maybe she’d be open to drinking the herb tonic.

He went into the kitchen and prepared a breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, and toast. Shay appeared in the doorway while he was scooping up the eggs. “Do I smell bacon?”

“Hungry?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

From the looks of her, Shay hadn’t done more than run fingers through her hair. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, and there was a pillow crease on her left cheek. She was in another one of his dress shirts, barely buttoned and slipping off her right shoulder. She looked sexy as hell.

“Starved,” she acknowledged, crossing over to the table.

When she sat, he handed her a teacup. Shay blinked at it owlishly. “What’s this?”

“Herbal tea,” he stated matter-of-factly as he went back to the stove. Rory watched out of the corner of his eye as Shay sniffed the contents.

“What’s in it?” she asked suspiciously.

“Something to give you energy.” He took down two plates and filled them with food.

“Uh-huh, but what’s in it?” Shay dipped her finger inside the cup and brought a drop of liquid to her tongue.

He wanted to laugh at the expression on her face. It couldn’t taste that bad. “Drink it, Shay.”

“I’d rather have coffee.” She pushed the cup away.

“And I’d rather my mate not have dark circles under her eyes and be so tired she can barely see,” he countered. “Now be a good mate and drink all your tea; then you can eat.” He held the plate up as an enticement.

Shay snagged the cup by its holder and dragged it to her. As she contemplated the tea, she said, “If I don’t drink this, you wouldn’t really make me go without eating. It’s like, against the mate code of honor or something.”

Because what she said was nothing less than the truth, Rory tried bargaining with her. “I took you to see Alex when we have a perfectly good midwife here in the pack. Now I’m asking you to return the favor and drink the brew Laurie Bell recommended for you.”

Shay frowned. “Laurie Bell gave you this?”

“Yes. She dropped it by this morning on her way to work.”

Her gaze met his, bounced to the food, the cup, and back to his again. Then she sighed. “Fine. I’ll drink the stupid tea.”

Waiting until she’d drained the cup, Rory set a full plate in front of her and joined her at the table. As half the food disappeared, Shay’s eyes gradually became more alert. Either the food or the tea, or a combination of the two, had done the trick.

Suddenly her head snapped up. “Kian,” she said and began to rise from her seat.

He gestured with his fork. “Sit. Eat.”

“But—”

“Unless you plan to meet him like that,” he added, flicking his gaze up and down her body, drawing attention to her attire.

Shay glanced down at herself, flushed a brilliant shade of red, then sat.

Rory wisely held in his smirk.

After another few mouthfuls of food, Shay said, “You never did say what’s so special about your brother.”

“He’s mute,” Rory said flatly, watching Shay closely for her response.

There was an expectant silence; then Shay said, “That’s it?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

She scrunched up her face. “I thought you were going to say your brother had some severe physical or mental problem that made him unable to function. But mute…?” She shrugged. “So he can’t talk. What’s the big deal?”

Rory gaped. He simply couldn’t help himself. “It doesn’t bother you?”

“No. Does it bother you?” Shay asked pointedly.

“No, but then he’s my brother. Others in the pack aren’t as welcoming.”

Shay snorted. “Big surprise there.”

Rory studied her. “It really doesn’t bother you?”

“No, Rory, it really doesn’t. It wouldn’t bother me no matter what disability he had. I don’t discriminate. In fact, whenever I’m home long enough, I volunteer my time at the local children’s hospital, working with special needs kids.”

Rory sat back, admittedly astonished by this bit of insight into the woman he loved. “Maybe it’s because you’re human,” he mused.

“What does my being human have to do with anything?” Shay asked, making Rory realize he’d spoken that last thought aloud.

Rory tried to put into words something he’d never had to explain. “As a species, shifters are strong, faster, better than everyone else.”

The ferocious frown on Shay’s face showed she took exception to his words. He hurried on before she could interrupt. “What I mean is because of our healing abilities, we don’t suffer the normal defects and diseases humans are used to dealing with. So when one of us is born…” he hesitated, then continued, “different, we don’t know how to react.”

“By different you mean flawed.”

He winced. “Yeah.”

“That’s asinine,” she said, angry sparks in her eyes.

He shrugged. “Are humans really so different, Shay? How many humans avert their gaze when they see a less than perfect specimen of the species? Some even go out of their way to avoid the disabled as though the disability were somehow contagious.”

“You’re right,” she admitted, then sighed. “Well, at least Kian and I have something in common.”

He arched a brow. “And what might that be?”

“Neither one of us is crazy about your pack,” she said before heading upstairs to dress.