He kissed said mouth, indulging in a long, thorough taste of her. His cock, already hard at just the sight of her naked, throbbed painfully. But she needed to rest, not to get fucked into the mattress. So he settled them both in bed, curving himself around her. “Sleep, Gwen.”

Gwen licked her lips. She should probably tell him to go after the shit he’d pulled earlier. But, well, she didn’t want to be alone right then. She was still a little shaken from the attack, and he made her feel safe. Still . . . “I’m not sure I can sleep.”

“It’s not complex, baby. Close your eyes. Relax. Don’t think.” He almost smiled at her long-suffering sigh. Within minutes, her breathing evened out, and she sagged into the bed. Only then did he close his eyes, but sleep didn’t come to him. It probably wouldn’t come for a while.

His anger was still too hot, his need for vengeance still too strong. He was also mad at himself for pushing her buttons earlier, for being too wrapped up in his own hurt to truly consider both sides of the situation. It was all part of empathy not being his strong point. Still, he’d been an asshole, and he knew it.

Zander wouldn’t allow her to push him away, though. He wouldn’t let them go back to square one. He definitely wouldn’t pack his shit and leave. She was stubborn as hell, but he could be very persuasive when he wanted something. He’d use those powers of persuasion tomorrow.

CHAPTER TEN

She was in a good mood. Mostly because she’d woken to a tongue stabbing inside her. Better than any alarm, in Gwen’s opinion.

Of course, she’d known it was an attempt to soften her up so that she didn’t insist on Zander and his pack mates leaving. It hadn’t worked. Really, it was the apology he’d delivered straight after making her come that earned him her forgiveness. It hadn’t been a long, heartfelt apology. It had been quick, straight, and offered no excuses—she respected that, and she preferred it to soppy words.

Not that she thought for a single moment that he wouldn’t ever again push her buttons. He’d even do it purposely if he thought it was necessary. He’d continue to shove his way into her business because, as she’d quickly come to learn, Zander Devlin was a nosy and often interfering bastard who had absolutely no quit in him.

He might not be a born Alpha, predestined to lead a pack, but he was the typical alpha male that could be found in most species. That meant he came with some traits that were often problematic for females. Dominant. Assertive. Persistent. Stubborn. Controlling in his efforts to protect and defend.

Gwen didn’t see the point in expecting anything different from him; she’d only be driving herself insane if she did. And holding grudges was a lot like swallowing poison—you were only hurting yourself.

Besides, he’d . . . well, he’d been good to her last night. He’d not only killed two of her attackers and then tried to hunt the rest of the flock, he’d comforted her, cleaned her up, taken care of her, and held her while she slept. Yeah, okay, he partly did the latter things to help himself calm down, but there were plenty of other ways for a person to calm down. He’d chosen to be with her.

Due to her good mood, Gwen didn’t complain at the way Zander hovered around her as she and Marlon cleaned the kitchen after breakfast. He was still on edge, and she didn’t want that. She knew that touch soothed shifters, so she let him crowd her, play with her hair, nibble her earlobe, lick over the mark he’d left on her neck.

It wasn’t exactly a hardship to have six and a half feet of gorgeousness take up her space.

It was hard to clean with three dominant male shifters in the room—it was a whole lot of testosterone. Marlon seemed to bask in it. Ally seemed perfectly used to it.

“Andie’s been a while,” said Marlon. The cougar had gone to the cabin to grab her things. “Do you think she might have changed her mind?”

“I doubt it,” said Ally. “When she left this morning, I didn’t pick up any indecisiveness from her. Just determination and a little nervousness.”

A cell phone beeped. “That’s mine.” Marlon dug his smartphone out of his pocket. “Yvonne wants me to pick her up from Julie’s. Do I tell her about the goshawk attack?”

Gwen bit her lip. “It would be wrong to keep it from her. Just downplay it a little. Make it clear that I wasn’t on death’s door or anything.”

“She’s still going to freak out,” said Marlon.

Zander stilled. “Someone’s coming.” He stalked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. His pack mates stepped onto the porch behind him as a car pulled up outside. Zander didn’t recognize the black Audi, but he did recognize the male wolf who slid out of it. He was not a person who Zander would have expected to see at all.

Ally blinked at her foster brother—her somewhat sociopathic brother and, no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. He wasn’t a bad guy, but his moral compass was off course. “Cain? How did you know I was here? Is everything okay?”

Cain stopped in his tracks, looking surprised to see her. Recovering, he bounded up the steps and eyed them all curiously. “What are you guys doing here?”

Ally snorted softly. “Well, hello to you too. I know you’re not a hugger or one for gushing, but you could at least look happy to see me.”

Cain rolled his eyes. “I saw you a week ago. Don’t be dramatic.”

“If you’re not here looking for me, why are you here?”

“I need to speak with the woman who works here. Gwen Miller.”

Zander wasn’t comfortable with that. “Why, exactly?”

Cain blinked. “Why the suspicious tone? Is something going on?”

At that moment, a chuckling Marlon came jogging out the door, off the porch, and down the steps while Gwen came striding down the hallway, shouting, “You are not color-blind!”

Giving Zander and the others a quick wave, Marlon jumped into his car—no doubt intending to collect Yvonne—just as Gwen reached the door, huffing.

Zander threaded his fingers through hers. “Gwen, this is Ally’s foster brother.”

Gwen blinked and then gasped. “Shit, Cain, I forgot you were coming. Hey, I didn’t know you were related to one of Zander’s pack mates.”

Zander tensed. She knew Cain? And she knew him well enough to be on a first-name basis with him? It had taken constant pushing on Zander’s part to make Gwen use his first name. He noticed that the others looked just as surprised and intrigued.

Cain crossed to her, frowning as Zander moved protectively closer. “Jesus, Zander, I’m not going to hurt her. Gwen, what’s going on?”

Derren’s gaze slid from Gwen to Cain. “So, you two know each other? How?”

Cain shrugged. “I stay here sometimes.”

Ally snorted. “You really think I don’t know when you’re lying? Come on, Cain, tell us. You know you can trust us. You know you can trust me.” She sounded hurt that he’d hesitate to tell her.

Cain’s lips clamped together as he looked from Gwen to the wolves, seeming torn over whether to answer honestly. Gwen held up her hands, gesturing that she’d leave the decision up to him. She would rather keep the matter quiet, but she had the feeling that Ally would keep hounding her foster brother until he told her something.

Done with waiting for the wolf to make up his damn mind, Zander growled, “How do you know Gwen? And why are you here?”