Shared Mate

This is one hot book. Excellent and Exciting. Full of mystery and challenges. It will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire book. Guaranteed you will find it to be a sizzler

“What’s your name?”

He rolled his neck, sending his hair to dance over his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. Like I said, I’m no one to you.”

“I’d like to know.” She took a step forward. “I’d like to see you again.”

He gave her a wan smile. “Don’t waste your time on me. I can’t be what you need.”

Hannah took another step and laid a hand on his chest. “What do I need?”

“A mate.” He took her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles. “I already had one. She died.”

She sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

He brushed his lips over her fingers. “Don’t be. It happened a long time ago. I’ve moved on.”

She didn’t know what to say. He saved her from fumbling for a response. He released her hand and jerked his chin in the direction of her vehicle. “It’s late. Go home and turn your attention to a male who can love you.”

Her eyes burned. Her reaction confused her as much as the male. She nodded and pivoted before he saw the moisture collecting on her lashes. She hurried to the driver’s door.

“She wasn’t my true mate, Hannah, but I loved her. We were friends. Grew up together.” He coughed. “We were mated a whopping two days before she was killed.”

Her tears spilled over. Not bothering to blink them away, Hannah glanced over her shoulder. “Who killed her?”

“No one.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I shouldn’t have said that. She died in a fire.”

“But you don’t believe that. Do you?”

He cracked his eyelids and peered at her from under long lashes. “Her death was the first tragic accident that struck our pack, and it’s what caused the rift between the Tanners and the Kagans. Maybe you heard your dad talk about it. He was angry when Michael had refused to investigate it. My mate had relatives in the Kagan pack, and they also wanted answers.”

She heard there’d been a major disagreement between the two alphas. Something about a fire, that much she knew. The details were never discussed with her.

“I heard about it. Vaguely. What happened to your mate that made you suspect it wasn’t an accident?”

“Her legs were broken. She couldn’t save herself. I just can’t prove it happened before the fire, not during it as she tried to get out. Michael ordered the house demolished hours after she died. For safety’s sake, he’d claimed.”

“Or to cover up her murder.”

A slight incline of his head answered her.

She sighed. The pieces fell into place, and sympathy for the male in front of her rushed over her. “And you think she was targeted because you tried to get Michael to stop neglecting your pack mates?”

“I don’t think it. I know it. I got into a confrontation with Michael the morning of the fire. I ended up losing my temper and telling him that he’d be dealing with a challenge if he didn’t turn things around.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Michael then proceeded to tell me he would make sure no one would be able to take the position from him. Within the hour, I learned Mindy had died, and I became a living reminder to other males who thought to question him.”

Because without a mate, he couldn’t produce an heir. Every dominant within their pack or those from other areas looking to claim their own pack would’ve fought him. The month leading up to the full moon would’ve been shrouded in violence.

Hate gripped her. More than ever, she wanted to see Michael Tanner dead. She opened her mouth to promise he’d be defeated. The male in front of her shook his head, stopping her.

“I don’t want your pity. I just wanted you to know why…” He cleared his throat. “I wanted you to know about Mindy.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

He slipped his hands in his pockets. “Yeah. You’re welcome.”

Hannah got in her car, started it, and drove away. The ache in her chest grew, and she couldn’t help but feel as though she’d left a piece of her soul behind.

“Hannah?” He tipped up her chin and waited until she met his gaze. “It’s a person’s soul I respect, not their body, and yours is strong. Bright and pure.”

“Ethan.”

His whispered name held longing. Need. Desire.

He couldn’t help but give her what she asked for. He bent and pressed his parted lips to hers, sharing air with her—a shifter’s kiss. It was the intimate exchange only close lovers indulged in. It felt right to share it with her, just as it was to hold her.

“I’m drawn to you, Hannah.” He ran the tip of his tongue over her lips, the top first, then the bottom. Her flavor hit him, sending a wave of raw lust through him. “Like a moth to a flame. Isn’t that how the expression goes?”

“How do you know my name?”

One corner of his mouth rose. “There are only a handful of black-haired, blue-eyed…” he glanced at the windows of the apartments lining the alley before focusing on her, “…women in West Virginia, and your…” Again, he trailed off. His grin widened. “Your petite stature is well known. It was a logical guess.”

She couldn’t argue his reasoning. She might not have seen many shifters outside of her pack, but she’d heard stories of some. No one had mentioned him. She would’ve remembered if someone had talked about a male with gorgeous green eyes and a body carved from stone.

He swept his gaze over her, much as she had him moments before. Lust heated his eyes, but there was something else. Sadness, maybe? It hurt to see. Hannah relaxed her shoulders and closed the distance between them. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fi—”

His nostrils flared. Anger flashed in his green depths. Before she could process his quick mood change, he snaked his arm around her waist and tugged. She yelped, a feminine sound she hated but couldn’t stop. In the next heartbeat, she tensed, expecting to hit the side of his truck. She collided with his hard body instead. Her breath rushed out.

He buried his nose in the fall of her hair and inhaled audibly. A groan rumbled his chest. Deep and rich, the sound resonated within her. Her eyelashes fluttered closed. He turned his head and dragged his open mouth along her neck, the same path Ethan had mapped with his lips. The shifter’s beard tickled her, and sparks skipped across her skin. She shivered but resisted the urge to clutch at his shoulders.

Another sound rumbled deep in his chest. He tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer. Back and forth, he rubbed his cheek against her throat—scent marking her. His personal fragrance wouldn’t last past her next shower, but it spoke of his animalistic need to stake his claim. Ethan had done the same the first time she’d met him.

Sean’s steady stare never wavered. “As dominants, we’re driven to protect. It’s our communal spirit. You feel it. Don’t you, Hannah?”

“Yes, I feel it.”

“And you want to act on it.” His glare hardened. “Don’t you?”

“I do.” She walked into the room. “I want to be the alpha female of the Tanner pack. That’s what you want to hear, isn’t it?”

Sean inclined his head. “And you want to lead at Ethan’s side.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve made my goals clear.”

“To me and Nic, you have.” He tilted his head. “Does Ethan know you want to be his mate?”

Her soulful eyes drew him. He gazed into them, amazed by the depth of passion reflected in her blue orbs. She held a wealth of love, enough for a whole pack. She’d make a wonderful alpha female—strong and compassionate.

Unable to resist, he cupped her face and brushed his thumbs over the corners of her plump mouth. “You’re talking about true mates?”

A slight nod answered him.

Extremely rare, true mates were a blessing from the gods. The touch of one bridged both sides of a shifter—man and animal. It offered peace, something few shifters ever experienced. He’d sworn he’d found it already. Unconventional or not, Noah fit him, better than he thought anyone could.

Then a petite spitfire smiled at him.