His heart squeezed at the thought of never seeing his friends or clan members again. He stared down at his right leg and resisted the urge to massage the aching limb through his jeans. The injury he’d received four months ago was the reason he could no longer protect himself, let alone take care of his clan or his mate.
He could still remember the eight-hundred-pound feral bear-shifter stepping on his leg and shattering his bone into who knew how many pieces. The pain had been so overwhelming, he’d passed out, and only because his clan members had managed to kill the bear was Kian still alive today.
While he would never regret fighting that bear to protect a group of DarkStalker cubs, not even his clan’s most skilled healer, let alone the strong healing capabilities of a shifter, had been able to repair the damage. He would limp for the rest of his life.
His mate had tried for months to convince him that his limp was no big deal, but cougars relied on grace to stalk and attack their prey. Without it, he was a liability. His people deserved someone who could protect them and he was no longer that person. Today, he was finally going to acknowledge that in public and pass on his leadership role to someone more qualified.
Kian ran a hand through his hair. He knew what needed to be done, but he didn’t look forward to sharing his decision with his mate, Trinity. The woman was the clan’s lead huntress for a reason, and no doubt she’d fight him on this. Especially since this was the first issue he hadn’t discussed with her since their mating ceremony nearly ten years ago.
He had given this a lot of thought over the last few months, but a good clan leader knew to push away personal desires if it could weaken or harm the clan in any way; his staying here would do both.
He had to go.
The newly fallen leaves crackled behind him, signaling someone's approach. He stilled for a second, but once the wind blew, he caught the wild scent of leaves and earth mixed with a unique female accent that he'd know anywhere.
His mate, Trinity, had found him.
He ignored her because if she talked to him, he would have to tell her of his plan to let her go, too. Just the thought of never seeing her again caused a dull ache in his heart. But his entire adult life, Kian had weighed the pros and cons of any decisions, like any clan leader would do. Trinity would probably follow him anywhere, if he let her. Except he knew how much being surrounded by her fellow cougar-shifters meant to her. She was not a shifter who could survive without a clan.
She would fight him because he believed she still loved him. However, Kian wasn't about to let her throw away her life. He didn't relish doing anything that might hurt her, but the last thing the strong woman needed was being saddled with a lame cougar for the rest of her life.
Trinity Perez-Murray watched her mate, Kian, and tried to find any signs of improvement. Every day he came to this ledge and spent the hours alone, doing nothing. It looked like today was no different.
He sat on a rock, staring across the valley into nothingness. Tall, with dark hair, green eyes, and broad shoulders, he was the desire of every female in the region.
Or, at least, he used to be. After the fight with the feral bear-shifter, the once charming and intimidating cougar had become a self-pitying recluse. Wild cougars thrived alone, but cougar-shifters had adapted to clans in order to survive and fend off humans.
The fight with the bear had left Kian with a lame right leg. She had never thought any less of him for it. He'd earned his injury protecting a group of cubs playing in the forest. The bear-shifter had lost any signs of humanity and had been a hairbreadth away from insanity. Kian had injured the bear enough to allow his clan members to deliver the killing bite to the back of the bear's head. The clan thought of him as a hero. Unfortunately, her mate only saw himself as a liability.
Trinity was at a loss of what to do. She had tried being supportive and patient, but that had only pushed Kian away further. Then she'd resorted to trying to provoke him to argue with her—one of the trademarks of their relationship before the fight with the bear—and all she'd received in return were a few frowns. Her latest attempt had been to leave him alone, hoping he would notice her absence. That, too, had failed.
There was only one card she had left to play.
She adjusted the lacy bra cupping her breasts before she sat down on a rock about ten feet behind her mate. The rock was cold on her bare ass and she shivered, her nipples tightening and poking proudly through the lace. She pinched them a few times, and the slight pain sent a rush of wetness between her thighs.
Her mate had a keen sense of smell, but he showed no sign of noticing her arousal. She decided to fix that.
She spread her legs wide, allowing the single, long strip of fabric she had brought to hang down and cover her pussy. Her hand itched to go lower and wrestle out an orgasm, but Trinity resisted. She was tired of taking care of herself. Kian hadn't fucked her in the last four months, and she wanted more than her fingers—she wanted his cock pounding into her.
Trying not to think about what she would do if her latest idea failed, she picked up a branch next to the rock and threw it at her mate. The branch landed to his left as she'd intended, and Kian turned around. His eyes widened before he frowned and said, "What the hell are you doing? You're mostly naked, and my brother will be stopping by any minute."
Trinity spread her legs as wide as she could and used one hand to caress and fondle her breasts. She'd never had to be direct with her lusty mate before—he'd simply taken what he wanted—but the hungry look in his eyes gave her the courage to say, "I'm going to sit out here until someone fucks me. I want it to be you, but if not, Sylas or his second-in-command can do it when they arrive."
She expected him to argue with her, but Kian simply moved his gaze from her face to her breasts. "Maybe you should go to them." He looked back up to her eyes. "I can no longer give you what you need, Trin."
Her heart plummeted. Kian was deeper into his self-pitying victim mentality than she'd realized, but she refused to give up. The strong, alpha male she'd mated was inside of Kian. She was determined to bring him out again.
Their sex life had always been fire and passion, each of them taking turns to fight for control. There had never been a need to seduce or convince Kian in the past—a heated look was all it had taken to get him naked above her. But she would do whatever it took to get him to feel whole again. It was going to take everything in her arsenal to convince him to fight for both himself and her. And to fight for their clan.
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