“Don’t keep glaring,” Holly said.
“I’m not. It’s fine.”
“Try to look a little happier about being mated to me. It’s a good thing.”
He reached for her hand and drew her close. “I’ve got no problem being mated with you. What I don’t like is someone thinking they can put my woman in danger.” He kissed her inner wrist and saw the spark of arousal in her eyes.
“Please,” she said. “I have to focus.”
“When this is all over, I will demand that you don’t have to focus for a really long time.”
“You make me want to be bad,” she said.
His cock ached. He wanted to take her home right now and bend her over the stairs as they were the closest thing in the house.
They were interrupted by one of the men. He held out his hand.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thank you, Peter,” Holly said.
She went to touch him and Damon growled.
Peter held his hands up. “I get it. You’re mated and staking your claim. I just want to say you’ve got yourself one hell of a woman. You’re going to be very happy. Holly’s an amazing woman.”
“I already know that,” Damon said. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her in close, kissing her hard. The wolf wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her. “So tell me a bit about you, Peter. Do you like to go hunting? Camping?”
He lured the man down a path, asking all the necessary questions until he had to leave.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Holly said.
“One down and a shitload to go.”
For the entirety of lunch, they were approached from men to women, to children. Each time, Damon asked a whole bunch of questions. How do you find pack life? What are your hobbies? Are there any tips for dealing with her dad? All innocent questions, but Damon knew that answered in a strange way, he’d be able to detect the hint of betrayal.
By the end of the day, he and Holly walked all the way back to the house.
“Anything?” Holly asked.
“Not a damn thing.” He growled.
Henry waited for them outside. “You’re not in a good mood,” Henry said.
Holly giggled. “He’ll be fine.”
“Fine? I’ve had to play nice with a pack I’m not sure I like,” Damon said.
“Hey!”
He pulled Holly against him. “It’s nothing personal. Someone in your pack betrayed you. I’ve got to find who it is.”
“Well, today, you got to meet ninety percent of the males and about eighty percent of the females,” Holly said.
They entered his home and Henry closed the door.
“Really?” Damon asked.
“Yes. We spoke to a lot of people.”
Their stomachs growled and Henry chuckled. “I better go get some food on.”
He left them alone, and Damon pressed his head against Holly’s.
“Maybe it’s not one of the pack?” she said.
“Babe, I know you don’t want to think it, but it is.”
“Have you ever thought the men just got lucky?” she asked.
“I wish they could have, but this is personal. Please, trust me. I don’t want you to be alone with any of them.”
“I wish I could hunt those bastards down who hurt you,” Holly said.
Damon chuckled. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, and he pressed his face against her. “I love it when you get all protective.”
“I know. It’s a surprise to me because I started out hating you.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Now I can’t imagine a life without you. It’s all a little confusing.”
“For the both of us.” He nipped at her lips, trailing his down to her neck to lick at her pulse. “I want to fuck you.”
“Henry’s making food.”
“I won’t take long. I want to put my kid inside you, Holly.” He growled the words against her neck.
The moment she tensed up, Damon worried he’d said the wrong thing.
He looked at her. “Do you want kids? Did I say the wrong thing?”
“Pregnancy.”
Damon frowned. “You’ve lost me. Do you not want to get pregnant?”
“You said that you couldn’t smell any of the pack near where the men were hunting.”
“Babe, scents don’t always linger in the air.”
“But pregnant females don’t smell,” Holly said.
“What?”
“You heard me. It’s … a mask. Some kind of protection or something, but pregnant females have no scent. I think it is supposed to help us protect our unborn child but also as a deterrent for rogue males. There is a whole big thing about it, but pregnant females don’t smell.”
Damon closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples. “I don’t understand what you’re saying to me.”
“Natalie.”
“The woman is huge. The hunters would have torn her apart in a heartbeat,” he said.
Holly glared. “Not if one of those hunters is the dad.”
“It has been a really long day, babe. I cannot think, and I don’t have a clue what you’re trying to get at.”
“Natalie smells.”
“You don’t think she’s pregnant.”
“She’s pregnant, but that’s the point. Human females smell during their pregnancy. They have a scent to them. It’s strong. They release hormones where we don’t. It’s the difference between human and wolf.”