Grant snarled. “You ain’t the only one in the pack, Jock. Seems you went and took up with a chiseler. Why anyone with half their brain intact can see what Carla is now.”
&nb
sp; “And what am I exactly?” She understood what he was implying.
“A cheat!” Grant threw his arms over his head and rose to his feet. “You want a slice of everybody’s cake and you’ll swindle here and yonder to make sure you get it. So happens, you’re causin’ a mess of trouble. If you don’t pull in your horns, two packs will be at odds on account of you!”
“Are you done?” Jock asked, narrowing his gaze.
Grant’s nostrils flared. Carla halfway expected him to shift right before her very eyes and bound out of the cabin.
“I don’t get the gist of this,” Grant drawled. “Two imprints from two different packs? It ain’t right, Jock.”
“According to you?”
“Hell no!” Grant blew out a heavy breath. “Forget me. It ain’t gonna be smiled upon by anybody, anywhere! These goings-on ain’t accepted around common folk, much less shifters! You went and had yourselves a hog-killin’ time and now you want your friends to slap you on the back and say, ‘Well how ’bout ya? Ain’t you just grand?’ It don’t work that way, Jock. Nobody is gonna be around to say grace, much less congratulations when this news gets out.”
Jock started to speak but Frank held up his hand and stepped forward. Grant gave Jock a stern look and shook his head.
Frank said, “Grant, I know you must have questions. I do. Jock may have a few, too. You don’t have a mate. Do you?”
Grant glared at Jock. “How does he know that?”
“I can sense it.”
“See there!” Grant paced. “An enemy already knows too much about our pack on account of you!”
“Grant, it’s not like that,” Carla said, stepping forward.
Grant poked his finger in her direction. “You stay out of this.”
Jock and Frank snarled at the same time. Their canine incisors dropped as if they were about to shift and wage a war on a newly declared enemy.
Frank apparently reined in his temper first. After shaking his head a few times, he squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. “As I was trying to explain…we don’t understand everything there is to know about double imprint. Since you aren’t mated, you can’t fully comprehend what I’m trying to explain. Jock and I didn’t have the strength to deny our mate.
“When a shifter imprints, it’s because his fated mate is there for the taking. Looking into her eyes, he sees a grounded connection even he can’t explain. Mating with a human comes with its set of complications, too. What was once foreign to them becomes strangely familiar.
“When mates come together, they catch glimpses of their future together. They can see the past and often have a clearer understanding of the present.
“Above all else, their connection is supreme. Fated mates can’t deny the need to imprint. When they find their destined partner in life, loving and protecting them is a priority. Once a shifter imprints, he or she has another extension of themselves.”
“Is he tellin’ me the straight of things?” Grant asked, swinging his gaze to Carla.
“Yes,” she replied.
Grant snorted at that. “Bullshit.” He tossed his head back and cackled, slapping his hand against his thigh. “Sure as shootin’. She is playin’ you fellas. Wait and see. Listen to what I tell ya.”
“Hobble your lip and let Frank finish,” Jock said.
“I’ve heard enough. Thank you very much. I’ll go back to the den and study on it a bit,” Grant said, marching to the door. He’d taken one step out of the cabin when he leapt backward. “What the ever-lovin’ hell?”
Frank slapped Grant between the shoulders. “Grant, meet the fellas.”
“What is this, Jock?” Grant shrugged away Frank’s hand. “Are you throwin’ me to the wolves now?”
Jock shot Carla a sideways glance. “Considering what we have in store for Carla tonight? That’s exactly what I’m doing, Grant. Go on now. Get to know your other brothers and sisters. Frank’s pack accepted our fates. You need to do the same.”
“And if I don’t?”