Tempted (Two Marks 1)

Gibson and Landry exchanged a glance, and Gibson cleared his throat. “I’m very sorry about blaming you for any part of that. I’m sure I upset and scared you the last time we met and, well, I’ve felt terrible about it.”

I swallowed hard. I knew it must be hard for a dominant alpha like him to admit any kind of failing or shortcoming, but his apology showed how strong a leader he was.

“Thank you, but it turned out I was to blame.” I threw my hands in the air. “I just didn’t know it.”

I blinked back tears, thinking of how I’d played a part in the wolves’ deaths.

“Well, of course you didn’t, and I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. We all should have. I want you to feel comfortable in our pack. I know you mean everything to Landry and Wade.”

“She does.” Wade stood behind me on my other side. My mates had flanked me, very clearly showing they had my back this time. I was grateful, because despite my mates’ reassurances, I was a little nervous about meeting the whole pack. Fortunately, I’d met Landry’s parents—his mom and dad, and he’d told me he’d lost his other dad in a storm a few years ago—the other day, but they’d since gone off on an Alaskan cruise, and weren’t here.

“Well, I’m thrilled that you decided to take up a research position with Cord in the fall,” Gibson said, as the doctor walked up to greet us. Cord had made me a formal offer last night at roughly double the salary I was making at Granger State, and I’d accepted.

It wasn’t about the money—I’d hardly needed it now that I had no living expenses and two mates to dote on me. But I wasn’t going to be beholden to them. I had to stand on my own two feet, even financially. It was important to me, and they understood. But, the research also excited me, and I couldn’t wait to live in West Springs full time when my teaching obligations were complete. It couldn’t have worked out better.

“So am I,” Cord said. “Your mates and I are working on getting your lab set up this week so everything will be ready when you start.”

“You are?” I twisted to look at my mates, who were full of surprises.

“We’ll make everything perfect for you, sugar.” Landry winked. “Come on, we have a whole horde of shifters who want to meet you.”

We made the rounds. The whole pack wasn’t there, but at least fifty or so people milled around, and all of them welcomed me with kindness.

“Ah, there’s our wolf-protector.” John Randolph walked up.

“Me?” I laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

“No, it’s you,” he replied. When I’d first met him, he’d seemed angry and gruff. I’d been wrong. We all had. “You’re the human hell-bent on protecting our wildlife. It means a lot to this pack what you were willing to do to keep the wolf-dogs safe.”

I swallowed, touched by his thanks when I was still wracked with guilt.

“It’s true,” Wade said, brushing my hair back from my shoulder. “You should read the research paper she had accepted for publication. It presents the need for protection of the wolf populations in this area due to the genetic uniqueness of the native pack.” I felt Wade’s warm gaze lighting me up from the inside.

At first my mates had refused to even read my research paper, trying to prove how much they trusted me, but when they finally had, they’d been thrilled. They’d made a point of telling almost every shifter they’d introduced me to this week.

“Listen, I wanted to update all three of you,” John said. “I gave Hollaroy the maximum fine for violating Fish and Game laws, and revoked his hunting license. I’ve also contacted a lawyer in Montana—she’s a shifter—to see if there’s any possibility of filing a civil suit against him. Shelby and Marne speak highly of her, since she’s helped their pack in the past. That evidence Caitlyn provided may give us more options than I have through the Fish and Game department.”

He delivered this to Wade, and I stepped in close to squeeze my mate, knowing how important this was to him.

“Good thinking. Please let me know what she says,” Wade said, shaking John’s hand.

“I hate the idea of that man still walking around town,” Landry grumbled. “If he comes near our mate, it would give me a good excuse to give him what he deserves.”

“We’ll get him,” I promised them both. “I like the civil suit idea.”

Shelby appeared at my side again. “Do I get to steal you away yet? I’m dying to hear how it’s going now that you’re mated.” She flashed an impish grin at my mates, who reluctantly stepped back.

“It’s wonderful,” I said, looking from one to the other. “The best ever.”