Page 17 of Darrin: The Wolves

And now that he’d met Audrey, he knew it was the best thing that he’d ever done.

“No male will take me as a mate because you refused me so publicly. So I’ve come to claim the life you denied me and take my place at your side and in your bed.”

His wolf was two seconds from shifting in pure rage.

“I’m not mating you. I walked away to find my future, and I did. I have my truemate and I’m not going to abandon her because you can’t get laid.”

She inhaled sharply and her nose wrinkled. “You smell like a human. Don’t tell me you’re screwing a human? That will never work.”

“Be very careful with your next words,” he said, his voice low.

“Fate wouldn’t hand a human mate to an alpha wolf. You’re pretending.”

“She’s my truemate.”

“Wolves belong with wolves.”

“You don’t get to come into my place and tell me who I belong to.”

“You sound just like Thomas.”

He smiled coldly. “I’m nothing like him. Now if you want to test me, keep pushing. You are not welcome in my pack’s territory. You need to leave.”

Next to him, Trick cracked his knuckles with a subtle growl.

“You’re making a mistake,” Nadia said.

“Leave or I’ll make you leave.”

“Enjoy your human,” she said, spinning on her heels and stalking out of the tavern.

He stared at the door as it swung shut, his wolf pacing beneath his skin.

“Well, she’s just as sweet as I remember her being,” Trick said.

Dare sighed. He opened the door and saw a dark vehicle drive away. He shut the door and locked it.

“Something happened to make her come here,” Trick said. “Maybe you rejecting her really did put some kind of scarlet letter on her so no one will mate her.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“I know. But maybe Thomas pushed her to try to bring you back. He never had kids. You know he thought you’d take over for him when he stepped down.”

“Yeah, but that was not the pack I was born to lead.”

Trick grinned. “Hell no it wasn’t.”

He didn’t know why Nadia had shown up now, except that fate must have wanted to kick him while he was happy. It was clear that Nadia had come to insert herself into his life, to take what he and his brothers had built.

But he wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Nadia could dredge up the past all she wanted, but it didn’t have a hold over him any longer. He was the King Lake Pack’s alpha, and that meant he decided who he wanted in his life and in his bed, and that was Audrey.

But he wasn’t sure he’d seen the last of Nadia.

Audrey could tell that her parents loved Dare. From the moment they sat down with them at a favorite dining spot of her dad’s, who had never met a breakfast he didn’t like, they’d been clearly charmed by him.

Her parents were down to earth, no-nonsense people, who watched the weather channel, played pickleball with their friends, and were crazy-competitive Boggle players.