“You okay?”
Cason’s question pulled me from my visual inspection of the car. “No.”
“Is your wolf unhappy about having another tiger in town?” He jerked his thumb toward the front door of Tane’s house. “Maybe he’s feeling protective because he senses Trinity’s dislike for our pack or something?”
“Trinity?” I echoed softly, my wolf perking up at the name.
“Yeah, she’s Tane’s other sister. The one who almost never visits because she blames us for him leaving New York,” he explained.
My wolf’s attention shifted from the car to my brother, and he wasn’t happy that Cason seemed to know her when I didn’t. “Have you met her?”
“Yes,” he confirmed with a nod. “I bumped into her at the hospital after Rush was born. It’s one of the rare times she’s come to Timber Ridge.”
I took a deep breath, and the scent that had been teasing my nostrils while we walked became stronger. The reason behind my wolf’s attempts at breaking through my skin finally became clear. My mate was close.
Shifting my gaze to the house, I stalked away from the car. I didn’t stop when Cason called, “Where are you going? Kace’s house is the other way.”
I ignored him as I stormed up the steps and pounded on the front door. With my wolf at full attention, my senses were in hyperdrive. I heard Tane mutter something about motherfuckers waking up his babies as he stomped over to open the door.
“Where is she?” I demanded, pushing past him into the house. My mate’s scent was stronger here. For the first time in my life, desire coursed through my veins. As I dragged her fragrance deep into my lungs, my cock hardened and pushed against my zipper.
Tane grabbed my shoulder, twisting me around until I was facing him again. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Where. Is. She?” Being this close to my mate pushed me to the edge of my control, and I had to force the words out.
Before he could answer, Calliope and another woman rushed into the foyer. My gaze focused on the brunette at Tane’s mate’s side. She was fucking gorgeous with her long dark hair flowing down her back. Her brown eyes were wide, a startling contrast to her pale skin. Even though she must have spent the day traveling, her expertly applied makeup still enhanced her beauty. Her lips were painted red and formed a perfect O. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her.
“I know you aren’t talking about my sister, Damon,” Tane snarled. “She’s just here watching the kids while Calliope and I take a brief trip. Then she’s leaving.”
No fucking way was that ever going to happen. Not unless I left with her. “Like hell.”
“Who do you think you are?” My beautiful mate’s eyes practically sparked with indignation, and it only made my cock harder. I fucking loved how fierce she was, but I didn’t like how high her walls against me seemed to be.
As a shifter, she would know the answer to her question if she pulled my scent into her lungs or touched me. But her body language was closed off, and her expression was blank. Obviously, she didn’t want to discover what I already knew to be true, and it freaked me the fuck out. I’d thought I understood the pain Aaron had gone through when he’d been rejected by his fated mate, but now that I’d met my own, I finally got how much deeper his soul had been wounded. The pull to her was strong, and it felt as though I was being drawn toward her as I stepped forward. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, refusing to let her drop her gaze and deny what we were to each other, I growled, “Your mate.”
Two shocked voices echoed my announcement while Trinity’s hand came up to cover her mouth. She held utterly still while we stared at each other.
“Holy shit.” I glanced over my shoulder at my brother’s whisper. He was standing in the doorway looking as shocked as I felt. “You found your mate.”
“I did,” I confirmed as I turned back around and started to move toward my Trinity.
She took one step backward before Cason stopped her with his whispered plea. “Please. Don’t reject my brother. He needs you more than you could ever possibly know.”
5
Trinity
There was no denying who Damon was to me. Not when I was feeling desire for the first time in my life. This gorgeous man with shaggy dark hair, gleaming brown eyes, and a tall, muscular frame had to be my mate. And he was obviously a wolf shifter who lived in Timber Ridge. Fate had a wicked sense of humor, pairing me up with someone who represented everything I’d resented for so many years. But it didn’t matter how mismatched we were, I couldn’t turn my mate away. “I’m not going to reject him. I just need a minute to wrap my head around the fact that I found my fated mate in the very last place I expected.”