49. Tate
Tate
Dad’s words rang in my ears as I drove through the gates of Moonfall Academy.
“Keep a close eye on the Frosthaven heir. If he loses control again, it will cause us problems with the Shifter Council.”
Marcel Frosthaven was my father’s business associate. They’d worked together for years, combining resources and expanding their influence within the global shifter mafia. Marcel wasn’t as ruthless as my father, but he had a talent for strategy. Together, they made a formidable team.
Pack first had always been Dad’s motto, even to the detriment of family, and if he believed Marcel’s son and heir was putting our pack at risk by attracting unwanted attention from the rulers of our magical society, he wouldn’t hesitate to take him out, along with his entire family.
I parked my truck and headed into our apartment. A faint roar echoed from the forest, signaling a shifter had gone full fur. I slowed down to listen, wondering if it was one of my brothers, but when another roar reached me, I realized it was the lion shifter—Hunter Leone.
Hmm. Guess he had some shit to work out.
The school discouraged students from shifting at night because the forest was home to wild wolves and other predators, but faculty members could do whatever the fuck they liked.
Besides, the lion shifter was highly unlikely to be taken down by a wild wolf or other beast.
Even Tank’s wolf would struggle to win a fight against the lion; they were too evenly matched in size and aggression.
It was no wonder my father had approached Leone to see if he would step into the octagon with Tank. It would be a fight for the ages. One that would rake in the money for my father and Marcel Frosthaven.
Sadly for Dad, Leone had turned him down.
A hint of burned sugar tickled my nose as I reached our apartment.
My beast woke up immediately. He’d been quiet since leaving the pack estate, angry that I’d forced him down when Dad threatened Tank.
My wolf wanted to challenge my father for dominance, but as I kept reminding him, we weren’t ready to become pack alpha.
The burned sugar smell grew stronger when I stepped inside, which sent my wolf crazy. I’d caught the same scent at the fight ring shortly before Tank lost his shit. Then again at the coffee shop Camilla dragged me into.
Why my wolf had shown a strong interest in a fucking male hybrid wolf was baffling. He knew we had to make a powerful match. Our pack would never accept a human hybrid as their alpha’s mate.
Pushing all thoughts of the pesky hybrid wolf aside, I stepped into our apartment and inhaled sharply. The intense burned sugar smell in here hit me right in the gut and balls. I stiffened in my pants, unable to control my base reaction to the little wolf’s scent.
Goddess, was this the work of a siren enchantment?
It had to be. I’d never experienced lust this intense before.
Tobias appeared in his bedroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“You okay, brother?” he asked with a smirk. He glanced down, clocking my erection, and his smirk morphed into a gleeful grin. “You look like you need attention.”
Ignoring his dig, I scowled. “We agreed no fuck toys in our apartment.”
Tobias’s grin fell away. “Fuck toys?”
“Yes, fuck toys, Tobias. I can smell the hybrid. Why was he here?” I hated that he’d been here. It was hard enough ignoring his presence on campus without having to deal with him in my personal space.
How the fuck was I supposed to relax when his deliciously intoxicating scent drove me fucking insane?
“First off, I did not bring a fuck toy, as you so delightfully call them, to our apartment. Tank showed up with hon—Riley.”
Surprise rendered me speechless.
“Tank brought the hybrid here, to our apartment?” That made no sense.
Tank rarely interacted with anyone, let alone the weaker shifters.
Not because he thought himself better than them; rather, he was afraid he’d inadvertently hurt them if something triggered his wolf.
It had happened once, when we were younger, and he’d never forgiven himself.
Tobias flopped onto the couch and made himself comfortable.
“Damien and Chance attacked the little wolf in a dodgeball game. Tank’s wolf intervened.”
I processed Tobias’s revelation in disbelief. Why would Tank intervene? A shiver of disquiet rattled my bones. If Tank’s wolf had caused another scene, Dad would hear about it.
“Why didn’t the PT instructor step in?” The faculty often turned a blind eye to bullying, but not during a lesson. Fucking asshole instructors. Thank fuck Bernard was out of the picture. He was by far the worst.
“The lion didn’t see what happened until Tank shifted, but he intervened and then he and Tank took Riley to the healer.
” Hmm. The lion shifter must have been angry that he couldn’t stop the two idiots from hurting a weaker student.
Leone hated bullying. I’d seen him exact brutal detentions on students he deemed bullies.
“Did Tank’s wolf kill anyone?” Goddess, I hoped not, or there’d be hell to pay.
Tobias shook his head. “No. Riley calmed Tank’s wolf before he passed out.”
I blinked in shock. Nobody had ever successfully calmed Tank’s wolf. It usually took two of us to overpower the feral fucker, and even then it was inevitably a shit show. Last time, Markus had had to step in and stun the bastard.
Tank stepped out of his room. “The hybrid is my mate,” he announced, his arms folded across his brawny chest. The statement, issued in a calm yet firm voice, rendered me speechless once again.
“You’re mistaken,” I snapped when I’d recovered from the shock. “The hybrid is weak. He can’t be your goddess-blessed moon mate. It makes no sense.”
I caught Tobias’s grin in my peripheral vision. “He’s not mistaken, brother, nor am I. Riley Scott is my mate too, so get used to seeing my honey bunny here more often.”
Tank glared at Tobias, who smirked in return, and then the pair of them vanished into their rooms, leaving me confused and fearful for all our futures.
If our fathers discovered Tank and Tobias had a weak hybrid mate, they would combine forces to destroy the little wolf to prevent pack bloodlines from being diluted.
While I didn’t much care about the hybrid, Tank and Tobias were my family. Losing a soul-bonded mate could trigger psychosis and even death. If protecting the hybrid wolf protected them, then I’d do whatever it took to keep him safe.
Dropping my keys on the kitchen counter, I stripped off my shirt and pants and changed into shorts. I needed to work out some of my rage, so it was time to pay a visit to the two wolves who’d hurt the hybrid. By the time I’d finished with the fuckers, they wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again.