CHAPTER / MACK

Dripping with sweat, I pummeled the punching bag. With every swing of my arm, my mind was still trying to process that Ro was in Black Forest.

She’s yours, my inner beast announced. Her
scent has already told me so. And this time—unlike twenty-three years ago—I
didn’t disagree with my beast.

Aurora is mine.

And the only person who doesn’t know it yet is her.

My punches against the bag got harder.

I was a fucking impatient man. The need to dominate, claim, and mate her pulsed through me. But there was no getting around the fact that I’d have to wait for her inner animal to wake up
and claim me.

What if her beast doesn’t pick me as hers?

My inner beast snorted. Unlikely.

But there was a possibility.

Closing my eyes, I went at the bag harder.

Common sense told me that Aurora needed time to settle down inside the Ridge before I charged her like a bull.

Then there was the other issue that I’d sensed. Pain emanating from her body. Aurora had hinted that she’d been injured in the military, but to what extent was unclear.

Opening my eyes, I stood, breathing hard, when Quinn walked into the gym with his cell pressed against his ear.

“Mack,” he called over to me. “Imani wants to know if you’re coming over to the ranch for dinner tonight.”

“No.” I walked to the bench. “I don’t have much of an appetite tonight.” Unwrapping the tape from my hands, I sat
down.

“Yes, he did say that he’s not
hungry,” I heard Quinn say into his cell while striding over to me. “Imani, calm down. Okay, I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Mack? You all right?” Imani
probed.

“What makes you think I’m not?” I asked.

“One, you’ve never missed a family dinner,” she answered. “And two, that’s what you lion-shifters like to do… eat.”

She’s right. We lions do love to eat. Well, we love to eat, fight, relax, and fuck, but not necessarily in that
order.

“I’m okay.” I tossed my tape onto the bench. “It’s just been a long day.”

Quinn stared at me silently.

“What?” I grouched at him.

“Imani,” Quinn said. “I need to find out what’s going on with Mack.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Imani
exclaimed. “Before you do that, Mack, just tell me what happened.”

I eyed the cell that Quinn held in his hand. “What happened with what?”

“Did Aurora arrive safely?” Imani asked.

I arched a brow. “Why wouldn’t she?”

Everyone in the town knew Aurora was arriving tonight. All week, townsfolk had been gossiping about the new hybrid coming to the Ridge. June was the one who had spread the news that her niece—a hybrid—was coming to her birthday party next Saturday.

I couldn’t blame June for feeding the gossip mill. After the surprise arrival of Imani and Nova and the ruckus
that had caused, June’s strategy had been to give everyone in town enough time to mentally and emotionally prepare for another hybrid in the Ridge.

“June told Piper that Aurora was waffling about coming,” Imani said.

“Well, she’s here,” I informed her. “I dropped her off at June’s.”

“What is she like?” Imani asked.

Beautiful. Intelligent. Sassy.
Everything I want in a woman.

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