Hannah tiptoed down the stairs of her house so as not to wake Noah, who slept on the downstairs couch. She made it halfway to the kitchen before the creaking of the floorboards stopped her. She glanced in the direction of the sound.
With a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, Noah leaned a shoulder against the open doorway leading into the living room. “Going somewhere, love?”
She swept her gaze over him. Barefoot, with only a pair of ragged sweats sitting low on his hips, he mesmerized her. She took a moment to enjoy the sight he made.
His wavy, dirty blond hair reached the edge of his stubble-covered cheek, and a few darker hairs marked a path down his well-defined abs. The thick muscles packed on his frame combined with his powerful arms and thighs enhanced the aura of power and strength that surrounded him. The females in her pack eyed him with lust, while their males gave him a wide berth. The attention he garnered didn’t bother her. He had eyes only for her. And Ethan, of course.
She grinned with the knowledge that Noah was hers, then dragged her attention to his face, a task that proved harder to do than it had the day before. Every inch of her came alive in his presence. The month of celibacy they’d willingly embraced was taking its toll. Soon it’d be over.
“I’m headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I’m starved.”
“So am I. Ravenous, actually.” He set his mug on the bookshelf just inside the room. “Come here.”
She went to him, unable to resist the command in his voice. He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close but didn’t kiss her. He buried his nose in the fall of her hair and inhaled. They hadn’t shared more than affectionate embraces since they’d made love on the night of the full moon. It wasn’t fair to Ethan to give in to their passion without him, but with the next lunar cycle looming over them, they were both ready to explode.
“You smell so good, Hannah. I can’t wait to lose myself in you.”
“Me too. I need you, and I miss Ethan.” Other than a few brief phone calls Ethan had made from the safety of Shifter Affairs, they hadn’t interacted with him. Ethan had insisted on the lack of contact. Safer, he’d said. He wasn’t taking any chances with her life or Noah’s.
Noah sighed. “So do I. This has been an incredibly long month.”
“Only a few more hours, then we can finally be together. I can’t wait.”
“Yeah, and it’s looking like it’ll be an easy transition.”
She leaned back. “Michael decided to take Ethan’s offer and put his family into protective custody?”
Ethan had shared the details of his plan with her and Noah. Hearing them had filled her with pride. She’d mated a good male who respected life.
Noah nodded. “Ella called a little bit ago and said Michael’s family arrived safely at their destination. After the transfer of the spirit wolf tonight, Michael will join them.”
“Thank goodness, and as soon as he does, we’re going home. I only wish we could bring Owen with us.” Unfortunately, they didn’t have the capability to guard him with the level of security the humans had insisted on. Yet.
“He’s in good hands. I talked to Riley and Jenna after he arrived yesterday. They’ve been studying up on cases similar to Owen’s and are confident they’ll be able to help him.” Noah squeezed her hand. “I want to go out and visit him this morning. To see for myself how he’s doing.”
“Okay, I’ll go with—”
The front door opened, stopping Hannah’s words. Noah shoved her behind him, locking her to his body with his hand splayed over her lower back. He eased his firm grip a moment later with the sight of their visitor. Nic, wearing only a pair of sweats, rushed into the room, his hair a wild mess.
Her heart skipped a beat. There was only one reason she could think of that would bring him out. “Oh my God, Riley? Is she okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine. So are the babies.” Nic shoved his hair out of his face. “I’ve been out at Quinn’s house since early this morning trying to calm him down.”
Noah stepped forward. “Why? What happened?”
“Maria’s missing. She took his car sometime in the middle of the night and drove off.”
A sense of guilt seized Hannah. She knew Maria had been struggling with her feelings for Alex and Quinn. Hannah had done her best to hint that Maria might be able to keep both males, but had backed off when Maria had grown agitated over the idea. “Why? Did she say anything?”
Nic glanced between her and Noah. “Yeah, Quinn said they’d almost ended up in bed, but once he suggested that they should mate too, she kicked him out. He went for a run, and when he got back, she was gone.”
“Why didn’t your pack protectors stop her?” Noah curled his fists. “With the mess going down with Michael, she’s in danger too.”
Nic met Noah’s angry gaze. “They tried. She nearly ran them over. A couple of shifter agents took off after her, but she had a head start. They found Quinn’s car, not her. She ditched it and stole some human’s truck.”
“Okay.” Hannah took a deep breath. “They’re trained for this type of thing. They’ll find her.”
“I agree. She couldn’t have gotten too far. That’s not why I’m out here.” Nic focused on Hannah. “I need you to talk some sense into Alex. He’s angry and wants Quinn’s blood for sending Maria running.”
She groaned and faced Noah. “This is my fault. I should’ve told them about us. If they knew three people could form a bond, we might’ve averted this whole situation.”
“We agreed not to take any chances. Too many lives depend on it. Besides, we don’t know if they’re in the same situation as us. I talked to Quinn. He doesn’t know if Maria’s his true mate. He just knows he wants her”—Noah rubbed the back of his neck—“sexually. She keeps turning him down. It might just be the chase. Nothing more.”
“Maybe, but we should’ve told them. Just in case. So they’re not floundering in the dark like we were.”
Noah took her hand. “You’re right, but it’s too late. We can’t do anything about it.”
“Sure we can. I’m going to tell them now.” Hannah glanced over her shoulder at Nic. “Will you arrange it so I can talk to both Alex and Quinn?”
“Already done. I just need the two of you.”
Noah laid a hand on her shoulder. “Can you do this without me? I’m not exactly close to Alex, and I want to talk with Owen before Ethan becomes alpha. Tell him about us. The mess our pack is facing.”
Understanding dawned. Before going to bed, Noah had expressed his concern over Owen not wanting to return to their pack because of Ethan. “You want to treat Owen as a dominant, not a beta.”
Noah inclined his head. “Or a victim who was too weak to save himself.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Noah’s cheek. “I love you, my mate.”
“Same here, Hannah.” He squeezed her tight. “Same here.”
And once she had Ethan in her arms, she’d be complete. Only a few more hours. Everything would be perfect after that. Hannah repeated the words, but it was hard to believe them, especially with the tiny voice in her head warning her that things never went as planned and happiness wasn’t guaranteed.
Neither was tomorrow. Tragedy could strike in the blink of an eye.