Grayslake: Never Kiss a Wolf (Kindle Worlds Novella) (4 page)

L
ily's stomach
dropped at the sight of Ty and Van. The other bear she didn't worry about. He was in town with Greer and had nothing to do with what fate would befall her when Ty decided on her sentence.

"Mia, you didn't mention you were coming over here." Ty didn't exactly look angry with his mate, but the tone of his voice belied his easy going appearance.

"Didn't I? I could have sworn I did." Mia plastered a big smile on her face and walked over to her mate to loop her arm in his. "I wanted to talk to Lily before you did. See if there was anything I could do to help the situation."

"Mia," Ty sighed.

"Tyyyyy," she exaggerated back at him. "You know Lily is my friend and that I'd be concerned. You shouldn't be surprised."

The Itan turned to her and Greer. "We've got more than one problem to contend with now. I guess you two lost track of time."

"Huh?" She had no idea what Ty referred to.

"The clock struck twelve and we've apparently worn out our welcome," Calder grumbled something more, but she couldn't make it out.

They'd gone over the hours of visitation. Another rule the Itan disliked having broken. Maybe Greer was right and this clan wasn't the right one for her.

"Aren't these extenuating circumstances? It's my fault they stayed. I'm sure they can go now, no harm, no foul."

"It's not your fault." Greer took a step forward and tipped his head toward Ty. "We've been watching our time closely until now. But when I found out that Lily lived here, I had to come and check on her."

"Why?" The question came from Van looking none too happy.

He glanced back at her and then faced the men again. "I believe she is my mate."

Lily gasped.

"I knew it," Mia screeched.

The Enforcer took several steps forward to almost touching Greer. "Wait a minute. You came to town looking for some other woman and now you're claiming this woman is your mate?" He shook his head. "That reeks of some serious bullshit."

"Come on, Van. Give the guy a break. It's not like the other woman is his mate." Mia turned to Greer and glared. "It's not, is it?"

"No Ma'am. I am not mated."

"Wait," Lily interrupted. "This conversation is getting out of hand. I cannot be your mate. I'm a bear and you're a wolf."

Calder snickered and everyone in the room turned and glared at him. He shrugged. "If I had a dime for every time I've heard that excuse..."

"He's right. Grayslake has recently seen their fair share of hybrid matings. Besides, mating is an instinctual thing. It's not easy to deny."

She shook her head at them all. It felt like they were all ganging up on her. It's true her bear had been nagging her all day long about this man. And she'd allowed him to get very close, very fast. That didn't mean he had to be her mate though.

Mia turned to Ty. "A possible mate situation should give him a reprieve on the right of visitation. Let them stay longer and figure this out."

"Lily may not be here long enough for anything to get figured out." Van crossed his arms and shook his head.

Greer growled, the noise loud enough to rattle the dishes on her kitchen shelves. "What the hell does that mean?"

At the sound of Greer's animal taking over his voice, Lily jumped forward and grabbed his hand. Compelled to do something, she lifted it and placed it on the side of her face so she could lean into his touch. If he threatened the Itan and shifted to show his intentions, they'd all be in a helluva lot more trouble than they already were.

"Greer, stand down." The order came from Calder who crossed the room to stand at his friend's side. "We can't afford anymore trouble."

"Agreed," Mia said. "Let's all take a deep breath and calm down before things get carried away. Plus, I think Greer's request for right of visitation is reasonable under the circumstances. Don't you agree, Ty?"

Ty narrowed his eyes and gave his mate a look that seemed to promise payback later before he reluctantly agreed with her. As the Itana, Mia had the ability to intervene and grant the visitation herself. But her friend was smarter than that. Stepping on the Itan's toes in front of others would not bode well for either of their futures.

So she let him know what she wanted under the guise of him making the decision.

Ty glowered in Greer's direction. "One more day and not a second more. If you can't figure this out in twenty-four hours then you're on your own to do it elsewhere."

"What about, Lily?"

"She needs retraining," Van muttered.

All heads swiveled in his direction.

"What is retraining?" Lily asked.

"It's a process shifters go through when they've lost control of their bear. A last ditch effort if you will before more extreme measures have to be taken." The solemn expression on Ty's face when he answered made her stomach sink.

"No!" Calder stepped forward and put himself between Ty and her. "You cannot do that to her. One accidental shift in town does not call for that kind of punishment. It's cruel."

Greer growled again. "Calder. What's going on? Teaching her again how to regain control doesn't sound so bad."

Lily would agree except for the stricken look across Mia's face and the hard, almost scary set of Ty's jaw that locked down his emotions.

"Retraining is vicious, aggressive, and painful. She's way too gentle to survive that."

"It doesn't have to be the same for every bear. It's supposed to be tailored to the current situation and adjusted as necessary."

"No!" Calder repeated. He looked at Greer. "We can't let this happen. It could make matters worse."

Lily wracked her brain for some other solution. She didn't know this bear at all, but his vehemence against this retraining frightened her.

"I volunteer to leave," she said. "Tonight in fact. If I leave clan grounds now there will be no need for any of this."

"That sounds like the perfect plan. I'll take her off your hands right now." Another male voice filtered through the doorway a moment before a large man appeared.

Lily sucked in her breath as all the oxygen drained from her brain. This could not be happening. Any minute now she was going to open her eyes and realize this whole day was one big nightmare.

It had to be.

"
H
ello
, Lily." The shifter standing in the doorway greeted his mate with a familiarity that made Greer's wolf see blood red. Or maybe just blood.

There was something about this man that made Greer want to rip into his flesh no questions asked. Judging by the petrified look on Lily's face it was an excellent idea.

"Who the fuck are you?" he demanded. His ability to be even remotely politically correct in this case had left the building. His wolf clawed forward, honing his instincts with only one goal in mind.

Protect the mate.

"John Hale," the stranger offered. "I've come to collect what is mine.

As if Lily's fear stricken face wasn't enough, she now trembled in fear against his side. He wrapped his arm around her and pushed her behind him where she plastered herself against his back.

"Nope. Not going to happen."

"Trust me, boy. You can't stop me." The stranger took another step in the room and three men turned and joined Greer in blocking him from his mate.

Ty stepped forward, a menacing energy vibrating off of him as he obviously held off his bear. "I don't believe we've been introduced yet. I'm Ty Abrams, Itan of Grayslake. This is Van, my Enforcer.

The man barely flicked a glance at Ty before returning his gaze to Lily. "I'm not here for a coming out party. I just came to get her." The man nodded at Greer's mate. "She belongs to me."

Greer's wolf bristled at the insinuation that this man somehow owned Lily. Like she was property.

"Why don't we head down to my office and we'll discuss your claim."

"There's no need to discuss anything. This is a pretty simple thing that has nothing to do with any of you. Lily Hale is my breeder and I've come to collect her so she can stand trial for killing my cub."

"Excuse me?"

He had yet to process what the hell had just been said when Lily forced her way around him.

"I did no such thing," she cried.

The man's gaze immediately zeroed in on her, his gaze sweeping up and down. "Time to go home and face your proper punishment."

They all stood in shock as Lily shrank back from the guttural tone of the harsh statement. Her face turned white as a pale moon and her bottom lip trembled at the same time that her eyes darkened with the bear.

They were about to have a full grown panicked bear on their hands if he didn't do something to stop this now.

"I don't know where the hell you got your information from, but there is no way Lily would kill a cub. That's absurd." Mia had jumped into the fray before any of them could stop her.

"Mia!" A sharp command from her mate brought her up short. Ty was obviously worried about her safety and rightfully so. The splash of dark red anger on the stranger's face did not bode well for anyone who stood too close.

Greer grabbed Lily's arm and swung her around. "Look at me, Lily Hale." He infused his voice with the command of the wolf to ensure her compliance.

When she looked at him with completely black eyes, he knew only something drastic would change her course. So he leaned forward and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was meant to shock and awe her enough for the panic to recede. Instead it overtook him as he got his first taste of his mate.

The sweet, cool touch of her soft lips set off a series of synapses in his brain that broke his control. He growled into her mouth and whimpered when she swallowed the sound.

It made him want to crawl inside of her and never leave.

Mine. Mine
. His brain chanted over and over.

He wrapped his fingers around the side of her face and drew them closer together as his tongue slid between her parted lips. The sound of her moan seeped into his bloodstream, heating him from the inside out.

At that moment he was lost and didn't care. He wanted to stay there forever. It was only the sound of a bear's roar and bones popping that pulled him away from her. John Hale had his half shifted bear paws on Lily's shoulder and was trying to pull her away from him.

"Don't touch her," Greer snarled.

"Too late, wolf. You have no rights here."

"Touch her again and I will rip your head off." He didn't care that this man was larger than him. He and his wolf were no slouch and in the face of protecting a mate, he had no doubt he could and would prevail.

"The wolf is right. You have no rights here. She belongs to my clan now and no one can force her to leave without her permission except for her Itan or Itana. If you wish to accuse her of a crime, you will do so to me with the proper respect."

Greer vaguely hear Ty talking to the grizzly standing only a few feet away. With the blind rage coursing through him it was difficult to do anything other than reach forward and rip this asshole's throat out.

"Your rules mean nothing to our clan. We live by our rules alone and unless you're ready to die for this bitch, I suggest you get out of my way. She's going back to Alaska to answer for what she's done one way or another."

"Stop!" Ty looked at him and commanded Greer to stop his attack before it even got started. "If you kill him like this I will be forced to take action against you. We have laws for a reason. Without them we are no better than savages."

"You can't be serious," Greer seethed. "He's trying to hurt my mate. Hell, he already has. For that alone he does not deserve your protection."

"As far as I'm concerned she is not your mate or anyone else's for that matter. She's an unclaimed adult female and as such that makes her solely my responsibility."

Greer didn't hesitate for even a second when Ty spouted his technical-bullshit-mumbo-jumbo-this-is-the-law at him. He turned to Lily and pulled her into his arms.

"I, Derek Joseph Greer claim you, Lily Hale, as my mate. In front of these witness, including the Itan and Itana of Grayslake, Georgia I swear my fealty to you and promise to protect you until my death. If you accept this claim I will be yours forever and you will be mine. No man, bear, wolf or any other being will have rights to you over me or me over you. This I swear."

The room fell silent as they waited for her to react. But after several minutes of silence, John Hale exploded.

"This is bullshit. No Hale would ever have anything to do with a wolf. Give her to me now."

Ty ignored him and turned to Lily. "Do you accept?"

L
ily stood
stock still unable to react. Hell, she had no idea how to react. John had accused her of killing his cub and demanded she leave with him. That alone had ripped open a wound she still tried to heal.

Ty and Van looked torn over how to handle this turn of events and Mia stood in the far corner with a smile as wide as Texas plastered to her face.

Because holy shit, Greer had just claimed her as mate.

Mate.

The bear inside her was practically doing back flips in her mind and still Lily had no idea what to say. Her brain couldn't process it all.

"Lily?" Greer spoke, the question of her answer hanging in the air.

She looked up at his intense green eyes she had difficulty reading and sighed. He was so damned gorgeous. But John was kind of right. What kind of mating would a bear and wolf create?

Then his fingers were gliding across her cheeks and tangling in the edges of her hair. "I realize we've just met, but I've spent my whole life relying on the instincts of my wolf. And from the moment we set eyes on you at the diner, he's known. If we had more time I could show you, but we don't, baby." He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. "We just don't. So for my sake and yours, it's going to be a leap of faith. Leap with me, Lily."

"My bear wants you, but I'm scared," she admitted.

"Scared is okay. I can work with that."

This was all happening to fast. She turned to Ty. "What happens if I say no?" As much as her bear wanted to go forward, maybe jumping into this without time to think about it would do more harm than good. If there were other options...

"We'll still protect you. I welcomed you into our clan and as such am willing to do whatever it takes to protect your rights."

John snorted. "She has no rights. Only a duty to her clan."

He was right. Their clan needed every eligible female to help grow their population. It was her duty. Except she had failed at every opportunity.

And while she was thrilled that the Grayslake clan had her back, the idea of being responsible for starting a war did not sit well. There were too many risks. Ty had Mia and his cub Sophia to protect. If he went to war with the Hale clan and anything happened to them she would never forgive herself.

However, there was one thing John had failed to mention. She looked at him and attempted to mask her fear. "I do have one right according to Hale law and that's the right to reject or accept a mating claim."

"But he's a wolf. That doesn't count."

"Prove it. I remember nothing that said I could only choose a bear."

Tired of dealing with John, she looked at Greer, the man who so valiantly wanted to save her. "According to Hale law I have forty eight hours to decide. At this point I have to refuse an answer until you know everything."

"I don't care. Whatever happened in the past is the past. Don't think for a second I believe a word he says."

She gently pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him. "I care. There are things you deserve to know before a decision can be made and if you wish to rescind your claim at that time I will understand."

"I won't."

"We'll see."

She reluctantly pulled from his arms and walked over to her Itan. "I love Mia and Sophia too much to allow bloodshed."

"That's not—"

"Please don't. I should have known it would come to this. All I ask now is that you extend Greer's right of visitation to forty-eight hours. That's all I need."

Ty compressed his lips into a grim line before nodding his head. "Granted."

"Thank you," she mouthed, tipping her head to her Itan. He sometimes came across as gruff and rigid making him hard to read, but he actually cared very deeply.

"She still has to have permission from her clan for this to happen. And she has to answer to me."

Lily ignored John's continued objections. She had every faith that Ty and Van would wear him down or find a way to subdue him. Either way she wanted to focus on her would be mate.

There was still more to tell him and more to learn she suspected. For now, she walked into his outstretched arms and placed her cheek on his chest, surprised how easy it was becoming to seek comfort from him.

"Can we please get out of here? It's too crowded."

Mia appeared at her side. "There's a bed and breakfast on the other side of the lake you can take her to. I'll call ahead and make sure you all have rooms."

"Thank you, Mia."

Ty turned to them. "Stay in your rooms over there. I don't want to have to come looking for you when I'm ready to get answers."

Her heart sank. How things had devolved so much in a matter of one day astounded her.

With a final farewell to her friend, she allowed Greer and Calder to flank her as they left behind her tiny apartment. So much for living on her own. She'd miss this place.

Outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and inhaled the sweet scent of fresh air. It still struck her how different Georgia was from Alaska. They were on the opposite ends of the temperature spectrum and it made a difference in everything.

So much had happened since that fateful night in Alaska. Her decision to run had not been as planned out as she implied. Nature had made the decision for her and she'd taken the opportunity. Now she didn't know what to do or where to go. Forty-eight hours wasn't a lot of time to make such a life altering decision.

She had to decide now whether she wanted to take a chance on a virtual stranger or make yet another run for it...