Page 21 of How I Met My Mate

“It works!” he cries eagerly. “It just needs to be refined!”

I shake my head at him. “Did you think about how humans will react if they find out we’re immune to silver? Right now, they feel like it keeps them somewhat safe from us.”

Robert’s lip pouts out in protest. “But they outnumber us by so much, and we have the right-” He sees my glare and his shoulders slump.

“You know nothing about diplomacy or shifter-human relations, and you have run the risk of starting a war in which thousands of our brethren are killed, and thousands of humans,” I snarl at him.

Darius’ pickup truck is approaching.

Dax bares his fangs. Alexis gasps in dismay.

Tears fill Robert’s eyes. “I deserve whatever I get,” he mumbles, as Darius and five of his pack members park and pile out of the pickup truck.

“No you don’t!” Alexis cries out, her voice shaking with emotion. “You’re 17. You were trying to help. You had no parents to guide you. And you’re taking responsibility for it. I won’t let anything happen to you, Robert.”

And tiny Alexis slides in front of him, ready to face down a pack of wolves to protect this young boy. My brave mate.

The roar of Darius’ old pickup hasn’t even finished echoing off the buildings before the air tightens—charged, restless, full of the kind of energy that makes most shifters stiffen. I don’t. I’ve seen Darius mad before. If we need to get into a death-match, I’m more than ready.

The truck screeches to a stop at an angle so crooked it looks like he tried to parallel park and then remembered halfway through that he doesn’t believe in parallel parking.

The doors slam open. Darius climbs out first—massive, furious, and stomping forward like the pavement insulted his mother. His eyes blaze amber, his shoulders are bunched tight, and behind him five of his pack spill out like backup dancers in a very angry musical number.

They fan out behind him in perfect formation, moving fast and synchronized.

Dozens of our men have gathered behind me by now. Our pack responds with low growls.

Their scents hit next—dominance and adrenaline.

Darius’ glare snaps from me to Robert, and his jaw flexes.

“He’s our problem now. Give him to us,” Darius growls. Then he lets out a sneer. “Unless you want him to be the latest Moonstone pack member.”

Well, isn’t this a wonderful gift the universe has just handed me?

“I accept,” I say promptly.

Pack war averted.

Maybe.

Darius’ eyes widen in shock. “I…I wasn’t…I didn’t mean…” I’ve never seen him at a loss for words before. It’s hilarious.

“An Alpha always keeps his word,” I remind him.

It was very recently that my brother loudly bragged that he would dance the can-can in a tutu before he allowed a human onto our pack territory.

And not long after that, he danced the can-can in a tutu at his mating ceremony. To a human.

Darius’ eyes blaze with anger. “He deserves public execution.”

“He’s certainly in a heap of trouble,” I agree, nodding. “Our pack council will discuss how to punish our newest pack member.”

“Are you kidding me? Are you doing this just to piss me off?” he snarls at me.

I let the corner of my mouth quirk up in a smile. “No, but it’s certainly a bonus.”

Chapter Twelve