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  He growled when he came and his big body shuddered with the force of his release. In the moments afterwards, when he was cradling her in his arms and nuzzling at the top of her head, she had the terrifying thought that she had never felt so close to another person in her life.

  Alder slipped out of her as he rolled onto his side. Taylor couldn’t stop her sharp intake of breath.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, running his thumb along her jaw.

  “The first time always hurts.”

  “I’ve never been with a virgin before,” he said.

  He looked pensive, and Taylor wanted to ask him if he liked it and if she’d pleased him, but she held in her questions, not wanting him to know how insecure she was about it. There was one thing she needed to know, though.

  “Are we going out now?”

  Alder’s brows drew together. “You want to leave right now?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “It’s an expression. I guess what I mean is, are we going to be in a relationship?”

  Taylor couldn’t believe that she was asking this question after they’d had sex, and she suddenly felt like a teenage girl on prom night.

  “I already told you,” Alder said, looking affronted.

  She arched a brow. “I don’t think we’ve talked about this.”

  He leaned down to nip at her ear. “I told you that I’m the only male who will ever be inside of you.”

  Taylor gave him a light shove. “You said that during sex. It doesn’t count as a discussion.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss,” he said, giving her a smug look. “You’re mine now.”

  She turned her head away, not wanting him to see how amused she was. “Don’t I get a say in that?”

  Alder grabbed her chin, making her face him. He gave her the most charming smile she’d ever seen.

  “Fine. Tell me you don’t want to be mine.”

  “Touché,” she murmured, wriggling from his grasp.

  “What does that mean?”

  Taylor cuddled up against his chest. “It’s French for ‘I give up’.”

  Alder pulled the furs up, covering her to her shoulders. She lay in his arms, wishing she could slow her brain down and just enjoy the moment.

  “I’ve never been in a serious relationship before,” she said against his chest. “Have you?”

  “Yes.”

  It wasn’t the answer she’d wanted to hear and she had to remind herself yet again that Alder didn’t start existing when she met him. A man like him would have no shortage of women vying for his affection. An image of Beka floated across her mind, but she brushed it away.

  “Did you love her?” she asked.

  “Isn’t that what it means to be in a ‘serious relationship’?” His tone was conversational and she hoped that meant that whatever relationship he’d had, it was long in the past.

  Another thought came to her, and she blurted it out before thinking. “Wait, you don’t love me, right?”

  He chuckled. “I’m not touching that question, Taylor.”

  That was definitely for the best.

  She moved to get closer to him, frowning when she felt an uncomfortable wetness between her thighs. Then, something else occurred to her.

  “Alder?”

  “Hm?” His voice sounded muffled, and she looked up to see him resting against the furs, his eyes closed.

  “I’m not on the pill or anything.”

  Yet another thing that would have been good to mention before having sex. She was on a roll tonight.

  His eyes stayed closed. “What pill?”

  “Birth control,” she said. “We didn’t use any protection.”

  “You can’t get pregnant right now,” he told her.

  “How do you know that?”

  He opened one gold eye. “We can smell when females are fertile.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief,” she said, turning her head back into his chest.

  After a few minutes, tiredness overcame her racing mind and she fell asleep in his arms.

  * * *

  The only thing Alder wanted more than to go to sleep beside Taylor was to couple with her again. She had only just fallen asleep and he was already stiffening again. He could smell his scent bleeding into hers and it made him crave her even more.

  His mate.

  The mere act of coupling didn’t make them mates, but in a few weeks, or maybe even days, she would be fertile, and then he would stake his claim. In the meantime, he would have to figure out how to convince her that he was worthy of siring her pups. That would be no small task.

  It would, however, be a welcome distraction from all of the drama that was likely to play out in the coming days. There was still the Whiteriver pack to deal with, and he would also have to start making plans for what he would do once Taylor did become his mate.

  Taking the valley from Hale wasn’t an option, no matter how much his brother had pissed him off. Just as Alder had always yearned for a mate of his own, Hale had always sought to conquer everything in his path, and the Halcyon territory was his pride and joy. Although Alder valued his pack, the best thing for all of them would be if he took his mate to the south, where the rest of his family resided.

  Carefully detaching Taylor from his body, he made sure she was covered and then got up from the pallet. As much as he wanted to stay beside her, there were far too many things he had to do.

  Figuring out where his brother had run off to was chief on that list.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The back entrance wasn’t actually a back entrance. The system of caves and tunnels went all throughout the mountain, going so far as to spill out on the western side. Those areas were not part of Hale’s territory—yet—so they’d been temporarily sealed off.

  The ‘back entrance’ that he was entering through was more of a side entrance. It was about ten minutes from the main entrance—three in a wolf form—and hidden behind a waterfall that wasn’t really a waterfall. It was more of a creek that ran down the side of the mountain.

  Beka was sitting on a flat stone near the waterfall-creek, glowering in Hale’s direction. He had expected as much.

  “Don’t bother trying to sneak in,” she said. “Everyone knows you were gone.”

  Hale spared her a glance before ducking behind the stream of water and into his den. Beka followed.

  “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”

  He didn’t spare her a second glance. “I wasn’t aware I had to answer to anyone, least of all you.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “I’m too tired.”

  She let out a seething breath. “I’ve been waiting outside for hours.”

  “You mean pawning your responsibilities off on your friends?”

  It was well past midnight. The hunt would have been over by now, but he didn’t smell blood on her. As usual, she had managed to find a way out of her job.

  “Don’t lecture me on responsibility. Alder was attacked by Whiteriver.”

  Hale halted mid-stride, turning to look at her. “What?”

  Beka’s eyes flickered over him and then softened. “He’s okay. He’s with Holly and Fenix now.”

  Regaining his composure, Hale said, “What is he doing back already?”

  Alder left once every season to visit their family in the south. He was never gone for less than two weeks and this particular time Hale had been depending on Alder being gone for a while longer. This could be problematic.

  “He brought a human back,” she said. “Lark says that he’s going to make her his mate.”

  He didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

  “Why else would he bring a human back here?” Hale said, continuing down the passageway.

  Beka followed him. She put a hand on his shoulder. “I want her gone.”

  Hale turned around, his temper flaring. He had already had a shit night and it had just gotten significantly shittier. The last thing he cared about was Beka’s bulls
hit.

  He grabbed her wrist, backing her up against the wall. “What do you expect me to do about it?” He leaned in, his mouth over her ear. “Want me to put her in a barrel and send her down the river or do you want me to just snap her neck for you?”

  “I don’t care. I just want her gone.”

  Hale pulled back, heaving a sigh. “We both knew this would happen sooner or later.” He gave her chin a flick. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

  He move to continue down the passageway but stopped again as a strange, unfamiliar scent captured his attention. Sniffing at the air, he frowned. “What is that?” He couldn’t place the scent, but whatever it was, it made his cock twitch.

  Beka folded her arms under her breasts. “He left her in your bed. Have fun with that.”

  * * *

  Taylor was awake when Alder returned. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but she’d been awake at least twenty minutes, debating whether she should try to go back to sleep or do the walk of shame back to Lark’s room.

  She sat up when she heard him approach the furs, smiling at him. He was wearing what looked like some sort of stitched deer pelt. It was draped over one shoulder and fell down to cover his groin. It was oddly sexy.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Is there anywhere I can clean up besides the lake?”

  Bodily fluids, both hers and his, were still between her legs, making her feel gross and sticky.

  Alder stopped at the edge of the pallet, staring down at her with an odd expression that she couldn’t quite place. She noticed that his hair looked exceptionally messy and she could see twigs and leaves sticking out of it.

  “Go on a nature run?” she asked, still smiling.

  Taylor could tell there was something off about him as he joined her on the pallet. He approached her on all fours, looking very much like the wolf that he was. She lay back against the furs as he came to lean over her, caging her with his limbs.

  She saw his nostrils flare. “You smell like me.”

  There was something different about his voice. It was a little deeper, a little gruffer.

  “I must smell pretty amazing, then,” she said, reaching up to place her hands on his neck. He tensed as she did so, and she immediately pulled back, suddenly feeling awkward. “Sorry. I thought you liked that.”

  Was she being too clingy? Alder had always been touchy-feely with her and he’d seemed fine with it when they were in bed together earlier. Still, maybe she was being too presumptuous.

  “I make you nervous,” he said.

  Taylor blinked at him. “What?”

  His eyes narrowed. “You heard me.”

  “You don’t make me nervous,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. “Honestly.”

  Alder lowered his head, sniffing at her neck. His stubble felt scratchier than it had earlier and it tickled her skin. He pulled back enough to examine her, his eyes calculating.

  Taylor stared up at him, trying to stem the unease that was growing in the pit of her stomach. Though he looked a little worse for wear, he was definitely Alder, but there was something in his eyes that wasn’t right. A coldness.

  Those eyes roamed over her as he pulled back the furs to expose her chest. He traced his index finger down her scar and then around each of her breasts.

  Despite his strange behavior, her body was hardwired to react to his touch. It seemed different than before, as if his finger was electric; everywhere he touched tingled with increased sensitivity. His hand closed around one of her breasts, cupping it in his palm. He squeezed it twice, as if testing the feel of it, and then moved on to the other breast.

  His eyes on hers, he lowered his head to her breast, taking her nipple into his mouth. It was still sore from earlier, but he didn’t show her any mercy. Using his teeth, he applied pressure to the tender nub of flesh, just enough so that it hurt but not so much that it didn’t feel good. She moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head.

  Alder pulled away from her chest. She could feel his erection pressing against her and wondered if he was going to have sex with her. Though she still hadn’t cleaned up from earlier and she was pretty sure it would hurt, Taylor kind of wanted to do it again.

  “You’re paler than females I’m typically interested in.”

  What? “What?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Does that bother you?”

  Taylor pulled the furs around herself, not sure what to make of his abrupt commentary. “No, it’s fine. Honestly.”

  “You’re lying,” he said.

  Her brows furrowed. “What? You’re being really weird.”

  “You maintain too much eye contact when you lie,” he informed her. “Also, you say ‘honestly’, which outside of ‘believe me’ is just about the worst tell I can possibly imagine a liar having.”

  She sat up, now feeling intensely uncomfortable. Although she had the furs covering herself, she felt stripped.

  “Why are you acting like this?”

  Taylor had more than enough reasons for being guarded, but in only a few days, Alder had managed to slip past her defenses. She’d felt safe with him, safe enough to open up a little, safe enough to show him her scar, and safe enough to give her virginity to him. It was huge for her and the way he was behaving was making her feel entirely too vulnerable.

  Looking irritated, Alder said, “Because I wanted to come sleep and now all I can think about is fucking you.”

  Glaring at him, she moved to get up from the bed. Alder grabbed her shoulder, forcing her back down. With a mixture of indignation and anxiety, she pushed at his chest.

  “Stop it,” she said.

  He gathered her wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head as she struggled beneath him. Taylor tried to knee him in the groin, but he was too fast. He shifted his legs to press the full weight of his lower body down on her.

  “I said stop it,” she said through her teeth.

  Alder gave her a bland look. “Or what?”

  “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  He laughed, a hollow sound. “Is that a fact?”

  Taylor spit in his face. He wiped the saliva away, never breaking eye contact with her. His lack of reaction made her apprehensive and she waited for what he would do next, her body tense and ready to counter whatever his next move was.

  To her surprise, he sat up, letting go of her wrists. Taylor immediately scrambled back away from him, searching for her dress.

  Turning his head away from her, Alder said, “You have the strangest tastes when it comes to females.”

  Taylor looked over in time to see Alder being yanked up from the furs by…Alder. She did a double take, looking between the two identical men in the instant before Other Alder punched Asshole Alder in the nose, both audibly and visibly breaking it.

  “Shit!” Asshole Alder staggered back, holding a hand over his bloodied nose. “We agreed, never in the nose, damn it.”

  In a low voice, Other Alder said, “Get the hell out of here.”

  “I wasn’t going to fuck her,” said Asshole Alder, sounding defensive.

  “Get. Out.”

  Everything had happened so fast, but at some point during their glare-fest, realization dawned on Taylor.

  Twins. They were twins.

  The name that had kept coming up all day hit her like a ton of bricks: Hale.

  As things started coming together for her, Hale raised his chin, muttered something under his breath about this being his fucking room and then stalked away. When he was gone, Alder turned to look down at her, his face awash in concern.

  Coming down to her level, he reached out to touch her. She flinched.

  “Taylor,” he murmured.

  She glared at him. “Don’t you think, if you have an identical twin, especially one who’s a total dick, you should make sure people know about him?”

  He put a hand on her head, smoothing her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was back. Don’t cry.�
�

  She pursed her lips. “I’m not crying.”

  Alder brushed his finger over the corner of her eye, revealing trace amounts of incriminating liquid.

  “It’s dust getting in my eyes,” she said, brushing his hand away. “Honestly. Can we just go? I really want to get out of here.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Taylor slowed as the water came up to her breasts. Alder placed his hands on her hips and nudged her forward, deeper into the lake.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Giving him a dubious look, she said, “The water’s all dark.”

  Alder bent to kiss the space between her brows. It was becoming his new favorite spot. “There’s nothing in the water that can hurt you, and I’m not going to let you drown.”

  She let him guide her out farther, and he relished the feeling of her relaxing in his hold as the ground disappeared beneath her feet.

  It had been an hour since Alder had gone to check in on Taylor, only to find his brother straddling her in the furs. He’d never stuck Hale in anger before. Hale had taken his fair share of beatings over the years, from their brothers, from their uncles, and far too many from their father. Now, Alder had joined their ranks.

  While he disliked that he’d had to punch his brother, Alder wouldn’t take it back if he could. Hale had stepped over the line by touching Alder’s female.

  Taylor leaned her head against his shoulder, her finger absently tracing his collarbone. “Am I too pale for you?”

  His brows rose. “Why would you think that?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just something your brother said. It’s not important.”

  Alder ground his teeth, inwardly cursing his twin. He wanted to ask Taylor to recount everything that had happened and every word his brother had said, but he knew it would only make him angrier.

  “Forget about Hale,” he said, squeezing her arm. “You and I are going to be leaving here soon, anyway.”

  She looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. “Huh? Where are we going?”

  “My older brother, the one I was going to visit, has a territory to the south of here,” Alder explained. “There’s a small river valley he offered me a few years back, and I’m going to take him up on the offer now. Without the truck it’ll be a long walk, but once we get there we’ll have a place of our own.”