
Chasing His Bunny

Book 1 of the Big Bad Bunnies Series

Copyright 2016 Golden Angel LLC

By Golden Angel

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Thank you so much for picking up my book!

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I have a lot of people to thank for helping me with this book. My Maries, my power houses! Marie for all her help with editing and the continuity issues that I occasionally struggle with (I swear, she remembers all the things that I can't). Another Marie, for her incredibly close attention to detail, especially when it comes to commas, mixed-up words and my excessive use of the word "that". Katherine, for her ever-lasting support, encouragement and suggestions. Michelle for her comments and suppositions, which sent me in a different direction several times for this story, creating a much better and more satisfying plot than I'd originally had, with much more interesting character development. Sir Nick, for providing the much-needed male perspective. And RaineyCloud9, for the gorgeous cover art and promotional posters that I've been sharing.

Thank you to Lee Savino for being my author-sensei.

Thank you to my husband for his constant support and love.

And, as always, a big thank you to all my fans, for buying and reading my work... if you love it, please leave a review!
Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Epilogue

# Chapter 1

Monsters. They were all monsters.

Her brothers were monsters.

Her baby sister was a monster.

And she was a monster.

They hadn't asked to be this way. If they'd _had_ a choice, none of them would have chosen this. But no one had asked, no one had given them a choice; the men had come and taken her and her siblings from their beds in the night. Taken them and kept them for the past seven years, hidden away in a secret laboratory, and experimented on them relentlessly.

Worse, the experiments had been deemed a "success."

Well, Dr. Montgomery said they were a success. The Bunson siblings disagreed. Vehemently. But no one cared about their opinion. The only thing the older four had managed to protect the fifth - Bailey. Their baby sister. She'd only been thirteen when they were taken, kidnapped by the damned doctor and whoever was funding his sick experiments. The boys had started by trying to protect both their sisters, putting themselves forward for the doctor's "research" if he'd just leave Bethany and Bailey alone. Then, once the doctor didn't feel he could do anything more with them, Bethany had put herself forward, so at least Bailey would be protected.

He'd told them he was doing it to "help." He said their unique genetics held the key to saving countless lives in the future. That they would help poor, suffering, innocent people. Cynically, Bethany doubted it. Even if he was speaking even partial truth, she doubted whoever his sponsor was had equally "selfless" goals.

After all, kidnapping an entire group of siblings and holding them in a secret, high-tech laboratory for years on end didn't exactly scream "selfless" or "poor." The guards were military-ish, and Bethany was pretty sure they were all mercenaries. Someone was paying for that, and she doubted it was to save people. There wasn't money in saving people.

Plus, how else to explain the exercise and training regimen they were on? They were constantly being tested for both their defensive and offensive capabilities. Violent capabilities. And they weren't exactly held back from making themselves bigger and stronger; the doctor encouraged it. So what exactly were they training for? Maybe their genetics would save people, but it seemed like the doctor was just as interested in how well they could kill people. Her brothers, Brady, Brock and Brice (yeah, her parents had issues when it came to naming their children, she was well aware), were huge. Like, well over six feet tall and bulging with muscles. They made the mercenary guards incredibly nervous, not that they had to be. None of the boys would risk doing anything that might come back to harm Bethany or Bailey.

Bethany was pretty sure her brothers didn't know much about her own "enhancements." Her training was kept separate from theirs. She was incredibly fast and agile, her reflexes were an athlete's dream, and she was just about as strong as any of the men that trained her, even if she didn't look it. Since the brothers were kept apart from the sisters for the most part, except for a one-hour, daily, monitored visit, it wasn't exactly hard to hide Bethany's changes from them.

Until today, that is. Because this time they'd taken Bailey, and Bethany had flipped the fuck out. They'd shot Bethany full of tranqs, and when she'd woken up, Bailey wasn't in their room anymore. Which had led to another immediate flip out, which just happened to coincide with an attack on the compound.

An attack that came too late.

The compound was overrun with all sorts of big, burly soldiers with big guns and bigger attitudes. Although Bethany was grateful, because for the first time in years she and her siblings were breathing free air, she couldn't help but be a bit resentful that they hadn't come the day before.

"Too fucking late," she muttered under her breath, tightening her grip around Bailey's shoulders. Her baby sister was curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs, shivering under a blanket. After they'd been taken out of the compound, the soldiers had put them on the bed of a truck that was sitting outside of the ruined laboratory and collapsed buildings, given them blankets, and set up a guard around them. But it was already too late. The doctor had given Bailey _something_. Injected it into her, just like they had with Bethany and now Bailey was changing.

Who knew into what? Well, Dr. Montgomery probably knew, but so far Bethany hadn't seen him or his body.

She glared at the soldiers guarding her and Bailey. They were big guys (and a few mean looking, muscled women), dressed in combat gear and ready to take on any threat. Their scents were unique, completely different from the doctors' and workers' in the compound. The thing inside of her had been whispering in her mind at each new smell.

Wolf.

Bear.

Feline.

Unknown. Strange. Predator.

After getting Bailey and Bethany out of the lab, once the soldiers had realized the women were experiments and victims of the compound and not more workers, they'd gone into automatic protection mode around them.

A day late and a dollar short. Seriously, would it have killed them to get here 24 hours earlier?

"Bethany! Bailey!"

The soldiers came alert as her brothers came barreling towards her and Bailey. She couldn't blame them. En masse, the Bunson brothers were kind of terrifying. They were just as big as the trained soldiers around them - even bigger than about half of them - and right now they looked more than a little pissy.

Brady growled at one of the soldiers who tried to intercept them, an unholy, terrifying sound because it was so _unnatural_. Everyone stiffened, the soldiers going on even higher alert, as Bethany let out an impatient, frustrated grunt.

"Those are my brothers, let them through," she ordered, her voice ringing out with authority. Brady was the oldest of their brood, but even he bowed to Bethany when she was on a tear, and that kind of self-confident, commanding dominance was hard to ignore. Especially for shifters.

Bethany might be a petite blonde with big boobs and a less than intimidating stature, but when she chose to exert herself, apparently shifters listened. Sadly, the effect tended to be less compelling on humans, or she and her siblings would have been out of this mess a long time ago. Without outside help.

The soldiers moved aside, letting the guys pass, although they stayed on high alert.

Checking them over, Brady looked even more pissed when he realized that Bethany was hovering protectively over Bailey. As the oldest, he had a tendency to act like he was in charge, and Bethany usually let him because she knew he felt like he'd failed them when they'd been taken - and since then, as the doctor had experimented on them. Not that she thought he could have done anything to prevent it, but Brady blamed himself. With his dark brown hair and hazel eyes, he looked particularly intimidating as he checked over his sisters, muttering under his breath.

Beside him, keeping an eye on the other soldiers, Brock and Brice both had their guards up as well, regarding their rescuers suspiciously. Even though they were her younger brothers, as they'd grown bigger and stronger, they'd started acting like Bethany was another younger sister in need of protection. While she appreciated the sentiment, she couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. Still, she was proud of them. They hadn't let captivity change their good hearts.

She smirked a little when she saw several of the female soldiers giving her brothers the eye back. Except those females didn't look suspicious, they looked intrigued.

Altogether, Bethany knew they were an attractive family. She and Brock both had blonde hair, although he had hazel eyes instead of blue like hers. Brice and Bailey had both gotten the big, baby blues from their mother as well, but Brice's were matched with light brown hair that looked sun-streaked with blonde highlights, and Bailey's hair was nearly as dark as Brady's, which made for a striking contrast. Brady had the darkest hair and eyes, making him the most intimidating at first glance, especially because he was also a little taller and a little more broad-shouldered than his brothers.

Seeing the looks he was getting, Brice puffed himself up a bit, grinning at some of the ladies, whom he obviously didn't see as a threat, despite the guns in their hands. Idiot. Bethany didn't truly judge him though; she knew Dr. Montgomery had attempted to provide her brothers with occasional female "companionship." They hadn't wanted anything to do with that part of the study. He also hadn't sent another male in to Bethany after the first one required surgery to his testicles following his visit. None of the Bunson siblings wanted to provide the doctor with another generation of Bunsons, and the man had seemed interested in studying how long they could remain abstinent, rather than forcing the issue. At least he'd drawn the line somewhere. The guys were probably thrilled to see females other than their sisters, the paid workers the doctor provided, or the scientists that worked at the lab.

Bethany herself was not entirely immune to all the sexy males walking around. Now that her brothers were here and her subconscious had apparently decided that she was totally safe, her libido was definitely perking up at the presence of all these non-related males. These non-related, muscled, tall, strong males that might actually be able to hold their own, even against something like her.

"What are you all standing around for? Get everything loaded up, and let's get the hell out of here!" The orders came pitched at a roar as another man came out of the building, followed by a platoon. Definitely some kind of leader, the way everyone jumped at his commands, grabbing up the equipment and boxes that had obviously been removed from the buildings.

As tall as Brady, who was six feet five inches on a short day, the commander had broad shoulders with densely packed muscles, a short buzz cut of dark hair that really made his incredible cheek bones and square jaw stand out, and eyes so dark they looked black. He was sex on a stick. The kind of man that made a woman's already perked up libido jump up and down like a kid on Christmas. In fact, she was pretty sure she came a little just looking at him.

Nom nom nom.

She wanted to climb him like he was a playground. Or a mountain. All the way to the top of him, and then let him plant _his_ pole in _her._

"Bethy? You're drooling a little." Her younger sister's voice, tinged with amusement, cracked Bethany's composure.

Ick, how embarrassing. But at least amusing her sister had cracked the younger woman out of the fetal ball she'd been curled into.

"Sorry," she whispered back, not truly feeling sorry at all, and also knowing that all the shifters within ten feet of them could still hear her. At least, she could guess that based on the experiments Dr. Montgomery had run. The sound wouldn't reach Mr. Tie-me-up-Tie-me-Down-and-Swing-Me-Round's ears, but the others would know. Maybe she'd get lucky and they'd report back to him and Bethany could have her first time of fun with a man before she got shipped off to wherever their rescuers were taking them. "You have to admit, he's definitely drool-worthy."

"Kind of over-muscled for me. I like that one," Bailey whispered back, pointing at a leanly muscled, red-haired shifter that was definitely within hearing distance. He actually blushed, which was pretty cute, and then immediately averted his eyes when Brock, Brice and Brady all growled in stereo.

Bethany and Bailey immediately started laughing. Oh god, it felt so good to laugh about something!

The incongruity of their laughter amid the wreckage, the smoke, and the blood attracted the attention of Mr. Let's-Find-A-Reasonably-Comfortable-Flat-Surface-Fast, and he swung round and started stomping towards them. Bethany perked up. So did her nipples. Her libido was already plenty perky.

"Get these five into the trucks. We've got enough seats if they spread out-"

Well so much for her libido. Ugh. Alpha Asshat wasn't even looking at Bethany or her siblings as he barked orders at the soldiers around them; treating them like they weren't even there. And as for his assumption that they'd be split up...

All five of the Bunson siblings jumped in at the same time, using different words, but the basic message was the same: Fuck you - we're staying together.

Finally reaching a reasonable speaking distance, Mr. Thinks-He-Can-Tell-Me-What-To-Do-And-Not-In-The-Sexy-Way, put his hands on his hips as he glared at them, opened his mouth and... suddenly stopped. Sniffed the air. His incredulous, dark eyes widened almost comically and his head whipped around so that he was staring right at... her.

"Mine."

"What?" Bethany barely had time to jerk in surprise before her brothers had created a fortress of flesh between her and Mr. Suddenly-Acquisitive.

"Excuse you?" Brice growled, and she didn't have to see his face to know that he was glaring at the other man. "What did you just say to my sister?"

Ugh. It sucked being so much shorter than her brothers. They were like mountains.

"I said-"

Big, unmovable mountains. Whose ticklish spots she was well versed with. The big guys squealed as her fingers stuck into their sides, shocking their audience as they jumped out of her way. More than one soldier brought their weapon up again, obviously nervous, until Alpha Asshat turned and snarled at them. The weapons were hurriedly lowered.

"What did you just say to me?" Bethany demanded as she shoved her way past her brothers. Brady put his hand on her arm, trying to tug her back behind him. Without even looking, she bent his finger back while simultaneously stomping on his foot.

"Son of a bitch!" He muttered, shaking out his hand. Beside her, Brock and Brice were shifting into place, making themselves honor guards since it was obvious that she wasn't going to let them be a barrier. The injured Brady had moved back a step, but Bethany was willing to bet he'd just put himself into position to protect the less combative Bailey. Totally acceptable.

Mr. Still-Needs-To-Answer-The-Question looked at them with something akin to amusement. So glad she could provide entertainment. She glared at him, ignoring how utterly delicious he looked with that tiny little smile on his mobile lips.

"I said, what did you just say to me?"

That smug smile faded as his eyes moved away from her brothers and back to her. How flattering. "You're mine. You're my mate."

Bethany snorted. "I most certainly am not."

While she'd been born a human, everyone knew exactly what shifters thought about mates. She didn't remember much, but she knew that mates were a forever deal. Yeah, not happening. She wasn't ready for a mate. Hell, she wasn't ready for any kind of committed relationship much less one that couldn't be ended. She was a needy, lustful, and eager young virgin who had been cooped up in a cage for far too long. There was no way she was just going to hop into bed with the first guy that wanted to claim her and _stay_ there. Although, she had no objections to the hopping into bed part. That was the good part.

"Yes, you are," the man growled, looking even less patient. He thrust out an arm. "Smell me."

The scent of man, pine, and something wild, like a cold night's frost filled her nose. Her nipples got even harder and her pussy creamed. She was totally on board with the sexual reaction - if he wanted to play hide the salami she knew a few good hiding spots – but the rest of it? Nope. Yummy smells or not, tempting or not, monster inside her insisting "mine" or not, she was going to be a free-wheeling, commitment free (at least for a few years), little sex machine. That was the sum of her current relationship goals.

"Whoop-de-do," Bethany said in a bored voice. She'd gotten pretty good at controlling her reactions while she was in captivity; the bland face was the easiest to maintain. Don't react so that they don't know they're getting to you. "You smell good. You can't be the only man on the planet with that particular attribute."

Something beeped and one of the soldiers looked down at a device they were holding and then back up. "Steele, we need to move."

"Shit. Fine, let's get going, we'll sort this out later," he said grimly. His gaze caught Bethany's. "And we _will_ be sorting this out later. Now come on."

Stepping forward he reached out to take her arm, and of course, got himself a bloody nose for his trouble.

******

There wasn't a word in the English language that could adequately describe how fucking furious he was.

His _mate_ had _punched_ him on the _nose_.

Steele still couldn't believe it. His beta, an overgrown bear shifter by the name of Jordan Kane, was still chuckling about it. The bastard better cut it out if he didn't want a bloody nose to go with Steele's.

The inside of the hummer was dead silent other than Jordan's occasional chuckles, which happened every time the big bastard looked over at Steele. Steele's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He glanced in the rearview mirror, ostensibly to check on the convoy following behind him, but really because he couldn't stop looking at his mate.

His _mate_.

He'd never been a superstitious person, but considering that today was April Fools' Day, he felt like he'd just had the biggest fucking joke Fate could have ever played on him.

Inside of him, his wolf was jumping up and down, running around in excited circles, and lolling about on his back with his tongue hanging out. The stupid animal didn't even care that they'd never smelled anything like her and her siblings before, and had no idea what kind of shifter she was. That all of them smelled like an unnatural and confusing mix of predator and prey. It didn't care that their mate had just punched him on the nose. It just cared that they'd found her, she was obviously another alpha, and she was _here._ It was fucking delighted. Steele was thankful that his own ass wasn't wagging, the wolf was so damned happy. At least one of them was. Steele didn't want a mate. He never had and he still wasn't too sure how he felt about it now that he'd found her.

The only male in a family of six siblings, he'd had plenty of protecting and looking after females his whole life. Hell, he'd left his pack and gone out on his own after the third one had finally mated and he hadn't felt guilty about leaving his parents to watch after the other two... A one-on-one ratio at least gave his parents a fighting chance.

Steele loved his sisters, but he had to admit, he didn't truly _get_ them. Every single one of them was demanding, needy, and expected to be treated like the queens they felt they were. They were pampered princesses, made more so by the fact that their father was the Alpha of their pack and everyone deferred to them. Their friends were suck-ups and their mates were overly impressed by them, in Steele's opinion. He loved them... but he'd also had his fill of females always needing him to do everything for them. Going out on his own, he'd found that he attracted the same kind of women, no matter how hard he tried to avoid them. He wanted a different kind of woman.

Unfortunately, thanks to his sisters, he was used to being a little bossy and perhaps a tad overprotective and just a bit too much of a caretaker for more independent women. They found him overbearing, high-handed and arrogant. So, for the last couple of years, he'd found it easier to just swear off personal relationships with women. Hell, he hadn't even gotten laid in the past year, since the independent women he liked weren't a fan of him and the women who did like his overbearing, high-handed, and arrogant ways were way too needy, dependent, and weak for his wolf. He attracted Stage 5 Clingers like nobody's business.

Which his mate most certainly was not, which was probably partly why his unfavorable view on mating had turned to something a little less decisive.

No clinging at all for the curvy, little blonde, which was too bad because he'd really like her clinging to his dick, which had been hard as his nickname since the moment he'd scented her. She was seated in the far back, next to her sister. In the middle row of seats, her older brother was glaring at Steele in the rearview mirror, apparently unimpressed by the fact that he was seated next to Steele's biggest and most deadly soldier - Kasim, one of the few lions living in the States. Practically radiating calm, the lion glanced over his shoulder to give the females an encouraging smile, his white teeth flashing in his dark face.

Getting the Bunson family into a vehicle had been an exercise in diplomacy, and thankfully Steele's Omega, Jacqueline Morn, had stepped in. It was her job to keep the peace in his pack after all. She was damned good at it too, despite her badger temper. Or maybe because of it. When Steele had insisted that his mate accompany him and then her entire family had insisted on accompanying her, it had been Jacqueline who put together the seating arrangements in the hummer. Surprisingly, the two younger males hadn't argued once they knew that Bethany would be separated by a row of seats from Steele, and that Brady would be sitting in that row.

Of course, their quick capitulation might also have had something to do with Jacqueline pointing them to her hummer, which had been surrounded by females, waiting for her. All of them grinning invitingly at the Bunson brothers. His Omega wasn't exactly known for being subtle. But if putting the two males into a hummer full of females was what he'd needed to get them out of there, that had been fine with him.

They'd already overstayed their welcome, and he couldn't help but worry that they would somehow be followed from the compound. They knew at least four of the employees had managed to escape. Their scents had been found, heading away from the compound, but Steele had had to make the executive decision not to follow them. They just didn't have the personnel possible to do that, gather up all the files and equipment from the compound, guard the prisoners that they'd taken, and see to the captives that they'd rescued. After all, going in to this mission, they hadn't known that there'd be captives or the extra staff that had been needed to take care of them.

Intelligence had been fucking shoddy, and he was going to have a few choice words with his boss when they got back.

"Where are we going?"

Ah, the dulcet tones of his mate. She wasn't asking a question so much as demanding an answer. Steele had already noticed she had a tendency to do that. From what he'd heard over the radio, she _hadn't_ been like that when his team had first broken into her cell. Apparently, freedom had gone to her head pretty quickly.

Then again, he preferred demanding over frightened and needy. Just seeing her, knowing that she'd been a captive, knowing that they'd done _something_ to her, because she sure as hell should have known he was her mate as soon as she'd smelled him, had all his protective instincts riled. Even though she'd punched him in the nose. He much preferred a happy, gamboling wolf in his head to a furious, protective one without an enemy to rip into shreds.

Looking into the rearview mirror, he met her big, baby blue eyes and felt his chest clench at the same time as his wolf yipped happily, tongue hanging loose. Just looking at her had his inner animal - and his cock - jumping to attention.

"Somewhere safe."

"That's not an answer," her brother said grumpily. Brady, that was his name. Steele could already tell that Brady was going to be a problem. The big, dark-haired bastard turned halfway in his seat to look at Bethany. "You shouldn't talk to him. You don't want to encourage him with this 'mate' bullshit."

The steering wheel creaked.

"Chill, Steele," Jordan said, his voice a deep rumble. He sighed, looking over his shoulder at Brady to explain. "It's not nonsense. If he says she's his mate, she's his mate. It's not like he wants one, so he has no reason to lie."

Bethany hissed, looking affronted at the news that Steele didn't want a mate - even if she hadn't seemed particularly welcoming of the idea. He found that encouraging. On the other hand, his wolf was less than amused by Brady's comments, which wasn't good. He was already having trouble controlling his animal side after all the fighting and meeting his mate, then being rejected by his mate, and now being in close confines with his mate but unable to touch her. The last thing they all needed was his wolf taking over while he was in the driver's seat and they were on the run.

"What the fuck does that _mean_ though?" His mate said plaintively. Next to her, her sister was sitting in silence, her eyes and ears taking in everything. It was actually kind of creepy how quiet she was compared to her siblings. Then again, as the youngest, maybe she just never got a chance to get a word in edgewise. She was very pretty, with big blue eyes just like his mate's, but brown hair, and she didn't have the same kind of presence that Bethany did.

"If he doesn't want a mate, then what's the problem?" Brady asked irritably. Steele gritted his teeth.

"The problem is he doesn't get a choice now that he's found her," Kasim said, his brow furrowing as he looked at the man sitting next to him and then the two women behind him in confusion. "Didn't your parents explain how mating works? How long have you been in that compound?"

"No," said Bethany at the same time Brady said, "Seven years."

A chill went through Steele, followed swiftly by fury again as his wolf howled. Seven _years_? They weren't that old... they must have been taken when they were just fucking children! Holy shit!

"Our parents are human," Bethany said, resting her cheek against the top of Bailey's head. Steele's wolf calmed slightly at the sight. He liked seeing how protective and mothering she was over her sister.

Until he realized where his thoughts had gone, and then he just wanted to kick himself all over again. Mothering? Since when had he ever been interested in how good a mother a female would be? He didn't want a mate! Or pups! He'd just reacted without thinking when he'd scented her!

Although, like Kasim said, he didn't really have a choice now, and as long as he was going to have a mate, at least she was a sexy, little, blonde bombshell package with some serious curves and a mean right hook... Things could definitely be worse. Steele already knew he was going to end up bowing to his wolf on this, it was just going to be a little bit of mental adjustment on his part. Although, since she was so independent and feisty, maybe it meant that this was finally his chance to get the kind of mate he wanted. That perked him up quite a bit. All he had to do was wait for the mating bond to bring her to him, and it wouldn't matter how autocratic, dictatorial, and pushy he was. Unlike other women he'd been attracted to, who hadn't been interested in a man like him, she would be just as attracted to him as he was to her. There would be no getting around it.

Then he realized what she had said. Human? How was that possible? He could smell the disbelief and shock rising off of his pack mates. Emotions had to be very strong to be discernible, but then again, what Bethany had just said was impossible. Although shifter genes could be recessive and passed down along family lines, one of the parents _must_ be a shifter for any of those genes to actually show up in the children.

"Ah. Hmm. Well, okay then." Kasim cleared his throat, and Jordan turned back around, apparently satisfied that Kasim now had things under control. The big grizzly looked poleaxed as he shook his head, happy to hand things over to the lion.

Kasim decided to ignore the impossible and to focus on the important matter that he did understand. "Fated mates are... well they're special. Any two shifters can mate, if they're willing to commit to each other, and they share a claiming bite. Doing that means that you've given up on finding your fated mate and, honestly, it's how most of us mate. But if you _do_ find your fated mate, well... your animal will know immediately, and they won't accept anyone else after that. Not unless you're already in love with someone else and your animal had accepted them, and then you'd better share the claiming bite with your chosen mate real fast before your animal can change its mind. The ah..." Kasim glanced warily at Brady sitting next to him, whose expression was becoming harder by the second. "The ah... biological imperative to claim your fated mate becomes harder and harder to resist until it's said to be impossible."

"Biological imperative?" Brady asked, looking furious. Obviously he'd picked up on the fact that it meant the drive to consummate the mating. Unfortunately, Steele's erection wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon until he could sink it into his mate. Even then, it was going to keep coming back, just as hard and just as demanding, until they shared the claiming bite. Those commercials for calling a hotline after an erection of four hours or more? Yeah, totally useless for shifters.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Bethany said from the back seat, her voice matter-of-fact. "He smells... delightful," (understatement of the century) "but other than that, it wasn't anything special, so obviously he's wrong about the mate thing anyway."

"I'm not letting some asshole talk my sister into bed just because he likes the way she smells!" Brady practically roared, over his sister's words.

Steele's wolf howled, and his claws popped out of the ends of his fingers.

"Everyone _shut up_ ," he roared. He was seconds away from losing it, and he hadn't lost control since the first week he started shifting. Dammit. His mate was already making him lose it. If she kept rejecting him, she was going to find herself hauled off over his shoulder caveman-style. Just thinking about it sent a wave of satisfaction through him. "We're going to the airfield where a plane will pick us up and take us to my pack's lands. We can give you a crash course in shifter society there."

And he would talk to his boss and find out just what the hell was up. If the lab had somehow managed to create shifter genes in humans, the world was about to change, and in a really bad way.

# Chapter 2

"They didn't create shifter genes, they just... woke them up." Eli Mansfield, Steele's boss, told him. Fortunately Steele's tech team had been working on getting documents and notes scanned and sent to Eli ever since they'd taken the compound. Once he'd heard Bethany's assertion that her parents were human, Steele had ordered them to concentrate on the notes about the siblings.

He knew a lot more about his mate now. The Bunson family - taken when Bethany was barely eighteen years old. The youngest, her sister, had only been thirteen. Unfortunately, he also now knew that her parents were no longer alive. They'd had a suspicious accident the night the siblings had been taken. Jordan had gone to break the news, and it physically hurt Steele that he couldn't be there... but this was too important. They had to understand what this Dr. Montgomery had done and why, and, most importantly, who he was working for. Because someone had funded his work, and it wasn't the government.

About a year ago, Eli had been contacted by the U.S. government, when scientists had started reporting that their work was being stolen. All of them had been working on some kind of research involving shifters. What had started out as simple recovery had taken a major turn today when they'd found the Bunson siblings. The other compounds hadn't had experiments; they'd just been guarding and continuing the research. Some of it was focused on military uses, but a lot of it also seemed to be geared towards the diseases which had devastated much of the smaller shifter population in the past few years. The smaller shifters, who turned into prey animals, tended to be pretty insular and scientists had theorized that inbreeding may have contributed to the spread of disease and the general weakness of those shifter lines.

The larger predator shifters could be somewhat insular as well, but they didn't mind mixing with humans as much, or with each other. Most of them didn't take it to the extreme like Steele did with his pack, but he liked having a mixed grab bag of shifters around him, rather than just wolves. Especially since his pack was made up of both fighters and other shifters who wanted to support the fight; no one like his sisters would make it very far in his pack. Everyone was expected to pitch in and lend some kind of hand whenever shit went down. Either you were a soldier, or you contributed in some way by healing, cooking, logistics, tech support... everyone had a job. Everyone was useful. Or they left to find another pack where they could sit on their laurels and have everything handed to them. It didn't matter their place in the pack – unlike his parents' pack where the alpha and his family definitely received preferential treatment and rarely had to lift a finger unless they wanted to. Which was probably why his sisters never visited Steele; they waited till he came to visit their parents' pack to see him.

"What do you mean, woke them up?" Steele asked, confused. His hands were balled into fists as he tried to control his frustration. Fortunately, his wolf seemed to understand the need to stay in human form right now.

They needed as much information as possible to protect their mate.

"The Bunsons have shifter genes, way back in their ancestry," Eli explained, looking down at the notes he had in front of him. "No one in their family has shifted for generations, it looks like, but the genes are still passed down. If any of them had mated with a shifter, there's a good chance their children would have been shifters, because of that."

Shifter-human pairings had a fifty-fifty chance of producing humans or shifters. Shifter-shifter pairings had a one hundred percent chance, but the children always came out as one or the other animal when the shifter parents were different animals.

"But they didn't," Steele said.

"No." Eli said, his face grim. Blond hair and bright, green eyes didn't usually do brooding well, but right now Eli pulled it off. "But it doesn't seem to have mattered. It appears this Dr. Montgomery figured out how to unlock the shifter potential in their genes. The process sounds... painful." Steele's wolf howled internally. He was going to need to go for a long run tonight to let his poor wolf work off some of its frustrated fury.

"So, what are they?"

"We're not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Steele's jaw creaked as he gritted his teeth.

Eli sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, looking more tired than Steele had ever seen him before. Even though he was dressed in a suit, as always, he looked... rumpled. Which was highly unusual.

"From his notes, Montgomery says that he successfully unlocked their potentials. Plural. On their mother's side, they have bear ancestors. On their father's, rabbit and... turtle." Eli's mouth twitched. There hadn't been turtle shifters in generations. They'd been among the first of the smaller shifters to die out, in fact.

Holy shit... if Montgomery had been able to unlock long dormant genomes... it was a medical breakthrough of the miraculous variety. Although his methods sure as hell left a lot to be desired.

"So... which one do they change into?" His mind boggled. How special were his mate and her siblings? "Do you think they could change into all three?" Normally, an impossibility, but the Bunsons were already impossible.

"We're not sure. The notes aren't conclusive, but they _can_ shift. It's possible that their animals aren't fully developed because of the way they were created or they might be stunted because of the variety factor, which could explain why Bethany doesn't know – or is able to deny - she's your mate."

Steele groaned. "Is it possible to fix that?"

"No idea. I'm sure it will work out in the end though, Steele. And you can always apply your world-famous charm." Eli's amused grin made Steele want to punch the other man in his perfect, movie-star-good-looks face. Charm was Eli's forte, definitely not Steele's.

******

Sniffling, Bethany leaned into Brock's comforting shoulder while Brice rubbed her back. Bailey was curled up on Brady's lap, still weeping while her eldest brother held her, his dark eyes shiny with tears. They'd always kind of suspected their parents were dead - Daddy would have never stopped searching for them if he wasn't - but hearing it confirmed had been a blow to all of them. Apparently they'd all held out a vain hope that their parents were just fine and that when they got out it'd be a big happy reunion.

Life sucked.

Especially because their grief wasn't even private. Everyone knew. The soldiers who had driven in the car with them had kept them company on the plane and to Steele's pack. No name for their location, as far as she could tell. Just "the pack lands." It turned out to be more like a town, surrounded by a really large forest.

The town was a little Stepford, but it was also really pretty and comfortable. Everything was very cookie cutter, down to the houses and lawns. Built on the side of a mountain, the main street headed up the mountain, starting with shops and eventually ending with a small community of very large houses. More houses, smaller and larger, were spread out on the offshoots of the main avenue, along with all sorts of other businesses. On their way to the hospital (which was more like a very large doctor's office with extra rooms and equipment, which made sense since they weren't a very big town and shifters tended to heal most things pretty quickly), Bethany had seen all sorts of stores, an ice cream parlor, and a movie theater. It really was a thriving little town, just very insular. Seeing the vehicles headed towards the hospital had drawn a crowd, and a few of the soldiers had stayed outside, obviously to explain things to the rest of the pack.

The others had come in and were waiting for updates from Steele, they'd all been talking and exchanging theories and gossip, up until a few minutes ago. When Jordan had come to tell the Bunsons their parents were gone. The celebratory mood had turned entirely somber, all eyes in the room turning to the siblings, filled with sympathy and pity.

Bethany, as their leader's claimed mate, got the most attention, but all of the siblings were being watched by interested eyes. At least they were used to it, although it was strange to have the eyes be welcoming and sympathetic rather than clinical and scientific.

"I'm very sorry," Jordan said again, looking extremely uncomfortable. For some reason, even though Kasim had been friendlier with the Bunsons in the car, Jordan had been given the job of breaking the news to them. He'd disappeared with Steele at first and then come back, grim-faced and apologetic.

Even though Bethany didn't buy this whole mate thing, she was a little indignant that Steele had sent someone else to tell them. If he was her mate, shouldn't that have been his job? Shouldn't she be cuddling up on his lap the way Bailey was on Brady's? Well, perhaps not exactly that way since Bailey and Brady were brother and sister, and she-

Oh stop it.

Her parents were dead and she was thinking about sitting on some overgrown oaf's lap. God she was a horrible person.

Then again, they'd been mourning the loss of their parents for a long time, even though they hadn't known for sure that it was a permanent loss. Maybe it wasn't her fault her brain was looking for a distraction. Especially since today should have been happy.

Wherever they were, it didn't seem like anyone here wanted to experiment on them. In fact, they'd all been appalled to find the siblings, and had done everything they could to welcome them. Bethany had eaten the best meal she'd had in years, right before Jordan had shown up. Now it tasted like ashes in her mouth, but the gesture was still appreciated. Maybe it was just because Mr. Gives-The-Orders had declared her to be his mate, but everyone acted like she and her siblings were welcome guests, not the unexpected surprises that they were.

Bailey let out another low moan; she seemed to be taking the news about their parents harder than any of the rest of them. Curling into an even tighter ball, she sounded like she was in pain.

"Bailey? Honey, what's wrong?" Brady asked, suddenly sounding panicked. He looked up at his other siblings who were immediately on alert. "She's shivering like crazy - Bailey, answer me!"

Immediately, all three of them were up from their seats and gathered around Bailey, crouching and touching her. Bethany groaned. "She's burning up!"

Bailey's skin was hot to the touch as she shivered feverishly, and tears sprung into Bethany's eyes. Dammit! Everything had gotten so crazy she'd actually forgotten that Bethany had been taken away by the doctor this morning before their rescue.

Behind her she could heard Jordan, barking orders and demanding a doctor, ASAP. This was definitely a side she hadn't seen from him before. On the trip, he'd been all lazy male, then so very grim and sober when he'd broken the news about their parents, and now he was acting very much like Mr. Large-And-In-Charge.

"They came and took her this morning," she told her brothers, tears choking her as she forced the words out. "I couldn't stop them. She's... she's changing."

The growls and cursing that followed that announcement made her cringe with guilt. Sensing her upset, Brice caught her up in a hug. "It's not your fault, Bethy. We knew it would happen sometime. The bastards."

"Let me through, let me see her." A commanding female's voice had all of them looking up as a redheaded woman in a white lab coat came towards them. She had a stethoscope wrapped around her neck, under her no-nonsense bun, but the jeans and t-shirt with Beauty and the Beast on it underneath the lab coat kind of ruined the whole doctor look. Brady scowled at her suspiciously, making another low growling noise, which she ignored.

"This is Doc," Jordan said, stepping up behind the redhead, making her look tiny by comparison even though she was actually fairly tall for a woman even if she was slender. Since she was wearing flats, that was her actual height too, Bethany thought enviously. "She'll be able to help Bailey."

He said it with absolute confidence, but lab coats didn't exactly inspire friendly thoughts in any of the Bunsons, nor did the outfit underneath inspire confidence. But when Bailey let out a high, shrill cry of pain, Brady groaned at his helplessness and nodded at his siblings. They backed up to allow Doc through.

Bethany chewed on her nail as Doc quickly examined Bailey, as much as she could while Bailey was curled up on Brady's lap. As Bailey let out another tortured noise, the redhead's lips tightened and she took out a syringe.

"What the hell is that?" Brady asked, twisting so he could easily turn Bailey around and block Doc with his body if he needed to.

"Sedative," Doc said, without even looking at Brady. He relaxed very slightly. Doc picked up Bailey's arm and pressed the needle to her bicep, emptying the syringe. Bethany flinched, and beside her she could see Brice looking away while Brock rubbed his hands over his face. After their experiences, none of them liked needles.

The hairs on the back of Bethany's neck suddenly stood on end, a tingle going down her spine, announcing a new presence in the room.

"Let's get her somewhere more comfortable, Doc." Mr. My-Voice-Is-So-Sexy-No-Matter-What-I'm-Saying was standing right behind her and she hadn't even noticed his approach! Then again, she'd been pretty distracted, but that wasn't really an excuse. Bethany was furious at how much she'd let her guard down. The _thing_ inside of her didn't even stir, the way it normally did at any sign of danger. In fact, it had barely lifted its head since their rescuers had shown up on the scene. She hadn't felt it once since she'd first seen Mr. You're-My-Mate.

A trickle of unease went through Bethany at the realization. The thing couldn't _really_ think Steele was her mate, could it?

"Can you help her?" Brady asked, standing and looking back and forth between Doc and Steele. Bailey was now limp in his arms, no longer mewling in pain, her expression relaxed and her head lolling.

"I don't know," Doc said.

At the exact same time, Steele said, "Depends on what you mean by help."

"What does that mean?" Bethany demanded, turning to face him, her hands on her hips as she glared up at the behemoth. The big, strong, sexy behemoth. Yeah, she hadn't imagined how hot he was, even though she'd half convinced herself of that in his absence. His dark eyes sparked as he looked at her and then softened as he took in her obvious anxiety.

"I've sent you the information we have," Steele said to Doc. "That should help you figure out treatment." Doc nodded and motioned to Brady, leading him out of the room with Bailey in his arms. Brock followed Brady while Brice stayed behind, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Steele.

"I sent all the information we gathered from the lab over to my boss, and he'd already been able to tell me what we're dealing with," Steele said, looking down at Bethany and ignoring Brice. She did not find his intense focus on her to be sexy. At least, not _very_ sexy. "There's no time to create some kind of antidote; she's going to go through the change. What we _can_ do is keep her from feeling it the way that you all did. The assholes could have made it easier for you, but they wanted to study exactly what happened and they needed you conscious and feeling everything to do that."

She cringed as she realized that he must have seen enough of the notes about their time at the lab to know... well, to know way more than she wanted him to. It was her life, dammit! Even though she realized others had been reading through them too, it felt more like an invasion of privacy from him.

"From the notes, it seems that Bailey's going to be a little different from the rest of you."

"Different in what way?" Bethany demanded, her anxiety rising again. The sympathetic look Steele gave her didn't soothe her at all.

"I'm not sure. The notes just said she's going to be the 'pinnacle,' whatever that means."

If Bethany ever found Dr. Montgomery, she would rip him limb from limb. And then eat him. The thing inside of her stirred, brimming with approval. Ugh. She ignored it. "So what now?"

"Now, you two can go be with your sister, and I'm going to figure out a place for you to stay." Was it her imagination, or did he just look her up and down with heat in his eyes? Like he wanted to suggest she stay with him, in his bed, under his body - UGH.

Bethany repressed the urge to smack herself across the face. For one, it would be embarrassing. For two, she would be even more embarrassed if Mr. Too-Sexy-For-His-Own-Good guessed why she needed the smack.

"Great, thanks," she said shortly, hightailing it out of there before she could do something inappropriate. Her beast humphed and she had the distinct impression it was disappointed in her. Well great, it wasn't like she was thrilled with it either.

******

Staring at the map, Steele scowled. The only house that would be able to fit all the siblings under one roof was clear across the town from him. Having his mate so far away... hell no. His wolf chuffed agreement. They needed her close by where he could watch over her and protect her, and hopefully seduce her and convince her that they were meant to be together. Because maybe he hadn't wanted a mate, but now that he had one, he was damned if he was letting her get away from him.

Yeah, across town wasn't going to do at all.

On the other hand, he didn't think the siblings were going to agree to be separated either. He was also going to have to find something productive for all of them to do. No layabouts in his town. The brothers could probably all join up with his team; they were big enough and it was obvious they'd had some training, although they'd need more. The only problem there would be convincing them to go to the training center, which was out by Eli, and separating them from their sisters. He was sure that he could talk them into it eventually, even if he had to send them for training one at a time.

Bailey... well, she was young. There would be something she was interested in that she could train for. And Bethany... well she could always help out in his office. On top of his desk preferably. Or maybe under it.

Groaning, Steele shifted his cock as the damn thing bent uncomfortably. Just thinking about his mate sent his mind instantly veering towards sex, and he knew that was just going to get worse until he claimed her. The damn need made him feel like an ass, because intellectually he knew the timing was shit.

His mate had just been rescued from a lab where she'd been experimented on. She'd just found out her parents were dead. Now her baby sister was in pain and going through some kind of change that would turn her from human to shifter - and there was no stopping it; she'd already smelled like shifter when Steele had met her.

But however much he wanted to slow down and let her have a moment to breathe, especially since she knew nothing about mates, his body just wanted to finish what had been started the moment he'd gotten her scent. If Steele didn't have so much self-control, he probably would have already carried her off to his bedroom the moment the plane had landed. Fortunately he hadn't lost all sense of responsibility and, even though he couldn't stop his mind from wandering, he wouldn't allow himself to shirk his duties. As Alpha, he had to look after both the men and women on his team as well as the men and women of the town. No matter how much his cock wanted to go find one particular woman and shut out the rest of the world until they were both satiated and limp from pleasure.

Ha. He was the farthest thing from limp right now. Bethany's gorgeous face with those sweet lips and her hot little curvy body kept jumping into his head. The sweatpants and t-shirt she'd been wearing when they'd rescued her hadn't been able to hide just how bountiful her breasts were, or the sweet curves of her ass which was ripe for a spanking, or-

The door banged open and Steele actually jumped in his seat. His immediate response was guilt, as all three Bunson brothers pile into the room, as if his dirty thoughts about their sister had somehow called them. Scowling, he glared at them, shifting slightly in his seat, grateful that they wouldn't be able to see below his waist, thanks to his desk.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

To his surprise, all three of them looked startled and then abashed, shifting slightly back and forth on their feet.

"Sorry," said Brice, the youngest and, as far as Steele could tell, the most affable. He glanced at his brothers. "We haven't had a whole lot of practice with ah, manners in a while."

Now Steele was the one to feel abashed. Of course they hadn't - why would they need to remember to knock while they were being held captive for seven years?

"No, I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of things you're all going to have to readjust to, and we should all be patient while you do."

"We do know our manners," Brady said, running his hand through his dark hair. "It's just... been a while. We'll try to remember."

Brock just grunted. Steele had pegged him as being the silent, brooding type. He definitely didn't talk as much as the rest of his siblings.

"So," Steele said, turning away from the subject. He leaned forward on his elbows, nodding at the chairs arranged on the other side of the desk. The three brothers sat down. "What can I do for you?"

After glancing at his brothers, Brady took the lead. No surprise there. "We want to help find Dr. Montgomery."

Not entirely surprised, although he hadn't expected them to jump into this so soon, Steele leaned back and studied them. They all met his gaze steadily, not the least bit intimidated. Seeing them again just reaffirmed his thought about how well they would fit in with the other soldiers on his team. They were strong, self-assured, and extremely fit. Brock's hazel eyes were more brooding than his brothers; if any of them were going to be a problem, Steele guessed it would be him. Everything about him screamed that he wanted vengeance. Although Brady was used to taking the lead, he also seemed to have a great well of patience inside of him, and the determined look of a man who would do whatever he needed to in order to reach his goals. Unlike Brock, his anger seemed cold rather than hot. Brice looked the most eager, as if this was a big adventure for him, but even he had an edge of anger to him.

It was a good thing that Steele already wanted them on his team, since he was pretty sure they'd go off on their own once they were assured their sisters were safe if he didn't.

"I'd like to accept your help, but I have a few conditions." As expected, Brock scowled, Brice sat up eagerly, and Brady nodded his head thoughtfully. "First, I need to send you to our training camp. Basic training will take you about a month. I'll make sure you're put on my team after you go through with training, because Eli has tasked us with hunting down Dr. Montgomery and the rest of the staff who escaped from the lab. Second, we need the doctor alive." Brock growled at that, a strangely unnerving sound... there was just something _wrong_ with it. It wasn't just Brock either; whenever one of the Bunsons growled, it set his teeth on edge. The sound wasn't entirely natural – which made sense considering what he knew now, but it didn't make it any less disturbing. "We've been dismantling this organization one location at a time, although this was the biggest and most successful bust we've made. Usually we're just recovering stolen research and the staff knows nothing. Obviously, this lab was different, because you were there. We're hoping that Dr. Montgomery knows more about whoever's funding this shit, because just stopping the doctor isn't enough, we have to get to the man on top."

"So there might be other labs out there, with more... more people like us?" Brice asked, sounding horrified. The look of anticipation was wiped from his face by the reality of the situation. Steele was almost sorry to see it go; as the second youngest, Brice's childhood had been cut short by their capture and imprisonment. Although he was only a year younger than Brock, according to the files, he still had more of the cheerful optimism of youth than his brothers.

"We haven't seen anything confirming another lab location with prisoners, but we can't rule it out either," Steele said grimly.

Brady nodded. "We won't kill him if we get to him first." Brock shifted in his chair, but then sighed and nodded when the other three men looked at him.

"Third, you sign the standard contract, which puts you on my team for two years. If after a year you want to change teams or do something else, that's fine, but if we find Dr. Montgomery before that, your job isn't over until the contract is up."

"That's fine," Brady said. He glanced at his brothers. "I don't think any of us will want to get out just because we found the doctor, especially if we can get to his boss. Plus, I don't know what else we'd do."

"You might think of something, now that you have options," Steele said neutrally. Especially once they'd seen some action. It wasn't for everyone.

"When can we start training?" Brock said gruffly, ignoring Steele's comment.

"I can send you out in two days or in about a month," Steele said. "The basic training runs on a circular schedule."

"Can you guarantee we'll come back here?" Brice asked, looking anxious. There was an air of anxiety around his older brothers too, but they hid it a little better. Brady was especially good at a stoic expression, something which Steele admired.

"Definitely," Steele said, nodding firmly. That would be no problem. Each team recruited their own unless they sent out a special call for help, which was rarely done. Even if that hadn't been the case, Steele would make sure that the Bunsons were returned to their sisters, which, in this case, returned them here because there was no way he was letting his mate go anywhere else. His wolf growled at the thought of Bethany even attempting a relocation.

The three bothers exchanged a considering look. "Excuse us," Brady said, giving Steele another glance. "We'll talk about it and get back to you."

"That's fine," Steele said with a smile. He didn't doubt what the brothers would choose, but he understood that they felt the need to weigh their decision.

******

Two days later, Bethany was surprised when she found herself holding back tears as she and Bailey said goodbye to their brothers. After all, she had been the one to tell them they needed to go ASAP - and en masse. The stupid Neanderthals had been considering taking turns going to the training, so that one of them could stay and watch over Bethany and Bailey, but they'd been arguing because none of them wanted to be the one to go to a later training and possibly miss out on finding Dr. Montgomery.

Overhearing their argument, Bethany had stepped in.

One - She could take care of herself.

Two - She could take care of Bailey too.

Three - If all three of them didn't go together, she was going to make whoever stayed miserable.

With that kind of encouragement, it was no surprise when they reluctantly decided that the best course of action was to go together.

Maybe it was naive of them to trust Steele and his people so quickly, but it was hard to do anything but. Most of them seemed incredibly friendly and welcoming, when Bethany actually went somewhere other than the house she and her brothers were staying at or the doctor's where Bailey was still spending her time. The women were thrilled to meet the Bunson brothers, that was for sure, and her brothers were thrilled to meet them right back. They took turns staying with Bailey and Bethany, so one of them was always on "break."

More than once she'd heard someone refer to one of her brothers as "going at it like bunnies" and it was all she could do not to snort. If only they knew.

It was amazing how much sex her brothers could pack into two days. It was also amazing how fast a man could run from Bethany when she suggested the same thing.

Nothing personal, of course, it was just that they'd heard Steele had claimed her for his own. All said with a strange, wondering look at the fact that she wasn't falling into line with this whole 'mate' thing.

Well, fine. But she was horny like you wouldn't believe and she was going to get her cherry popped one way or another. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't found a man in the town that she was as attracted to as Steele, so why not him? Not that it meant she was going to be his mate, but hopefully if they got it on and then the others saw that they weren't mates, she could find some more bed partners. Bethany fully intended to enjoy everything her new home had to offer, in the same way her brothers were. This was one itch that needed some serious scratching, in as many different ways possible. Every day of freedom just had her more and more horny as she was denied the release her body was craving. Playing with herself and fantasizing (always about Steele it seemed) just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Plus she didn't want to be all alone every night in the house they'd been given, at least, alone until Bailey was released. The youngest Bunson had been in the infirmary for the past two days, weak but recovering and no longer in pain, which was a huge relief to all of them. Bethany was spending most of her time there too, once it was clear that the men weren't interested in her. A few of the older women in the pack had been very friendly, but they'd also been making all sorts of hints about an official mating ceremony for her and Steele, so she escaped conversations with them as quickly as she could. They all were very understanding when she explained that she needed to be with her sister.

So far, there were no clear signs about what had been done to Bailey, not even the hint of a shift, which had relieved their brothers. Bethany was pretty sure they were all hoping whatever "different" serum the doctor had given Bailey had somehow failed. Then they could feel less guilty about leaving their sisters in someone else's hands when they went to training, even if they'd deemed those hands trustworthy.

Overprotective, but sweet.

Bethany was selfishly glad that they were finally leaving because she was tired of watching them get their rocks off while she was denied! It was like they knew the other men in town were safe, but the second Steele appeared at her side, suddenly so did one of her brothers. Followed quickly by at least one eager lady. It super sucked that her brothers could get laid so easily with the whole "rescued from captivity" thing whereas she was STILL a virgin.

But now that they were actually going, a part of her was aching and wishing they weren't. They'd been in this together for so long, in the same place even if they were separated, that it felt wrong to know that she wasn't even going to know where they were!

"Aww, Bethy, it's okay," Brock said, squeezing her even more tightly. "We don't all have to go, one of us can stay here with you and-"

"No!" Bethany shook her head even as she squeezed him tightly back. "You're all going, and when you get back, I'm going!"

Behind her, she heard Mr. Soon-To-Get-Lucky-As-Long-As-He-Keeps-His-Mouth-Shut grunt disapprovingly. She rolled her eyes, even though her face was buried in Brock's chest and Steele couldn't see her. Like he'd be able to stop her from going to get the training if she wanted it. The only reason she wasn't insisting on going with her brothers right now was because she did think someone needed to be with Bailey, and - honestly - she was a better choice than the overbearing, overprotective, thickheaded alpha males that were her brothers.

After all three of her brothers had given her back-cracking hugs, accompanied by all sorts of well-meaning advice that she completely ignored (since most of it was common sense anyway and she knew they were just feeling helpless and uncomfortable about leaving her and Bailey), she practically shoved them into the car that was going to take them to the airfield. Kasim was driving them, his white teeth flashing brightly in his dark face as he gave her a salute before pulling out. Damn but he was a handsome man, all ebony skin and muscles, with those really cool long dreads. Unfortunately, he tended to act all big brotherly to her too. Waving at the car, Bethany couldn't even see if anyone was waving back, but she didn't stop until it was out of sight.

"They'll be fine." A heavy arm slung around her shoulders as she sniffed away the last couple of tears that were threatening to fall.

"I know," she said, not looking up at the big, sexy man standing beside her. Now that he was so close, her beast uncurled inside of her a little, as if putting up her head and sniffing the air. Bethany ignored it. Yeah, she got that he smelled good, but seriously, there were other men that smelled good too. Maybe not _as_ good but she still wasn't buying this whole 'mate' thing. Once he'd popped her cherry, she was looking forward to seeing what else was on the menu. "It's just weird... but it's not like we're used to normal."

His hand caressed her upper bicep, making her feel warmly comforted. Bethany mentally gave him points for not just blurting out some kind of lame platitude. She'd heard a lot of those since they'd been rescued, all well-meaning but not exactly helpful.

"It'll take time. We'll take good care of you while we're gone."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at him and giving him a brilliant smile. The shock in his face at her flirtatious expression nearly made her laugh out loud. "You can start with dinner. Tonight. Just let me know when and where."

Quickly, she pulled away and trotted back towards the infirmary so that she could visit Bailey and let her little sister know how the send-off had gone. She chuckled as Mr. I-Don't-Know-It-But-We're-Getting-It-On-Tonight called after her.

"My place! Six o'clock!"

# Chapter 3

Steele hadn't felt this nervous about going on a date with a girl since... well, ever. Then again, he'd never been on a date with his mate either. His wolf was bounding around inside his head, giddy enough to nearly make his head ache, jumping for joy at how today had turned out.

He'd been planning on taking things slowly once her brothers left, once it had been made clear that he wasn't going to get anywhere while they were around. It didn't seem like they had a personal objection to him, more just that they felt the need to hover and make him work for it. Like they would for any man that was interested in her. The fact that they didn't try to run him off, that they were taking the time to get to know him and make sure that Bethany did the same, was encouraging, but it had been driving his wolf crazy. Not to mention his body.

The stories he'd heard about the biological imperative of the "mating call" hadn't been kidding. The first day hadn't been so bad, the second day he'd only had a hard-on when in her vicinity, but today he was starting to feel the need to always be in her vicinity. And if he'd taken some kind of male enhancer, he would have had to call his doctor over an hour ago because the damn thing didn't know when to quit. He'd been hard ever since Bethany had invited herself over for dinner.

It didn't hurt that the more he got to know her, the more he liked her.

She was funny, incredibly loyal, smart, caring, and not even a little bit afraid of going toe-to-toe with him. That last part might be what he liked best about her.

Which didn't help the situation with his dick.

Bethany didn't care that he was Alpha. She ignored his orders half the time - most of which had to do with telling her to stop flirting with the other men in the pack. Not that any of them were flirting back, which was the only reason his wolf hadn't torn any throats out. Last night he'd had to go for a good long run in the forest to get rid of the pent-up sexual frustration and possessive fury that had built up since her arrival into his life.

He hadn't gotten the impression that she was overly impressed by him. In fact, once her brothers were gone he'd planned a relatively slow seduction. Relatively because as badly as he was feeling the mating call, he knew that she was too. If she was a radio, he was tuned into her station, and he knew that she was just as horny as he was. Steele wasn't above using that. But he hadn't thought she'd be the one to suggest dinner. He hoped it meant the call was working on her the way it was supposed to - wearing down her resistance to the idea of mating him. Even if it was just her body working against her right now, he could use that as a starting point.

Although, he kind of liked that she was resisting, to be perfectly honest. It just showed how strong she was and that she didn't just want him for his position or his looks or because she was horny. Both he and his wolf liked the challenge. Besides, he'd win her in the end. She just needed to get to know him a little better; he had no doubts that they would be good together and neither did his wolf.

Again, he wondered exactly what kind of animal Bethany was. Neither she nor her siblings had shifted. Which wasn't that unusual, everyone did it differently. Steele shifted about once or twice a week, while Jordan usually indulged his bear every other week and Jacqueline had to shift every couple of days to keep her honey-badger happy. It all depended on the individual and, sometimes, the animal. One of the other bears in the pack spent about half her time in animal form and thought Jordan was crazy for his long stints as a human. Maybe he could convince Bethany go for a run after dinner tonight.

Before he could think about it too much, the doorbell rang, and he practically tripped over himself getting to it. Gritting his teeth, he told his damned wolf to calm down - he was trying to go for cool, collected, and charming. Not a bumbling, overeager lummox. Panting happily, his wolf obediently laid down. Or whatever the mental equivalent was.

Straightening, Steele took a deep breath and opened the door. Bethany was standing there, looking absolutely gorgeous, with her blonde hair down from its usual ponytail and wearing a blue sundress that brought out the bright blue of her eyes. She looked up at him, seemingly nervous, which immediately made him feel more centered and together for some reason.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, nearly growling as her sweet scent hit him and his cock throbbed against the front of his jeans, much more painfully than before. Fucking mating call. It seemed like he was having a similar effect on her though, as her pupils dilated and her nipples hardened - which he could easily see through the thin fabric of her dress. The sweet scent of her arousal wafted off her skin, enveloping her like a cloud of perfume. Proving that he was a gentleman, he stepped back so that she could come through the door, gesturing her in and ignoring the demands of his body. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks," she said, plucking at the dress' skirt as she walked past him, peering curiously into his house rather than looking directly at him. Maybe it should bother him more that she was looking at his home rather than him, but it didn't. He'd spent half the afternoon trying to make it look good after all. "This is a really nice house."

"It's basically the same as yours," he said, since he'd put her family practically next to him. The open floor plan that all the houses had meant that she could see pretty much the entire first floor except for the guest room and the bathroom, so it was clear that the layout was the same. He'd made sure to clean up any clutter, vacuumed and dusted. His momma would be proud if she could see it right now.

"Yeah, but you've made it look homey. Ours still feels like a guesthouse."

"Well, yours is just temporary anyway," Steele said apologetically. "I'm sure we'll have a more permanent home for you all soon." His wolf made a little whining sound - he wanted Bethany's permanent home to be their home. Steele shoved his animal's presence back in his mind - _I'm working on it!_

"Hopefully by the time my brothers get back," she responded with a smile. "They managed for two days, but I don't think any of them were happy sharing a room."

Steele coughed. Yeah, okay, so he'd put the Bunson family in a house two doors down from him and lied his ass off when they'd asked if there were bigger accommodations available anywhere else. Everyone in the town knew better than to rat him out. He hadn't been able to let Bethany go that far away from him. Not that the brothers had spent either night in their shared room - as far as he could tell, they'd been busy living up to their bunny genes. Not that any of the ladies were complaining; apparently being cooped up in captivity had given the Bunson brothers some serious pent-up stamina. Steele shuddered a little bit at the thought of going so long without any sex during his hormonal adolescence.

Not that he was any better off now. His cock was raging hard, practically throbbing in Bethany's presence. But he was determined to court his mate appropriately.

"Dinner's almost ready," he said, closing the door and almost groaning as the enclosed space made her scent seem twice as strong. Maybe he should open some windows or something... but he knew that wouldn't really help his enhanced sensitivity when it came to her. "I hope you don't mind, but I kept it simple. Steak, potatoes and salad."

Everything was ready except the potatoes, which were still baking in the oven. The meat was resting, the salad was done and just needed to be dressed, he'd already poured out glasses of water for both of them and opened a bottle of red wine to breathe. It was a simple meal, but he'd tried to make it as romantic as possible by actually using a tablecloth that had never seen the light of day before, place settings, and candles.

But then Bethany went and ruined all his good intentions.

"That's great," she said, giving him a kind of lopsided smile. "But that's not what I'm hungry for."

And then she jumped him.

******

Pleasure zinged through Bethany's body as she plastered herself against Mr. Tall-Strong-and-PACKING. She'd noticed the bulge at the front of his pants, but somehow his jeans had managed to diminish the reality - and the bulge hadn't looked small to begin with. Bethany had a very fleeting moment of worry, considering that she'd never done this before, but she figured what the hell - vaginas stretch, right? She might have been a virgin when she and her brothers had been taken, but at eighteen years old she'd had plenty of theoretical knowledge between sex-ed, her friends, movies, and books.

She moaned against his lips as she slid her tongue into his shocked mouth, feeling his hands automatically grasping at her ass to keep her from sliding down his front. Her breasts were mashed against his chest, her pussy was pressed against his dick through his pants, and it felt like she'd died and gone to heaven. With his strong hands gripping her ass and holding her hips, she was practically rubbing herself all over his body.

For once, she and the thing inside of her head were in perfect agreement. They both wanted to cover him in their scent. Be covered in his delicious scent. And, most importantly, get that cherry plucked.

Of course, after that, their goals differed. Bethany considered Steele to be her first, not her last, which made the thing inside of her whine plaintively whenever she thought about it. But it wasn't like she let it rule her life. It would just have to deal.

All rational thought fled as Steele suddenly took over. Bethany went from being the aggressor to finding herself drowning in a seriously deep, hot kiss. Mr. Dominant-Even-When-Surprised walked her over to the couch and pressed her down onto it. His body was deliciously heavy on top of hers, his scent filling her nose and somehow becoming sweeter... the thing inside of her knew that the extra sweetness was his arousal. For once, it didn't bother her to have the thing's presence in her head, giving her information.

If she hadn't been so turned on, she would have giggled when Steele pulled down the top of her sundress and found her to be braless... the big badass practically whimpered as he tore himself away from her mouth so that he could look at her bare breasts, leaving her lips feeling swollen from his kisses. Her nipples were swollen too, hard little points like diamonds standing up and begging to be touched, pinched, and sucked. When he glanced downward to see that her skirt had ridden up, showing off her naked bottom half and her freshly shaved pussy, he actually did whimper.

It really should have been funny, but Bethany was so overwhelmed by the need pulsing through her body that she didn't find it funny at all. Nope, she was just pissed that he'd stopped!

"Do me!" She reached for him, practically snarling when he pulled away.

"Bethany, baby, have you thought this through?" he asked, even though she could tell him it pained him to pose the question. His hands on her hips kept her body pressed down and away from him as he hovered above her.

Rolling her eyes, she reached up and cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples and moaning at the fantastic sensation that went straight down to her pussy. His eyes practically bulged. Fuck yeah, Mr. Trying-to-Hold-Out-On-Me, take that! "What does it look like Steele? Now, DO ME!"

"Bethany, I don't want to take advantage of you because of the mating call-"

"If you aren't going to do me, I'll go find someone else who will!"

That got a reaction; the growl that came from deep inside Steele's chest made her shiver in excitement and she rolled her nipples between her fingers, arching up in front of him as her insides throbbed with wet heat.

"Do me, do me, do me!"

"Dammit woman, we need to work on your dirty talk!"

Bethany smirked as he tore open the front of his pants, his thick, long cock popping out immediately. The plum head bobbed, an angry red, looking like it was seeking her pussy. She was so wet, so ready for him, so needy, that she'd never wanted anything more than this in her life. So he wanted dirty talk huh?

"Fuck me, Steele, I want your big, hard cock so deep inside me-"

His howl cut her off as he gripped her hips and thrust straight into her untried channel. Bethany screamed in both lustful triumph and pain as her hymen tore and her tissues stretched around his thick girth. It hurt, but she was so wet and so turned on that it felt good too... a good pain, like when she cracked her neck or stretched out a cramp. But way, way, way better. He froze, deep inside of her, so thick and hard and throbbing, completely unfamiliar and yet so damn right.

"You're a fucking virgin!"

"Was," she replied, gripping his shoulders and clamping her legs around the back of his as he jerked - she wasn't quite ready for him to move yet, her body was still adjusting to having such a large object shoved inside of her. "I _was_ a virgin. Being in captivity didn't exactly provide a lot of opportunities for me to change that."

The expression on his face said it all - he hadn't thought. He looked kind of horrified actually, but considering the awe she'd heard in his voice when he'd realized her pure (well, not so pure anymore) state, she chalked the horror up to the reminder of her captivity.

She couldn't really spare an extra thought for him right now though, she was too busy processing all the new sensations. Having something inside of her was strange. Her inner muscles felt tight and stretched almost to the point of pain - but fortunately he was now holding himself very, very still inside of her so that she could get used to the new proportions of her pussy. Full... she was so very full, in such a good way, and she could feel every inch of him inside of her as her muscles rippled around him. He shuddered on top of her and that felt good too.

With an animal growl, his arms tightened around her and Bethany found herself being lifted in the air, gravity pulling her even more firmly onto his upright cock. She grabbed at his shoulders, squeaking in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

Face like a thundercloud, Mr. I'm-Grumpy-Even-When-I'm-Inside-You started walking towards the back of the house. "Your first time is not going to be on a couch, dammit. It's going to be on a bed."

Eyes crossing, Bethany could barely concentrate on his words. Walking made him rock, and even though he was holding her very still and her legs were wrapped around his waist, his cock was still making very small but very pleasurable movements inside of her. With every step, her clit rubbed against his front and his wiry chest hair rasped over her sensitive nipples. Her body was becoming accustomed to his cock as well; her pussy had slicked his entire length and her muscles no longer felt so tight and constraining.

Instead of responding, she moaned, which made his cock jerk inside of her, and then she was falling onto a soft surface. She was so surprised that her arms actually let go of his neck and she found herself on a bed, her butt resting on the edge, with Steele standing between her thighs, still buried deep inside of her.

His black eyes were shiny and hot as he drank in the sight of her on her back before him, her breasts and hard, pink nipples pointing up at the ceiling, her sundress around her waist, and his cock buried to the hilt in her pussy. Arching, Bethany thrust her breasts upwards, reveling in her sexual power as the heat in his eyes flared and he grabbed onto her hips.

"Goddammit, Bethany," he growled as he pulled out and then thrust back in, not quite gently but definitely not roughly either. Bethany's breath caught in her throat. Holy hell that felt good. Even better than the little movements while he'd been walking. She swore she could feel even millimeter of his thick cock as it dragged along her insides, awakening her sensitive nerve endings, and sending hot pleasure coursing through her. "I'm trying to control myself but you feel... so... fucking... good..."

He punctuated the last four words with thrusts that had her writhing and reaching for him. Both she and the thing inside of her wanted to touch him, to run her hands all over his body, and neither was happy that he'd completely taken over. Even if it did turn her on to look up and see him standing over her, looming in a dominant manner that made her arch again, showing him her neck. She didn't even know why she did it - it just felt right.

Steele's eyes flashed amber and Bethany shuddered around his cock as she realized she'd just gotten the first glimpse of his wolf. That told her how close he really was to losing control, how much she aroused him, and how much power she really had, even if he was the one running the show. Wickedly, she licked her lips, lifting her hands to her breasts to squeeze the soft mounds and pinch her nipples again, while she stared him directly in the eye. She felt simultaneously brazen and vulnerable as she did so, and she was immediately rewarded as the amber in his eyes bled through their usual dark color, his fingers tightening around her hips as he started thrusting... so hard... so fast... so deep.

Pleasure rose as she pinched her nipples, rolling them through her fingers while he rode her, his groin rubbing against her clit and pussy lips with every thrust, his fingers digging into her soft flesh... he leaned over her and his tongue flicked out to lick the exposed tip of her right nipple. Driving into her, the growling noises that Steele was making became even louder, vibrating through her and adding to the erotic sensations. When he leaned over again, Bethany reached up and grabbed him, pulling his upper body down over hers so that she could nibble on his shoulder... his neck... his earlobe.

She rubbed her face against him, marking him with her scent, her instincts driving her as her orgasm flickered just out of reach. Her gums burned as her canines lengthened, the thing inside of her rising in joyous freedom, because Bethany was too lost in her body to control it.

Mate! Mine!

Quick as a snake, she latched onto his neck and her teeth sank into his flesh, just as her pussy began to quiver around him in glorious ecstasy.

******

Despite the urgent insistence of his wolf, Steele had promised himself he would not mate Bethany. Not yet. Not during her first time with him, when she'd made herself so clear before. She still needed time to come to grips with her new circumstances, her brothers' departure, her sister's injection of the serum that had changed her and the rest of her family, and the knowledge that she was his mate. This was just the first step.

That's why he'd decided to stay standing when he'd brought her into the guest bedroom. Being able to look down at her gorgeous, petite, curvy body and see his cock sliding in and out of her pink pussy, slightly streaked with the red blood of her virginity - which made both him and his wolf want to howl in triumph - had just been a bonus. But then she'd started playing with her nipples and he'd just had to lean down for a lick. They'd skipped foreplay, something which he would remedy later, but her pretty, pink nipples were so tempting while she'd pinched and rolled them that he hadn't been able to help himself.

When she'd grabbed onto his neck, his wolf had started to go insane inside of his head, demanding that he mark her - that distraction was probably the only thing that had kept him from coming when she'd sucked his earlobe between her lips and nibbled on it. His knees had practically buckled when she'd done that. And then she'd started scent-marking him. Her eyes had stayed blue, but he'd been able to smell the strange, hybrid animal inside of her as it marked him, rubbing her musky-sweet scent all over his neck, and he'd known it was taking over.

He'd been about to pull back, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep his wolf in check much longer, when she suddenly bit his neck.

Mate! Mark! She marked!

His wolf surged forward - Steele too shocked to stop him, and his wolf too overjoyed to be contained. His teeth were sinking into the same spot on her neck before he could blink, and then they were both cumming together... the taste of her blood on his tongue setting off the most intense orgasm of his life. It felt like his very soul was draining out of him and into her... but then like he was being filled back up, with something even more satisfying... something more complete. He'd never realized that something was missing from himself, but now he knew that Bethany was a part of him and nothing could ever change that.

With his mating a resounding success, his wolf subsided happily, his teeth shrinking back to their normal size. He knew the marks on his and Bethany's necks would already be scarring over rather than healing, the way normal wounds did. His wolf shivered in happiness as it noted Bethany's new scent, which had a heavy dose of his own now interlaced through it, just as his would now include hers. The complexity of their combined scents would signal to all shifters know that they were mated, like an olfactory warning.

He'd expected to feel a little trapped, even though he thought he'd been handling the appearance of his mate pretty well since he'd never wanted one. Despite his acceptance of the situation, he hadn't expected to feel so good once it happened. So content. So relaxed. As if everything was right with the world.

Propping himself onto his elbows, he smiled down at his mate, who was still flushed and dazed looking from the pleasure. He brushed a kiss over her swollen lips, basking with smug pride at the look of satiated satisfaction on her face.

Her first words knocked the smile right off his lips.

******

"Wow... that was more fun than I thought it would be."

Mr. Smug-and-Still-Kinda-Hard's smile slipped away and turned to a frown as he looked down at her, his cock flexing inside of her and making her feel even more uncomfortable. Not physically. Physically, she was sore but feeling wonderful, her limbs were all limp and her body was flushed with a pleasant afterglow; even the thing inside of her was happy. Emotionally, however, Bethany was not as happy as her inner monster. She felt awkward and off-balance.

Somehow, when she'd been thinking about getting her cherry popped, she'd never really thought about what came afterwards. What was she supposed to say now? Thank you? You rocked my world? The latter was definitely true, but for some reason she didn't want to say it. Just thinking it made her feel vulnerable... because she might not have much experience, but she knew damn well that was not a typical first time. It wasn't even a typical multi-time. Whatever had happened, there at the end... that went out of the bounds of anything that had ever been described to her.

The hurt look that Steele gave her made her wince, but before she could think of something else to say, that expression had already melted away to a much more mischievous, plotting one.

"Fun, hmmm?" he asked, practically purring as he rocked his body against hers. Bethany gasped, her fingers coming up to grasp his biceps as an aftershock of ecstasy rippled through her, her swollen and sensitive clit tingling from the contact. "I can show you a lot of fun, sweetheart. We can have fun all night."

Her body was screaming 'Hell Yeah!' but her mind was already throwing up warning signals. Not just because of the way Mr. Cocky-and-Proud-of-It was looking at her so possessively, but also because the monster inside of her was rolling around happily. She didn't trust the thing - how could she? It was unnatural; it wasn't a real part of her, it had been created in a lab, so how could she trust any of what it wanted? Having sex with him was one thing, but it wanted her to stay all night, not just for sex, but for cuddling and sleeping. It wanted her to stay all night, every night.

No. Just hell no.

She had a lot of living that she planned on doing, and she didn't care what the thing wanted - its desires and hers were not one and the same on most things. Even if Steele did smell even better than before and even if her body was already aching to see what else he could do.

Fortunately, she was given a bit of relief when he suddenly lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Shit! The potatoes!"

And just like that, Bethany found herself alone, on her back, and still half-naked. Her body immediately felt his loss, even as she giggled at the way he'd bolted. Now that he'd said something, she could smell the potatoes too - they'd be a little crispy on the outside, but not truly burnt. She was actually thankful to some damned potatoes because they'd given her the opportunity to collect herself.

She could hear Steele moving around in the kitchen while she went to the bathroom to clean herself up. The cum sliding down her leg was something else she hadn't thought about. Next time, she was definitely wearing panties, or at least bringing some with her. Catching herself humming as she fantasized about the _next time_ with Steele while she washed her hands, Bethany scowled at herself in the mirror.

There would be no next time with Steele, dammit. The guy was way too possessive already, and once she made it clear that she'd just used him to get her cherry popped, she doubted he'd want much to do with her anyway. He obviously believed in this whole mate thing, but she doubted it would survive such a direct hit to his male pride. Strangely, it hurt to think that he wouldn't be interested in her again after tonight.

Which was so stupid. It wasn't like they really knew each other. Okay, so he was hot as hell, an experienced and talented soldier, smart enough to run a whole pack, and a good leader, but knowing about him wasn't the same as knowing him. Plus he was also arrogant, bossy, and way too demanding. And the monster inside her liked him, which was a huge mark against him, even though that wasn't really his fault.

Having determined her course of action, Bethany marched out of the bathroom, ready to thank him for popping her cherry and let him know she wouldn't be staying for dinner. After all, having dinner would just confuse the issue - she'd wanted him for sex, and now that she'd gotten it, she needed to leave.

Instead, she skidded to a halt as she came into the main room. Steele had lit the candles on the table and the dinner was already laid out on plates. Her stomach rumbled as the smell of steak wafted towards her - a perfect medium-rare. Mr. Not-Just-A-Sex-God-But-Also-A-Cook was pouring wine into the wine glasses next to their plates. He looked up and smiled at her, apparently completely relaxed.

"I hope you're hungry," he said. His eyes roved over her body, making her acutely aware of the pleasant soreness between her thighs, and giving double meaning to his next words. "I know I'm starving."

# Chapter 4

Watching Bethany dig into her dinner, Steele couldn't help but smile. That had been a close call, but he'd won that round. He could tell she'd been seconds from bolting out the door; it had been written in every line of her body. Although he knew she had bear and turtle in her, she'd been acting more like a rabbit - ready to bolt. Despite the fact that she'd mated him - and he was pretty sure she had no idea that's what she'd done - she didn't seem all that in tune with her animal side. Now that they were mated, they should start to be able to feel each other's emotions as the bond between them strengthened, but he could barely pick up a glimmer of hers.

Was it because she was a hybrid or because her shifter genes had been awakened unnaturally? Or was it because she'd never been around other shifters before? Or was it because she didn't realize that she'd bonded them?

Steele wasn't sure, and he doubted she realized how much she had acted like a prey animal when she'd first come into the main room. Her big blue eyes had been huge in her pale face, and when he'd made the casual remark about being hungry, he'd actually seen her hesitate. Taking it back to sex had actually seemed to make her more comfortable. Eventually she'd realize that he wanted a hell of a lot more than sex from her though. Coming together physically would help strengthen the bond too, because her guard would be down then.

Thankfully for his sanity, his wolf was intrigued by their mate's strange behavior and had gone into stalking mode. He was the hunter, and Bethany was his tasty, tasty prey, whom he planned on having for dessert.

Despite her initial reluctance to engage in any kind of real conversation, he'd managed to draw her out a bit. She was fascinated by hearing about his family and especially his sisters and how they'd humiliated him constantly while he was growing up. Steele was willing to let go of a little pride in order to make Bethany more comfortable with him.

A few glasses of wine and a couple of stories about how his sisters had liked to practice hair and make-up on him, and Bethany had completely lost her edginess. Even though she was finishing the last few bites of her meal, she didn't seem interested in leaving anymore, which was just fine with Steele.

"So then Pansy cried, because she was the only one who'd never gotten to see me dressed up as a girl, so what else could I do?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "She was the only one younger than me, and I didn't want her childhood to be deprived in any way."

"I can't believe you fell for that," Bethany said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I thought it was just my brothers who caved at the mere hint of tears."

"Oh, none of my older sisters can get away with that," he said, shaking his head. "Just Pansy. She's not just the baby, she's the nicest... and I guess I felt a little bad because it's pretty obvious she was the 'accident' baby too. My parents thought they were done after me."

"I can only imagine," Bethany said dryly. She shook her head as she lifted her wine glass to her lips again. "She got the worst name too. I mean, couldn't they cut her a break? They didn't really need to name all of your sisters after flowers, did they?"

"My mom really likes gardening," he said with a shrug. "Pansy's not so bad."

"Flowers for the girls and Steele for you," she said thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her chin. "Kind of an odd combination."

Steele coughed, hiding his immediate discomfort. "Uh yeah, well that's my parents. It's not really any worse than someone naming all of their children with the same first initial."

"Yeah." The wistful smile on Bethany's face as her cornflower eyes unfocused, seeing a memory rather than looking at him, made his heart break a little for her. Dammit, he shouldn't have reminded her of her parents. He hadn't wanted to bring up any subjects that might distress her. At least she didn't seem to be too upset, just nostalgic and a little sad. That sadness made his chest hurt though. "I think they just thought it was funny since they were Bruce and Brenda Bunson, so they wanted to keep the B theme going. They used to tease us that if we continued the tradition, eventually we'd have to get really creative with the names."

Since she seemed willing to share, Steele figured it was okay to keep the conversation going. After all, he'd opened up to her in a way that he never had to anyone else; if he could get the same from her, he would be one step closer to his goal. "They sound like fun."

That same sad little smile stayed on Bethany's face as she told him about her parents and growing up as the only girl until Bailey came along. Which, of course, made her wildly jealous at first because she'd always been spoiled as the only little girl, until she'd realized that she could use Bailey as her own personal doll. None of her brothers had ever let her put make-up on them, although they'd occasionally let her play dolls with them as long as they could use their G.I. Joes to be Barbie's boyfriend instead of Ken. Barbie was usually the mastermind who stayed back at "base" (a pillow fort) while the Joes carried out the missions Barbie had planned.

Steele couldn't help but grin, listening to how different Bethany's upbringing had been from his own. Even though she'd been the only girl for quite some time, her parents hadn't spoiled her the way his parents had spoiled his sisters. She'd also been determined to keep up with her brothers, and he had no trouble recognizing that the way she and her brothers had played now carried over to their real lives. Bethany was back on "base" while her brothers trained, but he had no doubt that they would go where she pointed. She was a natural alpha and leader, even when surrounded by other alphas.

No wonder his wolf had taken one look at her and fallen straight into mating heat.

The ringing of Steele's house phone made both of them jump. Concern immediately shot through him - everyone knew that Bethany was having dinner with him, which meant that anyone calling him was doing so for a true emergency.

"I'm sorry, I have to get that," he said apologetically as he jumped up.

Bethany waved her hand at him and his wolf grumped as a guarded look slowly fell over her face, as if she realized just how much she'd relaxed and opened up to him. The phone had more than interrupted their conversation, it had reminded her of the outside world.

"What?" he barked into the phone, doing his best not to snarl.

Since it was Doc, and nothing fazed her, his aggressive tone didn't matter anyway. "Bailey needs Bethany. Now." She hung up on him before he could respond.

Double dammit!

******

When Steele's phone first rang, Bethany had been annoyed at the interruption - which then made her glad it had happened. She hadn't realized how relaxed she'd become in Steele's presence. She'd been enjoying herself, enjoying the conversation, and it had started to feel like a real date. The thing inside of her had been completely silent, but its contentment had seeped through her like a drug, until the phone rang and it had been like an alarm clock to her brain. Being with him, in his company, had felt too easy... too comfortable... too right.

Of course, all of that was set aside for panic as soon as Steele told her that Bailey needed her.

As Steele rushed her over to the clinic, Bethany felt like the worst sister in the world. Sure, she'd spent all day with Bailey after the boys had left, but had indulging her hormones really been so important that she'd been okay with leaving her little sister completely alone so soon? Granted, Bethany hadn't meant to be gone for more than a couple of hours, and Bailey had encouraged her, but that was no excuse. The urge to see Steele had been so strong - not that it was anything like that mating call she'd been told about, she wasn't going to admit anything like that - but she couldn't let her own selfish desires outweigh what was really important again. And Bailey was the most important thing in the world. It didn't matter how good Steele smelled or that she'd stupidly started to consider spending the whole night with him, or how much just being in his presence felt right, Bailey came first.

Rushing into the clinic, she couldn't help but scowl as Steele rushed into Bailey's room first, demanding to know what was wrong.

"Bethy!" Bailey cried out, reaching for her sister, like a child reaching for a hug. Bethany went to her immediately, her eyes scanning Bailey, but other than a panicked look in her eyes, Bailey looked just like Bethany had left her earlier.

Wrapping her arms around her little sister, Bethany patted her back as Bailey buried her in face in Bethany's stomach. "It's okay, sweetie, I'm here now," she crooned comfortingly, stroking Bailey's dark hair. "I'm here, I'm sorry I left you, I'm here now."

"She was fine up until a few minutes ago," said an unfamiliar male voice. Bethany turned to see a man wearing a white lab coat standing next to Steele. Obviously another doctor. Her instinctive negative reaction was tempered by the fact that the man looked like Santa Claus. He had pure white hair that curled around his head and a full, thick white beard, blue eyes twinkled above rosy cheeks, and if he'd been chubby he would have made the perfect Saint Nick. Instead he was compactly built and lacking the belly like a bowl full of jelly. Still, he wasn't someone she could feel intimidated by or scared of, despite the white lab coat. There was too much friendliness in his eyes and Christmas had always been her favorite holiday. "Then she started screaming that she needed Bethany, so I sent Harley to call you."

"Bethany, this is Dr. Philip Mansfield," Steele said, his voice gentle. "He's officially retired, but he spends most of his time here helping out Doc."

"Hello," Bethany said tightly, more focused on the way Bailey was trembling against her, wondering why her sister had been screaming for her but was now remaining silent. "Um, do you mind giving me a moment alone with Bailey?"

"Of course," the doctor said, pushing at Steele's shoulder. Mr. Too-Big-To-Actually-Push-Around frowned, but allowed the doctor to steer him out of the door. It wasn't until Bailey tugged on Bethany's arm that she realized she was staring after him, even as the door closed.

Clearing her throat, Bethany refocused on her sister. "I'm sorry, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"No, I'm sorry," Bailey said, her voice high and tight. "I'm sorry I interrupted your date... I just..." Her voice trailed off, her dark eyes looking even more fevered. She clung tighter to Bethany.

"It wasn't a date, there's no problem," Bethany reassured her baby sister. "Just tell me what's wrong."

"I need to go outside," Bailey whispered.

To someone else that wouldn't seem like an emergency, but Bethany understood immediately. Even though she and her brothers had shielded Bailey from as much as they could in the lab, Bailey knew what her siblings turned into. She'd been so worried and stressed about not knowing that it had finally been easier to tell, and then show, her. Her imagination had conjured up even worse horrors, so once she knew about the things residing inside her siblings, she'd actually been able to calm down.

However, now that she was one of them, she wouldn't want anyone else seeing when she changed. Bethany understood that completely.

"Okay," Bethany said, taking a deep breath while her mind raced. "Okay... I'm going to ask Steele if there's somewhere we can go." Bailey whimpered. "Don't worry, I won't let him come." It was a relief to be able to blame that on Bailey, even though if she was being honest with herself, she knew that she was really just afraid that Steele might reject her if he saw what she had become. The utter wrongness of it. The monster inside of her huffed in insult, but Bethany ignored the stupid thing. It had been slowly becoming more agitated ever since the door had closed between her and Steele.

Going over to the door, she ignored its happiness as she poked her head out and stared at Mr. Too-Enticing-For-My-Own-Good. The scent of him filled her nostrils almost immediately, making her nipples pucker, her pussy cream, and her resentment soar. The effect he had on her made no sense... shouldn't she be satisfied? Shouldn't she be ready to be done with him?

Instead, just looking at him gave her pure pleasure, and she had the strangest intuition that he felt the same way. Surely she was reading too much into the expression on his face.

"Is there somewhere private where Bailey and I can shift and run? Like, completely private, no one around to see us."

Dr. Mansfield and Steele exchanged a glance.

"The woods are pretty big, if she needs to go out and run; it's not hard to keep to yourself if that's what you want," Steele explained. "I can take you to a starting point that isn't used often."

"Fine," Bethany said, figuring that at least they should be able to avoid anyone else who happened to be out there. The thing inside of her seemed to think so, although it whined a bit that she included Steele in "anyone else." Dumbass thing, did it really think Steele would like it once he saw it?

******

As badly as Steele and his wolf wanted to run with Bethany, he could tell that he wouldn't be welcome in either form by either his mate or her sister. It frustrated him that she still didn't seem to trust him, although his wolf seemed to be more willing to be patient now that they were mated. Not that Bethany showed any signs of recognizing that.

He could sense her, very dimly, in his head; worry and near-panic anxiety radiating from her as she got Bailey loaded into his car. The younger Bunson sister was trembling all over, but she managed to give Steele a weak smile as she buckled herself in. The emotions coming off of Bethany were so strong that he wondered if she would even notice him inside of her head. Or maybe their mating had only worked one way?

At any rate, he could tell that right now, for Bethany, Bailey came first, and so that meant Bailey came first for him too. Whatever he needed to do to make his mate happy and prove to her that he would be a good mate. His wolf was already feeling protective of Bailey as an extension of Bethany anyway, and it approved the patient stalking of their mate and showing her what a good provider they could be.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" he couldn't help asking, as he helped Bailey out of the car. He'd taken them to the edge of the woods on the far side of the town; since most people entered the woods right near their houses (because that's what made the most sense), he doubted anyone would be nearby. Still... if he could keep watch over them...

"No, please," said Bailey, a hint of real fear in her eyes, the sharp scent biting at his nose. She'd been fairly calm in the car, but now her shaking had increased and the scent of her fear had his wolf snapping inside his head... but there was no enemy to fight here. Nothing that he could tear apart. "Just Bethany."

"Just me," Bethany said sharply, practically shoving him aside as she grabbed her sister's hand. His tiny mate wasn't the least bit intimidated by his size or strength as she knocked into him, he noted with pleasure, as he allowed her to push him away. While part of him wanted to whine at the perceived rejection, he realized that - in this - he didn't really understand what the sisters were going through. Whatever shifter animals had been awoken in their genetics by Dr. Montgomery, it wasn't the same as having been born a shifter. They wanted privacy and dignity, something they hadn't had at the compound, and something which he could give her.

It sucked being helpless, but there was one other thing he could do...

He could go check in with Eli and find out if there was any new intel on the whereabouts of Dr. Montgomery or his backers. That should make his mate happy.

"Do you want me to come back here and pick you up?" he asked, hating the plaintive note in his voice but unable to keep it out entirely.

Bethany hesitated, her blue eyes flashing to him, and his wolf panted happily inside of his head. Distantly, he felt her reluctance to let him go, a tiny speck of an emotion next to the flood of her anxiety about her sister, but it was enough to salve his ego.

"If you don't mind," she said, a bit uncertainly. "We should be ready in about an hour..." He couldn't tell why she would feel uncertain, but he could at least reassure her that he absolutely wanted to come back and pick her and Bailey up.

"I'll be here," he said firmly, stamping down on the urge to lean over and kiss her perfect lips. It was driving him a little nuts that he didn't have her full attention so soon after mating. His wolf was agitated that their mate was going on a run without them. Although he understood that Bethany was focused on her sister right now, and he wasn't hurt or anything, his instincts were driving him to want to solidify the bond.

Mouth set in a grim line, he forced himself to turn and get back into his car. It felt wrong, so wrong, to be leaving his mate. He could sense that she felt that wrongness as well, even if it was drowned out in panic and a kind of terror that he would stay, but at least some part of her wanted him there. Even if she was denying that part. It was going to be a late night.

******

Clinging to her sister, Bethany fought against the urge to go chasing after Steele. It was making her skin crawl to see him driving away, and she had the strangest sensation that she could actually feel the distance between them growing. Pure imagination, but not something she would have ever expected.

"Are you okay?" Bailey asked, her voice strained but intrigued. "What was up with you and Mr. McHottie?"

"I'll tell you later," Bethany said, turning and pushing Bailey towards the edge of the woods. The parking lot they were standing in was completely empty, to her relief, and the woods looked thick and dark. The thing in her head seemed torn between wanting to race in the direction Steele had gone and going into the woods. Fortunately, Bethany was one hundred percent focused on getting Bailey into the woods and out for a run where no one could see them. She knew that Bailey couldn't wait; the urge for the first turn got more painful the longer it was put off.

She remembered exactly how much it hurt because she'd fought it on principle... and it had been such a relief when she'd finally let herself go and her body had morphed. Then she'd realized what a monster she was and the physical relief hadn't been worth it at all.

Biting her lower lip, Bethany felt a keening sense of guilt that her sister would have to go through the same thing. That she hadn't been able to protect Bailey, because she'd been unwilling to change into a monster until after it was too late to actually stop Bailey from being taken for the damned doctor's experiments. Her baby sister, who was just as petite as Bethany but even more slender and delicate, leaned against Bethany, her steps stumbling as they moved.

"It's okay," Bethany crooned reassuringly as the shadows of the trees slid over them, blocking out the light from the parking lot. Despite the darkness, Bethany could see well enough. Her eyesight in the dark wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than it had been before the experiments. "Just relax and let it happen."

Bailey whimpered, stumbling again, and this time Bethany stopped moving forward and helped lower her sister to the ground. "It hurts."

"I know. It'll stop hurting if you just let it go," Bethany said, trying to sound calm when she was anything but. The agony on Bailey's face made it clear that her sister couldn't relax. She practically fell onto her side, curling up into a little ball.

"Bethy!" It was a cry of anguish that tore at Bethany's heart. The first time had been the worst, not just because of the pain but because of the terror as her body morphed and grew. Bethany reached for Bailey's pants, thankful that they were drawstring so that she would be able to get them off before Bailey shifted and ripped them to shreds.

Bailey curled tighter, looking almost like she was shrinking...

Was she shrinking?

Panic shot through Bethany as she realized that her sister was getting smaller, not bigger. What fresh hell was this?! No longer caring that it might hurt, she reached out for her sister...

But with a loud popping sound Bailey suddenly disappeared, and Bethany was so shocked that she froze, her hands hovering over Bailey's empty... no wait, Bailey's moving clothes. A small lump was moving around in the center of Bailey's shirt. Confusion flooded her as she lifted the hem of the t-shirt and a completely fluffy, white bunny hopped out.

"Oh Bailey," she said with a sigh, resentment and relief warring within her chest at how utterly normal her baby sister was. She reached down to stroke the soft, white fur, and froze as she felt the hard shell underneath the fur. Apparently, Bailey only looked normal.

The fluffy bunny tilted its cute little head and twitched its pink nose at her, hopping over to put its front paws on her knee. Trembling, Bethany slid her fingers into the soft fur, feeling the heavy ridges of Bailey's shell underneath the fur. Well, at least Bailey was the right size for a bunny, even if she did have the same shell under her fur that all her siblings had.

Actually, that wasn't a bad thing. It would mean she was protected. Bailey knew from the tests at the lab that her and her brothers' shells were so strong they were actually bulletproof... if Bailey's was the same, Bethany definitely would be okay with that. A fluffy, little bunny like this would need all the protection she could get.

"How do you feel?" she asked, stroking her sister's back. She really was the cutest bunny Bethany had ever seen. Bailey's nose twitched again, and then she shook herself all over, hopping away - a little awkwardly at first and then with more assuredness. Bethany watched as Bailey got used to her new shape, and then the bunny looked back at her, tilting its cute, little head and her ears.

"Alright," Bethany said with a sigh. A kind of grim resignation swept over her. Bailey wanted to go exploring in her new body, and she would need a protector, even if she did have an exceptionally hard turtle shell underneath all her cottony fur. Besides, who knew when Bethany would get the chance to let the monster out again, without any witnesses around? She doubted Steele would let them keep running around alone. He'd want to go with them, and he wasn't the type to keep taking no for an answer. In fact, she was kind of surprised he'd let them do so today, and she was pretty sure it was only because this was kind of an emergency situation. Which meant that she needed to let the monster out to run for a bit... it was either choose to do so now, or risk it taking over in its need to have some time in control. Something that she'd learned at the lab.

Standing up, Bethany stripped off her clothes while Bailey watched; the tiny rabbit twitching its nose and ears and attempting a few hops as she adjusted to her new body. Putting her clothes in a neat pile, Bethany took a few steps back from her sister, feeling the first pangs of envy as she looked at Bailey's tiny bunny body.

Closing her eyes, Bethany concentrated on the thing in her head, which skittered with excitement. It pressed forward in her consciousness, pressing against her skin from the inside, and her body expanded outwards. Smells became sharper, sounds became clearer, and her body felt stronger. But something was different... something inside of her... like there was a small additional part of her, a little knot of foreign feelings that she could sense only dimly...

Something bounced off of her front paw, and Bethany opened her eyes and looked down at her sister. Bailey seemed even smaller now, she wasn't even the size of Bethany's paw. Bethany's nose twitched, her whiskers vibrating in the air. She felt a moment of envy over her sister's normal size...

Envy that turned to shock as Bailey turned and bounded away, so fast that Bethany's eyes couldn't even track her. Was that normal for a bunny? Alarmed at her sister's fast pace, Bethany sprang after her, her heavy body crashing through the bushes as she followed her sister's scent.

It quickly became clear that Bailey was much faster than her sister, despite the fact that Bethany was much larger and her stride much longer than Bailey's. Trying to catch up to Bailey was a completely new experience for Bethany... she was faster than her brothers despite the fact that they were the same size as her when they shifted. How could Bailey be so much smaller but so much faster?

Bethany strained her muscles, trying to catch up to her sister... it was a good thing she could smell Bailey, because she sure as heck couldn't see or hear her. Bailey was like a tiny, little, ninja bunny!

When the scent of blood suddenly filled Bethany's nose, she panicked, kicking her powerful hind legs with all her might as she burst into a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a huge deer on its side, its throat bloody, its body still warm. Bethany's beast was salivating over the sweet, coppery scent, but first she had to...

Holy shitsnacks!

Bailey was the Beast of Caerbannog!

Her cute, fluffy baby sister was dripping blood from her tiny mouth, with its tiny sharp teeth, and gnawing on the deer's corpse like it was one of the knights from the Monty Python movie. Not that Bailey was a foul, cruel, or bad-tempered rodent, but she obviously had a killer instinct by the vicious way she'd torn out the deer's throat.

Well... crap.

Bethany had assumed from Bailey's small stature that she was more like a normal bunny. That she wouldn't have the craving for warm blood and fresh meat like Bethany and the guys did. That she wouldn't have the fangs and the sharp teeth.

Obviously, she was really fucking wrong!

Sighing internally, Bethany didn't bother to fight her beast's urge as it giant bunny-hopped its way over to the fallen deer. Bailey made a nasty little growling noise, although considering how small she was it wasn't all that threatening. Even with the blood coating her fur. The noise that Bethany's beast made back was almost amused - after all, she could squish Bailey just by stepping on her. Well, maybe not since Bailey had the armor under her fur, but either way, her beast obviously didn't see Bailey as a threat. Which was good.

The two sisters feasted while Bethany tried to figure out how she was going to tell her brothers that it looked like Dr. Montgomery had done something new with Bailey.

# Chapter 5

When Steele picked up Bethany and Bailey, he was more than a little confused. Both of the sisters looked shame-faced and smelled of blood, but his wolf knew immediately that it wasn't their blood... it smelled like deer, which wasn't in their genetic make-up. Bethany's emotions were even more closed off than they had been before, like a hard little knot in his head.

Bailey looked better though; she was obviously no longer in pain and she looked like she even had some energy. In contrast, his mate looked exhausted, but she still smiled when she saw him, which made him immediately puff up. She might just be too tired to be prickly or defensive, but he'd take what he could get.

"How was your run?" he asked, keeping his tone light and casual as they settled in. Bethany had sat in the passenger seat, apparently without thinking about it, which made him want to howl with happiness. He had to stifle his instinct to reach out and take her hand - or touch her at all. Physical connection would deepen their new bond, but at the same time he didn't know how she'd take it and he didn't want her to tell him no.

"Fine." Both sisters spoke at the same time and then exchanged glances, Bethany looking quickly over her shoulder before snapping her head back to face front.

They were hiding something, but Steele couldn't fathom what. They knew everyone around them was a shifter, and yet they seemed uncomfortable and almost ashamed of what they were... maybe they just weren't very good at shifting yet? Or maybe they were just uncomfortable because it was something unnatural and foreign to them? He made a mental note to make sure they saw more of the others in their shifted forms, to show Bethany and Bailey how shifters were when their animals took over. Make them feel more part of a group and not so alone. Unfortunately, Eli hadn't been able to give him any more information about the siblings - the Bunson brothers hadn't shifted yet, although part of their training was going to be fighting in their animal forms, so they would have to eventually.

"That's good," he said amiably, not pressing the matter further. Definitely the right choice as both women relaxed when they realized he wasn't going to dig for details. As he drove, Steele told them their brothers were settled into training camp and said hello. Not that he'd been able to speak with them, but the message had been passed on; which was not something that was normally done, but everyone felt like the Bunson family was a special case. Sympathy and a desire to help were running high throughout the entire shifter community as their story spread.

After telling them about their brothers, Steele pointed out some landmarks and houses along the streets - including the best place to get ice cream and the movie theater. Both sisters kept yawning, although they assured Steele he wasn't boring. Obviously, shifting and running through the woods had worn them out, and, considering the late hour, they were probably tired anyway. So it wasn't too surprising when their eyelids finally drooped, closed, and stayed shut, heads lolling to the side.

Now Steele felt comfortable reaching out and putting his hand on Bethany's knee. She murmured in her sleep, a happy sound that made his chest feel warm and tight. Just touching her made him feel more at peace and relaxed; the sense of rightness was overwhelming and his wolf was rolling around happily in his head.

He couldn't stop glancing over at his peacefully sleeping mate; so small and yet so deliciously curvy, her breasts pressing against her shirt as she breathed and snuffled, making a noise suspiciously close to a snore. In sleep, she looked almost delicate, the force of her personality and spirit now heavily muted, and Steele felt more protective than ever.

He still couldn't understand how the fuck someone could justify experimenting on humans, much less children... she was still so young looking. She'd never had the opportunity to date or have a normal life, and now she never would. Even though he felt a little bit of guilt about that, there was no way in hell he would have been able to tolerate another male dating her, even before she'd bitten him.

Which... they were really going to have to talk as soon as possible.

Pulling up to his house, he scowled. Now what? He didn't want to be separated from his mate, but he doubted she'd be thrilled to find him in her bed in the morning. Besides, he wanted her in his bed. Her house was just a temporary situation anyway.

A smile suddenly spread across his face.

Right, she wouldn't want him in her bed... or, very possibly, even in her house while she was asleep. After all, that was kind of an invasion of privacy, wasn't it? It was much better to take both her and her sister into his house. Especially because that way he could keep an eye on both of them. Make sure there were no ill effects from Bailey's first change.

Grinning, he carried Bailey into the house first and carefully tucked her into the guest bed. Since she was still wearing her hospital clothes, they could double as pajamas. Her eyelashes fluttered as he pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"It's okay Bailey, you're at my house. Bethany and I will be right upstairs if you need us, okay?"

"Okay," Bailey agreed sleepily, giving him a small smile, and snuggling right back into the sheets.

Well, that was tacit permission from one of the sisters. He would take it!

Quickly moving outside, even though he'd been away from his mate for less than two minutes, Steele felt his entire body relax when he picked Bethany up in his arms. She snuggled up against him, although she didn't wake. He let out a long breath (that definitely was not a sigh) as he carefully walked her into the house. His feisty mate probably wouldn't be as easily reassured as her sister if she woke up while he was getting her installed in his bed.

Setting her down gently on the mattress, he easily pulled off her sundress and tucked her under the covers. Glancing around the bedroom, he grabbed his dirty laundry off the floor and stuffed it into the hamper he kept next to the bathroom door. Fortunately, he kept his house pretty tidy anyway, but he did have a tendency to just let his clothes drop to the floor when he was in his own room, and they made it look messier than it was. The rest of his room looked okay.

Shedding his clothes, and tossing those into the hamper as well, Steele carefully slid into bed beside his mate, curling his large frame around her smaller one. Bethany's firm buttocks pressed right up against his cock, which nestled comfortably between her cheeks. Well, maybe comfortably wasn't quite the right word, but he sure as heck wasn't going to complain.

He had his mate right where she belonged, and sleeping together like this would only help strengthen their bond.

******

Warmth... wonderful, wonderful warmth... hard warmth... Bethany rubbed her face against the wonderful, hairy, hard warmth and -

Wait, what?

She jerked back, only to be caught fast in muscular arms that didn't let her get more than an inch away. Of course, it didn't help that her own arms were wrapped around Mr. Warm-Hard-and-Sexy's body and that their legs were tangled together. Even if he hadn't been holding her tightly, she wouldn't have been able to get very far.

"Good morning." Hungry, black eyes bore into her, and before she could reply - or demand to know what the heck he was doing in her bed - his lips were on hers.

Bethany clamped hers shut. Danger, Will Robinson, danger! Didn't the man know it was bad etiquette to french first thing in the morning?! Was he some kind of magical being that didn't suffer from morning breath?

The fact that she wasn't kissing him back didn't deter him though, and as his hard cock pressed against the juncture of her legs, his hands sliding up to her breasts, she couldn't help but moan... and he immediately took advantage. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she was surprised to find that the little morning breath he did have didn't turn her off - and he seemed to feel the same.

Her nipples hardened into sensitive little nubs as he rolled her onto her back, her legs immediately spreading. Bethany was shocked at how aroused she was already, considering she'd just woken up. The head of his cock rubbed up and down her wet slit, making her very aware of how drenched and needy she was, especially as it pressed against her swollen clit. Whimpering, she lifted her hips, trying to guide him to the entrance of her body, and he immediately took her invitation.

The first thrust had her crying out into his mouth as his cock stretched her nearly virginal channel. He wasn't as gentle as he had been last night and it hurt, but it felt so good at the same time... his cock was hard as a rock and he was rougher, more urgent. Dimly, Bethany remembered something she'd heard in high school, about men and morning wood. He thrust again, pressing deeper into her body, her sensitive tissues spreading further to accommodate him, and Bethany writhed beneath him.

Her body was hungry for him, loving the way his weight felt on top of her, pressing her down into the mattress, and how he felt inside of her, as though he was filling her completely. The pleasure was even more intense than it had been last night, making her feel a bit wild as she dug her nails into his skin, her feet digging into the back of his thighs, trying to drive his thrusts to go faster and deeper. She craved the connection she felt, wanting him to sink so deeply into her that she couldn't tell where he ended and she began.

Raking her nails down his back, Bethany arched, pressing her body up against his as her pleasure mounted. Every hard jolt against her clit, every slide of his cock into her slick sheath, sent her flying higher and higher. She barely recognized herself in the noises she was making, her incoherent cries of ecstasy as Steele pounded into her.

They weren't kissing anymore - they couldn't. He was moving too fast, too hard, drilling into her body as their moans filled the air around them. Grinding his body against hers, he trapped her clit between them, rubbing against the sensitive nub with his groin and making her scream as she clenched down around him. Her pussy rippled, making him feel even bigger inside of her as her muscles tightened, increasing the intensity of her climax as it burst inside of her.

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she cried out as he continued to move above her, his cock sliding back and forth despite her clenching spasms, sending her higher and higher on the planes of ecstasy. She felt like she was actually losing her mind, the sensations were so intense and unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. And they doubled when he finally growled and burst inside of her. She could almost feel his relief, his rapture, as he filled her with his seed, his pumping cock throbbing against the walls of her pussy with the force of his release.

His body slumped, pressing down on hers, making her shudder as little ripples of pleasure went through her... smaller quakes in the aftermath of her earth-shattering orgasm. Despite the fact that she'd just woken up, she felt rather sleepy again. Sleepy and content, and with that sense of rightness that she kept feeling in Steele's presence.

Little kisses trailed over her shoulder and across her forehead, making her smile. Who knew such a big, growly, alpha male could be so tender? Especially just moments after wreaking such rough - if welcome - havoc on her poor pussy?

Mr. Sex-in-the-Morning was a dangerous man.

Bethany tilted her head back, lifting her lips on the air, and immediately received a gentle kiss for her effort.

"Good morning," Steele said again, his voice all growly and satisfied, echoing her feelings of sexual satiation.

"Good morning," she responded, blinking as she turned her head. It was immediately obvious that she wasn't in her room, as she'd assumed. This had to be his bedroom. The bed they were on was huge, definitely a king size if not bigger, and made of the same dark, heavy wood that the dresser and nightstands were. They were definitely a matching set, which was kind of cute - she hadn't thought Mr. Aggressively-Alpha would be the type to have an actual bedroom set. There were no curtains on the window, just standard plastic slat blinds, and the only thing up on the wall was a huge picture of a giant, grey wolf standing on a mountainside in the snow. The dresser was pretty sparse too, although there were a couple of picture frames on it, and - strangely - a Rubik's Cube (solved). "Um... what am I doing here?"

She was feeling too good to be mad about waking up in his bed, but she was also curious. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep on the ride home and-

"Where's Bailey?" She tried to sit up, but Mr. Huge-and-Heavy-and-Still-Inside-Me didn't budge.

"Bailey's downstairs in my guest bedroom, and she knows where to find us," he said. "She's fine. And I didn't want to enter your house uninvited, so I brought you both back here after you fell asleep in my car." The pleased way he said that had Bethany narrowing her eyes at him. Sneaky man. Yeah, she didn't buy that excuse for one second; he'd just manipulated the situation into the outcome he wanted.

On the other hand, she really couldn't object... she'd slept so well. Better than she had in years. The wake-up call had been pretty great too, so she couldn't really complain about that.

Dropping another kiss on her lips, Mr. Smug-and-Sexy smiled down at her. "Take your time getting up, and I'll make us breakfast."

Yawning, Bethany reflected that she might as well let him do that. She turned onto her side, pressing her legs together as she sleepily watched him go into the bathroom, hearing the water in the sink turn on a moment later. The warm fuzz in her brain dragged her back into sleep, feeling absolutely wonderful.

She woke up half an hour later, much more alert and horrified to realize several things:

1. Mr. Unhygenic had put her sister in the bed that Bethany and Steele had had sex in last night!

2. The stickiness between her legs meant that Mr. Sex-in-the-Morning was totally irresponsible and hadn't used a condom - and she had let him!

3. She was way too comfortable and happy to be waking up in his bed!

Dammit!!!

******

Shoving the chocolate chip waffles that he'd made in the oven (having so many sisters had finally been useful to him - he'd known exactly what to make his mate and her sister this morning. He'd never known chocolate chip waffles to _not_ help with getting on a woman's good side.), Steele scowled at Eli. The wonder of smartphones, allowing him to talk face to face with his boss without having to leave his house.

"I wish this was some kind of elaborate joke you were playing on me."

"Unfortunately not," Eli said, looking grim. "I just wish I could tell you more. If they weren't hiring mercenaries, we wouldn't have even known they were coming."

Yeah, that was a lucky break. One of Eli's contacts, a former soldier turned mercenary, had been one of those hired. Raoul Sanchez was 100% human, which was probably why he'd been approached, but he was also Eli's cousin by marriage. They didn't have a whole lot of contact - Steele had met Raoul and calling the guy taciturn was an understatement - but they occasionally shared information back and forth.

Raoul was convinced that the people who had hired him (they called themselves 'The Company' - what kind of crap name was that?) had no idea he had any ties to Steele or Eli, even remotely. He wasn't entirely sure they even realized Steele worked for Eli. The job he and his men had been hired for was to distract the guards while another team entered the town and extracted two targets. From the description, it was obvious to Eli and Steele that The Company wanted the Bunson sisters and somehow they knew that the brothers were no longer at the compound.

That had Steele on edge. How the hell had this mysterious Company found the females? Would the brothers be secondary targets? Or did they want Bethany and Bailey more than the brothers for some unknown reason?

The threat to his mate had Steele's wolf pacing and growling inside of his head, making his skin itch as he longed to shift and defend her. That was pure animal instinct; the man inside of him knew that he needed to remain in control to protect her and her sister.

Unfortunately, Raoul's band of men was only five strong; his company was always hired to do very specialized jobs that only required one or two men. If he'd been the main outfit hired to come in and take Bailey and Bethany, that would have been more convenient for everyone - well, everyone except The Company. Raoul didn't even know who had been hired, but he'd been told to watch for ten SUVs that would be surrounding the pack lands tonight. It was Raoul's job to keep an eye out for possible escapees from the town, or possible assistance if someone in the town called for help.

Of course, that wasn't going to be what Raoul was doing at all, but he was pretending to go along with The Company's agenda for now, since that was the biggest way he could help. Sadly, he wasn't able to get a whole lot more intel, as The Company didn't feel that he needed to know any specifics. The only reason he knew the targets - and just hearing his mate called that had Steele's hackles rising - was so he knew who to look out for. They'd even helpfully provided him with pictures.

"You're going to have to go about your day as normally as possible," Eli said, almost apologetically. "We don't know if they have anyone watching the town, but they must or they wouldn't know that just Bethany and Bailey are there, so you can't be do anything out of the norm."

"Who knows that we're here?"

His mate's voice was wary, suspicious, and startled Steele badly enough that he actually jumped. He'd been so focused on Eli and on the threat to his mate that he hadn't even noticed her sneaking up behind him. Standing in the doorway, wearing one of his shirts - which hung down almost to her knees because she was so petite - with her hands on her hips and her sister behind her, his mate looked pissed.

"The people who took you," Eli said calmly. "At least we're assuming it's the same people; they call themselves The Company."

Bailey gasped, but Bethany just rolled her eyes. "Totally impersonal and somehow dramatic. Sounds like them."

She didn't seem the least bit upset, which both soothed and aggravated Steele. Of course he didn't want his mate upset, but... shouldn't she be? Instead, she looked more interested in the waffles he'd made. Which wasn't a bad thing, but... he just didn't understand her. The he realized that the seething mass of anger inside of him seemed to have gotten even bigger, even darker and tinged with fear - which he hadn't felt before - and he knew that it was her emotions he was sensing. She was hiding them for some reason - and as she handed some waffles to Bailey, he finally realized why.

Bailey had looked scared, right up until Bethany had acted like it wasn't a big deal. Now Bailey was sitting, calm and composed, pouring syrup over her waffles while Eli updated them on the situation. He could feel Bethany's anxiety growing as Eli talked, but not a bit of it showed on her face.

He thanked every deity he could think of for the bond; his mate had such a stoic poker face, he needed it to get any kind of tap on her emotions. She'd probably had a lot of practice hiding what she was feeling - and that thought just pissed him off all over again. Standing off to the side, Steele had his arms crossed over his chest while he watched his mate and her sister, keeping his face as blank as Bethany's. Every so often, as Eli talked, Bailey would glance at him and he would give her a little, reassuring smile. She seemed to trust him. He wished his mate would look to him as well, but she was totally focused on Eli. It's not that he was jealous that she was paying so much attention to another man, while not even glancing at him. It would just be nice, was all.

"Okay," Bethany said, her voice steady, once Eli had wrapped up his explanation. "So what's the plan?"

The way she said it made Steele think that she intended to be involved in whatever plan was happening.

Hell to the fucking no.

He straightened up, keeping his arms crossed over his chest, using his command tone. The one he used when he needed to restore order or exert his dominance as alpha and leader of his pack. The one that halted everyone in their tracks and had them jumping to do his bidding.

"My crew and I will keep the town safe while you and the other civilians barricade yourselves in the bunker underneath the movie theater. Eli will send men for back-up, but hopefully they won't be needed."

His mate snorted. Snorted! She was finally looking at him, but not the way he wanted her to. "Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way I'm staying trapped inside a building waiting for the bad guys to come get me. Besides, I'm not missing out on a chance to take out Dr. Montgomery."

"What makes you think he'll be here?" asked Eli, before Steele could respond. He stomped on the urge to end the phone call, relieving his frustration with a sharp growl that had Bailey eyeing him warily before he subsided. His mate ignored him. Fucking typical.

"He's obsessed with us," Bethany said, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. Her waffles only half eaten, she pushed them away from her, as if she couldn't even think about eating more while she talked about the doctor. "And he doesn't know what's happened with Bailey. He's going to want to know how his latest... experiment turned out. If he's not with them, I'll..." She glanced down at the shirt she was wearing - his shirt - and smiled with false sweetness. "I'll eat Steele's shirt."

He had other things of his that he'd rather she eat... wait, dammit, he was getting distracted. Protect first, then fuck.

"If he's obsessed with you then you're definitely not going to be out in the open where he can get at you," Steele said, aware of the deep growl in his voice that meant his wolf was coming close to the surface. The animal was agitated, just as frustrated as he was, and getting harder to control.

"News flash, Mr. Bossypants," Bethany snapped back at him, "you don't get to tell me what to do."

He stalked forward as she stood up, as if her short stature was somehow more intimidating standing than sitting, until he could lean down with his face mere inches from hers. "You will sit in that bunker and you will be happy about it."

"Uh, Steele?" He ignored Eli.

"No. I will not." Bethany glared back at him, her blue eyes growing darker - not from anger, he realized, but because her own animal was surfacing. Whatever. He was not going to back down from his tiny mate who was way too fucking eager to throw herself into the danger zone.

"I'm not letting my mate run around-"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not your mate!" she yelled back at him, cutting him off. He snarled at her.

"Uh, Bethany? Steele?"

"What?" They both spat the word out at the same time, turning to glare at the phone where Eli's tiny face was looking back at them. He coughed, smoothing his hand over his mouth and obviously hiding a grin. Steele scowled at him.

"Steele... ah," Eli's eyes flicked to Bethany's throat. "Is that what I think it is on her neck? And on yours?"

Smugness swept through him. He'd let Eli tell her. She might not believe him, even if he told her about the bites, but she'd have to believe a third party. Ha. Then, once she'd accepted that she was his mate, maybe she'd shut up and let him do his job of protecting her sassy ass.

"Yes." He said as Bethany's eyes widened and she brought both hands up to her throat, feeling it.

"What is it?" she asked, almost panicked as she turned towards him. Immediately he reached out to tug her against him, holding her reassuringly, as she looked at his throat. "What's on my neck?"

"A mating mark," Eli said, coughing a little. Hiding laughter. This time Steele found that he didn't mind. "You and Steele are already mated."

"WHAT?!" The shriek his mate let out shredded his ears, making him wince. Who knew a person's voice could actually hit that decibel? But like the manly male he was, he didn't relinquish his hold on her, despite the urge to cover his poor ears. "What mating mark? When did it happen?! You're joking right?"

"Nope," Steel replied this time. She looked up at him with wide, panicked blue eyes, and he tilted his head so that she could see the bite mark on his neck that was still there. That would always be there. He grinned at her as her eyes somehow managed to get even bigger. "You bit me first, Princess, just remember that."

******

Bethany's knees collapsed and she sat down heavily in her chair, which didn't help make Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Looming any less intimidating.

Okay, she remembered biting him. She'd never pictured herself as a biter, but it had felt right in the moment. But had it felt right because of human her or because of the thing _inside_ her?

"Congratulations!" Bailey sang out, utterly oblivious to the devastation that had just been wreaked on Bethany's world. She actually sounded happy.

"Thank you," Mr. Way-Too-Happy-About-This replied, grinning at Bailey. "And don't worry, I'll take good care of both you and your sister."

Bailey snorted. "I hope you don't think this means I agree with you about us staying inside."

Steele scowled and Bethany swiveled to face her sister, happy for the distraction from this whole mating thing. She believed Eli when he said that she and Steele both wore a mating mark, but... well, she just didn't have enough information right now. Was it permanent? He wasn't going to be able to make her do anything using the mark, was he? It was too much for her to think about right now, on top of everything else, so she focused on the one thing she could handle - keeping her little sister safe.

Smiling back at them were guileless, blue eyes, the same sweetly, innocent blue that Bethany saw in the mirror every day... but purer, without the cynicism and violence that Bethany's held. That her brothers' held. Bailey was the only member of their family to remain unsullied by their time in the lab, and Bethany didn't want her to lose that.

Plus, she'd been protecting Bailey for so long, she didn't know how to do anything else.

" _You_ are going to the bunker," Bethany said, in very much the same tone Steele had tried to use on her.

That sweetly innocent aura around Bailey didn't falter for a second.

"Nope."

# Chapter 6

"Steele? Are you sure you're okay?" Kasim whispered, looking worried. As he had every right to.

Because it was fucking crystal clear that no, no Steele was not fucking okay. He was ready to explode into a giant rageball of... well, rage.

He still didn't understand how he'd lost the argument to Bethany. Or, even more astounding, how they'd both lost the argument with Bailey.

Glancing over at the sisters, he felt his backbone soften. Just one iota. There was something really sexy about seeing his mate decked out in combat gear - well, shifter combat gear. That was, gear that was easy to lose if they needed to shift into their animal, but that would protect them in the meantime. Bailey was just as covered up. They were sitting in the center of Steele's command center in the movie theater lobby, with a small group of his men. The last line of defense. He had three snipers up on various roofs nearby and the rest of his soldiers - three squads led by Jordan, Jacqueline, and a bear shifter named Robert - were spread throughout the town, ready for action.

Steele should have been leading the third squad. Not that Robert was a bad soldier or even a bad leader... but that was Steele's spot. Normally he had Kasim, who has an amazing tactician, running the main show. Instead, Steele and Kasim were both stuck back here babysitting Bethany and her sister, because they wouldn't go down to the fucking bunker and both Doc and Dr. Phil refused to sedate them so that Steele could force the issue. Fucking traitors. Doc said she was doing him a favor, since Bethany would never forgive him for taking her choices away like that, but at least she'd be fucking safe. And he'd be leading his squad, the way he was supposed to.

Hunting. Finding the enemy. Engaging.

Not sitting here waiting. Distracted by the sweet scent of his mate and his wolf's frantic need to do something proactive. Like taking her into one of the movie theaters and solidifying their bond a little more with some -

"Steele?" Kasim whispered again, nudging him.

"I'm fine," he growled, focusing on the maps in front of him again. He was waiting on the call from Raoul, who was going to let him know where The Company's mercs were coming in from. So that he could deploy his squads. While he sat here, unable to leave the command center. Which was where Jordan would normally be, because Jordan had the patience for waiting and keeping track of communications between the squads.

The movie posters on the wall were mocking him, both the romance and the action ones. He wanted both and wasn't getting either right now. Instead he was stuck behind thick steel walls, reinforced doors, and bulletproof glass. Not a natural state for him. He'd never expected to actually have to use the theater for this when they'd had it built as a last stand location - and he sure as hell hadn't pictured himself in it. Even now he was sure that his squads would keep any of The Company's assholes from penetrating this deep into the town, which meant that it was unlikely he'd see any action at all.

Dammit.

His wolf growled at him, not understanding his impatience or his desire to leave their mate. Not that he wanted to leave Bethany.

Glancing over his shoulder at her again, he couldn't help but think that her expression was remarkably similar to his, as she looked at her recalcitrant younger sister. Bailey had been just as stubborn as Bethany. More. She'd been the one to look at him tearfully, begging him not to let her sister shut her up in a closed-in space with no windows so soon after their escape from the lab. So now they were both sitting in his command center, Bailey looking entirely too pleased with herself and Bethany looking nearly as pissed off and protective as he felt.

"Try to focus, Steele," Kasim whispered loudly, obviously not caring that everyone in the room would be able to hear him. "You gotta keep your head in the game - and I don't mean your little one."

Steele snarled at him, but the big dumbass just grinned beatifically, a flash of white teeth in his dark face. He was way too amused by all of this, especially Bethany and Bailey's presence.

Luckily for Kasim, before Steele could tear him a new one, his phone rang. Finally! Action!

"They're coming?" he asked as soon as he answered, not bothering with a greeting. It didn't seem to bother Raoul.

"Four squads of six men each," Raoul replied, his voice hard. "They're coming in on Water Street, Centerway, Briardale, and Main. Heavily armed."

"Snipers?"

He could hear the smirk in Raoul's voice. "That would be my job."

Grinning wolfishly, satisfaction shot through Steele. These fuckers had no idea what they were in for. Even if they'd had snipers, it wouldn't be enough.

"Any idea who's in charge?"

"The group on Main has some guy with them that seems to be running the show. Definitely not a soldier. They're supposed to hang back while the others sweep the streets and clear out any resistance."

"Description?"

"A few inches shy of six feet, about 170 pounds - skinny, indoors type. Very pale skin, dirty blonde hair that needs some shampoo, and brown eyes. I'd guess in his forties. Nasal voice. He stands out."

"It's him." Bethany's voice was full of pure hate, startling Steele with her sudden closeness. He'd been concentrating so hard on what Raoul was saying, his mind flowing with plans, he hadn't even noticed her creeping up behind him. Now, her spicy, sweet scent filled his nostrils and his cock hardened automatically. Damned mating call. Not that he minded being mated to Bethany, but some of the physical manifestations were really inconvenient right about now.

"Him?" Kasim asked, his eyes flicking over Bethany's shoulder to where Bailey was standing, her heart-shaped face pale against the dark brown of her hair, big, blue eyes wide in fear and anxiousness. Steele's wolf growled at the sight, feeling Bethany's distress and need to protect her sister through their bond. The emotions were distant but distinct.

"Dr. Montgomery."

******

Emotions seethed through Bethany, allowing her to focus her frustrations and anger. She'd been a mess all morning - strangely going through all the stages of grief when it came to her mating with Steele. Silently, of course. She'd even done the bargaining, with the thing inside of her head. Of course it had ignored her.

So she'd accepted it.

Really, it wasn't the worst fate in the world, was it? Okay, so she didn't get to have lots and lots of hot sex with a bunch of different guys and enjoy the beef buffet that Steele's pack had to offer. But truthfully, she wasn't as attracted to any of them as she was to Steele, and from the way he acted, she was still going to get lots and lots of hot sex. And he was kind of like a beef buffet all on his own.

It didn't hurt that, around the time that everyone had been evacuating into the bunker below the theater, she'd skipped acceptance and had backtracked to denial, mumbling something to Bailey about how she didn't really believe Steele was her mate. Several of the females had overheard her and that had immediately thrown them into a starry-eyed tizzy. One of them had even had the nerve to flirt with Steele!

Fortunately for his balls, Mr. Luckily-Oblivious hadn't seemed to notice - or if he did, he hadn't cared - and had barely given the woman a second glance. But that was all Bethany had needed to push her right into angry acceptance. She wasn't happy about it - not like the monster inside of her - but she could live with it. What she couldn't live with was bitches fawning over her man, even if he didn't notice. It wasn't just the thing inside her clawing out her insides with jealousy... she liked him. She liked the way he'd treated her last night, the way he'd ended up compromising this morning, the way he hadn't been able to go out with his soldiers even though he'd obviously wanted to (she didn't need him to take care of her, but he didn't know that) so that he could keep an eye on her, and the way he listened to what she said. She'd liked the way he'd crumbled under her sister's plea not to put them into an enclosed space. Even though it meant Bailey was out in the open.

There were worse fates than being mated to him. Still, she had some pent up resentment that she hadn't gotten to choose him herself - and that she hadn't been able to at least bang a couple of guys before settling down with one - and she knew exactly who to blame.

Dr. Montgomery.

He was the one who had done this to her. Who had taken all of her choices away from her, even the one of whom she would mate, when he unlocked her shifter genes. And not even a natural shifter, but a monstrous one. And now he was coming to try and take her and her sister back? Yeah, fuck that.

The look on Steele's face said he'd agreed. He'd gone from imposing and focused to absolutely fucking enraged when she said the doctor's name. She could practically feel his fury - oh wait. She _could_ feel his fury swirling inside of her, feeding hers. Kasim had explained some of the finer aspects of the mating bond to her this morning, including the fact that she would be feeling more and more of what Steele was feeling as it grew stronger.

"That fucker's coming here?!" The deep, rasping growl in Mr. Hot-and-Furious' voice went straight through Bethany's core. Something else that Kasim had explained to her - she and Steele were going to be boinking each other's brains out for the first few weeks of mating while the bond solidified. Whether the timing was appropriate or not, they were both going to be horndogs.

The timing sucked donkey balls.

"He's got some kind of tracking system with him," Raoul said, cutting off whatever more either Steele or Bethany might have said. His deep, velvety voice made her wonder what he looked like. She felt strange relying on a man that she'd never met or talked to (well, before this moment), but Eli and Steele trusted him.

Then the impact of his words hit her. "Tracking system?" Immediately her hands went to her body, even though she couldn't feel anything through her clothes and she'd never noticed anything when she was naked. "That bastard put something in us!"

It explained how he knew where they were... which meant they had to find the trackers and get them out and warn her brothers -

"Calm down," Steele snapped, taking her by the shoulders and giving her a small shake. She looked up at him with wild eyes and actually whimpered, hating the way she felt out of control. His voice softened, his hands gentled and he pulled her into his chest. She took in a deep breath of his comforting scent, feeling it like a warm balm against her rioting emotions. "Now that we know it's there, Doc will find it and get it out. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, pulling herself together. Shit. She'd just fallen apart in front of Bailey.

Gathering herself, she pushed away from Mr. Suddenly-Touch-Feely-and-Reluctant-to-Let-Go, and turned to face her sister. Bailey was trembling from head to toe and Bethany immediately abandoned Steele to give her sister the same comfort she had just received. Behind her, Steele started talking to Raoul again, barking out orders and calling his squad leaders on their radios to update them on the enemies' movements.

"It's okay," Bethany whispered, pulling Bailey into her arms. It didn't matter that her baby sister was much taller than her tiny frame, Bailey snuggled in like a cub huddling into its mama bear. "They won't get us. I won't let them. We'll get the trackers out and -"

"No."

"No?" Shock and confusion. Bethany pulled her sister away from Steele, distracted by all the movement and orders going on behind her. She yanked Bailey off to the side; no one was paying attention to them anyway. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean, not yet," Bailey said. She was still trembling from head to toe, skin completely blanched of color in her fright, but her voice was firm and the look in her eyes was... calculating. Her gaze met Bethany's and held it. "I have an idea."

******

Eyes skimming over the maps, Steele barked out his orders.

"Robert, you're going to take the squad on Water Street; Jacqueline, you've got Centerway; Jordan, Briardale. Try to take at least one man alive from each group for questioning. After that, Robert, I want you to head down past the group on Main, come at them from behind." Steele blew out a long breath, his mind jumping around the possibilities. "Raoul, keep us informed on Main's movements. If it looks like they're going to reinforce anyone's troops, I need to know. Just in case, I want everyone to hit their target at the same time, in exactly ten minutes."

That way, hopefully, Main would be left floundering. Right now his squads were outnumbered, four to six, which weren't bad odds since they were all military trained shifters, but he didn't know what kind of training the enemy would have. Raoul couldn't tell him that, or whether or not they were armed with silver. Regular bullets could kill a shifter too, but only with a direct shot to the head or heart - and sometimes even that didn't work. The best way was silver. It leaked into a shifter's bloodstream like poison, causing much greater damage on impact than a regular bullet and - if it wasn't removed immediately - the effects slowly spread throughout the body, causing destruction as it went.

Considering Dr. Montgomery's experiments, they all had to assume the mercs were armed with silver weapons and go forward accordingly. Steele's people were trained, as well as being faster and stronger than any human, but the pain that silver caused was more subversive and more intense than regular bullets would be to the human mercs. With greater numbers, if they got reinforcements from the group on Main, it was conceivable that Steele could end up losing some of his people.

Which was unacceptable, as far as he was concerned. He didn't want to just beat the mercs, he wanted to send a message.

_Don't ever come here. Don't risk your lives for The Company. Don't ever move against us._ _It's not worth it._

So these poor, unfortunate souls were going to have to die to make a point. Raoul would be sure to spread the word. Taking The Company's side in anything was dangerous. Eli agreed. It was the best way to keep their people safe; Steele just didn't want to lose any of them in the process of keeping that safety. If they weren't outnumbered, he wouldn't be so concerned, but any backup Eli sent was going to come too late at this point.

"Everyone copy?"

They all gave their affirmatives, synched their watches, and clicked off their radios. Out in his town, his pack was moving into position. In the bunker below him, the rest of his pack was hunkered down. Not that they were just sitting there; they were shifters after all. Adults were tasked with watching the children, assembling first aid supplies, preparing food, and setting up defenses in the case of a last stand situation. One or two would be scouting out the escape tunnels, ensuring that they were still secure and secret. Everyone had a job and no one down there was idle.

Still, he much preferred being up here where he could keep track of the battle, even if he couldn't participate, and his mate.

Bethany's scent had faded, and he turned to where she and Bailey had been sitting before, assuming that she had gone back to where she was supposed to be.

A growl rose in the back of his throat as he realized that, of course, his mate wasn't where she was supposed to be. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kasim looking up to see what was wrong. The lion shifter's dreadlocks swung through the air as he snapped his head around, quickly picking up on what had Steele snarling.

"Bethany!" He roared her name, his fists clenched at his sides, fur beginning to sprout all of his body as his wolf howled inside of him. He could actually feel his skin rippling with the effort of keeping the animal contained. Silence fell around him, as everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately looked for his mate. Who was nowhere to be seen. "Where the fuck is she?!"

"Zane, Luke, Thomas, report," Kasim barked out, naming the three snipers who were on the rooftops above them, spread out around the theater. "Did you see anyone leave this building?"

"Negative."

"Negative."

"Thomas?"

The tension grew as Steele's canines lengthened, his fury growing. He couldn't even sense his mate's emotions, because his own were too strong.

"Thomas?"

"Holy fuck..." Thomas' voice was a mere whisper, hoarse and shocked. "There's a... holy fuck..."

"THOMAS!" Steele roared, not bothering to use the radio. Thomas would be able to hear him from all the way outside. Steel was already moving towards the back of the theater, which was where Thomas was positioned. He could hear every word coming through the radio, though, thanks to his shifter hearing. The only thing slowing him was that he wasn't sure that whatever had rattled Thomas had anything to do with Bethany.

"There's a giant fucking rabbit headed down Slip Street," Thomas said, sounding choked. "Like, bear-sized. It's fucking huge, and... something small, but I can't get a good look at it, even through the scope. It's fucking fast as hell. What the fuck?! They just turned, it looks like they're headed towards Main."

The last vestiges of Steele's control shredded as he realized that somehow his mate and her sister had left the theater without anyone seeing them and were now headed into direct confrontation with The Company and Dr. Montgomery, and his wolf exploded out of him. When he caught up with his mate, she better be unharmed, so that he could put her over his knee and then tie her to his bed, where she could be pampered and cared for as long as she didn't move, for the rest of her life.

# Chapter 7

Bethany and Bailey had heard enough of Mr. In-Charge-and-Oblivious' plan to know that the group on Main could be a problem. Although, even if he'd had the people to easily overwhelm the entire enemy force, the sisters would still be headed straight for Dr. Montgomery. He was theirs to deal with, on behalf of their whole family. Despite her terror for her little sister, Bethany still wouldn't have left Bailey behind, given the choice. Both of them were _owed_.

Keeping to the walls, Bailey was a white blur ahead of Bethany; running slowly enough that her older sister could keep up, even though she probably could have left Bethany in the dust. She was a fast and furious little thing, and Bethany felt like a lumbering giant next to her, but she didn't care about her big size. That just meant she'd probably draw the most fire. Well, that's assuming that they'd be fired on at all.

She was partially counting on the fact that the doctor would want them, safe and unharmed. And he'd recognize her, even if he couldn't know what Bailey looked like in this form.

For once, she and the thing inside of her were in perfect agreement - they both wanted the doctor's blood. The quaint shops on Main, all lit up - although empty - to try and fool the enemy into thinking that everything was mostly normal, slid past her. Hopefully this full out assault wouldn't kill her. She'd really been looking forward to going through some of those shops; shopping was something that had been denied to her for so long and she'd thought it would be a good bonding experience once Bailey was up and out of bed.

Instead, they were heading down the street for a bloody confrontation.

That sounded about right for her life.

The street curved at the end, so she couldn't see the enemy yet, but she could smell them. Hear them. The sharp scent of gun oil and metal, the musky scents of humans (and one of them definitely needed a bath), and their raised voices. One of them grated as the man shouted, his voice rising over all the others.

"Tranqs only! Don't you dare shoot them with anything else!"

A snarl rose in Bethany's throat, her bunny lips lifting above her huge fangs and sharp teeth. The damn trackers. She'd almost forgotten about those. When she caught up with the doctor, she'd let him live long enough just to tell her where the tracker was inside of her and her siblings so that she could take them out.

So, no point in even attempting a sneak attack. The doctor was obviously watching their approach. It was going to be a balls to the wall frontal assault.

Somewhere behind her, a wolf howled, and some part of her that identified as _prey_ quivered. The other part of her, the enraged predator, recognized the competition for her own prey.

My kill! Mine!

As if Bailey had the same thought, her tiny form suddenly darted forward even faster, going around the gentle curve of the street. There were shouts and the sounds of shots fired, and then Bethany was rounding the curve as well, getting her first look at the enemy.

They'd used their SUVs and Jeeps to create a kind of barricade across the street, between the antique store and the florist, with men spread out behind them. They were all dressed in black, wearing body armor, and looked like professionals. She ignored the looks of shock and horrified awe as they got their first good look at her - although part of her cringed at knowing Mr. I'm-Your-Mate would probably look the same way when he saw her - and focused in on the real target.

Dr. Montgomery was bouncing up and down in one of the Jeeps, completely oblivious to the target he was making of himself, pointing at Bailey's tiny, furry form. Well, trying to point. Bailey was moving so fast that he was a second behind her every move as she darted back and forth, easily evading the tranquilizer darts that sped her way.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, they quickly dismissed Bailey as a threat when they got a look at Bethany. She snarled savagely, giving them a good look at her teeth, as she pounded towards them, her back legs kicking out powerfully. Drawing as much attention as she could and making herself as big a target as possible.

Behind her, she heard another wolf howl, and the thing inside of her quivered with relief and happiness. She realized that she trusted Mr. Hot-On-My-Trail to keep her safe, even if Dr. Montgomery's men managed to knock her out. So she didn't even bother to try and hide in her shell - her soft bits could still be hit anyway, all they had to do was aim inside the giant head and armholes. She wouldn't get the kill, but Bailey would and Bethany could assist.

Stinging needles hit her head and legs, bouncing off the rest of her body (or getting caught in her fur), and lethargy swept through her immediately. The doctor had tested enough drugs on the Bunson siblings to know exactly what to use on her.

Still, physics was going to work in her favor anyway. She heard the screams of Bailey's victims, and smiled even as she lost control of her body and slammed into the vehicle barricade like a bowling ball.

******

Seeing the huge, fluffy, white body of his mate stumble and then roll, crashing into the center jeep in the middle of the road, Steele roared his fury. While some part of him was shocked by the size of Bethany in her shifter form - she was at least three feet higher off the ground than him, not including her ears - that didn't stop his protective instinct.

Screams were coming from the vehicles as a tiny, white bunny wreaked havoc on the soldiers, blood dripping down its front as it attacked like something out of Monty Python. Darts were bouncing off of their body armor as they tried to hit the vicious bunny and ended up shooting each other instead - one of them took a dart to the throat and immediately went down. Those who saw him and Kasim bearing down on them - a huge grey wolf and a monstrous lion - were thrown into even more confusion as some of them tried to grab their regular guns, wanting real, silver bullets instead of tranq darts now that they were faced with two apex predators.

The unholy sound of chaos, guns firing, screams, and snarls got even higher as Kasim leaped and cleared the barrier, landing on the side where the humans were. He was a much larger target than Bailey's tiny form, but his wicked claws and sharp teeth made it possible for him to take out a soldier with a single swipe of his paw, rather than having to go for the throat like Bailey was.

Steele skidded to a halt next to his mate, snarling and knocking the darts from her skin with his snout. Since she'd basically knocked the jeep over, anyone who wanted to shoot at him or her was going to have to come over the cars to do so, and going by the noises, they were a little too distracted to even think about that right now. Only two darts had actually managed to bury into her flesh, blocked by all the fluffy white fur. He sneezed as some of it got into his nose.

Wake up, wake up, wake up.

He didn't think Kasim and Bailey were going to be routed, but just in case... if they needed to move out of here in a hurry for some reason, they couldn't do that with Bailey asleep. Her shape in this form was just too big for one person to easily carry.

Everything he'd ever heard about mates ran through his head - most of which he barely remembered and really wished he'd done a better job of paying attention to. Supposedly, he should be able to share his strength with Bethany. Would that be enough to wake her up? He had no idea, but he knew he had to at least try.

It wasn't hard to find that little knot of emotions in his head that was 'other.' Up until this moment, he hadn't always been aware of it - especially when his own emotions were running high - but now it was just this big blank spot. Even when she'd been sleeping, there had been something there, taking up space. The lack of it was making his wolf feel even more panicked.

Steele pushed against that spot in his head. The screams and shouted orders fuzzed out as he focused everything he had on the place in his head where Bethany was supposed to be. He could hear more people coming, more violence heading towards them, and knew that this was rapidly going to turn into a shit show. It wasn't just humans heading their way, but his own people as well; Main Street was about to become a big battleground and his mate was lying helpless on the ground!

Growling, his wolf pressed his body against hers, rubbing his scent over her throat and fluffy cheek, sneezing again as her whiskers tickled his nose.

Come on baby, wake up... I need you.

That spot fluttered with something almost like awareness. Encouraged, Steele pushed harder, imagining his own energy pushing into her emptiness and filling her up, trying to give her himself.

It... felt like something was happening. He felt weaker. He felt her waking up, felt her emotions snapping to life... and himself draining into her. It was like having his energy sucked up into a vacuum, except that he was happy about it.

To his shock, his wolf suddenly shivered and he shifted back to human without meaning to. The energy transfer stopped, as if the shift had broken the connection, even though he could still feel Bethany in his head - that part of the connection hadn't broken.

Totally naked, he knelt in the street, stroking her sides. "Baby, wake up, please wake up."

A shudder went through her and she suddenly rocked, the way any animal did when it was lying asleep on its side and something startled it. Her back legs kicked and Steele was glad that he was standing up by her head.

"Thank god," he whispered as she rolled onto her feet, nose twitching, and whiskers brushing his face. Her cute pink nose was the size of his hand and, if he'd been standing, her face would be almost level with his - although her long ears put her well over his height. Right now it felt like his legs were too shaky for him to get up; he was as exhausted as he was after a night of running and hunting in the woods. Which was not real fucking ideal, right now.

Growling, his mate suddenly flipped around, blocking his view of Main Street with her bulk. He could still hear the approaching fight, though... well, not so much a fight as The Company's soldiers trying to retreat to what they thought of as their base, only to find a bear-sized bunny blocking the way.

Hearing Kasim's low rumble - not quite a roar, but certainly a threatening sound - Steele forced himself to his feet so that he could see what was happening. His strength was returning, just more slowly than he was used to. On the other side of Bethany, The Company's mercs were fighting for their lives against shifters. They'd managed to get out of range of the snipers, although Steele was pretty sure they weren't far behind.

With one hand on his mate's fluffy shoulder, he turned to peek over the cars behind them. Kasim was still in lion form, one paw squashing a little ball of sticky red and white fluff. Bailey was squirming, trying to get out from under him, snapping her sharp little teeth at the still body of Dr. Montgomery. The doctor wasn't dead - not for lack of trying by Bailey - and Steele was relieved. He needed the doctor alive. Just for a little bit longer. Once Steele and Eli had the information they wanted from him, Bailey could go all Monty Python on him if she wanted.

"Bailey," he said, projecting his voice over the sounds of violence coming from behind him, his tone Alpha stern. "Stop fighting Kasim. We need to ask Dr. Montgomery some questions, which means we need him alive right now."

The wiggly, blood-stained vicious bunny stopped moving, peering at him suspiciously. He nodded his head at her, keeping his hand on her sister's shoulder as Bethany growled her own displeasure, her upper lip lifting menacingly. Damn. His mate's fangs were even bigger than his.

Not that he was intimidated by her teeth. Size wasn't everything.

Steele petted her, surprised by the hardness he felt underneath the soft fur... a bunny the size of a bear, with a bear's sharp teeth, and a turtle shell on her body? Geezus... the doctor had a lot of explaining to do. It was like Bethany was a mish-mash of all the animal genes her family possessed. Whereas it looked like Bailey had gotten the teeth, but not the size. He wondered if she had a shell underneath too... going by the way Kasim had no compunction about keeping her under his heavy paw, even though she'd stopped struggling, Steele assumed so. This went so far beyond impossible... no wonder any growling the Bunsons did sounded completely unnatural. Still, talk about having the best of all their animal genes. Steele might even be a little jealous. His wolf was big, but not like, bear-size big.

The sounds of violence had completely died down on the street behind him, so he turned to take care of that. They needed to pile the bodies, separate them from the wounded enemy, get any of their own people's injuries taken care of, and interrogate any of The Company's men that were still left alive. Like the two kneeling in the middle of the street, their hands twined behind their necks, heads bowed in defeat.

Smart men.

Taking a step, Steele almost stumbled on a rock, steadying himself with his hand on his mate's body again.

"Thanks," he said, patting her. His bunny made a strange, almost growling noise. Could bunnies growl? Or was that the bear part of her? He was 99% sure it had nothing to do with the turtle. "Are you going to change back to human anytime soon?" She looked away from him. "That's fine, if you don't want to," he said reassuringly. He assumed she might feel safer in this form right now. Or maybe she just didn't want to get naked in front of all of his soldiers. Nudity didn't bother shifters, but he didn't expect Bethany to behave like a normal shifter. "Will you walk with me?"

Turning her head back towards him, the bunny made that same little funny growl. It was pretty cute actually.

"Kasim, let Bailey up, and keep Dr. Montgomery secure. I want to question him back at base."

Orders given, Steele grinned and walked forward, keeping his hand on her body - he couldn't keep it in the same spot as they moved, because her little hops meant her shoulder didn't stay at the same height. Her fur flowed over his hand as they moved, and he couldn't help but grin. She was so soft and cuddly, even if she was also big and vicious, in this form. Even though he hated the way she'd become a shifter, he couldn't help but admire how incredible she was.

Although he scowled as he noticed her bunny eyes going wide, her gaze skipping across the street half full of naked men. Only half full because some of them were still in their animal forms. Nudity wasn't a big thing, but it suddenly occurred to him that he was probably the only naked man Bethany had ever seen until today, and now she was getting an eyeful. Steele growled under his breath. She better not be enjoying it too much.

The sun glinting off of metal, sending up a bright flash of unintentional light, saved his life.

"SNIPER!" Someone yelled at the same time Bethany's body suddenly bowled him over.

All he could see was white fluff as he was completely covered by his mate, her heavy weight pinning him down. The sound of a gun going off, followed by a strange thud that he could only assume was the bullet impact; Bethany's body shook and Steele knew that the shooter had been aiming at him and she'd just thrown herself in the way! That was his job!

"Bethany!" He roared her name, shoving at her, frantic to push her off of him so that he could see the damage, not caring about the scrapes he was collecting as the street tore at his bare skin. Good god, she weighed a ton in animal form!

Another gunshot. "Got him! Shooter down!"

Raoul sounded pissed. As well he should be – it had been his job to keep any snipers from getting into position! The amount of ground they'd all had to cover (and the fact that Bethany had moved a fucking mile from her initial position) obviously had made that a hell of a lot more difficult, but if his mate was hurt, Steele wouldn't care what the reason was.

"Bethany let me up!" He pushed as hard as he could, rolling her back... and stopped dead. There wasn't any blood anywhere. In fact, she looked like a big white cotton ball. "Bethany?"

Her head suddenly popped out, making him - and everyone else around him - stare in disbelief. The bunny twitched her nose and then sighed, shifting back into her human form, which seemed even tinier by comparison. Sitting on the street next to her was the silver bullet.

******

Curling into a ball, Bethany tried to stop the trembling of her body. She wasn't even sure what she was more upset about - the fact that now everyone knew what a monster she was, that she was naked in front of all of them, or that Steele was staring at her like she was a freak.

Actually, she was pretty sure that last one was what she was most upset about. She'd just saved him from being shot after all. Did he have to look at her like that? The inside of her chest felt like it was ripping apart.

"Bethany?" he asked again, this time his voice kind of hoarse.

Hardening her heart against any condemnation, she glared back up at him, doing her best to ignore the people around them. "What?" she snapped.

"Are you okay?"

That... was not the question she was expecting. "Yes," she said, confused.

And then squeaked in alarm as Mr. Confusing-and-Delicious (yes, she was still aware of how hot he was, even when he was breaking her heart) suddenly lunged forward and she found herself wrapped up in his arms, her legs dangling over his forearm, while his other arm was securely supporting her back. She grabbed at his neck, just to feel more on balance.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again." He started pressing kisses to her temple and the top of her head, his hands squeezing her tightly, as if he was afraid to let her go.

For a moment she thought he meant shift into her creature, but only for a moment. Somehow she knew that wasn't what he was talking about, but that just left her even more confused.

"Do what?"

"Do what? Do _what_?" He sounded infuriated, but the emotion coming through her head was fear. Bethany was startled to realize that she could read him more clearly than ever... and she didn't sense any disgust. No rejection. And his fear wasn't of her, but for her. "Jump in front of a bullet! Do not ever do THAT again!"

His dark eyes were practically bulging as he glared at her.

"Oh, that."

"Oh?! That?!" Mr. Naked-and-Inarticulate snarled, his hands tightening as if he had just remembered that he was carrying her, and so he couldn't throw them in the air in exasperation.

"I knew they wouldn't hurt me," she explained, although she couldn't help but be touched about his freak out.

"How could you poss-" His voice cut off and his arms tightened even more, making her squeak, as he turned his head back in the direction of Dr. Montgomery. Kasim was just coming around the jeep, carrying the doctor's limp form over his shoulder, just as gloriously naked as Steele was. He looked like an ebony statue, sunlight soaking into his dark skin, his hair hanging down his bare back and a very nice cock swaying gently in front of him as he walked. Bailey trailed behind him, a man's bloody jacket wrapped around her, unashamedly checking out his ass. Bethany had to admit, she was finding the show of male flesh absolutely delightful. She had a feeling it was probably rude to stare the way she was - no one else was giving each other a second glance - but she couldn't help it. There were just so many penises - penisi? peni? - and she was getting quite an education on the many variations.

After all, it wasn't like she was going to get to touch any of them. And, if she was being honest, she didn't really want to. But checking them out visually was fun. Holy crap, was that guy pierced?!

"I'm going to kill that fucker as soon as we get our answers," Steele said, in the darkest tone she'd ever heard him use. It sent shivers vibrating up her spine and completely distracted her from the silver glinting in another man's shaft. She couldn't just let him make a statement like that and not argue.

"Get in line," she responded, poking his chest with her finger. "I called dibs on tearing that asshat apart years ago."

The muscle in his cheek jerked as his jaw clenched. Bethany gave him a brilliant - and menacing - smile. She wasn't kidding. She wanted answers too, but then she wanted blood, and she deserved to get it.

"So you knew the bullet wouldn't hurt you?" he asked in a low voice as they trotted closer to where people were gathering around the two prisoners. Several of them looked at Steele, obviously wanting to talk to him, but apparently no one was willing to approach until he made eye contact with them, but all his focus was on Bethany. She sighed.

"Bunny in a half-shell, that's me," she said, resigned. "Even silver bullets don't pierce the shell, although they can do a lot of damage if someone shoots inside the shell. That's why I put my back to him. I'm pretty much invulnerable there, unless someone sets me on fire or uses explosive rounds. My brothers are a little more vulnerable, they aren't as fast as I am and they can't pull inside their shells." She glanced over Mr. Muscles-Aren't-Even-Straining-Yet's shoulder. "I have no idea about Bailey, although she does have the shell."

"I see." The muscle in his jaw was still clenching.

Bethany frowned. "Well if you're going to be pissy then put me down." She tried to push away and he snarled at her. She bopped him on the nose.

Mr. Pissy-and-Pouty glared. "Unless you want a public spanking, you better cut that out right now, little bunny foo-foo."

Now it was her turn to pout. His muscles were just like his name - hard as Steele - and there was no way to get away from him unless she was going to shift into her animal. Which, if she did that, she'd be crushing him again. Which might be kind of funny but...

Okay, so she kind of liked having his arms around her and being carried. Plus, this way no one could see her naked parts. Not that anyone was looking. They truly didn't care, but Bethany had been raised modestly by human standards and she'd been without privacy for so long in the lab that she just couldn't feel comfortable naked. Peeking over Steele's shoulder again, she could see that Bailey was clutching the blood-stained jacket she was wearing tightly around her, obviously feeling the same way. Heck, she must be, otherwise why would she be running around in a dead man's clothes?

Steele finally started looking around, meeting the eyes of his people, and barking orders like the sexy alpha male that he was. She thought about asking him to put her down, so that she could help, but somehow she knew that he wasn't ready to let her go yet. So she let him keep holding her. The fact that she was enjoying it as well was just a bonus.

******

"So let me get this straight," Steele said, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and ward off the impending headache he could already feel growing. This was his third interrogation of the day and by far the worst. The two mercs hadn't had much information to give up, because they hadn't been in charge. He'd handed them off to Raoul who had promised that he was doing the right thing. Raoul was going to fill them in on exactly why their buddies had died and then let them loose to gossip.

The Company was going to have a bitch of a time hiring any more mercenaries. At least, any that had any kind of honor and a reasonable price.

Now he was talking to Dr. Montgomery, with Eli watching from his office computer, while Doc and Dr. Phil dug the trackers out of Bethany and Bailey's arms. At least they hadn't needed to be knocked out for it, since they'd both insisted on sitting in on all the interrogations. This was, by far, the worst, and not just because he could feel Bethany's bloodthirsty desire to rip Dr. Montgomery into tiny bits riding on top of his.

The worst part was that the doctor didn't seem the least bit unhappy about anything. The asshole was beaming at Bethany and Bailey like a proud parent, obviously overjoyed. Which just made Steele want to rip the man's throat out. Unfortunately, he'd been nothing but cooperative.

"Let me get this straight," Steele repeated, trying to gather his thoughts. "You kidnapped five children, experimented on them, and tortured them, all for the good of humanity."

The doctor nodded earnestly. He wasn't anything like Steele had expected. He wasn't malicious or sadistic - although he was pretty sure the sisters would disagree - he was just so fucking dedicated to his science that he didn't see what he had done as wrong. Bethany and Bailey's lives were successes, as far as he was concerned, because of what they could turn into.

"For the good of the shifters," the doctor explained. His brown eyes were both bright with excitement and yet somehow dead inside, as if his soul was missing, and scientific ambition had replaced it. "Look at Bailey - we finally got the serum right. It's perfect. She's a small shifter, but she's in perfect health and she has all the immunities to the diseases that have made rabbit shifters so scarce, because she's part bear. _This_ is the answer we've been searching for! This is how we're going to save everyone!"

"So you think everything you did is justified." Steele's voice was flat, because if he didn't keep perfect control over himself, he was going to start screaming.

Dr. Montgomery blinked and frowned. "Of course it was! Do you not understand the significance of what I've done? What I've created?"

"Steele." Eli's voice snapped out, hard and fast, as if he knew Steele had reached the end of his rope. "I understand your frustration, but you can't force a conscience onto someone completely lacking."

Spinning around, Steele stared at his mate. His beautiful mate, with her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing black jeans and a tight blue shirt that showed off her curves. Looking just like a normal woman, despite what the man behind him had put her through. She was safe. That was what mattered.

"I did what I did to save lives." The doctor actually sounded indignant.

"You did it because you're an egomaniac," Bethany said coolly, speaking for the first time. Steele could feel the hate and rage in her welling up, but she didn't show a bit of it on her face. She was almost scarily good at hiding her emotions. "You did it because you don't care about individuals, you think the end justifies the means, no matter who is hurt along the way. And that's why you're a monster."

Turning around, Steele studied the doctor, who was staring at Bethany with a kind of bewilderment. As if he'd been chastised by someone he'd expected to agree with him.

"I didn't choose you, you know," the doctor said, frowning, as if he'd suddenly experienced a small prick of guilt in the face of Bethany's verbal onslaught. The way he was looking at her was even different, like he suddenly saw her as a person and not just a lab rat. "The Company brought you to me."

She just looked down her nose at him, letting his words hang in the air. The doctor hunched in on himself, looking uncomfortable. Getting up, Bethany patted the bandage Doc had just put on her arm, where the tiny tracker chip had been. Doc glared at Dr. Montgomery, who looked even unhappier by the second, and then Bethany walked out, Bailey and the two doctors quickly following. The silence stretched, and Steele was happy to let it continue.

Nothing he'd said had gotten through to the idiot, so he was happy to see the asshat squirm a bit.

Eli sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Steele, I'm sending a team to relocate the doctor to me. I'll handle further interrogations."

"I can do it," he argued, more for the sake of argument than anything else. Honestly, he couldn't wait to get away from the man. Just being in the same room made him feel unclean.

"I think it's better if I do," Eli said firmly. "I have some distance from the situation."

i.e. Eli wouldn't blow a gasket just because the man was a soulless jerk.

"Fine," Steele said, nodding to Jacqueline and Jordan, who had been quietly standing off to the side. "Take Dr. Montgomery to a cell until then."

Jacqueline grinned, her honey-badger eyes wicked. "With pleasure."

Whatever. As long as the man wasn't dead before he got to Eli, Steele really couldn't bring himself to care about the treatment of this prisoner. Besides, Jordan would keep Jacqueline from any actual maiming... Probably. 

# Chapter 8

It was no surprise when Mr. Over-Protective-and-Bossy (-and-Still-Naked) brought Bethany and Bailey back to his house. With guards. Kasim, two other men, and a female in wolf form walked with them, from Steele's office to the house the Bunsons had been staying in, where Bethany and Bailey packed up their meager belongings to bring with them to Steele's house. Bethany didn't even protest.

Honestly, seeing Dr. Montgomery today had shaken her, especially when she realized that he had no regrets over what he'd done to her and her family. Sure, The Company might have supplied the five siblings to him for experiments, but he was the one who had used them. Studied them. Having him act like that was some sort of achievement...

That was just evil. Not malicious evil, but evil all the same.

It had fucking creeped her out. So she was totally okay with moving their stuff to Steele's house; just being around him made her feel protected. Every part of her wanted to be near her mate.

She still couldn't get over the fact that he was completely okay with her strange beast. Hadn't even brought it up, actually. Some of his people had given her some looks after she'd shifted back to human, but they'd followed Steele's example and hadn't said a word about it. And, even though he'd seen how monstrous she was, he hadn't stopped being protective over her. He hadn't changed the way he treated her at all. It was more than she could have ever hoped for, and she was grabbing onto it with both hands and never letting go.

The man wanted her as a mate, he was getting her as a mate. And if he wasn't ready for it, well that was his own damned fault.

A little smile played on her lips as she thought about his probable response to her easy capitulation. That was going to be fun. He was already suspicious at the lack of argument he'd received when he'd announced that she and Bailey were staying with him.

"You can put your things in my room," he said, almost daring her to argue, after he'd sent Bailey and Kasim to unpack Bailey's things in the downstairs guest bedroom. Their other guards were outside patrolling. She wondered if she should insist Kasim get some pants on, at least, since he was going to be in Bailey's room alone with her, but Bailey didn't seem to be bothered by all the nudity. Bethany wasn't either, even if she did find it strange, so she let it go.

"Okay," she said, smiling sweetly as she trotted up the stairs.

Bethany had noticed Kasim keeping a watchful eye over Bailey, ever since the battle. He'd been the one to hold Bailey's hair back when her mind had finally caught up with the fact that she'd ripped out men's throats with her tiny bunny teeth and she'd puked. He'd also been the one to talk to her afterwards. Bethany had wanted to, but it wasn't like she had any experience in real battle either... heck, she hadn't done much other than make herself a big fat target. Twice. She didn't know what it was to kill a man, and Kasim was able to calm Bailey down fairly quickly, so she'd left the two of them alone. Her sister took comfort in Kasim's presence, and that was enough for Bethany.

Plus, if a giant lion, trained in combat, couldn't protect her sister, she didn't think she'd be able to contribute much either. Well, other than squashing her sister flat and protecting her with her own body.

Which meant that Bethany could focus on herself and Mr. Grumbling-The-Whole-Way-Up-The-Stairs, which she was grateful for. It wasn't that she didn't want to take care of her sister, but she also needed to take care of her own life too. And she felt safe enough to now. Not just because the trackers had been removed and The Company's mercs had been thwarted, but because it was obvious that Steele would do whatever he had to in order to protect her and Bailey.

He'd made himself vulnerable, just to keep her safe. The weakness that he'd felt when she'd first woken up was gone now, but when he explained how he'd woken her up, and she'd realized what that meant... well, there were worse ways to win a girl over.

Humming cheerfully to herself, she flitted into his room, her duffle bag over her shoulder and plopped it down on the bed. So far she hadn't accumulated much stuff, but that would change. And she was going to want to put her mark on Steele's room. If they were mates, then this was her room too.

"Do you have a drawer I can use?" she asked, as she looked down at the clothes in her duffle.

Black eyes narrowed at her, his eyebrows bunching together in the middle of his forehead as he stared at her, expression full of suspicion.

"What are you up to?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. It didn't escape Bethany's notice that he was standing between her and the doorway, preemptively blocking any escape attempt she might make.

She blinked, widening her eyes at him innocently. "Unpacking? I thought that's what you wanted me to do."

******

This was... far too easy. Steele didn't trust it. His mate had been fighting him every step of the way, and now she was suddenly doing what he wanted? There was a catch. There had to be.

"I do," he said, hesitating as he tried to think of a way to trip her up. She smiled brilliantly at him, making his heart pound.

When they'd stopped in her place, she'd pulled on some yoga pants and a t-shirt to cover herself. Steele still hadn't covered himself, and so there was no mistaking the fact that his dick was started to harden. His mate glanced down at his groin and smirked at him. A taunting, teasing little smirk that only encouraged his cock to rise.

He ignored his dick. The thing didn't run his life after all.

"I didn't think you'd move in quite this easily."

She shrugged, tossing her blonde hair off her shoulder as she leaned against his bed, one hand on her hip, the other resting on her full duffle. "I don't have to if you don't want me here."

She was going to drive him insane.

"I didn't say that," he growled, scowling at her. The smile on her face widened. Why didn't that make him feel any better? "So, you're fine with moving in here."

"Yes." Dropping her hands to her sides, she started walking towards him, a little sway in her hips.

"You accept that you're my mate?" He steeled his emotions for her rejection.

"Yes." She came closer, stopping in front of him and putting her hand on his bare chest, her fingers sliding through the curly hair.

The air in his lungs whooshed out. Steele glared down at her.

"What are you up to?" he asked, growling, his arms still crossed in front of him. He didn't trust her for a second.

Bethany just laughed, and her blue eyes sparked as she wrapped her hand around his cock, which was completely erect now. His knees threatened to buckle.

"I don't think I'm the one who's _up_ ," she purred, leaning into him. Her hand tightened.

Aw fuck it. She was definitely up to something, but it's not like he really needed to know _right now_ what it was. He wasn't going to cut off his nose to spite his face. Besides, they'd had a very trying day so far. People often felt the need to celebrate life and affirm themselves with sex after violence.

There was no point in arguing with her, he might as well just let her have what she obviously wanted.

He was giving like that.

"Okay, baby, if that's how you want to play," he said, loosening his arms and sliding them around, bending down for a kiss. For just a second, he stayed on guard, wondering if she was going to try something... but she just kissed him back, hopping up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Gripping her ass with his hands, Steele grinned as their kiss deepened, easily carrying her towards the bed while she rubbed her hands all over his body. His mate was a frisky little thing, who apparently only had one thing on her mind. He still thought she was up to something, but he was willing to be distracted for the moment.

The emotions he was getting from her were mischief and aroused heat, which was steadily growing. Fine with him.

She squealed as she bounced on the bed, scooting away from him. Steele growled, the hunter inside of him perking up at the small chase. As soon as he'd crawled onto the bed after her though, she turned the tables. With her hands on his shoulders, she pushed him onto his back, and he accidentally kicked her duffle off the bed. She ignored it, not seeming upset at all.

"What's this?" he asked, propping up his hands behind his head as she straddled him. While his wolf wasn't too fond of this submissive position, his human side was curious.

"This is me... exploring," his mate said happily, her hands spread out over his chest. The expression on her face was so content that, even if she was filled with mischief, he knew there was no way he was going to stop her. His wolf could deal.

Especially because he was rather enjoying the way she was looking at him; like he was a big chocolate sundae that she wanted to lick up. Speaking of licking... Steele shuddered as she bent over and laved her small, pink tongue over his nipple. Bethany scooted down his body so that her lush ass was pressing against the head of his cock, obviously intrigued by his reaction.

Keeping his hands behind his head was an exercise in willpower as Bethany explored his chest with her hands and nipples, making his cock throb. He had to remind himself over and over that she'd never gotten to do this with any other man. Being able to sense her true delight as she found his most sensitive spots helped. Unfortunately, he couldn't trust himself to return the favor... as soon as he put his hands on her, he was going to take over. It was just the way he was built.

His balls tightened as she lifted herself up and pulled off her pants, dropping them over the side of the bed, and then placing herself back down, squarely on his cock. The wet slit of her pussy parted for him, the thick mushroom head of his dick peeking between her lips.

He actually whimpered.

"Are you trying to kill me, woman?"

She giggled, and then gasped as his hips lifted, rubbing the underside of his cock all along the length of her pussy. "Oh... that feels..."

"That's right baby. Why don't you take your shirt off?" he asked smoothly, his voice filled with heat and sexual promise. She only hesitated for a second before obliging him.

Damn... shifters didn't make a big deal out of nudity, but he knew he'd never get tired of looking at her. It wasn't just because she had a gorgeous body though, everyone would get to see that - what they wouldn't get to see was the way her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment and desire, the way she bit her lip, and the needy look in her eyes as she squirmed on top of him. That vision was all his and he wasn't sharing.

Now he could watch her breasts bounce as she rocked back and forth on his cock, her focus turned inward, and he could feel her excitement and surprise as she assimilated all the new sensations. Considering that she'd been a virgin a week ago, he wasn't too surprised that she wanted to play a little this time. And hell if he wasn't enjoying being her playground.

"Pinch your nipples, baby."

Her hands started to raise and then she suddenly frowned down at him. "Why don't you pinch my nipples?" she asked, her chin raising slightly in challenge, as if demanding to know why she was doing all the work.

Steele didn't bother explaining to her that as an alpha he liked watching her follow his orders. He just grinned at her wolfishly. "Because, sweetheart, once my hands are involved, playtime is over and you're going to be on your back, screaming my name."

A shudder went through her body, her eyes sparking. She turned her head slightly away so that she was no longer meeting his gaze as she lifted her hands to her breasts, squeezing the soft mounds and pinching her nipples between her fingers. Moaning, she started rocking on him again, torturing and pleasuring him all at once.

He hadn't been lying either. He was holding onto his self-control by a thread, and only her sincere enjoyment in what she was doing was keeping him from letting go. This was not a position he'd ever found himself in before, but he was willing to do it for her. At least for a while. Eventually his control was going to snap though, and he was going to plunge himself into her hot, sweet pussy until she was screaming his name and clawing his back. He wouldn't object to more biting either.

******

Who knew Mr. Alpha-and-You-Know-It could be so playful? Especially when his muscles were all clenched and his jaw was ticking, and he was looking at her like she was tasty prey and he was a hungry, hungry wolf. Bethany couldn't help but tease him, and herself at the same time, she just hadn't expected him to play along for so long.

It was fun, sliding her hands over his skin, like silk over iron - the man had more muscles than a Greek statue for heaven's sake - and playing with his chest hair, teasing his nipples. He really liked it when she licked and sucked those. Having his naked body spread out for her like a meal was the most delicious thing she'd ever seen.

Yeah, she could deal with the whole mate thing. Especially since he was her mate.

She'd nearly burst out laughing at his suspicious nature. Funny how when she'd been pushing him away, he'd taken it in stride, but as soon as she'd stopped pushing, he hadn't been able to deal with it. Her brothers were the same way. Nothing made them more wary than innocence and sincerity. That was going to be a lot of fun too.

Now she was rubbing her wet pussy all over his cock and playing with herself like a porn star, just waiting to see when Mr. Totally-In-Control would finally break. She had to admit, she was pretty turned on by how turned on he was watching her. Naked women weren't exactly a big thing in the shifter community, she'd already figured out. No one blinked or even turned their heads... but the way Steele was watching her, it was like he thought _her_ naked body was the most beautiful and desirable thing in the world.

As long as he kept looking at her like that, who cared that she'd never have a buffet of men? All she needed was a buffet of this man. Heck, she'd seen plenty of sexy naked males today, and none of them had gotten her hot and horny like Steele did. Maybe that was the difference between sex with a man and sex with a mate.

Actually, that brought up a question that had been hovering in the back of her mind for a while now.

"Do you think I'd still be your mate if I was still human?"

Dark eyes blinked in astonishment. " _Now_? You want to talk about this _now_?"

She shrugged, sliding her hands down her body while he watched, and then onto his, bringing them to rest on his chest. "I didn't want to forget to ask again."

With an irate growl, Mr. Don't-Question-Me flipped her over onto her back, pinning her hands by the side of her head and looming over her like the irate, alpha male that he was. Bethany could sense his astonishment that she would even question him over this, as well as his impatience with and affection for her.

"Woman, you are going to drive me insane," he snapped out. " _Yes_ , you would be my true, fated mate, period. That's how it works. The only way we wouldn't be is if we'd met after I'd mated someone else, that bond would have already been broken and we would have never known."

Now it was Bethany's turn to growl at the idea of Steele mated to someone else. He grinned down at her, pleased at her show of jealousy. Asshole.

"So you're saying you're stuck with me, even though you wouldn't have chosen me."

The expression on his face was priceless. Totally worth it. She didn't really think that way - he'd been pretty obvious about making their relationship more than just a biological urge. Plus, she could feel his emotions towards her, and they were far more than just tolerant or resigned acceptance. In fact, right now, she was pissing him off and turning him on, simultaneously. Yay multi-tasking!

He narrowed his eyes at her and rocked his body, pressing her wetness against his hard cock and making her gasp. Bethany was very suddenly aware of just how big and heavy he was atop her, and how helpless she was with his big hands pressing her wrists into the mattress and her legs spread over his hips. She licked her lips as arousal shot through her. Steele rocked again and she shuddered as the pleasure shot through her.

"I would have chased you down and made you mine even without the mate bond," he said, rocking his hips again for emphasis. Bethany whimpered and writhed, her pussy pulsing as he pulled his hips back and slid just the head of his cock into her pussy, teasing her with it. "You're tough, you're funny, you're protective, bossy, independent, and you're a survivor. You're everything I ever wanted in a mate."

Lowering his lips to her ear, he paused for just a moment.

"You never had a chance, sweetheart," he whispered, and thrust his whole cock into her slick sheath to punctuate his claim. Bethany cried out as he stretched her with his thick length, lifting her hips to take all of him, her body greedy to have him inside of her.

She wanted to reach up and touch him, but Mr. On-Top-and-In-Charge had completely taken over. Between the teasing and then her questions, he needed to reestablish his dominance, and he'd obviously decided to do so by fulfilling the promise that he'd made her. Even though she wanted to touch him, she found herself loving this display of alpha-male aggressiveness. That could also be because it felt really, really good.

This was one area she was totally okay with him being Mr. Bossy-Without-Pants. It didn't tick her off, in fact it totally turned her on.

"Harder!" she demanded, pushing up off the bed to meet each of his thrusts.

Growling, Steele pulled out instead and she squealed her protest as he flipped her over, gasping when he pushed back inside of her the second he got her on all fours. Holy crap... he felt even bigger in this position... and she suddenly realized that it was a very _submissive_ position. Which, she was totally okay with.

As his cock pressed into her, it rubbed right over her g-spot, making her shudder as the sensation rolled through her. His body pressed against her ass, one hand pushing down the middle of her back, the other wrapped around her hip to hold her in place. And it felt a-fucking-mazing. Both her human and animal sides were totally in sync on this position and loving every second of it.

******

His mate's rounded ass rippled with the force of his thrusts as he pounded into her, the whimpering noises she was making driving him harder and faster. Having her completely at his mercy, taking his cock with every evidence of enthusiasm, and lifting her hips to take him deeper, had his own control sliding away.

When she screamed his name, it completely undid it.

His wolf howled as he threw his head back, unloading all his stress and fear and adrenaline from the fight into her willing body, her pussy clenching around him and milking his cock. Leaning forward, pressing his hands onto the bed next to hers, he covered her body completely as his orgasm left him feeling utterly, satisfactorily, drained.

Beneath him, Bethany slumped, her bottom still tilted up, but he could feel her going lax. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he fell onto his side, pulling her with him to keep them intimately connected. Nuzzling the back of her neck, he slid his other arm under her head to pillow her.

"Mmmm..." The absolute content in her voice had him grinning with smugness. It was probably a good thing they were spooning so that she couldn't see his face.

Still, he couldn't help but feel that there was a trap somewhere in here for him.

"So, you definitely accept that you're my mate?"

Her body shook against his as she giggled. "Didn't we already go over this?"

"Just making sure." His fingers tickled her stomach, making her squirm and giggle even more. "After all, you didn't reassure me that you want me as your mate for all the right reasons."

"It's because you have a huge cock."

Steele growled and she giggled again, then shrieked as he tickled her harder, thrashing and trying to get away from him. Squirming around, she met his gaze, mischief in her bright blue eyes. He scowled at her. "I demand a recounting of _all_ my best attributes to sum up why you've accepted me as your mate. My huge cock only counts as one."

Laughing, she poked his stomach and shook her head ruefully. "Not ticklish at all."

"Nope." Huge lie, but he wasn't going to tell her about the backs of his knees. That information was going to be kept from her for as long as possible. Which meant that he needed to keep her away from his sisters for as long as possible too.

She sighed. "Fine. You're hot, you have a huge cock, you're a really fantastic lover-" He growled at her again and she rolled her eyes. "You're kind of a woman with how much reassurance you need - eek! Wait! Stop!" She burrowed into him as a defense, and he stopped tickling her because he really liked the way she felt all pressed up against his chest. With her face buried underneath his head, her voice became a little softer, a little more vulnerable - as if it was hard for her to actually say the words. "You're protective and bossy, but I truly believe that you care, and you make me feel safe - which I didn't think would ever happen - and you make me feel comfortable. Even though everything is new here, I feel like I'm home."

The admission made Steele cough a little. That escalated quickly. They were both a little emotionally raw now. Holding her tight, he knew his voice was a little gruff but that couldn't be helped. "Well as long as you know and acknowledge how awesome I am - ow!"

She'd bit him!

******

When they woke up a few hours later, Steele wasn't surprised to smell that the first floor of his house had pretty much been taken over by his pack. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, of course. Plus, check out to make sure the alpha couple was okay. They'd been remarkably patient, considering that no one had come upstairs to wake him and Bethany from their nap.

He could tell that Bethany was a little surprised and uncomfortable with the large crowd of people, but she held her own. It helped that everyone enthusiastically went out of their way to make her feel welcome. They were all thrilled that Steele's mate had finally accepted the position - and that she was such a strong asset. Everyone had been curious about her animal too, and seeing Bethany's surprise, consternation, and then awe as everyone accepted her completely made him grin.

Before they'd come downstairs, she'd asked him if her animal bothered him and he'd been shocked that she was even worried. That was one big, badass bunny she had inside of her and Steele was thrilled that his mate could take care of herself - and wanted to. Although, if she jumped in front of a bullet again, he still reserved the right to spank her, protective turtle shell or no.

In the kitchen, Kasim and Dr. Phil's wife, a koala shifter named Aubri, were showing Bailey how to make meat stew - Steele could also smell a roast already in the oven, and there was a veritable buffet already laid out on his kitchen table. Dr. Phil and Doc were in close conversation near the television, which made them hard to overheard, so he guessed they were probably talking about the Bunsons. Jacqueline, Jordan, and Raoul were all crowded onto the couch with their squads ranged around the room, watching the college basketball game on the television. The group near the food, which mostly consisted of older females, were the ones currently fussing over Bethany.

Lacy King, Vivian March, and Edith Bryant, the three matriarchs of the pack, were all in full on mothering mode. He had a feeling they were miffed at being denied their chance to mother Bailey and be involved in the cooking lessons, so now that Bethany was available to them, they were taking full advantage. Especially since she was the new alpha female. The talk centered around having a mating ceremony, just to make things completely official and to give the pack an excuse to celebrate. Bethany seemed to take their enthusiastic planning with good humor.

He could feel his mate's wonderment as she soaked up the attention; nervous but pleased to be fussed over. That kind of surprised him since she seemed to consider his fussing to be overprotective and bossy, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The ladies would be able to help Bethany with everything she needed to know about everyone and everything in the pack, and they'd be thrilled to do it. Besides which, he had no doubt the Bunson sisters could use a little benevolent mothering.

Leaning back against the wall, he looked over his little kingdom, feeling that everything was just as it should be. 

# Epilogue

Bethany couldn't believe how quickly she'd been assimilated into town life after just a couple of days. She'd thought it would be difficult, considering how long she and her siblings had been kept in a laboratory, but everyone seemed to want to help. Even Steele's ex-lovers had been incredibly sweet and helpful... which she thought she would find weird, but ended up just making sense. None of them had expected to mate him and so they were happy for him that he'd found the perfect mate.

While she obviously wouldn't be so cavalier about him if she was his ex, she could understand why none of them were bitter about not being his mate. They wanted their own mates, not someone else's.

Going by what Edith said (and Bethany was quickly learning that when it came to gossip, Edith's word was gold), none of them had expected to be his mate either and they'd only ever had the most superficial of relationships. Plus, it helped that Bethany had been perfectly nice to them when she'd met them. Of course, she hadn't known they were Steele's exes at the time, but she'd decided it was probably better that way. They were just part of the huge group of people living here and she preferred that they blend into the crowd.

Besides, she had no energy to be jealous. There was too much to see and learn. Not only were she and Bailey catching up on the news and culture that they'd missed while they were being held captive (so many movies to watch!), but there was plenty to learn about the town as well. Vivian, Edith and Lacy, three older ladies who were best friends and had been kind of holding the position of alpha female collectively, had taken both Bethany and Bailey under their wing. Now that Bethany was no longer resisting the idea of being Steele's mate, and was willing to talk about holding a ceremony, she had no problem spending time with them them. And they were a lot of fun.

There had been feminine pampering in the form of haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and some painful waxing at Vivian's salon (their hair done by Vivian herself, which Edith informed them was a rare treat, since Vivian rarely cut hair herself anymore), shopping, endless introductions to the residents, training with Steele's squads, runs with Bailey to get her used to her shifted form, and learning how to do all sorts of things they needed for day-to-day life. Poor Bailey was even more behind than Bethany; she'd never had the chance to learn how to cook or do the laundry or all sorts of day to day activities. Bethany wasn't much help since she barely remembered how to do a lot of that either.

Kasim had really stepped up to the plate when it came to helping Bailey out while Bethany was busy... Vivian was like a shark scenting blood when it came to pushing the two of them together. Lacy whispered to Bethany that Vivian and her husband Arthur had never had children so Vivian took it upon herself to mother _everyone_. And she considered herself the resident matchmaker.  So far neither Bailey nor Kasim seemed to be interested in doing more than flirting, but that was okay. He wasn't the only one Bailey was flirting with either, but he didn't seem to mind, so it wasn't like they were fated mates or anything. Besides, they would have known right away if they were, the way Steele had known with Bethany.

Despite Vivian's pushy personality, she and Bethany got along incredibly well. It helped that Vivian was balanced out by gossipy, flaky, friendly Edith, and shy, sweet Lacy.

Everything would be perfect... except that she knew her mate was hiding something from her.

Whenever she went to visit Mr. Too-Good-To-Be-True? at work, he would come rushing out to meet her outside his office door - which he always closed behind him. As if he didn't want her to even be able to look in there. Which, considering how fucking awesome Bethany was being about meeting his ex-lovers, she was pretty ticked about. Just what was so bad that he didn't want her to know about it?

There were also the occasional phone calls that he always took outside. Or in his home office, which was soundproofed, much to her dismay. Not that she'd tried to listen in. Well, she hadn't tried really hard, anyway.

Even Bailey agreed that he was being kind of sketchy, although she insisted that he would have a perfectly logical reason for his behavior, if Bailey would just talk to him about it. But Bailey also worshiped the ground Steele walked on, and she just didn't understand how hard it was for Bethany to talk to Steele about this.

Anything else - hell yeah. They talked about anything and everything. He told her about his sisters - Violet, Iris, Rose, Lily and Pansy - and the way his parents spoiled them. They talked about how his father had taught him to be both an alpha and a wolf, and why he'd eventually started his own pack without actually meaning to. It had just kind of happened when he'd created the town and then his soldiers had started wanting their mates to live with them, and they'd all needed basic services, and it had just eventually become a small town, filled with all sorts of shifters. That was, in part, because Steele was happy to accept any kind of shifter into his pack - which was probably why they all accepted the Bunsons so easily. There were all sorts of shifters, from Jacqueline the honey-badger to Walt the camel to Brian the manatee (who was, strangely enough, afraid of water). It was the only place a bear-sized bunny could possibly hope to fit in.

Which was why she was so afraid to talk to Steele. She didn't want to lose what she and Bailey had here... whatever he was hiding, it had to be bad. He'd told her pretty much everything else about his life and his work, no matter how embarrassing or awful it was.

The man had even admitted that his real name was Stephanotis. Yeah, that's right, like the flower. Just like his sisters. He'd trusted Bethany with that - after swearing her to secrecy, she couldn't even tell Bailey - so what did he feel he had to hide from her?

She didn't think he was cheating on her or anything like that. They had sex in every position imaginable, at all times of the day, and (if that weren't enough reassurance) she was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to block that through the bond. And yes, he was definitely blocking something from her, but all she was able to pick up a low level of consternation and a tiny bit of guilt.

It was driving her fucking insane.

So really, it was nobody's fault but his that she did something a little crazy.

"Ouch."

"Shhh," Bethany hissed.

"These vents are too fucking small," Bailey mumbled.

"Shhhh!"

Bethany was regretting bringing her sister along, even though she'd wanted Bailey there for moral support.

They were breaking into Steele's office. He thought they were at the florist's, learning about flowers from Edith's daughter Maybelle, but Maybelle was covering for them. She was a sweetheart, just like her mom, although much less flaky than Edith was. Of course, Edith was retired and Maybelle was running a shop, so that might have something to do with it. It was easy to be flaky when you didn't have any responsibilities.

Unfortunately, moving through the vents in Steele's building wasn't as easy as anticipated. Bailey was taller and had longer limbs than Bethany did, and so she was having much more trouble moving along.

"Ouch!"

"You should shift," Bethany whispered, poking Bailey's ankle.

"What?"

"Shift!"

"Oh... why didn't I think of that?"

A couple seconds later, Bailey's clothes crumpled, empty, and the little white bunny nosed its way out of the cloth. Bethany sighed. Great, now she was going to have to drag Bailey's clothing along as she moved. Bailey twitched her nose, like she had come to the same realization and was laughing inside.

The good news was, they moved a heck of a lot better now, even with Bethany having to drag Bailey's clothes. They'd both dressed in identical black pants and t-shirts - not that anyone could see them, but it just seemed like the right outfit for sneaking. She'd even put a black knit hat over her blonde hair. It made her feel very ninja.

Of course, none of that mattered now with Bailey's fluffy white ass hopping through the vents. She was moving a lot faster than Bethany, being careful to stay as quiet as she could. When she slowed down, Bethany knew that they must be getting close to Steele's office.

Her heart pounded as Bailey stopped and she drew closer. Part of her wondered if she really wanted to know what was going on... but she knew that if she didn't find out soon, she was going to explode all over her mate and not in a good way.

******

"So we can kill him now, right?"

This was the fifth time that Steele had asked that question in as many days.

Ever since Eli's men had picked up Dr. Montgomery, Steele had asked that question once a day after Eli had called him about the information they'd gotten from the doctor. The answer had always been no. Granted, Eli was doing a pretty good job of gathering information from the man, but the protective, vengeful side of Steele wouldn't feel comfortable until the man was dead and no longer a threat to his mate or her sister.

Worse, he couldn't tell Bethany that her ordeal was fully over yet... because Dr. Montgomery was still alive. Not only that, but the only people he would give any information to were her brothers; which meant that her siblings were coming in contact with their tormentor every day. It was obvious that his real interest was in the females though, especially Bailey. He always asked about them, although he seemed to understand that he wouldn't get the chance to see them.

Even if the fucker asked to see the women, and Eli somehow agreed, Steele would say no. He didn't care if they didn't get another word out of the man after that. It would just be one more excuse to go ahead and turn him into wormfeed.

Eli rubbed his hand over his face, including the scruff that he'd allowed to grow on his cheeks, which was very unlike him, and Steele growled, already knowing he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted.

"No."

Banging his fist on his desk, Steele glared at Eli's face on his computer screen. The polar bear shifter averted his eyes. Not a good sign.

"How much longer does this asshole get to live?"

Silence.

Eli continued to look away from the screen, his expression growing guilty.

Oh hell no.

" _We're letting him live?!_ "

"We don't have a choice," Eli said quietly, finally looking back at the screen and meeting Steele's eyes by the power of the internet. His green eyes were tired and... kind of sick looking actually, as if he were disgusted with himself or ashamed. "We need him and his research."

"You mean the research he conducted by experimenting on my mate and her siblings." The wood of Steele's desk creaked ominously as his fingers dug into it.

"I'm not saying what he did was right. We all know it wasn't... but we need his results," Eli said steadily. He sounded like he was repeating something he'd learned by rote, something that he'd had to say over and over again - to others and to himself.

The creaking of Steele's desk was getting louder and then an explosive crash echoed through his office as dust, drywall, and pieces of metal went flying everywhere and high pitched shrieks pieced his ears. Eli's voice, shouting and asking what was happening and if they were under attack threaded through it all.

The air was thick with white, chalky dust of the broken drywall as Steele pulled himself back up from where he'd instinctively ducked underneath his desk, gun from his drawer in hand. The fluffy mass of fur now sitting in the middle of his office sneezed, bunny ears pressed against its back and shoulders rounded, looking ashamed of itself as Steele sighed and brought himself up to a standing position.

"It's fine, Eli, I'm fine, everything's fine," he said, picking up his computer and turning it so that Eli could see the giant bunny now sitting in the middle of the office. If bunnies could blush, this one would. A small coughing noise and then Bailey suddenly appeared beside the big bunny, using her sister's puffy, dust-covered fur to cover some of her nudity. Steele felt a headache coming on. He sighed. "Say hello girls."

"Hi," said Bailey with a little finger wave and a weak smile. Bethany's nose twitched.

Putting the lap top back down, Steele grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and tossed it to Bailey, before stripping off his shirt and offering it to the larger bunny. Bethany immediately transformed, shrinking down and grabbing his shirt from him. Neither of the Bunson sisters were really all that comfortable with nudity, although they tried to pretend otherwise. Steele found himself amused and aroused by it, since it meant seeing Bethany naked was something special... tantalizing... and definitely not where his mind needed to go right now.

Looking up at the hole in his ceiling, he closed his eyes, pinching his fingers over the bridge of his nose where a headache was definitely forming. The fucking air vents - meant to be an escape route if it became necessary for the office to be evacuated and the normal exits were unavailable, and, of course, his mate and her sister were using them to spy. He could only guess that they'd overheard enough of what he and Eli were talking about to piss Bethany off enough to shift, and the ceiling couldn't handle the weight of a giant, armored bunny.

"Um, sorry." Bethany's voice was small and a tiny bit of anxious fear pulsed through their bond, which Steele reacted to immediately.

His eyes popped open as he held open his arms, and she immediately ran into them for a hug and reassurance that he wasn't _really_ mad. Looking around at his office, which looked like it was covered in a very light layer of snow, he could only shake his head. It didn't matter how much chaos his mate created, it didn't change his feelings about her one bit. Even if he was going to take it out on her ass later.

Apparently reassured, Bethany pushed away from him a little and looked at the computer screen where Eli was watching with an expression of bemusement on his face.

"So, what's this about needing Dr. Montgomery?"

******

Nothing like losing control of her anger and crashing through the ceiling. She'd been doing so well at hiding her emotions from Mr. Hiding-Things-From-His-Mate up until that point too. Unfortunately just the thought of Dr. Montgomery's research being used had pretty much thrown her into a blind rage and she'd shifted, and her and Bailey's stealth operation had literally come crashing down around them, leaving her clothes shredded and Steele's office a chaotic mess.

Now, safely wrapped in her mate's arms (and appreciating the fact that he was just as pissed as she was), she glared at Eli. The admittedly attractive head of the shifter security specialists Steele's men worked for was looking a little worse for wear, his guilt evident on his face, but he didn't back down either.

"We need his research and, unfortunately, that means we need him," Eli explained, not sounding very happy about it. Bailey moved over to stand next to them, Steele's jacket covering everything from her thighs up. Somewhere in this mess, her clothes should be fine, but that wasn't exactly the priority right now. "While we managed to get a lot of information from The Company's files that we took from the lab, and the doctor has told us as much as he knows about The Company, when it comes to his research, he kept a lot of it in his head. We can't build off his results without him and that's what we need to do."

"Why?" Bethany demanded to know as Steele unwrapped one arm from around her and held it out to bring Bailey into their orbit. Her little sister snuggled in, shooting Mr. Suddenly-Sharing a look of absolute adoration, before turning a much less friendly look on Eli.

"I'm not sure how much you know about shifters, but the prey animals are going extinct," Eli said quietly, his expression pained. Behind Bethany, Steele winced and she could feel some of his pain leaking through. "We've lost the majority of the population of smaller animal shifters over the last decade, some of them friends and family, to diseases that ravage them and barely affect the larger shifters. That's what Dr. Montgomery was researching, a way to stop that. From what we've managed to put together, his mate was a fox and when she and their kits died in the first wave of disease, he pretty much lost it. He became entirely devoted to his work and his work was entirely devoted to saving the smaller shifters. I'll be frank, he's fucking insane and he's convinced that the ends justify the means no matter how immoral the means are, but he's also brilliant and his work could save the population we have left."

Geezus... Bethany wanted to bang her head against the wall. She could feel her mate's astonishment, his reluctance acceptance of Eli's explanations. Beside her, Bailey was chewing on her lower lip, looking torn. And Bethany...

"At what cost?" she asked, although she could already feel her resistance weakening. Yeah, she thought Dr. Montgomery should be held accountable for what he'd done to her and her family, but at the same time, if what they'd gone through really could help people... still, she could testify to how painful it was. And she hadn't even been a shifter to begin with. "How do we know he's not lying? We weren't shifters when he experimented on us, how do we know his work will even help?"

"We don't. Not yet, but," Eli took a deep breath, "we have a couple of squirrels here; a young woman and her fifteen year old brother. They have the Torch. It's a slow acting disease that causes high fevers and a lot of pain, I'm told it feels like you're actually burning alive. Until now, all we've been able to do is treat the symptoms and supply patients with enough morphine to go peacefully. It's already killed their parents and their aunt, the only family they have left in the world, is starting to show signs of the disease as well.

"We gave Dr. Montgomery access to a lab and he's spent the last forty eight hours working on something that will allow them to fight off the disease like a larger shifter would. In us, it only manifests as something similar to the human flu - a week of fever, dehydration, and some vomiting - but the larger shifters have a 98% recovery rate. It only kills the very old or the very young of our species. What he's doing might change them, but all three of them have talked to your brothers about what the change might be like, and they're willing to take the risk in order to become well. They won't be the last, I can guarantee that."

Green eyes stared at her squarely, his doubt and shame gone, changed into a calm confidence. "I made the decision to offer him life, under guard and in our labs, with no chance of freedom or parole, in exchange for his work, in exchange for _others_ ' lives. There will be no experimenting on humans and he will be watched constantly by our own scientists and guards. If he even attempts to escape, that offer is forfeit, but I had to make it. He doesn't deserve it, but the people he could save... they do."

Now Bethany was clinging to both her sister and Steele, trying to deal with the conflicting emotions inside of her. How could she argue with Eli when he put it like that? And at the same time, she wanted Montgomery's blood... she wanted it so badly she could taste it. Life would have been so much easier if Kasim had let Bailey kill the man.

Then again, that would have been an automatic death sentence - and an awful death - for the squirrel shifters Eli was talking about. And he was right. They didn't deserve that. It sounded like they'd already been through so much. Losing their parents, only each other and their aunt left of their family... of course she knew how too much of that felt.

She stared silently back at Eli, unable to come up with any words to say. What could she say?

The blond man looked away and then back at the screen. "Hold on a moment."

He got up, leaving the view, and Bethany looked at her sister. Bailey's big blue eyes were filled with tears.

"This might not be so bad," Bailey whispered, reaching out and taking Bethany's hand, leaning into Steele's shoulder. Mr. Tall-and-Protective really was pretty comfortable when it came to needing someone to lean on. "At least this way, what we went through wasn't for nothing. It might even do some good in the world."

"That's what we thought too." The deep voice made both Bailey and Bethany perk up, happiness flooding through them as they turned their attention back to the computer screen.

The two grinning faces had them squealing with glee. "Brock! Brice!"

They looked good... rugged and somehow sharpened. Healthier too, with tanned skin and the blonde streaks in Brice's hair seemed to have multiplied. Both of them were wearing black tank tops that showed off their shoulders and arms, which sported a few bruises and scratches. Bethany assumed from training. It was almost weird to see Brock smiling, but it looked good on him, even if his smile wasn't as big as Brice's. Seeing her brothers looking so happy and healthy made tears spark in her eyes.

"Where's Brady?" Bethany demanded, her eyes darting around the screen, as if the eldest Bunson might magically appear upon command.

"He's with Jessie, the squirrel Eli was telling you about," Brice said, his grin widening. "He's got a cru-u-u-u-sh."

Brock rolled his eyes but he didn't deny Brice's statement.

"Wait, so he's found his mate too?" Bethany asked, excited for her brother, but now also worried for him. If whatever Dr. Montgomery did didn't work - and yes, she realized that she was now totally on board with Eli using the doctor to save the smaller shifters - then how would her brother handle it?

"Ah, no, sweetheart," Steele rumbled behind her. "What happened with us... well that was a one in a million chance. Most people don't ever find their 'true' mate. They just fall in love and get mated."

"Oh." Well that was kind of disappointing, but also a relief, just in case this they ended up not being able to help this Jessie.

"So..." Brock said, raising his eyebrow and glaring over the top of Bethany's head, his blue eyes icy. "You got us out of town and mated our sister right away, huh?" The protective challenge in his voice made Bethany roll her eyes. As if she couldn't take care of herself!

"Actually, she mated me first," Mr. Obnoxiously-Smug said, before grunting as Bethany elbowed him in the stomach. Bailey giggled. He squeezed her. "So if you've got a problem with it, take it up with her."

"She's smiling, so no problem yet," Brock said, eyeing him. Brice smiled, nodding his head and backing up his older brother's words. "It goes without saying that if you hurt her, even Eli won't be able to find your body."

"If it goes without saying, why did you feel the need to say it?" grumbled Bethany, glaring at her brothers. She wrapped her arms around her mate's waist, snuggling into him. Steele just grinned, obviously not at all bothered by her brothers' threat and pleased with her reaction.

"Just making sure he knows," Brock said darkly. This time Bethany saw Bailey rolling her eyes too.

"Okay, well enough with the family stuff," Eli said, stepping back into the picture. His model blonde good looks seemed even more streamlined and refined when placed next to the Bunson brothers' more rugged features. "Are you and Bailey going to be okay with this?" His tone became drier. "I'd rather not have to worry about guarding Dr. Montgomery's whereabouts from you as well as the rest of the world."

The two sisters looked at each other and then Bethany looked up at Steele. He nodded, although the little lines around his eyes were tight. It bothered him to let Dr. Montgomery live but... lives could be saved. Their sacrifice could mean something. Letting out a long breath, Bethany nodded and then Bailey did too.

"We understand," Bethany said, speaking for all of them. She turned her gaze back to the men on the screen. "Although if whatever Dr. Montgomery does to Jessie and her family doesn't work or makes them worse, I'll want to revisit this topic."

"Agreed," growled Brock, backed up by another growl from Brice. She couldn't help but smile at her brothers' growly ways. In some ways, they were more bear than bunny.

She wished she could have seen Brady too, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be glad he'd found someone he was actually interested in. Bethany wanted everyone in her family to find the same happiness that she had with Mr. Sexy-and-You-Know-It. She just hoped that Dr. Montgomery managed to save Jesse and the squirrel family, using the knowledge he'd gotten from experimenting on hers.

Snuggling deeper into Steele's arms, she felt him kiss the top of her head and she smiled. Somehow, as long as she had him, everything would be okay.

******

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# About the Author

About me? Right... I'm a writer, I should be able to do that, right?

I'm a happily married young woman and I like tater tots, small fuzzy animals, naming my plants, hiking, reading, writing, sexy time, naked time, shirtless o'clock, anything sparkly or shiny, and weirding people out with my OCD food habits.

I believe in Happy Endings. And fairies. And Santa Claus. Because without a little magic, what's the point of living?

I write because I must. I live in several different worlds at any given moment. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Stay sassy.

Other Titles by Golden Angel

Bridal Discipline Series

Philip's Rules

Undisciplined (Book 1.5)

Gabrielle's Discipline

Lydia's Penance

Benedict's Commands

Arabella's Taming

Domestic Discipline Quartet

Birching His Bride

Dealing With Discipline

Punishing His Ward

Claiming His Wife

Venus Rising Quartet

The Venus School

Venus Aspiring

Venus Desiring

Venus Transcendent

Stronghold Series

Stronghold

Taming the Tease

On His Knees

Mastering Lexie

Pieces of Stronghold

Breaking the Chain

Bound to the Past

Stripping the Sub

Tempting the Domme

Hardcore Vanilla (Coming Fall 2018)

Poker Loser Trilogy

Forced Bet

Back in the Game

Winning Hand

Poker Loser Trilogy Bundle (3 books in 1!)

Big Bad Bunnies Series

Chasing His Bunny

Chasing His Squirrel

Chasing His Puma

Chasing His Polar Bear (Coming Winter 2018)

Night of the Wild Stags – A Reverse Harem romance set in the Big Bad Bunnies World

Celestial Mates

Mated on Hades
