“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, and holding his hand, followed him out the door.

Grey stood in the same spot.  About half the men waited before him, the same number of men still watched.

“Can you call them back?” Thomas said to Grey.

Grey looked at his brother and laughed.

“This is the group.”

“What happened to the rest?” I asked.

Grey shrugged.

“They decided they didn’t want to make history.”

It took Thomas less than five minutes to accept the rest into the pack.  Before the crowd could break up, a man stepped forward.

“I challenge you,” he said, “for her.”  He pointed at me.

The man wasn’t as tall as Thomas, but he was solid.  His dark hair hung over equally dark eyes.  I reached out and touched his will.  Before it slid away, hate, anger, and greed swamped me.

“She’s already Claimed,” Thomas said.

“Good.  Then there’s still a chance.  A fight to the death,” the man said.

The man’s confidence scared me.  He was completely certain that he would win.

I looked at Thomas.

“Death?”

“Death dissolves the Claim so another can Claim you.”

I stared at him and recalled how I’d wanted to undo our Claim.  I’d never given death a thought.  And I never would.

“No,” I said.  Thomas rubbed a thumb across my cheek then looked up at the man.

“I accept.”

“No,” I said again, this time feeling a little panicked.  Thomas had fought five wolves the day before and still wore the marks from that.  And something about this challenger was off.  When I’d touched that man’s will, it had felt so different from the rest.  Maybe it was the extreme hostility.  Regardless, I wasn’t going to let them fight.

“I’m not one of you,” I said.  “Your way of Claiming doesn’t work on me.  I have to Claim you.  And I refuse.  So the challenge is pointless.”  I turned to Grey.  “Right?”

Grey was quiet for a moment.  “We agree with Charlene.  The challenge is pointless if she’s not willing to change her Claim.”

“I’m not willing,” I said, firmly.

The man stared at me for several long heartbeats, and I thought he would argue.  He wore his anger plainly on his face.  His eyes narrowed then his gaze swept over the crowd.  The men behind him shifted restlessly until his gaze once again settled on me.

“It begins,” the man said softly.

“What begins?” Thomas asked.

“The hunt for the other human women,” the man said.  Something about the man unnerved me.  And, almost as if he sensed it, he smiled genially and met Thomas’ thoughtful gaze.  “We have to hope there are more, right?”

Thomas nodded slowly.

“It’s always been about hope.”

“And courage,” the man said.  He gave me a last look then turned and left.

Relief flooded me.  I wanted the fighting to be done.  For good.  I turned and looked at Thomas.  I wanted to run and throw my arms around him, but I didn’t need to.  He came to me.

“Go ahead inside.  The rest is just pack business.”

My need for him to hold me vanished.  Pack business?  After all his talk about me being the one, he still thought of me as an outsider.  I tried not to feel hurt over it.  He was right.  I wasn’t his pack.  I wasn’t one of them and never would be.

I turned to go as he asked but ended up scooped in his arms instead.  Despite my effort to suppress my hurt, he’d obviously felt it.  He walked inside with me and up the stairs to our room.

He nudged the door closed behind us and then set me on my feet.  Embarrassed, I stared at his chest.  A tiny thread of annoyance tickled me, and his fingers touched under my chin with gentle upward pressure.  I gave in and met his gaze.

“Tell me what I did that caused that much...unhappiness.”

“Go ahead inside.  The rest is just pack business,” I repeated.  “I’m not part of the pack.”

His shoulders dropped, and he heaved a sigh.

“I told you, you’re the heart of the pack.  Without you, we don’t exist.  I wasn’t excluding you; I was trying to give you an opportunity to do something you might find more interesting.”

“I am doing what I find interesting,” I said.  “If I’m to be the Mate of the pack leader, I should know pack business.”

A wave of hunger washed over me.

“You should,” he said.

I knew I needed to retreat.

“All right.  Good, then.  I’ll just go and make sure we have enough food for everyone.  Let me know what pack business you discuss.”

My attempt to leave the room failed.  Before I made it a step, he caught my hand, and turned me around.  His lips settled on mine before I could focus on him.  The kiss was intense but thankfully brief.

“Save some food for me,” he said.  Then he walked out the door.

*    *    *    *

Thomas watched me hungrily throughout the remainder of the day as his pack business seemed to follow me wherever I went.

I helped find rooms for those who were staying.  I handed out mats.  I helped sort through our dwindled supply of clothes to find extras for those who were considering jobs.  And I cooked.

After dinner, I excused myself and headed up to my room.  Thomas was two steps behind me.  I thought he’d give me trouble, but our routine didn’t change.  He left the room so I could put on my night clothes then came in and blew out the lamp.  He settled next to me and held me, just as he always did.

However, his hunger remained.

*    *    *    *

I woke with Thomas wrapped around me again.  It was still dark out.  Thomas’ breathing was steady, but not as slow as it usually was when he slept.

“I doubt I need that stove installed in here,” I said, wiping the sweat from my upper lip.

He chuckled and lifted his head from my shoulder.  “I’ll keep you warm every night until the day we die, if you let me.”

My pulse leapt.  I loved this man with an intensity that scared me.  Despite my doubts about our ages and my efforts to ignore how I felt, I knew my feelings wouldn’t go away.  I couldn’t imagine a world without Thomas by my side.  His calm acceptance of his responsibilities, his dedication to his people, and stubborn refusal to give up on me had won me over long ago.  I surrendered to the feelings of love and commitment.

As if sensing my acceptance, Thomas growled and kissed me with a passion that stole my breath.

“Tell me you’re mine,” he said, pulling back to kiss my neck.

“I’m yours.”

His satisfaction washed over me.

“Forever.”  He nipped at my collarbone.

“Yes.  Forever,” I whispered as his hands skimmed up under my shirt.

I squeaked in surprise when my shirt disappeared along with my shorts.  Then, his lips met mine in the longest, sweetest kiss we’d ever shared.  Afterwards, he pulled away and stared down at me.  He had that combined look of tenderness and intensity that stole my breath.

“I love you, Charlene,” he whispered.

My heart was his.

“I love you, too,” I said.

He gave me a small, satisfied smile and dipped his head to kiss my neck again.  His teeth scraped me as he kissed a trail there.  I wasn’t concerned.  I trusted him not to hurt me.  However, my heart skipped a beat as his bare hips settled over mine.

“Shh.  Don’t be afraid.”

He slowed his kisses, and his patience eventually melted me from the inside.  Each sensation took me further away from the physical world.

In my passion-clouded mind, I sensed the connecting threads of his pack and his continued struggle to hold so many.  It distracted me from his caress along my leg, and I barely noticed his weight settle more securely.  I felt one of the threads he held slip slightly as he nipped at my collarbone again.  The pressure between my legs increased, and a sudden pain pierced me, pulling me from mindless passion.  As I gasped, a thread pulled free as my will tried to slip into place.  I quickly grabbed for the lost thread, and before another could escape, I wrapped my will around them all.  Together.  Always.