A Mate's Submission: (Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 4) Read Free Page A

pack couldn’t get any inclination that he was calling the shots. They would start to look to him for leadership instead of her. That couldn’t happen. And on that note, maybe it was a good thing Farrow wasn’t around. With Hellena calling the meeting, her submissive wolf would never be misconstrued as an authority.
    Lexar sat on the edge of Avan’s bed. Someone had clearly tried to clean her up, but blood still caked her hair and nails. Her pale skin was pink-tinged in places. Angry red welts and deeper cuts ravaged her body.
    Fuck. She must be in so much pain.
    Avan let out a tiny whimper and Lexar’s wolf jumped to attention wanting to comfort her. He reached forward but there was nowhere for him to touch that wasn’t injured.
    Lexar cleared his throat. He’d been told he had a decent voice. Whether it was true or not, he could rip a jam in a pinch. Maybe it would help.
    Softly, he began to sing Earned It by The Weeknd.
    The words seemed weightier singing them here, with her suffering like this. It made his chest tight. He let his voice flood the room, drenching the two of them with the soothing melody.
    She settled, seeming to fall deeper asleep. He wasn’t sure if that was better or not. At least if she was making noise, she wasn’t slipping away.
    Lexar pulled his cell phone from his pocket. This deep in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t much for cell service. He had a bar or two, depending on which way he held the damn phone. Fucking big-ass cellular giants could afford to put a tower or two out here. It was 2015 after all. There were supposed to be hoverboards and self-tying sneakers by now.
    Clicking through to Cael’s number, he tried to call out but it was no good. Instead, he tapped out a quick text message and hoped it would make it through. Cael could be here in a matter of hours and this could all be over.
    Stuffing the phone back into his jeans, Lexar let his gaze roam over Avan cataloging every injury. He wished he could heal her. But it would mean they were mates, and that couldn’t happen because—
    His wolf snarled. There would be no more dwelling on coulda, shoulda, woulda. Or wanna, gotta, hafta. It was pointless. Especially when there were more important things to worry about.
    “Captain Funpants.” Avan’s soft voice rasped. That nickname. She came up with it when she’d called him to come get Cael and Besh from Magic’s freaky cabin-by-the-lake. Shit, she could call him that if it meant she was talking. He could deal.
    Her eyes were barely slivers. He almost didn’t notice them open. As swollen as they were, it was a wonder she could open them at all.
    Lexar sighed in relief. “Yep. That’s what they call me. And by ‘they’ I mean ‘you.’”
    She grunted. “What are you… doing here?”
    “I’m on vacation. Disneyland’s too crowded this time of year so I thought I’d check out your part of the forest.”
    She made a sound that reminded him of snorting, but then ended in a wince. “You can’t be here.”
    “But I am.”
    Her crusted eyelids shifted and he realized she was trying to blink. “No. You can’t… need to go. I’m… vulnerable .” She said the word like it was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “You need to leave.”
    “No doubt, no doubt… but I’m a guard and it looks like you’re a little low on those right now.”
    There was a minute shake of her head. “Ozarka has plenty of guards.”
    “But not guards you trust. Am I right?”
    She was quiet. And for so long, he wondered if she’d passed out again until her hand reached for the water at her bedside. Jittery and weak, there was no way she’d make it from the table to her mouth.
    “Let me,” he offered.
    She hesitated, but her desire for water must have been greater than her pride.
    Lexar brought the straw to her mouth, but she could barely muster the strength to pull the liquid up.
    “Here.” He dipped his finger in water, holding it to her lips. “Open.”
    She