Claiming His Fate Read Free Page B

my stare, my knees nearly buckled. One look into those sky-colored eyes and my body responded. Within a single heartbeat, I was dripping wet and ready to throw him on the floor so I could have my way with him. 
    Well, shit.

 
     
     
    THREE
     
    Rebel
    “So basically we throw a party and get lap dances.”
    I scowled at Scab. He'd been far too excited about this plan ever since we discovered the clawed woman was an employee at a strip club between Milwaukee and the Illinois border.
    “This isn’t a party. We’ve booked a private room so we can determine how this woman ended up with claw marks.”
    Scab shrugged. “Sounds like a party. God, I hope they've got a blonde with a big ass. I haven’t had a good lap dance in weeks.”
    “Have a little respect, you cretin,” Gates growled. “If there is a nomad in the area, these women are in danger. And if the authorities catch wind of this guy before we catch him, we as a species are in danger.”
    “You know, Gates, if you’d get a little pussy now and again, you'd be in a much better mood.” Scab walked right up into the face of the snarling Sergeant, a definite challenge. “You've got this whole GQ model thing going for you. The ladies totally fall all over themselves trying to throw their pussies in your face. Get out there and take advantage of it. Even a pretty wolf like you needs to get his dick wet now and again.”
    The tension in the air grew thick, the rest of my team responding with various low growls and muscle twitches as they fought the urge to shift. My wolf didn’t react, though. He’d established his dominance over Gates long ago. These men were no challenge to our authority, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying the power play.
    Gates loomed over Scab, lip curled and hands clenched into fists. Scab held his ground, holding eye contact with an effort that showed in the way his hands shook and the sweat began to bead on his brow. But eventually the smaller man’s wolf forced him to acknowledge his lesser status by turning his head and baring his neck to Gates. 
    The larger shifter merely huffed and leaned against the van parked behind him. “I’m not interested in getting my dick wet, but thanks for the advice.”
    “Suit yourself.” Scab shrugged and stepped away, his voice rough and his movements jerky. If I had to guess, he and his wolf didn’t agree on the confrontation. I’d need to watch him closely around Gates to make sure he didn’t try to go all sneaky-fucker. That kind of bullshit could tear a den apart. We needed to have faith that our brothers respected us, no matter what. 
    “So, what's the plan?” Shadow asked. Every head whipped in his direction, surprised by his question. The kid rarely spoke.
    I glanced at Gates who was watching the young shifter with a smirk on his face. Gates had a soft spot for the wolf we’d only just voted to patch. He’d been our prospect for two years before he’d earned his road name and his colors during a raid on a gang of wolves selling a homemade version on The Draught. Because the chemical formula of the only drug known to calm our inner beasts was my creation, and something we made a great deal of money selling, we took piracy of the formula seriously. Shadow had fought as hard as the rest of us to shut the illegal operation down. And he’d shown true stealth, sneaking past multiple guard stations along the way. He was our ninja, our shadow warrior.
    And suddenly he was speaking without being asked a direct question.
    With one last glance around my motley crew, I crossed my arms and lifted my chin. “We go in, pretend to be having a celebration, and scope out the scene. If there are wolves, we talk to them. If there are man-eaters, we end them. Over and done.”
     
     
     
    We arrived at the club as expected. The six of us strolled through the front door, joking and roughhousing like a normal group of human men about to celebrate. But our senses were on high alert—listening,