My eyes followed Darius and my female through the clouds. All the other bird shifters answered to him, and they were on our side in the war, but I'd never really trusted him. The claws at the tips of my fingers gave away my itch to damn the consequences and remove his head.
I'd known other unmated ruby men would come after Hazel. Why wouldn't they? The wolves were meant to lead the city, and she was damn sexy. Many of those assholes would do anything for power, and if it came with a body like hers, they would fight to the bitter end.
So would I.
Hazel's friend slid off her bike, walking to my side. She leaned up against my truck's grill, tilting her head up to the sky.
"Too bad you don't have wings. Hazel's an adrenaline junky; if you had wings to go with your yummy scent, she'd probably mate with you right away," Liv remarked.
I scoffed, glaring at the griffin overhead. "There are better ways to get her adrenaline up."
"True. But flying is pretty cool."
My fingers twitched, claws growing longer. Liv glanced sideways at me and laughed. "You should see yourself right now. Half man, half bear… it's awesome." She grinned, looking back at the sky. The griffin finally flew back to the parking lot, landing smoothly on the asphalt.
I stepped toward him and Hazel, but Liv's fist caught my shirt. She stood straight, her eyes flashing with a warning. "Wait," she mouthed.
Looking back at Hazel and Darius, I didn't miss my True Mate's upward glance as he shifted and pulled his pants back on. She'd made it a point not to check him out, which I sure as hell liked, because she'd definitely been staring at my ass earlier.
"Thanks, that was fun." Hazel slid her fingers into her bra, tugging her motorcycle's key out.
"You ready for that other ride?" Darius smirked.
My vision went red, and Liv tugged harder on my shirt.
"I'm going to pass on that. Just not feeling this." She flicked her finger between herself and the griffin. A tense breath left my chest. She opened the bag at the back of her Ducati and pulled out a stack of what looked like business cards. "Here's my number. Give it to any other unmated ruby men you know. I only have a week to pick a mate." She flashed him a smile before spinning and striding toward me.
Darius caught her arm and spun her around, smashing his lips to hers. A snarl escaped me, and I was running before I had time to process what had happened. That time, Liv let me go.
Hazel jerked away from the bird, slamming her fist into his nose just before I grabbed him by the face and shoved him away from her. My own fist collided with his skull once and then again. Darius tried to duck away, but the bears ran the city for a reason... and I ran the bears. Tackling him to the ground, I roared in his face.
"Merrick." Hazel's hand landed on my bicep. I didn't shake her off, but I sure as hell wasn't backing down. Even if she used my first name—which no one had called me by since I was a kid.
"She's still pink," Darius wheezed back, reaching up to cradle his nose. "I don't give a fuck. She's mine." I bared my teeth. "My True Mate, my
female, my wolf. Touch her again, and I'll rip your wings off."
His eyes widened, and he lifted his hands. "I didn't know."
"Now you do." I shoved at his chest before rising, eyes flashing at my female.
"I can fight my own battles, and I didn't kiss him." She dropped a hand to her hip. "Even if I did, I never claimed you back. I don't even know you."
"If you stop seeking other men, I'll tell you every damn thing you want to know," I growled.
"Tempting offer, but I'm going to pass for now." She brushed wind- blown hair from her eyes. "I'll let you know if I change my mind."
Hazel was more stubborn than I'd given her credit for, but I could match her.
"I'll be waiting," I followed her to her bike. When she sat down, I dropped onto the seat behind her, sliding an arm around her stomach.
"What the hell, Grizzly?"
"You're my True Mate. If you're going to meet other men, I'll be going too." I said, unable to help the growl in my voice as her closeness ramped her scent up so strongly that I couldn't smell anything but her.
And damn, she smelled good. I couldn't wait to take a bite out of her, to mark her as mine and claim her permanently.
"You're going to look like a wimp hanging off the back of my bike," she growled back.
"I'm going to look like a lucky fucker who's too smart to let his female go." It was probably better she drove anyway; she was too damn distracting.
"Suit yourself." She tugged her helmet over her head, revved the bike, and tore out of the parking lot.
Remaining upright on the little bike was a bit harder than I expected, but I leaned against her back and used the movement as an excuse to wrap another arm around her middle. She inhaled sharply, probably scenting the mating pheromones drawing us together.
My chest rumbled as her hair and all its delicious scents tickled my face. She smacked me on the knee, hard. A warning to stop rumbling, I guess. She could hit me all she wanted; I couldn't control it. So, I just inhaled more of her scent.
I barely registered her passing the dividing line in the center of the city.
A police car drew up behind us and flashed its lights. With a groan and a curse, Hazel pulled over to the side of the empty road. I didn't know if she'd been speeding, but I knew that the primates running the police department rarely pulled over anyone who wasn't a cat.
"What can I do for you, officer?" Hazel tilted her head, and the scents changed with her movement. It took me a minute to clear my nose of the scents and focus on the situation, but I managed.
"I just wanted to meet the woman who convinced Blake to get on the back of her bike," the cop grinned. I mirrored Gabe's expression but didn't offer a hand, not willing to take one off the waist of my female. "I've never even seen a girl on the back of his."
Hazel glanced back at me. She probably hadn't realized I drove a motorcycle too, though I preferred my old Harley to the sleek Ducati she rode.
"There wasn't any convincing involved. I tried to leave, and he jumped on." Hazel shrugged. "But it's nice to meet you," she said, holding a hand out to Gabe.
He eyed it, then me. Another unmated ruby, Gabe was a gorilla shifter who led the primates. He and I were decent friends, and he wasn't a man who would try to steal a female out from under you like Darius the damn griffin.
"In my side of town when a woman is being chased, shaking her hand is a challenge to the male chasing her," Gabe said casually. "If that's the case, I'll have to refuse."
"Actually, he's hunting me." Hazel shot me a dark stare. She didn't realize the difference between a mate hunt and a mate chase, I didn't think. A man chased a girl he wanted, but hunted his True Mate.
I prodded her thigh with my knee just so her scent would increase for me. The citrus-leather scent went through the roof, and it became a struggle to focus. I really needed her to let me mark her so I could focus again on something other than her smell.
"Ah. True Mates." Gabe nodded, giving her a quick and genuine smile. "Congratulations are in order, then."
"I haven't agreed to mate with him, so save your congratulations." Hazel brushed hair off her shoulder as Liv pulled up and parked her bright yellow bike behind us. "Are we free to go?"
"You are. Be careful in cat territory." He glanced toward the road. "It's not safe out here."
"Thanks for the advice." She gave him a quick smile, then pulled back onto the road. Liv followed, and Hazel drove slowly as we approached one of the city's few stoplights. It was red, so the bike was quiet enough for us to talk. "I didn't know us being True Mates would be a reason some men wouldn't consider me," she said.
"I would never chase another man's True Mate." I agreed. "Most wouldn't in a usual situation, but because you're a wolf, mating with you will come with power and a leadership position many want."
She made a noise of disagreement. "I think most people mate for love."
"Leaders sacrifice for their people. But, tying yourself to a sexy, powerful female is hardly a sacrifice. What bastard wouldn't wan
t you warming his bed?"
She scowled, revving the motorcycle and speeding away from the stoplight.