Free Silver Mine by Vivian Arend Page B

rose to his feet, languid and smooth as he strolled to the kitchen and reloaded his plate. When the dude had managed to inhale the enormous pile of grub he’d loaded up, Evan had no idea. He was still working on his first serving.
    When Chase returned, he balanced his plate on his knee and stared thoughtfully across the room. “Yeah. One thing led to another, you know how it goes.”
    Oh, he knew all right, and if this had been a typical shifter-to-shifter conversation, Evan would have been encouraging the other man all the way. But with it being Caroline’s sister caught in the act, so to speak, that changed things a whole lot.
    “I’m surprised.” Evan caught Chase’s gaze and didn’t let go. “I don’t think Shelley’s a good option for a one-night stand.”
    “Thanks for your opinion.”
    Chase deliberately broke eye contact and resumed eating, and Evan got a little pissed. “No, I mean it. I don’t think you should be here.”
    “She in your pack?”
    Chase’s question stopped Evan from blustering on about protecting his own. “Well, not yet, but soon, I expect.”
    “Seems then, if you don’t mind a person speaking bluntly, this is none of your concern.” Chase raised a hand before Evan could blast him. “I’m not saying you aren’t right in caring for all the wolves passing through or settling in the area, even the ones that haven’t given you allegiance yet. I understand that more than you think. Only I’m not causing harm. She’s happy. You do the math.”
    It was the longest speech Evan had heard from the other man. If his concerns had merely been about protecting his position, the mini-lecture would have been enough to convince him to back off. But there was more to the story. “Shelley’s never been triggered.”
    Tension swooshed into the room like an icy wind. Chase sat far more rigidly in his seat than the second before. “You’re shitting me.”
    Evan lowered his voice. “Caroline thinks I don’t know, but hell, I’ve been Alpha for the past year. I’ve heard every rumor that’s gone down the pike a dozen times. People especially love to share the horror stories.”
    “Horror stories—there’s more to it than she’s a virgin?”
    Damn. At what point was it no longer his business telling tales? Half-blood wolves like Shelley were triggered as adults by the exchange of hormones during sex. It was a pleasurable way to finally be able to let the animal side come out to play, and not usually an issue.
    Except in this case.
    Evan examined the other man carefully. Didn’t seem like an asshole. Seemed more the type to want the gritty details of what was wrong with Shelley simply in the hopes they could return to what they’d been doing before being rudely interrupted.
    Nope. Evan still couldn’t do it. Not the least of reasons that Caroline would probably rip off his balls if she caught him talking about things she didn’t approve of.
    The realization made him laugh. Great. Feared Alpha of the Takhini pack, hopeful amalgamator of the divided packs of the north, and he was seriously intimidated by the human he was sleeping with.
    At least it kept life interesting.
    “You need to ask her the details. I’m just suggesting, again, that you shouldn’t consider Shelley a good one-time event.” Evan looked around the room, pointing at the knapsack on the floor. “Looks as if you were planning an overnighter.”
    Chase placed his plate on the coffee table then sat back and rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. “She asked me to stay in town until she has test results for me tomorrow. The hostel is full—I already checked out.”
    “Easily solved.” Evan nabbed his phone and waved it in the air before texting a message to the front desk. “I understand the pack house is out, but I own a flipping hotel. Room for the night on me. Only, you need to find a way to make this look like it’s your idea.”
    The stare from across the room was impressive. The slow smile that