Free From Pack to Pride by Amber Kell

his metabolism.
    “I’m sorry if I interrupted your orgy,” Talan snarled.
    “Did you come just to be ugly? You know no other shifter will touch me. You marked me yourself.”
    There were few shifter rules that translated through every species. Not touching another shifter’s mate was one of those unbreakable laws. Even though their mating wasn’t complete, he was injected with Talan’s mating fluid and was untouchable. If the mating cycle wasn’t finished, the scent would fade after a few months. Until then no one would dare touch Adrian sexually.
    “That doesn’t explain why there were a dozen half naked people on your floor.”
    “I was depressed. The pack was here to cheer me up. We went for a run.” Talan wrapped his arms around Adrian and pulled him close. “You wouldn’t be depressed if you were home with me where you belonged.” FROM PACK TO PRIDE
    Amber Kell
    55
    “I can’t go home with you until you are willing to allow me to be a true mate. I can’t be the pride’s protected pet. I will be a true mate or I will stay with my pack.” Talan’s eyes were so pain filled, Adrian felt a corresponding twinge in his chest.
    Taking Adrian’s hands in his own, Talan kissed the back of each with a brush of his soft lips. “I don’t know what I did to make you think I didn’t value you. I swear, lion’s oath, that you are more precious to me than anything in this world. I didn’t yell at you because I don’t think you can take care of yourself. I yelled at you because it stopped my heart when that wolf came after you. There is nothing on this planet more important to me than you.” Talan’s sweet words filled the gaping hole in Adrian’s heart. “You will let me fight my own battles?”
    He watched the shifter swallow hard. Then Talan wrapped Adrian in his arms, pressing him against his chest. “I will try, my heart, but know that it is my first impulse to protect you.”
    Adrian decided he could live with that. What he couldn’t live with was not having Talan in his life. The big shifter had wormed his way into Adrian’s heart and he had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to get any easier with time.
    “Did you come to take me back home?”
    Talan pushed Adrian away so he could look into his eyes. “I have obligations I have to fulfil as the leader of my pride. I’m sorry if that takes you away from your pack, but you’re welcome to visit them whenever you want and participate in full moon hunts. Other nights you can run with the lions. The females are really the only ones who hunt, but they told me they’d be happy to have you along. Actually Talla said if I didn’t bring you back, she was going to tag you like a wild wolf and drag you back home in a crate.” Adrian laughed. He could almost hear the sassy lion saying that exact phrase. “I missed you like crazy,” Adrian admitted. “I even liked your family.” Talan tilted Adrian’s head up so the wolf was forced to look him in the eye. “But did you like me?”
    Seeing the vulnerability in Talan’s eyes broke Adrian’s heart. “I more than like you, Talan. I’m in love with you.”
    The relief on Talan’s face was painful to see. Adrian hated himself in that moment for causing this sweet man so much pain.
    FROM PACK TO PRIDE
    Amber Kell
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    “I’m glad that I’m not alone. Where’s your bed?” Adrian laughed. “I can see we need to work on your subtlety.”
    “No, we need to work on finding your bed. I believe it’s time for my wolf to mark me back.”
    “Is that what you want?” Adrian asked. He had to make sure they both wanted this mating.
    “More than anything.”
    Adrian took Talan’s hand and led him to the small bedroom in the back of his house.
    In silence he stripped Talan of his clothing and removed the pair of boxers he’d slept in the night before.
    Talan pulled Adrian onto the bed with him. Rolling quickly, he pinned the smaller man beneath his body. The feel of Adrian pressed against him soothed the