Free Tameka's Smile by Zena Wynn Page B

addition to his own, there were at least three other groups that must have been fighting as well.
    “Woman…mate,” one of the shifters gasped out.
    Chad’s wolf growled, hackles raised. If he could have moved, he would have attacked, in spite of Alex.
    “Chad.” That’s all Alex said and Chad shifted back to human.
    “Mine,” he growled.
    “Have you marked her?”
    “Yes.” It came out guttural. His wolf was still close to the surface.
    “She hasn’t accepted,” a male shifter protested. “He’s not marked. That means we still have a chance.” Chad snarled, pushed up on his forearms, and felt his eyes change and jaw elongate.
    Alex looked at him sharply. “Stand down.” Chad subsided, but it was extremely difficult. His wolf fought him all the way. It knew what it wanted and wasn’t going to let anyone take her away.
    Lulu came to the door. “Alpha,” she greeted him.
    “Ms. Lulu,” he said, nodding his head respectfully.
    “The woman they’re fighting over is human,” she continued.
    Alex closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Then he pinned Chad with a stare. “You marked her, knowing she was human?”
    “Mate,” was all Chad could say.
    Alex’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “A true mate?” 58

    ZENA WYNN
    Chad didn’t know what he was talking about, but it didn’t matter what he didn’t know. He said what he did. “Mine.” Alex studied him for a minute, then sighed and shook his head. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Chad rose to his knees, but kept his head lowered. “She belongs to me. That’s the only thing here that really matters.” Alex pulled out his cell phone. A quick push of the button then, “Kiesha, I need you to come to the salon. We have a situation…human female…newly mated…she doesn’t know.” He rolled his eyes. “The barbershop. Come now. Fuss later.” He flipped the phone closed.
    “You and I need to have a talk,” he told Chad. “The rest of you,” he looked around, “go home. This one’s off limits.” The shifters grumbled as they put their clothes back on, some of them casting angry looks at him before leaving. Chad dressed as well, wondering what happened now. The alpha was supporting his claim, which surprised him. But even if he hadn’t, Chad wasn’t giving Tameka up. They’d have to kill him.

    * * * *
A tentative knock sounded at the door before it slowly opened. “Tameka?”
    Having passed ticked minutes ago and now seriously pissed off, Tameka stayed where she was, arms crossed, seated on a box at the back of the storeroom, non-responsive.
    A beautiful, plus-sized, bi-racial woman with golden-brown hair and a protruding stomach entered the room, stopping when she got a good look at Tameka’s expression. “Damn, I told them you’d be pissed. What the hell were they thinking?” The unexpected empathy loosened her tongue. “That’s what I’d like to know,” she growled.
    The woman came further into the room. “I know you’re angry—with good reason, might I add—but they meant no harm.
    If you give me a chance, I’d like to explain. My name’s Kiesha, by the way.”
    Tameka’s temper began to calm in the face of the understanding Kiesha was displaying. “By all means, explain away,” she said with a wave of her hand.
    59

    TAMEKA’S SMILE
    Kiesha sighed. “There’s no way to do this but to just blurt it out. You’ll think I’m crazy as hell but believe me, I’m not. The reason they hustled you in here away from everyone and locked you in was to get you away from the fight brewing outside.” She sat up straight. “What fight? The men?” Kiesha snorted. “Those men, as you called them, are werewolves, and they were preparing to tear each other limb from limb for the right to claim you.”
    Tameka’s eyes narrowed. She was nobody’s fool.
    “Werewolves. Right.”
    The other woman just smiled. “I know just how you feel. I didn’t believe either, at first. Having one change before