Free The Tiger's Mate: (Book 12, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas) by E A Price Page B

should go and take a bath.”  Parker gave her a pained look before he walked away.
    Simone nodded as her tiger hung her head.  She couldn't blame Parker.  He was no different to half the tigers in the pride.  He was too afraid to go against the Alpha, so he just accepted the crappy aspects of his life and got on with it.  She'd been doing the same thing for a long time - too long.
    As she walked upstairs, she pulled the check from Acksel’s pack out of her purse.  Her Alpha had ripped up a leaflet she’d picked up from the hospital about symptoms of fatigue.  Her eyes wandered over the generous amount of money, and she bit her lip.

Chapter Eleven
    “What the fuck is wrong with you?” snarled Acksel.  His wolf snapped his jaws together.
    The four enforcers stopped and stared at him in surprise.  Mal Tanner tried to smile, sheepishly, but then thought better of it.  “I’m sorry, I…”
    “Sorry?!” growled Acksel.  “You’re a fucking hour late!  It’s the third time this week.”
    Mal’s eye twitched in annoyance, but he managed to contain his anger.  “My pup’s been sick this week.  He hasn’t been breathing properly, and we were worried about him.  Because he’s premature and half human we were worried about his lungs and…”
    “The poor thing,” said Felicity, quickly trying to get Mal out of the line of fire.  “Is he going to be okay?”
    “The doctor says so; he thinks it’s just a bad cold.  My mate has it, too now.  Terri can barely lift her head, never mind take care of our pup.”
    “You go home and look after them; I can cover your shift.”
    Mal’s face lit up.  “Really?”  Then he looked at Acksel’s glower, and uncertainty returned.
    “You should go.  Wouldn’t you agree, Acksel?” said Felicity, pointedly.
    “Whatever.”  Acksel huffed and turned away.
    He could see Felicity’s furious head nodding, telling Mal to get out before Acksel changed his mind or worse.  He knew he was acting like a dick head.  But honestly, he didn’t give a fuck.  It had been over four days since Simone left and he was in a perpetual bad mood and dealing with a near-mutinous wolf.  Anyone who got in his way better watch out.
    He looked at Felicity, who was maintaining a wary distance.  He looked at the other two enforcers.  Their eyes widened, and they ran out of the hut.
    “You sure you don’t mind covering for Tanner?” he asked, gruffly.  He was an asshole, but he did have a duty to his pack.  His wolf didn’t seem to care about that anymore, but Acksel still had a small, lingering sense of responsibility.
    “No, I got it.  You’ve practically been working non-stop these past four days, I can handle things if you want to go home.”  She held her breath to see if Mt. Acksel was going to explode or not.
    He scowled – a near permanent expression these past few days.  Yes, to try and distract himself he had thrown himself into his work.  Although that might not have been a good thing.  But the other alternative was hanging around his family’s house and snapping at his sisters – and he couldn’t take Britt crying anymore.  Course, now he was tired and angry, and instead of just being an ass he had turned into a raving, lunatic of an ass.
    Acksel relented and nodded at Felicity.  Which was as close as she was going to get to thanks at that moment in time.
    He left the enforcers’ hut; making the two enforcers who had been hanging around outside scatter.  Yeah, they learned quickly.
    Acksel looked around at the darkening woods.  He could go for a run.  His wolf would like that.  But his wolf couldn’t exactly be trusted at that moment.  He was so het up that he might go on a rampage and leave a trail of dead bunnies from here all the way to Mexico.  He could try and get some sleep.  His animal snorted.  Yeah, he was so restless there was no point in trying.
    He knew the answer.  Alcohol.  A few beers would dull the pain, and maybe if he