Free Tagging Her Lynx (Alaska Lynx Clan) by Abby Wood

her hand, pulled her
to his side, and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Besides, I'll be
there the whole time, and if you need me, you only have to ask for my help."
    She
nodded. "I know. It's the whole alpha-beta thing. I'm used to seeking
comfort from you. I can't imagine that the other women will seek me out to
bring them a sense of security. Especially when I'm shaking like a leaf and
worried about speaking like the village idiot."
    "Trust
your lynx, Aningan." He chuckled. "She won't want her human to make a
fool of herself."
    "Somehow,
that doesn't bring me comfort." She snorted.
    He
continued to laugh. "See? Even I'm not the perfect alpha."
    Chloe
strolled inside the cabin with a smile on her face and her arm wound around
Granger's waist. He'd settled her nerves with his playful banter. A good thing
too, because all at once, everyone in the room had stopped their conversations
and turned toward them; it threatened to send her to her knees.
    "Everybody,
this is my life mate, Chloe Barrant." Granger urged her forward and turned
to Chloe. "She has taken the last couple of weeks to fine-tune her skills.
You'll all be impressed with how far she has come."
    "I'm
excited to meet you all." She swallowed. "You'll have to pardon my
shyness. I didn't grow up around other people the way you all have lived
together. It was just my dad and me…" She shrugged. "I guess you know
everything else about me."
    Smiles
and friendly waves greeted her, and Gretchen pushed her way through the crowd.
Chloe smiled at the first person of the Lynx clan she met on her arrival, glad
to see her friend. After learning Gretchen had a crush on Granger's brother,
she stopped worrying if she had designs on her life mate.
    "Hi."
She gave the other woman a hug.
    Gretchen
returned the squeeze. "Look at you! A big smile on your face. You look so
happy."
    She
nodded and laughed. "Thanks to Granger. I don't think I could have managed
to come here without all his help."
    "Come
with me. I want to introduce you to the other women. We've practically formed a
committee to barge into your cabin and take you for some girl time."
Gretchen raised her eyebrows to Granger. "May I?"
    He
nodded and leaned down to give Chloe a kiss. "Go make friends." He
slapped her ass.
    She
jumped and laughed over her shoulder on her way across the room.
    "She's
something." Darren joined Granger at the refreshment table. "Hand me
a beer, will ya?"
    Granger
reached over and picked another can out of the tub of ice. "She's amazing."
He grinned and passed the beer to his brother. "Is everyone ready to get
back on the trail?"
    They'd
wasted enough time, letting the hunters grow closer. The last couple of nights
he swore he could smell them on the wind. This group proved to be more skilled
than the last. Afraid that they'd get the upper hand, he wanted to start out
the next morning and find out where they'd moved to since Chloe's wildlife
refuge shut down.
    If
the hunters searched for proof of the shifters, the Lynx could handle it.
Everyone in the clan took extra care to cover the Lynx clan's existence. If
they planned to continue their hunt on his life mate, though, he'd kill every
one of them with great pleasure. No way in hell would he lose another member of
his family.
    "Yo!"
Darren jabbed his elbow into Granger's arm. "Are you talking to Chloe or
deep in thought?"
    He
turned his back on the room and leaned in closer to his brother. "Whatever
happens, we must protect Chloe with our lives. Promise me."
    Darren's
eyes narrowed, and he nodded. "That's a given, bro. I owe her. She's
family now."
    Granger
nodded and stepped back. A sudden urge to go find Chloe and stay by her side
washed over him. He cut a straight path into the circle of women surrounding
his life mate.
    "Guess
what?" Chloe gazed up at him, smiling. "Sharon"—she pointed to
the woman—"is going to teach me how to knit." She raised her
eyebrows. "Since I was a child I've always wanted to learn how to do that."
She threaded