Free Quinn's Quest: Legacy, Book 4 by N.J. Walters

Meredith’s offer helped settle her frazzled nerves. It helped to know she’d have a roof over her head while she tried to figure out how to reclaim her life. She might be proud, but she wasn’t stupid enough to turn aside Meredith’s generous offer.
    “Thank you.” Bethany didn’t know how she felt about talking to virtual strangers about the weird turn in her life but it was nice to know she had somewhere to go for answers to her questions.
    “We don’t have much time.” Meredith glanced at the door. “The men will be ready to leave in another minute or two.”
    Bethany was afraid she wasn’t going to like what came next. “What do I need to know?” Better to have all the information she could than to remain ignorant about her condition. She’d been kept in the dark all her life.
    Meredith leaned back against one of the three sinks and answered in a crisp, business-like manner. “You need to be claimed by an unattached male. He’ll mate with you, mounting you from behind and marking you as his own. When you have sex in that way it will unlock the wolf inside you, enabling you to make your first change.”
    Bethany leaned more heavily against the wall and swallowed the large lump in her throat. This was a lot to process. “So if we have sex then I’ll be able to shift any time I want.”
    “Yes.” Meredith’s gaze went to the door a second before a heavy knock sounded. “But the mating bond is strong, not something you can easily walk away from. You need to be sure before you let a male claim you. He’ll never let you go once you’re his. Males are nothing if not possessive.”
    “We’re ready.” The male voice was tinged with impatience.
    “My mate isn’t known for his patience, but he has other virtues that make him worth keeping around.” Meredith opened the door as she finished speaking and smiled at Isaiah.
    “I’ll show you my other virtues later,” he promised Meredith. Bethany felt her cheeks heating at the sexual tension crackling around the couple. Neema just chuckled, obviously amused by the sensual byplay.
    Bethany’s head was whirling. She had a lot to think about—claiming, mating and last but not least, shifting. But first things first. Chrissten was still a captive. Until her friend was free, Bethany couldn’t think about her own life. She owed Chrissten her freedom. Her fellow captive had sacrificed everything for her and Bethany could do nothing less in return.
    “Let’s go.” She pushed past the other women and Isaiah and headed for the door of the bar. Quinn fell in beside her as she stepped outside in the cool early morning air, but she didn’t look at him. She needed to get her wayward emotions and her body under control.
     
    Two hours later, Bethany was almost ready to dissolve into tears and drop to the ground with exhaustion. They’d been searching nonstop, spread out over a large area of decaying streets and waterfront warehouses. It all looked the same to her.
    “Anything seem familiar?” Quinn had asked her the same question every five minutes for the entire two hours. His desperation was getting to her, making her feel like a failure for not being able to pinpoint the right building immediately.
    Why hadn’t she paid more attention? Because she’d been too busy running for her life. She knew that but it didn’t make this situation any easier for any of them.
    She shook her head. “No. Nothing.” She ignored him as best she could. It really was impossible to ignore six-foot-two of lean muscle and barely leashed power.
    Bethany was surprised they weren’t having any trouble with the gangs of young men who were hanging around. Of course, this early in the morning most of them had disappeared off the streets and were sleeping wherever it was they called home. A motley trio with tattoos and piercings had approached them about an hour ago. Quinn had turned their way and growled, his teeth lengthening and his face changing until it resembled that of a