Free The Alpha's Mail Order Mate: A Paranormal Shifter Romance by Jade White Page B

then.
    “Chastity, I want you to remain here,” Night told her, making her look up sharply.
    “Why?” she protested.
    “Because if they dislike your role so much they would leave over it, they might just as easily take the opportunity to end the problem in some other way,” he insisted. “Even a wolf-born who has been buffed up all her life could be killed if the group decided to solve the problem in that manner instead. Remember, we still don’t know what actual decision they’ve made.”
    “But Night, if they come back while you’re away, they could just as easily kill me here,” Chastity pointed out. “I’d much rather go with you. It would be safer than leaving me alone.”
    Night sighed again. This morning was just not going the way he would like, and he didn’t want his first disagreement with Chastity to happen today, either. He knew, of course, that they’d have to have one eventually. Just not now.
    “All right, you can come with me,” he conceded. “But I want you to stick to my side no matter what, okay?”
    “I will,” she told him.
    Night took her hand in his and kept it there as they went. The forest area the dissident group had chosen to enter was one of the thickest areas, making it much more difficult to get through or stick together. More than once Chastity had to let go of Night’s hand, but he was quick to reclaim her again as soon as possible each time.
    “The birds are complaining up ahead,” Chastity observed. “I’ll bet anything they’ve been disturbed.”
    “Yes, you’re probably right,” Night agreed.
    They were with twelve other men, including Boris and Rick and the four other wolf-borns. Each of the natural werewolves was worth three or four of the made ones, yet still the other group outnumbered their own by at least ten, so it might be difficult to corral them all if it came down to a fight.
    “Why don’t we see if we can hear what they are saying first, before we just burst in on them?” Night suggested. “It may be that Em doesn’t have as much of a following as she believes.”
    “Up the trees?” suggested Rick. “We may as well get used to climbing.”
    “Rick, I swear you think we’re monkeys instead of wolves,” said Boris with a smirk.
    “It’s a good idea, though,” Night pointed out. “Anybody who doesn’t wish to climb, stay right here, and don’t get seen. I, for one, intend to go find out what they’re up to.”
    In the end, they all climbed the tree, aware that should anyone stay on the ground the others might be more easily discovered. Night found himself admiring the agility with which Chastity climbed, and the view of her backside was rather pleasant as well.
    Of course, he realized that meant the other men in the tree could see it, too, but he wasn’t the type of man to get jealous. As long as they kept their hands to themselves, it was all good. He caught Chastity looking behind her over her shoulder, well aware of his regard. She was wearing a knowing smirk on her pretty face.
    *
    “I still say it’s completely unacceptable, bringing in them outsiders and deciding to consort with the female almost immediately,” Em was complaining. “I mean if he wanted a mate, he had two women to choose from right here. I tell you, he thinks wolf-borns are better than us made wolves. It’s only obvious.”
    “Well, maybe he just thinks Chastity is a beautiful, kind woman and the fact that she is wolf-born is just a perk,” argued one of the men with her.
    “What do you know anyway, Amos?” she scoffed. “You heard what that Boris character said. She’s been sent here to breed with Night, and start creating a new line of super-wolves. If they make super-wolves, what more use are they going to have for us?”
    “Surely Lord Night wouldn’t throw out the made wolves just because wolf-borns and super-wolves became a part of his pack. He has always been a most benevolent master. I cannot see why he would change in his ways