Chapter 3 Not A Chance

Chills danced on Lorraine's skin even as her blood spiked with awareness.

Damn Kiara wouldn't let go of her obsession with him.

She and Justin turned in the direction of the voice, and her breath caught in her throat.

The glower on Logan's face was so ferocious that she swallowed automatically. And not from the way her core was melting at his domineering presence.

He had not used his alpha command, but it was damn close.

"I will appreciate it if you stay the fuck away from my woman." He said in a deceptively soft voice that only made Lorraine's warrior instinct remain on alert.

She had no idea if it had happened when she turned or if Justin had been the one to let go, but her hand was no longer in his.

A very preferable development. Still, a word in Logan's statement stuck in her craw.

"I am not your woman," she gritted.

"Oh, baby. You are mine and mine alone. Which means staying away from other men."

The audacity. "You can't tell me what to do!" She seethed, gleefully welcoming the roaring anger in place of the awful feeling that had been pulling at her all morning.

Though he was a beta and no match for Logan even in build, Justin shifted slightly in front of Lorraine, saying, "Is he bothering you, Lorraine?"

Lorraine's brow puckered a bit as she wondered when they had gotten on a first-name basis.

She was about to respond when a low growl rumbled out of Logan as he stalked towards them like a hulking beast homing in on his prey.

Lorraine was slightly impressed by how Justin stood his ground still.

She, on the other hand, was slightly nervous at the way the alpha's exposed forearm seemed to thrum with restrained energy.

Nervous! Can you believe that? She recoiled from the silly feeling just as Logan got to them.

His smile was chilling as he looked down at Justin like he was an annoying fly.

"You are bold, my man. Bold to dare to think my mate needs your protection."

Justin squared up. "You are the Luna's guest, Alpha. And as much as I respect that, you..." He suddenly stiffened as his ocean-blue eyes jerked from Logan to Lorraine. "Mate?"

Disbelief and something close to pain rang in his tone as his eyes beseeched Lorraine. "You are his...mate?"

"You get the memo now?" Logan's scoff scraped on Lorraine's nerves. "Now scram. You really should know better than butting your nose where it's not needed."

This insufferable...

"He is not my...anything!" Lorraine snapped.

Something flickered in Justin's eyes as they snapped back to hers, "But he just said..."

"I am going to reject him." Lorraine declared, eyes burning holes through Logan.

A growl erupted from him as he shoulder-shoved Justin out of his way.

"No, you are not!" Tawny eyes burnt like coals into Lorraine's shocked face.

Before she could draw a breath, firm arms were pinning her legs together while she dangled over his shoulder.

"Hey, you can't just...!"

Nausea rose in Lorraine's throat as he swung around, his cold tone directed at Justin, "Try me. Fucking try me, beta."

Lorraine blew the bouncy ends of her bob out of her face as she kicked hard at his shin.

She barely connected before he swung around again, moving lithely like she weighed nothing.

"This is ridiculous. Put me down, Logan!"

"Not a chance."

His response, coupled with the fact that Lorraine's gaze caught on some soldiers a few paces away, infuriated her.

She was the beta general, their superior. And the mortification of being thrown over a man's shoulder like a...ninny was just too much to bear.

She kicked hard at him, doubly attacking with her fists too.

All she got for her trouble was a break in his stride. Oh, she almost got away.

Her body even slid down his, reminding her of how hung he really was.

Molten heat shot through her core, and Kiara's shameless cartwheels were the only thing Lorraine blamed for how easily he hauled her right back onto his shoulder.

Then he had the nerve to pat her butt, his chest rumbling against her confused body as he said, "Now, stay put. We are almost there."

"Where the fuck are we going?" She snapped.

She finally looked around to see that they were in the woods.

"A place where we can talk."

"Right." She snorted. "We couldn't have done that at..."

Her words trailed off as she saw the unexpected view ahead.