I wrapped my fingers around his wrist so he couldn’t move away and his smile faltered.
“You’ll stay with my wolf, won’t you?” I asked. I didn’t know what she’d do when she felt the pack bond. Everyone’s wolves would want to run with Murphy’s, and she’d get crowded out. The way I did in human form whenever more than three people were in the room with him.
Even now, several people were making steady progress in his direction. Those around us hung on our every word, no doubt waiting for their chance to swoop into our conversation and take it over.
“Every minute,” he promised. He gave my chin a squeeze and kissed my forehead. His expression was stricken and sad.
* * * *
When my father released Mayflower from the pack bond, he’d mixed his blood with herbs and the vile concoction had been served up in glass test tubes.
Today, we were lined up and given bottles of obviously doctored water, judging by the bits of leaves and petals suspended in the liquid. The water was cloudy, but not with blood. Where was the blood? My gorge rose at the thought of drinking the contents of the bottle, but everyone around me chugged theirs as if it tasted great.
Murphy and I were in middle of the line. I hadn’t wanted to go first, but I also hadn’t wanted to be at the very end. The suspense would’ve killed me. I figured with just as many people in back of me as in front, I wouldn’t have time to chicken out, but wouldn’t panic because I didn’t know what the hell to expect.
Murphy kept one arm around me as we shuffled along. I craned my neck to see what the hell the Alphas were doing with those at the front, but it was just my luck to be in back of three tall, broad shouldered Irish men with their equally tall bond mates. I could have stepped out of the line to see, but sure as hell didn’t want everyone gawking at me more than they already were.
My friend Ryan Kelly was behind Murphy. He reached out to touch my shoulder and I nearly dropped my damn bottle of suspended crap. Herbs. Elixir. Whatever.
“You gonna drink that or beat me with it?” Ryan took a wary step back and I realized I was brandishing the bottle at him.
“What does it taste like?” My question came out more of a petulant whine than an inquiry, and I grimaced.
“Dunno. Kinda minty,” said Ryan. His bottle was empty. “You really need to have it drunk by the time you get up to the Alphas, Stanz.”
“Thank you for that newsflash, Ryan.” I rolled my eyes. Next to Murphy, I thought Ryan Kelly was the most attractive man in Mac Tire. Young, though. Not even twenty-four. No bond mate, but I was sure he made hearts swoon at Regionals. We’d gotten close during Declan Byrne’s tribunal. He saved my life when Glenn Murphy tried to strangle me. His memory was still fuzzy, thanks to the vicious knock on the head he’d taken tumbling down the stairs. He was lucky that’s all that happened to him. Glenn Murphy fell too, and he’d broken his neck.
Ryan, Murphy, Fee and Etain Feehery were the only members of Mac Tire who knew that. Everyone else believed the heart attack story, although sometimes I caught Siobhan staring at me suspiciously. I shuddered to think what she’d do if she knew the truth. Finish what her bond mate had started probably.
Murphy’s arm tightened around my shoulders. I was being mean to Ryan, but honestly, I knew I had to drink the damn water. I had time, though—we weren’t near the front yet.
“You nervous?” Ryan asked. “I was scared shitless the first time I took the pack bond from Paddy and Fee.”
“Really?” I tried to relax my death clutch on the bottle. “I don’t remember taking it with Paul.”
“That was fucked up, Stanzie,” said Ryan. Now that I’d brought it up, he was free to as well. “Mac Tire’s not like that. Give us a chance, you’ll see.”
“I’m standing here, aren’t I?” My smile felt weak and fake.
“Yeah. And not drinking the elixir,” Ryan pointed out.
“Shut up,” Murphy told him in a low voice full of friendly exasperation. “Don’t push her, Ryan.”
Ryan gave Murphy a look of pure frustration. “No worries, Liam. Maybe you’ve been too busy looking after everybody and their brother in this pack, but while you’ve been everyone’s handy shoulder to cry on, Stanzie and I have become good friends. I know when to speak and when to shut the fuck up around her.”
I winced at Ryan’s bluntness.
“Yeah?” Murphy’s jaw swelled. “It’s too goddamn bad you don’t have that same level of intimacy with me, isn’t it?”
Ryan’s eyes widened and he took a step backward. “Don’t start something up. I’m not saying we’ve been screwing behind your back.”
“What the hell are you saying then?” Murphy demanded.
“Please don’t do this,” I whispered. “I’m nervous enough as it is without you two going territorial.”
“This little shit better shut his mouth. That’s all I’m saying.” Murphy snarled and Ryan paled.
“You know damn well you’re the only man she looks at in this pack. All right? Cards on the table? Peace.” Ryan spread his hands in smoothing motion as if he could erase everything we’d said.
“Liam, this is a hunt,” said one of the brawny men ahead of me in line. I thought his name might be Ronan. It was hard to keep everyone straight. Mac Tire was so big. He and everyone else in the general vicinity had been listening intently. “The gobshite’s smelling everyone’s lust and it’s gone to his frigging head. Give him a break. Everyone knows you don’t do threesomes. Jesus, Ryan, get some sense into your feckin’ skull before I break it open for you.”
“Sorry.” Ryan’s face flamed with humiliation.
Murphy clenched his jaw so tightly my own ached in sympathy. I wrapped my arm around his waist and leaned my head on his shoulder. Did he really think I would have slept with Ryan behind his back? Just because he didn’t sleep with me himself?
“We’re all friends here,” said Ronan. “Right? Liam?”
Murphy gave a jerk of his head that looked like it hurt. Ryan nodded nervously. I wanted to tell him it was all right but was afraid if I spoke to him, Murphy would rip his frigging head off. Irish tempers were nothing to poke at unless, of course, a person enjoyed stirring up a hornets’ nest of fury.
A brawl before a hunt was something this pack enjoyed, but we were also taking the pack bond so we had to be on our best behavior. At least I think that’s what Ronan was trying to telegraph to me with his eyebrows. I sure as hell didn’t want to be the one to light the match to Murphy’s powder keg of a temper. Fuck that.
“Ryan, come up here, love, with us.” The blond woman who was bonded with the man in front of Ronan gestured for Ryan to move up in line. “Have you got a partner yet for the hunt?”
“No, Cass.” Ryan looked torn between acute mortification and hopeful lust. Cass O’Connor was very pretty.
“Well, now you do.” She grinned as she held out her hand.
With a mumbled apology, Ryan slid past me and Murphy so he could stand between Cass and her bond mate, Sean. He gave Ryan a welcoming clap on the back. Obviously he had no issues with threesomes.
Murphy’s muscles were hard as rocks beneath his skin. I wished he would relax. He was making me more nervous. I twisted the cap off my bottle of doctored water so I could take a swig. Bits of sweet mint plus other herbs danced on my tongue. Was that marjoram? Lavender? Something similar? I forced myself to swallow and tried not to gag. This elixir tasted completely different from the one I’d drunk to break my father’s pack bond. No blood, also the herbs were sweet not sour.
Cautiously,