reporting back to his pack that she wasn’t mated. Now that he’d seen her, he didn’t give a fuck whether she was mated or not. She looked fantastic, and these people had done that to her.
The women parked and headed toward a ticket booth. Tyler angled his car into a spot not far from theirs and followed at a distance. He didn’t want to give himself away. He found himself drawn to the blonde beauty. How had he never noticed how gorgeous she was before? He’d grown up seeing her frequently at pack meetings.
Because she’d been barely more than a child when she left . And noticing her would have done him not one iota of good. She’d been promised to Dwight Wells since birth.
She wasn’t a child now, however. She was most definitely a grown woman. When she tipped her head back to laugh at something one of the other women said, Tyler gasped. She was not just a woman. She was sexy as hell. Her hair flipped behind her, and he found himself wishing he could run his fingers through the silky mass.
Tyler handed two fives to the ticket agent, his hand shaking at the thought of Alyssa mating a man three times her age who already had three wives. How in the hell had Tyler ever thought that way of life was okay?
He entered through the turnstile, staying far enough behind Alyssa to not arouse suspicion. It was crowded enough inside the park that remaining anonymous was not a hardship.
Tyler was one of the lucky ones. Being a man afforded him more privileges within the pack. He’d gone not only to college but also graduate school. No woman was promised to him yet. Little wonder since there weren’t enough to go around with several men having more than one female mate. Since he’d not felt connected to any girl or woman within the pack in his life, he didn’t give a hoot he’d not been arranged to mate with one. Relieved was a better word.
At twenty-four, he was just now out of school and job hunting. Somehow that made Wells feel that his time wasn’t valuable at the moment, and he’d been sent to track Alyssa and report back. Tyler shivered, a chill running down his back when he considered the ramifications of telling Wells Alyssa was not mated. Lord knew what that jackass would do.
Didn’t matter now. He’d never tell Wells a thing. His sudden moment of clarity between the trees was expanding by the second.
The women were easy to follow. There were four of them, all dolled up for an evening of entertainment. One was hugely pregnant. They were so carefree. Giggling. Joking. Without a care in the world.
With no haste, the women ambled toward the arena and headed to their seats—not without stopping at numerous booths outside to ogle over various knickknacks, cowboy hats, western wear, and jewelry.
Instead of feeling aggravated, Tyler grinned. He wished his mother and the other women he knew in Oklahoma could live this easy life.
Since he’d spent the last several years mingling with humans and other shifters at the university, he’d noticed that shifters in other packs behaved like humans. Enjoyed life. Laughed. The women in his pack did not.
The Masters women most certainly loved life.
As Alyssa rounded a corner to head up into the stands, Tyler followed. He glanced around the ramp wall, watched the women take seats about a dozen rows up, and then took the first step in their direction. And froze.
Holy mother of God .
Tyler stiffened and then quickly yanked himself back into the ramp. He plastered his back to the wall, his chest pounding, gasping for air. Alyssa’s scent permeated his awareness.
“Are you okay, sir?”
Tyler jerked his head up and found an elderly employee standing right in front of him, brow wrinkled in concern.
“Oh, yes. Yes. Thank you. I’m fine.”
Not even a little bit fine .
Tyler had to get the hell out of there and fast. Like now. Run .
Walking at least as fast as a gold medal winner for speed walking, Tyler scurried toward the exit, pushed through the turnstile to the