Maggie's Wolves, Part Three: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

territory. That was one of his jobs in his last pack and old habits die hard. It’s just as well. With humans moving into the area, we’ll have to start posting guards anyway.”
    “Is he upset that I didn’t claim him last night?”
    Eli’s mouth quirked in a boyish half-smile and his sleepy eyes sparkled with amusement. “He’s not upset. Or, if he’s upset with anyone, it’ll be Case.”
    “Why’s that?”
    Eli reached for the light quilt strewn across the chair beside the bed. She wondered if Case had slept there in the chair. Eli pulled the quilt over them and wrapped an arm around her waist to tuck her close against his body. “You’re chatty in the morning, aren’t you?”
    “Sometimes. Don’t change the subject. Why would Jack be angry with Case?”
    “Not angry. Frustrated. Case set the ground rules last night. Jack could join in, but he wasn’t to pressure you to claim him. Jack might reasonably think we rushed you into claiming us and he might not think it fair for Case to throw the brakes on everything now.”
    “But I didn’t feel rushed with you or Case. Not really. There was the heat and that was surely a factor, but I always felt like it was my decision.”
    Eli gave a satisfied grunt. “Good. That’s what I thought too. It’s hard to read a wolf you don’t know very well. Jack couldn’t see your uncertainty about including him last night, but he could read Case’s possessiveness just fine.”
    “You could read my uncertainty?”
    A strand of her hair had settled across his lips and he blew it away. “I could. And Case handled it. He took the blame on himself for delaying your decision.”
    She turned around to look out the window, and Eli fit his big body to her back. Through the crack in the curtains, she could see that it had stopped snowing. There was enough light for her to see the room a little more clearly. The thick rug, woven in shades of red, blue and cream, covered a large portion of the darkly stained wooden floor. The walls were a neutral stone color several shades lighter than the rock that formed the fireplace. There were few personal items in the room. A painting of the mountains hung on one wall. A chair in the corner with the reading light beside it. A book on the nightstand. The spine was turned away from her so she couldn’t see the title, but it looked old.
    “Whose room is this?”
    “This room belongs to Case,” Eli said. “Don’t worry. He won’t mind us being here.”
    She thought of her little apartment with the crack in the bedroom window that her landlord hadn’t gotten around to repairing and probably never would. The old wine crates she’d salvaged to make into a bookshelf. She had a cheap print of a mountain scene hanging on her wall. The cabin in the picture had reminded her of her sanctuary. Her apartment was cozy and she’d made it her own, but it was nothing as fancy as this.
    “Eli?”
    “Hmm?”  
    “What happens when this is over?”
    The muscle in the arm wrapped around her waist tightened. “What do you mean by ‘over’?”
    “When the heat passes,” she said. “Do I go home and come visit when my cycle starts up again? How far is—?”
    Eli moved, fast. He rolled her onto her back and looked down into her face. Glowered really. His expression was one she’d never seen on him before.
    “You are my mate. We’re pack now. Maggie…” He blew out a harsh breath. “Do you truly not understand what that means?”
    She wasn’t sure that she did completely. “I’m figuring all of this out as I go along. Do you want me to stay here with you?”
    Some of the hope in her heart must have relayed itself to Eli in her tone of voice, because his expression softened. “Of course you’ll stay with us.”
    “Where?”
    “Wherever you want. We have two guest bedrooms. You could claim either one of them. Any of us would give up our bedroom to you if you prefer one of them.” He paused, his eyes warming. “Or you could share.