Shared for Love (Kagan Wolves) Read Online Free Page B

and desires could be acted on.
    On the sidewalk, Alex released her hand. “I’m going to try and catch up to Maria.”
    “But if Quinn has the same idea. You’ll end up—”
    “Hannah?”
    She raised a brow.
    “Let it go. You don’t know everything, and your need to protect me is only making things worse.”
    “I can’t help it. I—”
    He pulled her into a hug. “You care about me. I know. I care for you too, but you need to either let me figure this out on my own or fuck it up, once and for all. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess to begin with. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be. That’s what friends are for.” She squeezed him tighter. “If you need me, call me. Okay?”
    “Yeah. Sure. I’ll call.”
    With that, he left. She stood there a moment more and debated whether she should go back into the club and find Ethan, but decided against it. Quinn hadn’t come out. If she had to guess, Ethan probably had him cornered, delaying him so Maria and Alex could get away. Avoiding a fight was more important. She needed time to think anyway.
    The encounter with Ethan reaffirmed her suspicion—Ethan was hers. His confession that he was attracted to her both eased her anxiety and stirred her confusion. He wasn’t involved with anyone. Maria had confirmed it. Hannah honestly didn’t know what was holding him back other than her age as he’d claimed. She simply didn’t understand it. For shifters, age differences between partners meant little. She knew several couples with over a hundred year gap between them. Thirty years was nothing.
    What, then?
    Maybe he really does view me as naïve.
    No. He’d appeared bothered by her suggestion. It couldn’t be that. Something else held him back. But what?
    Stop it. I’m going to drive myself nuts. I need to let it go for the night.
    She took a deep breath and did exactly that, pushing aside her emotions, then turned in the direction of where she’d parked her car. Alex had left his in the lot across the street. There hadn’t been any more open spots when she’d arrived. She’d been forced to leave her SUV a couple of blocks over. She slipped her hands into her pocket, pushed aside her thin wallet, and grabbed her keys.
    Ethan’s comment about her size had angered her, but he was right. She wasn’t as strong as other shifter females. It irritated her to admit, but it wasn’t something she could ignore. In her animal form, she wasn’t fearful. Where she lacked strength, she used speed and cunning to bring down her bigger opponents. Her confident aura helped too.
    Among humans, however, she was simply a woman. Shifting and attacking anyone who thought to hurt her wasn’t a strategy she could embrace. The fate of her species depended on secrecy. Luckily, she’d never had to face any situation where she’d been threatened.
    The darkness of the alley didn’t help her grim thoughts. She opened herself to her wolf as much as she could while in her human form and scanned the shadows. Nothing moved, not even a stray cat. She inhaled, noting no unusual scents on the air, and continued forward.
    Her black SUV came into sight. A dark gray truck pulled in behind it. Mud splotches covered the side. She glanced from the caked on dirt to the oversized tires and shook her head. Off-roading was a popular pastime even among shifters.
    The truck door opened on a squeak. She froze. Her wolf sat up, suddenly alert. She didn’t need the warning it offered. The scent of the shifter told her everything. Another Tanner male had arrived, one she’d never encountered before. Not a surprise really. As rival packs, they avoided each other. It was safer for all involved. Packs were territorial, and if they weren’t careful, one wrong act could start a pack war, not a fate anyone wanted. The town she stood in was neutral, though. Any shifter could come and go as they pleased. That was why Alex had chosen to meet Maria here.
    Stance widened, she waited for him to round the truck and