Read Online Claiming His Mate by M. Limoges - Free Book Online

Tao.” Colt Hannigan projected the words, keeping his voice clear and his words precise. The statement he intended to make needed to be heard and understood by all within earshot.
    “Yes, Cousin?” Older than Colt remembered him, Drew raised an eyebrow, looking up from where he sat at the other end of the bar. Surrounded by four dominant males, including Ryker—who had been pack enforcer in Magnum Tao’s day and appeared to still hold the role with his new ‘Alpha’—Drew leaned against the bar as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
    Colt clenched his jaw. Drew appeared so calm, so at ease, when he and every other Wolf shifter in the room had to be able to smell Colt’s intent, and that only made Colt want to hit him harder. The fact that his cousin pretended to be unalarmed by his presence pissed him off further. How dare he act as if he couldn’t be beaten?
    Colt meant to kill Drew, and every living soul for miles needed to be aware.
    “Drew, I swore I would never follow another Tao. Your father, my uncle, was evil. But no one should have been surprised by his sickness. The Taos have long been the bane of the Black Hills Wolves.”
    Whatever Drew would have said faded out when his mate, Betty, jumped to her feet and snarled, “How dare you speak to Drew that way? He is the Alpha of this pack. You might not be a part of us anymore, but as long as you stand on pack land, you will respect him, or one of us will take off your head.”
    In other circumstances, Colt would have been impressed. Betty had been broken ten years earlier, a shell of the former Wolf she had been after Drew had abandoned them all to the not-so-tender mercies of Magnum Tao.
    “I might remind you, Cousin”—Drew walked to Betty and placed a hand on her arm—“that you are related to the Taos. Your mother called my father brother. For a while, she too used my last name.”
    Colt snarled. “The day she mated my father was the day fate smiled.” Even if he still had too much Tao blood in his veins for his own liking.
    The son of a bitch had the gall to grin at him. What did Drew find amusing about this? He was about to be challenged, called out, and killed. Colt would do what he hadn’t been strong enough to do when Magnum had been in charge—take over the pack and finally lead them out of the Tao darkness.
    “Drew Tao,” Colt had to speak the words correctly so Ryker and the others couldn’t interfere.
    His cousin shook his head, looking over the bar to Gee who had stayed quiet the whole time. Colt had never been able to get a real read on the Were-bear, who played his cards close to his chest.
    “Don’t kill him. I think he has guts. I want him around. At least for now.”
    “What?” Colt shook his head. This wasn’t how things were done. He’d come to make a challenge. Drew needed to listen. “Drew Tao, I….”
    Gee stepped out from behind the bar. If the Bear thought to throw him out again as he’d done ten years earlier, he could go ahead and try. If he landed on the street, Colt would shout his challenge from there. One way or the other, he would fight Drew for control of the pack. Hell would freeze over before he’d follow his cousin’s lead.
    Drew walked toward him, but when he would have faced him, he headed for the exit instead. Was he cowardly? Is that why he left?
    Colt had thought his cousin would be many things, but afraid hadn’t been one of them. Anger warred with frustration, and he growled, feeling his teeth elongate in his mouth. Colt had been waiting for this fight since the day Drew had taken off for who knew where and left them all to suffer at the hands of Magnum.
    “Drew—
    A whack to his head brought him up short. What the hell? Several seconds passed before he realized Gee stood behind him, holding a baseball bat. Stars passed in front of his eyes while Gee moved in front of him.
    “Pup. Pass out. I don’t want to hit you again.”
    “I’m not a pup anymore.” Why was it so hard to talk? The