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good little girl. It made her spitting mad to be out from under her father s thumb
and following the orders of a different man. So she d hung around a few minutes
until Mick s bright gaze finally focused back onto his work, and then she d sneaked
out.
Which was surprisingly harder than it sounded. She liked watching him.
Jonas had farmed her off to Mick a few times, so she d had time to observe him with
his patients. Some he was kind and gentle with, his voice soft and soothing. Others
he was just as obnoxious an alpha as Jonas, bullying soldiers until they allowed
treatment or examination.
She went to her place, knowing eventually Jonas would come looking for her. If
she weren t careful, he d order her around, and because against her better judgment
she felt safe with him, she d follow. She d do it blindly, with no explanations from
him, and she knew that was just wrong. He wasn t supposed to be keeping her in
the dark. She couldn t explain how she knew that, but she did.
What would it take, though? To throw him off balance enough he opened up?
To shake him enough he took her seriously? Sighing, she walked to her room. Found
her backpack and tossed it on the bed. She couldn t think of a thing. He was just
so& Jonas. An immovable force of nature.
How the hell did Mick handle him? She scowled as she moved to the closet and
started pulling her few belongings off hangers. She left the things Liza and other
women in the pack had given her. When it was all out, she moved to the dresser and
did the same.
54 Loribelle Hunt
Then she realized Mick didn t have much more of a handle on Jonas than she
did. How many times had she seen him and Jonas interact and nothing but
frustration and sadness in Mick s eyes when Jonas turned away? Sucking in a deep
breath, she stopped packing and sat on the bed, struck by new knowledge. She
wasn t the problem. Mick wasn t the problem.
Jonas, on the other hand& She appreciated that he was a dominant male.
Hell, she liked it. But even a dominant male had to let loose with the people he
loved, right? Caleb and Zach didn t seem to have that problem with Liza.
She shoved the rest of her things into the pack and opened the back door.
Okay, Liza didn t have the same problem with her mates, but that didn t mean it
had always been that way, right? Dropping the pack just inside the kitchen door,
she stepped out, tipped her head back to enjoy the afternoon sun before setting off.
She needed advice, and she couldn t imagine anyone better than her cousin to seek
it from.
When she walked up the stairs of the alpha s house, she didn t sense Liza
inside. She hesitated but knocked anyway. She d turned, given up on any answer
when it was pulled open with an abrupt  yes?
 Zach. Is Liza around? Why did she ask? She already knew the answer.
 Sorry, little one. It s just me. He gave her a teasing smile and opened the
door wide.  Come in. Want a beer? It s five o clock somewhere, right?
She laughed.  Yes, it is. And yes, I want one.
She followed him to the kitchen and sat at the long table when he motioned. A
second later he handed her a cold Coors Light.
 What brings you here?
She shrugged. He was male and huge and outranked Jonas. He scared her as
much as he comforted her. His hand covered hers.
 Harper?
Spellbound Moon 2: Twice Shy 55
 I don t know what I m doing, she confessed in a soft whisper.  I thought it
was just me, but I think he might be just as bad with Mick.
She clapped a hand over her mouth. This was their beta. She shouldn t be
talking to him about their private relationships.
With a small smile, he pulled his hand away.
 You aren t betraying anyone, Harper, he said gently.  Jonas is hard to
handle.
She bristled. Okay, fine. He was an obnoxious jerk, but he was her obnoxious
jerk, damn it. But Zach was just trying to help. She took a deep breath.
 I don t know what to do. Part of me just wants to say all or nothing. Pick.
Zach laughed.  Might be the best way.
 An ultimatum? Even if he gave in, he d never forgive me.
 This kind of ultimatum? She swiveled to see Jonas standing in the doorway,
her backpack held up in his hand.  Going somewhere, darlin ?
Jonas watched her swallow, the motion as exaggerated as her fear. Good. He
couldn t remember the last time he had been this fucking pissed. Bad enough she d
packed to leave him, but to find her with another man? Even knowing Zach was
totally committed to Liza didn t soothe the sting of that betrayal. She d gone to
another person, another man for advice? He felt fur under his flesh. Claws poking
through his skin.
She stood and faced him, gingerly took one step forward. He clenched his fists
and felt skin break. She should be running like hell. He was losing control. But she
kept coming closer. Her hand lifted to rest on the side of his face.
 I m not afraid of you, she whispered.
 You should be.
She trembled and nodded her head.  Yeah. Probably.
56 Loribelle Hunt
He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close, glaring at Zach over
her head.  Interfering again?
Zach gave him a hard look.  I m taking care of a member of the pack. You d do
the same.
That got through to him as nothing else would have. Protecting, caring for the
needs of others was in his makeup. It was the emotional shit he had problems with.
Not being able to deal with that was going to cost him both Mick and Harper if he
weren t careful. The only reason it hadn t cost him Mick yet was the man was
stubborn as hell. But it wasn t fair to either of them, and Jonas knew it.
With a nod at Zach, he led her outside, taking her hand as he urged her down
the porch steps.  Where were you going to run to?
She glanced over at him, but he couldn t read her expression.  I wasn t running
exactly. I thought I d take a few days in town. Think things over.
Right. She was running. He couldn t, wouldn t let her do that.  Look. I know
I m hard to live with.
His confession startled a laugh out of her.  Ya think?
He scowled down at her.  I m trying to be honest here in a way that is totally
alien to me, okay?
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