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"She only holds back because she doesn’t realize this is serious for you"

Zander ground his teeth "I marked her I told her that she’s mine"

Ally snorted "Everyone knows shifters are territorial over pretty , even over e consider temporarily ours Unless you’ve told Gwen in no uncertain ter term with her, she’s unlikely to be aware of it"

Well, no, he hadn’t been clear about it He was regretting that now "There’s soon around her The question isif I tell her she’s my mate, will it make her happy, or will itpiled on her?"

"I don’t know" Expression thoughtful, Ally worried her bottom lip "Look, I know this will be hard on you, but maybe"

"What?"

"Maybe it would be best to keep the true- to yourself for now Tell her this is serious for you Make her believe it Let her see that she’s important to you If she’s secure in what you feel for her, she’s more likely to accept that you’re mates than if you sioing on between you"

Zander scrubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing Ally was right but not liking it because"Not telling her, resisting the urge to claim her, will be extremely difficult foron, she needs soht now At thethat’s distracting her fro the person she can relax with When she’s ready to hear it, you’ll know

"You’ve already lured her to you, Zander Now you just need to keep her with you Use everything you have in your arsenal, including your pack mates We’ll be behind you on this If she’s yours, she’s also ours" She patted his arone"

"Why are they long gone?" asked Bracken as he and Derren joined them

Zander told them his belief that Gas his mate All the while, he kept his eyes locked on the source of his current ee that she was his mate sink in and fill hi of his beer "Just because you can’t feel the pull of the bond doesn’t mean it isn’t there, Z"

Derren nodded "It justit, and that could be any nu part of a pack?"

Ally dru to Marlon, when Gas a kid, she used to wish that she was part of the pack that occupied the land near the trailer park where she lived"

"Marlon really does like to chat," ed "He wants her happy He thinks you could make her happy Anyway, my point is that I think it would help if we all sort of embrace her and h she doesn’t know it yet If she can associate our pack with safety and security, she’s less likely to freak out when she realizes she will be part of it"

"I’m not so sure Nick will be happy to embrace her," said Zander Before he’d left pack territory after their brief visit, Nick had pulled hiood authority that Gwen’s not a threat to the pack--if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have let her in the sahter Derren won’t tell me why she can be trusted, only that it wasn’t his secret to tell I don’t like that, but I respect it Still, I’ that you’ll tellfor her to have won over four of my wolves, especially Derren--he’s almost as jaded as you are"