Page 11 of His Human Mate
“Deal,” she said, smiling brightly before he kissed her hard and fast.
He settled her onto her feet, grabbing their bags up, before moving them towards the door, her hand in his. “You don’t leave my side unless I tell you to run or hide, got it?”
“I’m not a stupid wimpy human, okay?” she said stopping him before they reached the door. “My parents are the pack’s betas. I’ve trained with them since I was ten. I can track and hunt just as well as any shifter. I’m a better shot than anyone in my pack, and I’m more analytical, better at planning attack plans and security measures than the others because I don’t simply focus on brute strength. I came up with the plan to get Ashton and Dan out of the cage. I saved your ass from it too, so don’t treat me like I’m some weakling that needs a big strong man to protect me. I don’t. I can protect myself.”
“Shelby,” he said softly, pulling her back to him when she started for the door. He slid his hand up to her cheek, tilting her head back before dropping a soft kiss to her lips. “I know you’re not a weakling and I’d never say a woman can’t be as strong as a man. Katya is the true leader of the Alpha Squad. She outranks me and Heath whenever she’s home so don’t come at me with that crap, alright? You are human though and you don’t have the protection that comes from being my mate yet. You could be hurt or killed because of both of those things. I want you next to me because it’s the only thing keeping my wolf from bursting out—be it to claim you or kill whatever’s standing in the way of it happening. I’m still on edge and you keep me sane. As for the other, if I tell you to run or hide, it’s because it’ll be the only way I’d be able to concentrate, focus on whatever’s going on, whoever’s attacking us. If I didn’t know you were safe, I’d lose my shit. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly, resting further into his hold, calming him.
“Okay, let’s get going. I want you to myself as soon as possible,” he growled, giving her a last kiss before they left the building, finding everyone else thankfully dressed. Even the filth tied up had clothes on him now.
“Sir,” Thatcher said drawing his attention away from Ashton who was glaring at him next to another guy that looked about his age and on to his mother’s guard.
“Yes,” he said keeping Shelby pressed into his side.
“Your father is sending a plane to our location. There is an airfield about twenty minutes from here by foot. It should be landing there within the next hour.”
“That quickly?” he said in surprise. They were at least four days from home at a fast pace.
“You were…indisposed for quite some time,” Thatcher said glancing towards Shelby’s neck before looking back to him in disapproval.
“I am not claiming my mate in a filthy shack, but I am also not staying away from her to make things more ‘appropriate’ for you,” he warned pressing a kiss to Shelby’s temple as she laughed softly into his side. “Take the plane and get that scum back to Mason to interrogate. He won’t be nearly as difficult to get things out of after being in that cage compared to the others. I am going back to the Davidson pack with Shelby so she can get her things and tell her parents in person she’s mine. You can tell my mother we’ll be home after that.”
“Your mother and father are on the plane. She was adamant that she see you as you were continuing to block her from reaching you. She said that Katya was still fretting that you weren’t okay as you did not personally call her,” Thatcher added and Landon ran his hand over his face, looking back down at his mate.
“Maybe they can get us home to my pack tonight, then we could go home to yours tomorrow night,” Shelby said, resting her hand on his chest soothing him immensely with the idea. Getting her somewhere safe as quickly as possible was the best solution, even if it meant potentially not spending the night with her.
“Alright, let’s go meet the plane,” he said, letting Thatcher lead the way as Alan pushed the scum tied up forward.
“What’d he do?” one of the men asked as they neared the group watching over the wolves in the cage. He assumed they were their captors that were still alive.
“He was part of the snatchers, the others haven’t talked, he will,” Landon stated watching the man swallow hard. “He scared my brother’s mate, so I imagine he’ll want to get some justice in for that as she’s pregnant with their pup.”
“You’re not taking Shelby with you,” Ashton said moving into their path and Landon drug in a deep breath to keep from killing the boy.
“Ashton, stop,” Shelby said, easing forward until her backside rested against his chest. “I love you. You’re my best friend, my brother, but he’s my mate. Yes, he handled our first moments of meeting poorly but he was in that cage for six weeks. You weren’t exactly the calmest after two, so cut him some slack. If not and you try to come after him, I’ll cut you, got it?”
“Damn, little sis is a bad ass,” the other boy likely Ashton and Shelby’s age said with a laugh. “She was already fucking scary if mad, I’m not going near her mate and risking that ire, especially not if she has a pup of her own to protect.”
“Shut the fuck up, Theo,” Ashton said, turning to glare at the guy.
“Look, we’re going to meet the plane his parents are coming in on, then heading home to see Mama and Dad. There’s likely enough room to fit you as well,” Shelby added looking up at him and he nodded. Knowing his parents they likely brought two planes, one with them the other with guards to get anyone else needed under lock and key faster than they could get vehicles here. “Come with us but keep your mouth to yourself.”
“Fine,” Ashton grumbled, grabbing his bag before he, the other man from the cage, and Theo began to follow them.
“Shawn, go with them in case there are any issues,” the largest of the other men said, and Landon watched the second largest move forward joining their group with silence. His eyes stayed locked on Landon as he held Shelby closer to him, enjoying the way she cuddled into his side.
It didn’t bother him one bit. He had his mate. That alone was the greatest feeling in the world.
Chapter 6
Shelby’s breath stalled as they reached the airfield, seeing three planes sitting on the tarmac. Her eyes slid up to Landon who let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly.
“Everything okay?” she asked him, praying that his parents liked her at least somewhat. She dreaded finding herself involved in an awful ‘in-law’ situation.
“Yes, I just wasn’t expecting everyone to be here,” Landon answered, before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “The first plane is one of the guard squadrons, the second is my parents’ plane, and the last one is Katya’s.”
“How do you know? They all look alike to me,” she said, holding her tongue to keep from asking exactly how many planes their family owns. Jerimiah didn’t own one despite their pack being one of the largest in the area. They helped with training smaller packs to protect themselves. That was actually how Ashton ended up being taken.