Claiming His Mate(16)

Max grabbed a pair of boxers from one of his dresser drawers and tried to will his cock to go down. “I’ll be right back. Someone better be dead or dying,” he muttered as he left.

He could hear the sheets rustle as Lauren got out of his bed, but he hurried down the hall as the incessant banging continued. When he neared the front door he scented four different packmates, including a male he didn’t care for. Max immediately tensed. For the most part he got along with everyone in his pack, but Wade Burks was a pain in the ass. Grant had taken him and his sister in about two years ago and the guy just rubbed Max the wrong way. There better be a damn good reason for him to be at his place this early in the morning, especially because they’d just interrupted him and Lauren.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door open to find Wade, his sister Naomi, and Sapphire and Charlie from the bar standing there. Still wearing the same clothes they’d had on earlier, Sapphire and Charlie looked grim, but Wade and his sister just looked pissed.

“What’s going on?” Max asked, keeping his voice as calm as possible. Whatever it was, it was clear he’d need a level head.

“Your bitch robbed us,” Wade growled.

Max didn’t even realize he’d reacted until his fist connected with Wade’s face. The crunch of the other shifter’s nose breaking against his hand was a jolt to Max’s system. With an enraged snarl Wade flew back through the air and slammed against the outer hallway wall.

He pushed up but before he could make a move toward Max, Charlie smoothly stepped in between them. “I think what Wade means is that while he and Naomi were watching Grant’s house, someone slipped in and tripped the silent alarm on the safe. Now the brooch is missing.”

“Well it wasn’t Lauren.” Though he was still raging inside, Max kept his wolf in check. He could scent and hear Lauren behind him. Sure she’d been with him, but he knew she wouldn’t have done this. She had no reason to since she was getting the jewels in a week. But it was more than that. Her quick offer to help out at the bar had been so selfless and he knew it was because she’d been feeling guilt over breaking in to Grant’s place. She wanted those jewels for her sister and he understood wanting to look out for family.

“I’m sure it wasn’t, but maybe one of her pridemates is behind this?” Naomi asked, her voice even, unlike her hostile brother. She looked angry but was at least acting civil. Her eyes narrowed a fraction as they landed somewhere behind him.

Lauren strode up wearing one of his T-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants. Both were too big on her, but she looked…adorable. And he liked seeing her in his clothes, being covered by his scent. With her, she brought the scent of sex, something the others wouldn’t be able to miss. Whatever anyone had thought about her staying under his roof and then his display of aggression at the bar, now it was confirmed that they were sleeping together. Or they would be soon.

Max reached out to wrap his arm around Lauren’s shoulders, a silent claiming his packmates couldn’t misunderstand. She stepped into his embrace, sliding her arm around his waist, but didn’t look at him. She pinned Naomi with a hard stare. “What’s this crap about my pridemates being behind something?” It didn’t matter that she was nearly a foot shorter than the woman, Lauren looked and sounded intimidating.

Naomi held up her hands and shrugged as Wade growled curses under his breath. Before either could speak, Charlie interjected again, always the voice of reason. “As you know, they were guarding the house tonight.”

“Not very well,” Max growled. After the incident with Lauren’s break-in, everyone was on rotation to guard the alpha’s house. They normally had patrols anyway, but he’d stationed packmates in the house. “And why are you and Sapphire here?”

Charlie shrugged. “We were on our way back from the bar when we saw them heading over here. Thought we’d tag along.”

Max’s gaze narrowed on Wade. “Who’s watching Grant’s house now?”

Wade paled slightly. “Well, no one.”

Max gritted his teeth and forced himself not to lash out at their stupidity. He needed facts before he could react. “First, what was taken from the safe?”

“Just the brooch,” Naomi said, her voice almost smug as she shot Lauren a look.

“Did you at least close the safe before coming over here?”

Wade let out a low growl. “Yes.”

Max scrubbed a hand over his face. That safe was state of the art with multiple sensors and a backup alarm trigger. And it wasn’t visible unless you knew where to look. It wasn’t as if the pack kept everything in there. Hell no. Everyone safeguarded their own valuables however they saw fit whether by keeping them in a bank or in their home, but Grant kept some of their pricier belongings close by. “I need to check out the scene.” So he could pick up whatever scent was left over. Max was damn good at tracking and he just hoped he didn’t scent any of Lauren’s pridemates. “You two are coming with me because I want to hear exactly how you missed someone breaking into the house,” he said pointedly to Wade and Naomi.