Claiming His Mate(26)

Taking him completely off guard, Lauren shoved him hard with the kind of strength only a supernatural creature possessed. He stumbled but caught himself and turned just as Naomi launched herself in their direction. She’d jumped up and was using his loveseat as a springboard for an attack.

It registered that Lauren meant to protect him as she snarled defensively, letting her claws out.

Hell no.

Max tensed, ready to take Naomi, but before either he or Lauren could move, Wade sprung into action, tackling his sister to the ground as she screamed obscenities. The strong wolf had his sister’s arms pinned behind her back, his expression a mix of worry, anger…and sadness. “Get everyone out of here, Max. Please,” he gritted out as he struggled with the raging female.

The please took Max by surprise. Knowing that this situation didn’t need an audience—and he could take care of both these wolves with no problem if they attacked—he looked at his own wolves and they nodded without him having to say a word. Lawrence and Dominga Hayes waited until their jaguars strode out before looking at Lauren expectantly.

“I’m staying with Max.” There was no room for argument in her voice.

Max wanted to order her out with her parents because he didn’t want her in harm’s way, but he wouldn’t embarrass her or treat her like a child. If she was going to be his mate, he wanted someone who stood next to him no matter what. He had to treat her as an equal. “She stays. We’ll figure this out.”

After shooting his daughter a look that promised they would talk later, Lawrence Hayes left with his wife, neither saying a word. It was as if the other shifters understood any unnecessary words would only enrage the writhing female on the ground.

Once the door shut behind them, Max looked back at Wade. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing is wrong with me!” Naomi screamed. “Your stupid whore had to come along and ruin everything.”

“Naomi, did you steal the jewels?” Wade asked, his expression tense as he struggled with her.

Max thought about intervening, but Wade looked as if he had her under control and Max still wasn’t certain what the hell was going on.

The blond wolf’s body slumped, going lax as she started crying. “That bitch ruined everything. I’m tired of being at the bottom of the pack. I didn’t care about that stupid human you were fucking,” she spat in Max’s direction, the words difficult to understand through her tears and screeching. “Then she came along.”

Max blinked in confusion. He looked at Wade with eyebrows raised in a silent question, not wanting to anger Naomi while she was finally still and semi-calm. Her sobs were growing stronger, but at least she wasn’t fighting her brother.

“She’s been fixated on you the past six months. We…” Wade sighed and suddenly looked exhausted and decades older than he was. “This has happened before,” he said, his voice rising above his sister’s cries. “It’s why we had to leave our last pack. After your mom died, she just got fixated on you, said she could help heal your pain. I truly didn’t know she’d taken the jewels until she showed up bloody with the brooch and a story about Lauren attacking her. I…I’ve seen Naomi claw herself up before and her story didn’t make sense.”

“Liar!” Naomi screamed.

Wade continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “A few years ago she was shot with silver by a vampire from a coven our old pack had a feud with. Some of it got into her system and while it’s out now, she hasn’t been the same since. She became fixated on a mated male from our former pack and tried to hurt his mate. By law they could have killed her, but let us go instead.”

This was all news to Max. He wondered if Grant knew, but guessed not or he would have warned him. “Why take the jewels then?”

Wade looked down at his sister who didn’t say anything, but her sniffling and crying had stopped.

When she didn’t respond, Max growled low in his throat. “Explain yourself, wolf.” He put all the strength and dominance of his animal in his words.

She swallowed hard, the sound audible in the big room. “I heard about how you acted with her at the bar and thought if…thought if you knew she took the jewels a second time, then attacked one of your packmates, that you’d let her go. I’m one of your packmates. She’s nothing, just a stupid jaguar. But you didn’t even believe me, didn’t want to protect me when I told you what she’d done.”

Except, Lauren hadn’t actually done anything. Max glanced at Lauren who just had pity in her dark eyes, no anger. It was rare for shifters to suffer from mental instability, but if Naomi had her brain or nervous system damaged with silver in the past, it was more than possible.