He was addicted.
And he needed a fix. But he couldn't find her anywhere.
He'd avoided asking Sasha or any of the others whether they knew where she was because he didn't want to appear needy or possessive. But damn it, he was. He needed to possess her. In every way. The woman had completely gotten under his skin and he didn't want her to leave. Ever.
But he did need to cool it, at least for the time being.
He glanced toward the parking space where Kira's ATV was usually parked. It was still gone. As well as the spare one.
Settle down, Nash. She's fine.
He'd assumed mating would have lessened the urgency in his veins to be with her, but it had only increased it. Of course, he could be feeling plain old-fashioned desire for his woman. He laughed at himself. That's exactly what it was. He was just a man who wanted his woman. Nothing unusual there.
There was only one thing that could possibly take his mind off Kira, and fortunately for him, his brother chose that exact moment to call him. Any other day, and Nash would have avoided the call, but the distraction was desperately needed. He grabbed his cell phone off the front seat of the truck and headed out into the sunshine of the day before he picked up.
"Nolan," he answered his brother. "I don't suppose you're calling to invite me for Fourth of July celebrations?"
"Depends. Have you sorted your shit out yet?"
Nash shook his head. How did he know the conversation was going to go that way?
"I'm sure you'd say that I haven't, brother." But as far as Nash was concerned, he'd sorted everything out just fine. "I do wish you'd change your mind on all of this, though. I'd love to see you."
It wasn't a lie. Despite their disagreements, he truly missed his brother.
There was a long pause, followed by an exhale. "Have you chosen a mate?"
Nash knew what Nolan was really asking. He wanted to know whether Nash had decided to take what he deemed an acceptable mate. There was a big difference as far as Nash was concerned. Hell. An even bigger difference now than it had been only a day ago.
He took a deep breath of his own before he answered. "What if I told you I had?"
"Then you better tell me that your female is pure-blooded, from an appropriate pack, Nash." Nolan didn't even hesitate in his answer. "Because that's the only answer that will be acceptable and that is the only way you'll be welcomed back into the pack, brother. And you know it."
He did know it. Man, did he ever. The thought had gone through his head the night before, but it hadn't mattered. Not when Kira was in front of him, with everything she represented to him and their future together. It was no contest. If asked, he'd admit that the thought of never seeing his brother or going home again hurt. A lot. But it was a small price to pay. And the moment he told Nolan the truth, it would seal his fate. Forever.
He swallowed hard, but there was no hesitation when he opened his mouth and said, "My mate is a bear. A grizzly." Nolan didn't answer immediately. Not that Nash expected him to. He waited a beat, and then two. Finally, Nash said, "I don't expect you to understand, brother."
"That's a damn good thing," Nolan scoffed.
"I know you-"
"You don't know a fucking thing." His brother was only barely controlling his anger, and even then, not very well. "You don't know a goddammed thing, little brother. Not a thing." A growl rumbled through the line and Nash was happy he wasn't standing in front of Nolan. Although fairly evenly matched in size and stature, an alpha wolf was nothing to be messed with. Nash was coming into his own as an alpha, but even then, he had no desire to get into it with his brother. And definitely not in Nolan's current state.
"I know that I love her." Nash kept his voice even and as calm as possible. "I couldn't fight it, Nolan. I can't even begin to explain it."
"Well, you better try, little brother. Because when I see you, I'm going to tear your fucking head off. You have a duty to this pack. You mate and breed with a pure bred. You further the bloodline. It's what you do, Nash."
"It's not what I do."
"It is!" The growl that came through the line more than made Nolan's point. "Renounce her," he demanded.
Renounce? Hell no. He'd only heard of it in passing before. It occurred when a pair mated and then decided it was a mistake. It didn't happen often and it was absolutely not going to happen with him and Kira.
"You must do it at once," Nolan continued. "It's not too late to fix it."
"No."
"Nash," Nolan snarled through the phone. "She's a bloody bear. It's not natural."
But it was. He knew he'd never be able to make his brother understand. Especially because Nolan had mated for duty and not love.