Scout immediately shoots him a warning glance.“Don’t say that around Prophet.”
“As if I fucking would.”Rooster straightens up, looking between Scout and me.“Prophet looked like death warmed over.”
“Yeah, he helped Grace,” I say, my voice flat.
“Grace?”Rooster’s brow furrows as he tries to make sense of it.
“Hannah’s cat,” I reply.
“A fucking cat?”Rooster laughs—it’s not really a laugh but more a disbelieving exhale.He shakes his head, clearly baffled.“What happened to all that ‘God’s will’ and ‘toughen up’ bullshit?”
“He must have felt she needed saving,” I say.
I’m already heading back toward the house to get back to Hannah, but Rooster’s voice stops me dead in my tracks.
“Or he did it to get in your good graces.”His words hit harder than he probably intended.
I turn, slow and deliberate, narrowing my eyes at him.“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Rooster meets my gaze with that cocky smirk of his, but there’s an edge to his expression now, something darker.“I can see you’re mated to this woman from here.Hell, I cansmellit on you.”He sneers, taking a step back as if he’s trying to keep his distance.
The smirk on his face doesn’t sit right with me.He’s pushing buttons, and I don’t like it.Not one bit.
Without thinking, I step into his space, my chest nearly brushing against his.“And what the fuck does that have to do with you?”My voice is low and dangerous, a warning he doesn’t seem to be picking up on.
Rooster takes a quick step back, his hands up in surrender.“N-nothing.Just making an observation is all.”His bravado falters, but there’s still that stubbornness in his eyes.
I stand my ground, refusing to back down.“You keep your observations to yourself.Hannah is human and isn’t in our world.Not yet.”My words hang in the air, the weight of them pressing down on both of us.
Rooster scoffs, but I can see the doubt creeping into his gaze.“You’re going to bring her in?”There’s a flicker of surprise on his face, mixed with something else—disgust, maybe.He doesn’t get it, and that pisses me off even more.
Before I can respond, Scout steps between us, cutting off whatever was about to come next.“Rooster, shut your fucking mouth for once.Ifourpresidentis mated, of course, he’s going to bring her into our world.”His tone is calm, but there’s a steel edge to it that even Rooster knows not to argue with.Scout looks at me, his gaze softening just a bit.“We’ll get the mattress and clean up the mess.”His words are final as if he’s already moved past the tension, but I can feel the storm still brewing in my chest.
“What?”Rooster’s voice rises, clearly caught off-guard, but there’s nothing more to say now.
Scout holds up a finger to him, cutting him off with a gesture.“You should take Hannah and Grace back to your home or the compound, whatever you think is best.”
Rooster stares at him for a second, then glances at me, but it’s clear he’s not getting involved any more than he has to.
“Thanks, Scout.”I don’t wait for him to say anything else.
Hannah is still waiting inside, and there’s no way I’m letting her out of my sight until we know who the hell tried to kill her cat.In LA, she was alone—vulnerable, with no one to watch her back.But that’s not the case anymore.Here in Alaska, it’s different.She’s found me, and I come with the Kings of Anarchy.
If anyone thinks they can get to her, they’ll have to answer to me and the rest of the club.She’s mine now.
