Sid’s next to speak. “How’d you make her stop breathing? I was watching the whole thing from five feet away, and I couldn’t tell what the hell happened.” I can handle these questions. It’s what happened after that freaks me out.

“I struck her solar plexus, knocked the wind out of her. And, I’m not a ninja, goofball. I’ve just learned to take care of myself.”

The humor evaporates instantly. “Take us home, Cass,” Masen snaps.

I climb in bed after my shower, wearing Masen’s t-shirt from earlier. I’m so tired I don’t bother shutting the lights off. Masen crawls in behind me and hugs me close. “You okay, baby?” Concern colors his voice.

I blow out a breath. “I’m embarrassed that we were... ya know, and everybody was watching and doing stuff.”

“It’s my fault, little one. I tend to get carried away when I’m with you. I should have known to wait until we were alone to touch you. I’m glad Cass was able to stop us.”

I shudder thinking about what would have happened. “Is that normal? For them to react that way?”

“That was both of us, baby. Neither of us were masking our emotions, and we were both pretty amped up.” He chuckles.

“Great! Now, they’ll think I’m a violent tramp,” I huff. What the hell was I thinking?

“Nah, they’ll respect you for handling her. You’ve never been in a pack, but this kind of thing isn’t even all that unusual. I mean fighting anyway, not the reason behind it. There’s always an understanding that if someone finds their Mate, the other backs off. I’m not sure why she hasn’t.” His voice is lowering, and I’m so close to sleep, being a hussy must not bother me as much as I think it should.

“The lust, baby, that’s not unusual either. That’s the way some Alphas run their packs.”

That gets a reaction from me. “Uh uh, Masen. I’m not ever doing that!”

He squeezes me close. “Baby, I wouldn’t share your pleasure with anyone, it’s all mine. Today, I just got carried away. Like I said, I knew I should have waited, but I scented blood on your cheek and had to take care of you.”

Talking about it reminds him and he uses his nose to caress my now healed cheek. His tender touch reminds me of his earlier animalistic behavior. That’s all it takes, and I’m no longer tired. I don’t care his pack almost watched us make love. The only thing that matters is us. Masen, who’s always needy, senses my mood, and rolls me over on my back and positioning himself between my legs. Dropping his body to mine, I feel him everywhere, and I love it. I smell our combined arousal, and it delights me. My hands rub his wide back as he begins kissing me reverently. “Loved watching you take care of yourself, baby. Don’t want to have to see it again, but you made me so hard. I need you so bad,” he mutters in a low voice as he moves to kissing my neck. I arch into his kisses and touches. My hands meet no resistance as they run down to his tight rounded butt. I push him deeper into me. Unsatisfied with just my hands, I wrap my legs around him.