This time she'd pushed him too far. When he bounded onto his porch, he had every intention of killing her.

And Cato.

Until he found Cato sitting on the porch waiting for him.

With a growl, he shifted, then caught the pants that his so-called friend threw at him.

"She asked me to wait outside."

"How close did you get to her?"

"Not even in the same room as her."

Some of his rage died away. But not enough of it, so he growled again and started to prowl up and down his porch. "She's gone too far."

"Making you dinner?"

"Being here. The girl has no boundaries. She knew she wasn't welcome here, and she went against my orders."

"Mark her and she won't be able to."

He grunted as he continued his prowling. "Shows you how much, you know her. She'll find a way. I just know it. She's that strong. It's only today that she's started to try to get a grip on this mind bond we have, and she's already mastered it. I can feel any strong emotions from her, but she blocks all her thoughts now unless she wants me to know them. Hell, I didn't even know she was here until we returned from the forest."

"Her strength will be a good help to you."

"She's weak. Maybe the weakest person I've ever met. Definitely the most tender-hearted person I ever met."

"Yet you've decided to keep her."

He stopped pacing so he could stare at his friend in shock. "I've decided no such thing."

"I think you have. If not, I'd be cleaning her intestines from the kitchen walls right now."

"I haven't decided anything. Don't tell me what I've decided. I was all ready to kill her just a few moments ago."

"Because you thought I was near her."

"If I did decide to keep her, you'd have to die. I can't have both of you. She really asked you to wait outside? That's unlike her. I'm surprised she didn't hug you and ask about your life story."

"I could never want something that belongs to you, Vallen."

"You did."

"Before I knew she was yours. And I wouldn't say that I wanted her. I just wanted_."

Vallen took a warning step towards him.

Cato held up his hands. "Not that either. She just looked like a person I wouldn't feel lonely around."

He growled again. His emotions were too raw.

"Kill me. If I'm all that's standing between you and her, then I don't mind dying for the cause. That's a better cause to die for than whichever one is finally going to get me. We both know the only reason I've made it this far is because of you. If my best friend, my only family, the boy who's saved me more times than I can count, can't understand that I would never take something away from him, then I'm not sure I want to live, anyway."

"Now who's being too fucking tender-hearted?" He stopped pacing and looked at his friend. "You can't have her."

"I would kill myself if I wanted her."

"You're more her type. Everyone is more her type than me."

"That's not true. She's your mate, Vallen. She was made for you."

He snorted. "Then a mistake was made." He started pacing again. "What do you smell when you are near her?"

"You mean other than you growling down my back? Bear. I can definitely see where that could be off putting..."

He stopped again and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Is that all?"

"Mostly. Today she smells like pie. Bear and humans. Freaking uni. I heard there was one in town but I've yet to see her. She's got a new perfume. Is that what this is about? It's awful."

"I hate it. I swear when I find the bottle, I'm breaking it into a thousand pieces. Is that all? Nothing that makes you lose your head? Nothing that drives you insane and makes you need to be closer? Even at this distance the pull is almost stronger than my willpower."

"No, Vallen. Just bear, pie, uni, and that perfume."

"You can't have her pie. Not the cherry. It's all mine. I'm not even sharing it."

Cato smiled. "Easy enough. I hate cherries."

"That might save your life tonight. Might. Don't say her name. I don't like the sound of it on your lips. Call her Ne. No, call her Neevy. That will remind me of her whiny sheriff, and no one can be jealous of him. Don't look at her for too long and whatever you do, don't touch her." He sighed and sat on the top step. "She'll probably touch you. She won't be able to help herself, but you keep your hands off her and you might live through the night."

"Have you ever been jealous of anything in your life?"

"Once." He admitted. "I was still too young to know better. I was jealous of Mac's son. Sure, he got beat the same as us, but his father never put him in the hole, and he always got plenty to eat."

"I try to not think about the hole."

The hole was even worse than the holes with bars on it. The hole was deep, cold, and damp. Narrow. It was so deep bars weren't needed. You could sit but you couldn't stretch out your legs, and you could stand. Cato was once left in it for so long that by the time he was let out, his muscles had to regain strength just so he could walk.

"It was a pleasure to kill your father. One of my greatest honors in life was him being my first kill."

"And I owe you everything."

"I demand your loyalty."

"You have it."

"That damn female is going to be the death of me. She should be fearing my mood right now, instead she is lecturing me. She doesn't want me to scare the child because it's taken her all this time to talk her into staying for dinner. A big happy family we are not."

Seeing his friend's look, he groaned. "Don't. I'm not ready to admit I'm fighting a losing battle. There has to be hope."

"Mabye she is the hope."

"She's a mistake. And she's calling me in to help. Come along and you can see what I mean." Vallen stopped at the door. "Make sure you let my aunt know she's not to mention Nevaeha to anyone. Her life depends on it. The child too."

"I will."

"I guess I should be thankful she didn't show up at the pack house again."