Trusting A Tiger (Alaskan Tigers) (11 page)

Dusk
was falling around the compound when they finally made it back from the creek.
Harmony’s legs were weak, and her body was exhausted. If it wasn’t for Felix’s
arm around her waist, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have had the strength to
make it back. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and forget about the day.
She had some major decisions to make, the biggest one being what she wanted to
do about the clan. Was she willing to commit herself and once again be under an
Alpha that held her life in his hands? Could she trust that Ty wouldn’t trade
her to further the clan’s agenda?

Not
committing to the clan would cause tension not only between Felix and her but
also between him and the clan. Her happiness hinged on finding a way to balance
the clan and her sanity.

“Harmony,”
Robin called to her as they stepped out of the trees.

Felix
must have felt her body tense at the presence of the man with Robin, because he
ran his fingers down her side, teasing along her hipbone. “That’s Tex. He’s new
to the clan. No sudden movements—he’s still a little spookable.”

Robin
and Tex closed the distance, meeting them halfway. The dark circles that were
under Robin’s eyes days before were fading, and for the first time since
Harmony arrived, she seemed to be at peace. The dimming of the connection
between them once Harmony mated seemed to have helped ease the tension in
Robin.

“We
were just about to grab some coffee. Would you like to join us?” Robin asked
nodding to Tex.

“Umm.”
Harmony didn’t want to but couldn’t think of a polite way to bow out.

“Come
on. I got hung up at the meeting but wanted to talk with you.”

“Go
ahead,” Felix urged. “I need to check in on some stuff, and then I’ll meet you
back at your place in a bit.”

She
took a deep breath and tried not to give in to her irritation that the clan was
once again coming between her and her mate. Resentment would only make things
that much more strained. Trying to cherish each moment with him that she had,
she let it go and turned back to Robin. “Okay,” she nodded.

“Tex
is new to the clan as well. He’s from Texas,” Robin explained leading them
toward the cafeteria.

With a
raised eyebrow, she took in the man next to her. He was the average cowboy, his
tight jeans, black cowboy boots, and white cowboy hat firmly in place. “Texas?
Wow, what brought you to Alaska?”

“Robin…”

“Go
ahead.” Robin nodded, leaving Harmony confused.

“When
Adam went to rescue Robin in Texas, I was wounded by a rogue, and they had no
choice but to bring me back with them to their healers. Long story short, I
couldn’t go back to my clan. Avery was using the clan members in ways no Alpha
ever should.” Holding open the door, he allowed her to enter the building
before continuing. “I arrived about the same time you did, and it’s been the
best thing in my life. The Alaskan Tigers have given me a new start in life,
and it can give you the same if you’re willing to embrace it.”

“Embrace
it? You mean commit myself to the clan?” Harmony couldn’t keep the surprise out
of her voice. Did Robin or Felix encourage him to approach the subject with
her? Adding more pressure to her wouldn’t help her make the decision…if anything,
it might hinder her more. She didn’t want to be pressured.

He
paused, glancing toward her as if truly taking her in. “If that’s what you’d
like, that decision has to be your own. I wasn’t aware you weren’t committed. I
only mentioned it because I’m aware of the threat against you. I have faith
that the clan will eliminate Henry and keep you safe.”

“I
hope so.” If they didn’t, it wasn’t just her life on the line.

“Let’s
not talk about any of that,” Robin said wearily, “We’re supposed to be having a
friendly coffee break. We’re not to discuss the shit of the past, the uncertain
future, and most certainly not the threats that are hanging over our heads.”

Tex
tipped his head toward Robin. “Ignore her. She’s just exhausted after hearing
of my past. She’s hoping for something stronger than just coffee after hearing
what Avery did to those under him.”

Robin
let out a deep sigh. “Since mating with Adam, I’ve been working on finishing my
last psychology class for my license but have already started providing
counseling to the clan and shifters in need. There was no one to help shifters
through things in the past—they couldn’t go to a human without exposing us—now
I’m helping to fill that role.”

“That’s
great, Robin. It’s something we don’t have, but I know we could use. Maybe you
can get others to consider that profession for other clans. I know some Alphas
have paid to put a clan member through school to be a doctor or lawyer, giving
the clan the professional experience with the shifter knowledge.” Maybe if she
had someone to speak with all those years ago, she wouldn’t have let things get
so bad with her former Alpha.

The
sweet, heavenly aroma of rich coffee filled the room as they poured it into
their mugs. Each made their coffee to their tastes, Harmony adding a splash of
vanilla creamer until it was a warm brown. At this time of day, the cafeteria
was empty, giving them their choice of seats as they moved away from the coffee
bar.

They
slid into one of the round booths, giving them a view of the room. “It will
only work in some clans, but I do hope I can help make changes in the shifter
world where psychology is concerned. Shifters need someone they can talk to
just as much as humans, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“What
do you mean ‘only in some clans’?” Harmony took the seat next to Robin as Tex
took the other side, placing Robin in the middle of the booth.

“It
will only work if the shifter in question who has sought help can receive it
without the Alpha demanding to know everything. A counselor would have to
report to the Alpha if they felt the patient or someone else’s life was in
jeopardy, but other secrets would be kept between the counselor and client or
there would never be any progress.” Robin looked to Tex before taking a sip of
her coffee.

“She’s
right. Even if she had been in Texas, I could have never gone to her. Patient’s
privacy was never part of Avery’s language. No matter what was said or to whom,
Avery wanted to know. I was doomed to suffer silently under Avery’s hand until
Robin and Adam came along.” He laid his hand over Robin’s arm. “I’ll never be
able to repay you for picking Royalwood to hide out. If I hadn’t been at the
airstrip guarding Adam’s helicopter against Pierce’s rogues, I’d have still
been left to that fate. I have no doubt that in the end he’d have killed me.”

Robin
smiled, the bond between them unmistakable. “To have to suffer one day under the
hands of an abusive or controlling Alpha is too much, but to think of a
lifetime under one is unspeakable. I’ll do what I can do make the shifter world
a better one.”

“Unfortunately,”
Harmony replied, “you don’t know the Alpha’s true ways until it’s too late and
you’ve committed yourself to the clan.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder
out of her way before bringing the hot cup of coffee to her lips.

“You’re
thinking Ty’s hiding his true nature from you?” Robin asked incredulously. “Then
explain why you feel the loyalty that Felix has to Ty and the clan? Why no
matter who you ask in the clan they don’t have a negative word to say about
him? Why would Jinx and the West Virginia Tigers—or Taber, Thorben and the rest
of the Kodiak Bears—follow Ty’s lead? Surely another Alpha would recognize if
Ty were hiding something and wouldn’t follow him blindly. Everyone couldn’t be
in on the conspiracy to hide Ty’s ‘true nature’ from you.” Robin’s words were
harsh but added some perceptive to the situation.

Tex
leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His hands were wrapped around
the coffee mug in front of him, watching Harmony as if trying to understand her
logic. “If Ty was as you think he is, he wouldn’t care that Avery is abusing
his people, but he does. He’s working to do something about it. The clan was
after Pierce for years trying to take him down, and they continued the search
even when Pierce left them alone. Ty is trying to make it a safe world not only
for tigers but for all shifters.”

“It
all sounds logical enough and I feel Felix’s commitment to the clan, but I
can’t put my past experiences out of my mind. Robin, I don’t expect you to
understand. You’re human and never had to deal with this until you mated, so you
don’t fully understand what some shifters are like. But you, Tex—I would expect
you to understand. How can you commit yourself to Ty when you’ve spent years
under Avery?”

“Robin
and the other clan members helped me see the light. The Elders were willing to
take me in and stand up against Avery to protect me. Even now they are still
fighting for me, since I hold too many of his secrets for Avery to let me go
without a fight.” Tex’s gaze narrowed down at her, letting her know that he
believe she was being naïve.

“I
might have never had any experiences with shifters or Alphas before, but it’s
not hard to comprehend. More importantly, I’ve seen Ty’s and the Elders’
commitment to the clan and to keeping shifters as a whole safe. I’m tired of
defending the people I care about to you. You may doubt them, but I’ve had
enough of it. When you’re ready to open your eyes to the opportunity you have
before you then let me know. Otherwise, I’m done.” Robin rose, taking her
coffee with her as she did, and left Harmony staring after her.

“It
would seem that you’ve pissed Robin off.” Tex took a long drink of his coffee.
“I’ve never seen her lose her patience.”

“She
just doesn’t understand.” She pushed her coffee off to the side, no longer
interested in it.

He
drained his coffee before meeting her gaze. “No, Harmony, I think it’s you that
doesn’t understand.” He pushed back from the table and stood. “I have to say: I
agree with Robin. You’re mated to one of the top Elder guards, which means you
have certain responsibilities.”

Tex
left her, leaving her alone with her thoughts. To say she was shocked by the
outcome would be an understatement. She sat there unable to believe that
everyone was against her. Was she really on the wrong side of things? Was she
letting her prejudices of her previous Alpha get in the way of what was
happening here? Maybe she was, but she wasn’t sure how to move past it.

* * *

Felix
entered the world of the geeks seeking Connor and the newest information on the
clan’s missions, especially Henry. In the hours he spent making love to Harmony
by the creek, did Henry make his way to them? Did he travel by plane or car? If
by plane, he would already be here, but by car they had another few hours
before he’d be close enough to be an immediate threat.

Computers
were set up at a number of stations throughout the room, most of them having more
than one computer monitor hooked up to make multitasking easier. A small coffee
station sat in the corner, looking well-used with a number of mugs and energy
drinks scattered throughout. Connor and Lukas were the main geeks of the
compound, but sometimes Robin or the Elders would assist.

Connor
looked up from the laptop in front of him. “Hey, Felix, I thought you’d be off
using your ways of persuasion to convince your mate to join the clan. I could
use her skills in here.”

“I’m
doing what I can, but it seems my tigress is hardheaded.” He strolled across
the room until he came to Connor’s area where he plopped down in the chair
beside the desk. “Update me. What have you found since the meeting? Henry’s
status?”

“He
took the plane, which landed an hour ago, and picked up a rental car fifteen
minutes ago. I just alerted Ty of this. I believe he’s planning to put a team
together to try to intercept him before he makes it this far. He was going to
contact you once things were gearing up, figuring you’d want to be a part of
the team.” Connor grabbed the coffee from the table and leaned back. “Avery’s
threatening to go to war over Tex. We’ve got to take care of the situation with
Henry so we can deal with the Texas clan. We’re too small of a clan to be
divided up on missions.”

For a wolf
shifter, Connor was greatly in tune with the needs of the clan. The Alaskan
Tigers had opened their home and hearts to him, giving him a safe haven after
his narrow escape from Pierce’s control. He had proven himself loyal to the
clan time and time again, always going above and beyond the call of duty.

“I’ll
get with Ty. With luck on our side, we’ll take Henry out of the equation by
this time tomorrow and can focus on Avery. I noticed that Tex has adjusted well
to the clan. He’ll be a great addition to the fight.” With new determination,
Felix rose to find Ty. “Don’t forget Randolph and the rogues Pierce left behind.
Once they get their legs under them again, it’s possible they’ll cause havoc
for us.”

“I’m
aware and have been keeping an eye on their activities as best I can.”

In
search of Ty, Felix strolled out the door with his thoughts turning back to his
mate. How difficult would things be in his clan if she refused to commit
herself to Ty? It would obviously mean there would be much tension and many
secrets between him and his mate, because he wouldn’t be able to share any
details of the clan’s activities with her until it was public knowledge for the
whole clan. Not to mention the issue of living arrangements. He couldn’t stay
in her apartment because it was too far from his duties, and she couldn’t join
him in the main building. There was no way she’d be allowed to his quarters
once the second floor was complete, making matters even worse. Mating was
supposed to be the happiest time in a shifters life. Instead, for Felix, it was
turning out to confusing and problematic.