Tiger parked the Jeep and ushered her inside. Not many Species attended the cafeteria as he led her to a table. Still the tall human female immediately caught the attention of the few that were there. Of course she does! Tiger heard them sniffing and inhaling her scent and couldn't blame them. To call her an eye catcher was probably the understatement of the year! After seating her, Tiger walked into the middle of the room and looked around.

»The female's under my protection,« he declared. »Lay a finger on her and you'll lose your arm! Am I clear?«

The Species males lowered their gazes. Good boys! He returned to her. »I'm so sorry, Ashley, but I have to leave but I'll be back in less than five minutes. Duty calls, you know?« he apologized.

»I understand. Take your time,« she smiled.

He gave her a quick nod, spun on his heel and headed for the door. Outside the building, he drew out his phone and dialed Bestial's number.

»Damn, Tiger! That took ages! Jaded is growing leery. I'm running out of excuses!«

» I'm fine too, thanks for asking,« Tiger answered.

»Shut up! I'm not in the mood. Can we come over?«

»Yes! I go and get Justice meanwhile. Let's get Jaded hooked up.«

»Okay!«

None of the Species dared to shoot her a glance. She bit back a grin. It would be great if Tiger could handle Bob the same way. Pulling her smartphone out of her briefcase, she started checking her messages. One came from the babysitter saying Hope had fever and cried for hours now. Damn! She had to cancel the dinner and hurry home. The front gate! She needed to get there somehow and tell the guards she had an emergency at home and leave a message for Justice. He'd surely understand - or at least she hoped he did. She jumped out of her chair and stormed outside where she bumped into a hard body.

»Oops!« The male chuckled.

»I'm sorry, sir,« she muttered and took a step aside. What the f... Was that a tail?

»Can I help you?« he asked.

She stared at him with wide eyes. Get it together, she ordered herself and cleared her throat. »Yes please. Can you show me the way to the front gate?«

»Sure,« he gestured in a direction. »It's that way. Take my golf cart to get there quicker. You seem to be in a hurry.« He held out the keys.

»I am. Thanks!« She grabbed them, headed for the cart, jumped in the driver seat and drove off.

Leo looked after her and chuckled again. »You won't go on Justice's nerves anymore, honey.«

»Damn!« Ashley hit the brakes. It was dark already and the forest grew narrow and still. No sign of the front gate! Either she took a wrong turn in her headlessness or 'Mr. Tail' inadvertently led her in the wrong direction. Suddenly a light lit up behind the trees. She drove the cart towards the light and found a house with a garden. Jumping out the cart, she quickly crossed the garden and knocked on the door. »Excuse me? I've lost my way! Can you help me please?«

She heard heavy footsteps and the door swung open. A tall figure stood in the doorway. She couldn't see his face because he had the light in his back.

»I'm sorry for disturbing you, sir. I'm searching for the front gate,« she said.

She heard the male sniffing and suddenly snarling. Her anger rose and she put her hands on her hips. »Listen! I told you I'm sorry for disturbing. Just tell me which way to go and you'll get rid of me.«

»No male scent,« he growled.

Unexpectedly his hands darted out, grabbed her upper arms and dragged her into his house. The door slammed shut. She stumbled but managed to keep her stance. Spinning around she looked at a baldheaded Species male who slowly approached her with a grim look on his face. »I'm claiming you!«

She watched him with wide eyes, understanding lacking. »Claiming me? What does that mean?«

»It means you're mine now. I'll make you my mate and keep you. You'll be living here with me.« He took a step closer and lifted his hand as if to stroke her cheek.

What? Adrenaline flooded her body and she slapped his hand away. »I will surely not stay with you! Never in a million years! And don't you dare to touch me!« Clenching her fists, she shouted the words at him.

He seemed surprised and inhaled deeply. »You carry no male scent. I will protect you from now on. I promise I won't hurt you. Please don't fear me.«

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms. »Do I look afraid of you, jackass? Do I look as if I need protection?«

He blinked. Honestly? Not at all! On the contrary! She was ready to jump at him and attack. The situation was odd. Everybody feared him - especially females. But not this one. Why? Additionally... She was tall for a human and her rage rivaled a Species female.

Ashley was about to freak out! Her girl was in pain and she had to talk to some moron babbling about wanting to claim her. She took a deep breath, counted to ten and slowly approached him. »Listen…« She struggled hard to drag her reasonable lawyer to the surface and forced her voice to calm. »I'm sincerely honored that you chose me to be your mate, which is some kind of proposal I guess. But I'm sorry I have to refuse because I have to leave to take care of my child. She's ill and I need to get out of Reservation. Now!« She stood in front of him and poked her finger in his solid chest. »Did you finally get that?«

»You have a child?« His grim look changed into a stunned one.

»That's what I said - yes!«

Understanding dawned. Of course! He'd attack as well if someone tried to keep him away from an ill pup under his care. Dr. Harris! A sick human cub needed medical care immediately! »I'll help you!« he said, spun on his heel and stomped over to the phone and picked it up. She saw him dialing a number but before lifting the receiver to his ear, he looked at her again. »By the way... What's your name?«

»Ashley,« she said baffled. »Ashley Hamilton«

»I'm Vengeance.«

»Are you fucking crazy?« Tiger roared.

»S-sorry,« the male stuttered. »I thought she was the reporter that bothered Justice for weeks. I wanted to scare her off. That's all.«

»By sending her to the Wild Zone, dumbass?« Slade bellowed.

»Dammit, Leo!« Justice snarled. »Since when do I need you to help me?«

Slade slapped the back of Leo's head. »This time your pranks went way too far.«

»Ouch! That hurt, man!«

»You deserve much more than that. Ask him.« Slade jerked his chin to Jaded who hardly kept his temper in check.

His body shook violently. He wanted to beat the shit out of Leo for putting his female in danger but Fury and Brawn blocked his path.

Bestial approached and pocketed his phone. »Valiant said the residents didn't see her but the only one he couldn't reach was Vengeance. His line was busy. He's now on his way to him.«

»What are we waiting for then,« Jaded said and headed for the door.

Bestial caught his upper arm. »You're sure as hell not going anywhere! You stay here with me. The mated males go after her.«

»I won't sit here twiddle my thumbs while...« my female almost slipped from his lips. He cleared his throat. »...while Ashley is in serious danger,« he corrected.

Bestial's phone rang and he fumbled it out of his back pocket. »It's Valiant,« he told the others and frowned, but took the call. »Hi Valiant, we're all listening. What is it?«

»I just received a call from Doc Harris. He informed me that Vengeance wanted him to go to Ashley's house and have a look at her daughter. She's ill. He's on his way to check on her.«

»So the female is at Vengeance's house? Did he harm her?«

»Probably not. The doc said he spoke to her and she was all upset about her cub. When he asked her if Vengeance touched her she said no.«

»Sounds good so far,« Slade said.

»Should I wait for you or do you want me to handle it myself?«

»Justice and I are coming over,« Fury decided. »Vengeance can't fight all of us in case he refuses to let her go. Await us at Vengeance's. If she's not there, I'm going to track her.«

»Okay! See you there!«

Valiant stood in front of Vengeance's house next to the golf cart that smelled of a stressed female. Nervously he waited for Justice and Fury to show up. Everything was silent. This worried him the most. If the female was in there she ought to be sobbing or begging him to let her go but... Nothing! A motor sound came to his ears. He turned and saw the lights coming closer quickly. Waving his arms, he directed them. Fury and Justice jumped out of the Jeep.

»Did you hear the female?« Fury asked.

»I don't even know whether she's still in there,« Valiant replied. »All is quiet.«

»Let's find out then,« Justice ordered.

They stormed to Vengeance's door and Fury hammered his fist against it. »Open up!«

»Go away!«

»Vengeance? Behave!« That female voice belonged to Ashley Hamilton.

They looked at each other in surprise. Behave?, Valiant mouthed to the others and frowned.

»Vengeance? It's Justice! Open up or we crash the door! And you won't like it if we do – trust me on that!« He barely contained his rage.

»There's no need to break down the door!« the female replied. »It's open.«

Valiant turned the knob and stepped in the house. As he entered the room, he spotted Vengeance curled up in a ball on the couch with the female next to him. His head rested on her lap and he cried. She smirked while she soothed him soft strokes.

»What's going on?« Valiant asked.

»I made a friend and I want a gravestone,« Vengeance sobbed.

»A what?« the three males shouted unison.

»A gravestone for my dead mate,« he sniveled. »I'll place it behind my house so I can talk to her.«

The males glanced at each other, knowing exactly who must have come up with the idea.

»Did your doctor take care of my daughter, Justice?« she asked. He nodded, still not believing what he saw.

Vengeance turned to look at her. »See? I told you I'll help.«

She smiled at him. »Yes, you did. Thanks. However, I have to go now. I'm sorry.«

»I know... Your cub needs you.« He got up and wiped the tears from his face. »But you must return soon.«

Ashley took his big hand and gave him a squeeze. »I promised to bring in some brochures of gravestones. I always keep my word,« she said, her voice soft.

He nodded with a slight smile but suddenly his head jerked to face the other males. »You better protect my new friend or I'll snap your necks!«

»Vengeance!« she snubbed. »If you want to make friends, you never ever threaten them.«

»Come back soon and bring your cub along,« he told her.

»And... You don't order friends around,« she said sternly. »You ask them.«

Vengeance cleared his throat. »When will you return?«

She smiled. »That's better... In a few days I think. I have to take care of my daughter and get the brochures for you. Then I'll return.«

She let go off his hand and crossed the room to the other males. Vengeance waved her good bye and they left. The moment they reached the Jeep, Fury rubbed the back of his neck and breathed deeply. »What the fuck was that? What happened to him? How did you do this?«

She shrugged. »I lost my way and knocked on his door. He dragged me in and babbled something about wanting to mate me. I yelled at him I needed to see my daughter.«

»You yelled? At Vengeance?« Valiant asked, his amazement obvious. This female seemed to have no idea of the danger she just faced.

She nodded. »The moment he heard she's ill that was his only concern. He called your Dr. Harris.«

»And what about the gravestone?« Fury wanted to know.

»Well, he told me about his dead mate and started crying. We have that in common. I too lost my mate all of a sudden. Like him, I don't even had a body. But I have a gravestone to go to with my daughter and talk to him. I thought this might help him as well.«

»We have a mated couple who suffered the loss of their previous mates. They didn't reach him at all,« Valiant interfered.

»And I can tell you why,« she said. »They were prepared for the loss - Vengeance and I were not! We didn't see it coming. It just happened. He mentioned Dana and Mourn trying to make him talk but you can't compare their fate to ours. Even when you know your mate is bound to die you surely never give up hope, however small. You've got something to cling to, while our lives changed within a heartbeat.«

The males silently watched her, letting the words sink in.

Suddenly Justice's lips twitched. »You steadied an unstable male with a gravestone. Kinda ironic.«

She smirked. »I must confess I am very...« She paused, brows furrowing, searching for word.

»Manipulative?« he helped her out and arched a brow.

»Persuasive!« she corrected and winked at him.

Justice gestured to the Jeep. »Dinner is cancelled. Let's get you home to your daughter.«