Reclaimed (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 2)

A hand tracing along my spine woke me first, and in my sleepy state, I felt the fuzzy nature of my mind. Had I gone drinking with Simone last night? Why the hell did I feel like I was hungover?

Wait? Who the fuck was touching me?

Spinning over in bed, I dislodged the hand, finding myself facing a naked chest. Broad and bronze, I had no idea it was Torin until I lifted my head and met his wide-eyed gaze.

“What the fuck?” I snarled, looking down to see I was thankfully dressed. Well, dressed in underwear, but that was better than the alternative.

Torin seemed super confused by my reaction, and if he didn’t start speaking soon, he was going to get a kick in the face. “What are you doing in my bed, Torin?” I snapped.

He lifted both hands in front of him. “This is our bed, Meers. We’re mated.”

I wracked my brain for understanding of what he’d just said. “Mated?”

He nodded. “Yeah. True mates. For like a couple of months now.” His voice was low and gentle, trying to calm me. “We’re the alphas of the Torma pack.”

I shook my head a few times, but I stopped backing away from him because there was a truth in what he’d just said. Torin was my true mate, our connection thrumming in my chest. His words made sense, but…

“I can’t remember it,” I whispered, rubbing at my aching temples.

He was concerned, his handsome face drifting closer. “Did you hit your head, love? What’s the last thing you remember?”

He tried to touch me, but I flinched back. “I remember you torturing me for years. I remember…”

What was the last thing?

“My first shift,” I breathed. “You rejected me.”

Torin, still looking worried, shot me a wonky smile. “You forgave me for that, babe. Remember? I did reject you initially, but I’ve reclaimed you every day since.”

Reclaimed.

Was it true? Could I really be mated to the alpha of the Torma pack?

I did feel claimed, but… not by him. If not him, though, who else could there be?

Torin crowded closer, and it was clear he was naked as the sheets moved, giving me more than a glimpse of his body. Once upon a time, before I’d hated him and Jaxson, I’d have loved to have a mate as strong and sexy as Torin, but… he’d been my tormentor.

His hands landed on me, and my wolf arched her spine, enjoying the sensation of our mate touching us. I swallowed again, my throat bone dry. “Maybe I had a bad dream,” I told him. “My head is aching.”

“Sleep, my mate,” he said soothingly. “I will take care of you.”

As I settled against the pillows, my eyes drifted closed, and I decided that I’d deal with the weird gaps in my memory tomorrow.

Simone would have answers.

Jaxson too, even if I had to beat them out of him.

Maybe it would be as Torin had said, and in that case, I might enjoy being the alpha of Torma. Torin as my mate.

That was my destiny, after all.