Tinker’s hackles rose at the suggestion of being forcibly mated. Even though she had been through heat three times, her father had always driven off any suitors who tried to claim her. Now she knew they had not wanted her for herself but only to insinuate themselves with the Alpha. Father had known this for he was wise. He was also a shifter, she thought.<br/><br/>She could smell that same scent that had so rudely stung her nostrils back at the cave. Sometimes it was closer and other times, very faint. For a while, she had thought they had outrun their pursuers until they came to a small stream.<br/><br/>Streams and meadows were often boundary lines for packs and this was no different. She and Warren had paused for a breath when suddenly Tinker looked up to see three of the biggest wolves she had ever seen lined up, arrayed in a line that dared them to cross.<br/><br/>She pulled up short and pressed against Warren’s leg. Her hackles were standing in a ridge along her back and her ears were laid back, neatly out of the way in case of attack. She bared her teeth as she lowered her head.<br/><br/>She heard, loud and clear in pack speak,<br/><br/>“You can’t cross out of our lands until you have paid tribute,” came a snarled directive. “Leave the bitch and go on your way with no harm to you. She buys you a pass this once. The next time we see you, you pay with your life.”<br/>The three huge wolves began to close the gap.