Live It Up by Emma Hillman

hurry and today called for it. He ignored the smell of the woman he’d done his best to forget as he ran past her cabin; and even though he knew she’d realize he’d come near and hadn’t stopped, he chose to ignore that too.
    She’d made her choice, and they both had to live with it. Sure, it’d been partially his fault, but the outcome was definitely on her shoulders. And yet, that meant he’d been able to spend time with Sunny. These past few days were the only time he could remember laughing so easily.
    Maybe Lana had been right after all. Maybe there could be life outside a mating bond.
    Thoughts spinning in his head, he pushed his lion to the limits of his endurance and burst through town as if the devil was chasing him. He stopped at a corner and ignored the surprised glances of the people in human form hurrying past him. They knew who he was. They knew it wasn’t good news that he wasn’t on two feet while in town, and so as they avoided him, he paid them no mind.
    Instead, he sniffed the air and followed Sunny’s scent, the one that was now permanently engraved in him. By the time he reached his father’s building, he was seeing red. He felt how scared she’d been when she’d gone through this door, and his lion was so mad it was a wonder he didn’t burst into the office with claws first.
    Instead, he took the time to shift back to his human form and grab the change of clothes he kept in the closet for emergencies. He’d barely pulled on his tee when he was already striding toward his dad’s office.
    He didn’t bother knocking. He pushed the door open and made it slam against the wall. This time it made a highly satisfying sound. Smiling darkly, he watched as everyone stopped talking and turned to stare at him.
    “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
    “Where were you?” His father glared at him. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you and your…your human hasn’t been very helpful.”
    Andy spotted her sitting on a hardback chair in a corner of the room, his two lieutenants standing on each side of her as if she were a prisoner and needed to be contained.
    He let out a roar, his lion so close to the surface he felt his jaw shift for a second. Shit. He held on to his control and forced his bones to realign. The pain was intense but short-lived, and he was so used to it he knew nothing showed in his eyes but danger.
    He took a deep breath and finally said, “Let her go.” He was addressing his lieutenants, but it was his father who answered. Of course, it was.
    “She drove in—a human—in your car…without you! You were supposed to take her back home. What the fuck happened, Andy?”
    “Let her go,” he repeated. When his men hesitated, he’d had enough. “You’re no longer part of the Enforcer’s team. Go and don’t let me see you again.”
    “But—” Graeme, the eldest of the two, took a step toward him.
    “No. Your duty is to me, not to my father. I don’t care what your excuses are. You’ve hurt my heartmate. You’re leaving. Now.”
    “Heartmate?” someone mumbled beside him.
    Andy whirled around and confronted his brother. “Do you have something to say?”
    Jay, his eldest brother and future Alpha, put his palms up in the air as if he’d felt how close to the edge Andy was. “Nothing at all. If you’re sure of your choice then you have my blessing.”
    “What?” his father exploded. “She is human!”
    “So what?” Nate added from another corner of the room. “Dad, you know these things happen. And it’s not like Andy can be truly mated with her anyway. Would you really deny him happiness because of an ancient belief that shifters should only be with other shifters? Look what happened with Lana.”
    “What happened with Lana?” Sunny spoke up for the first time.
    Andy’s gaze caught hers. “I will explain.”
    “Now.”
    He stilled at her show of bravado. First, she’d high-jacked his car and now she was telling him what to do? He found