The Hunter's Warrior - Bryce Evans Page 0,3

“You’re paying her one hundred dollars for jeans?” Cosmo Fitzgerald scoffed.

“Of course. Any day I can get Raven to act more like a girl and wear girly clothes, then it’s a win—win with my mate,” Lennox said, handing her a check.

“What? You’re only doing this because of your mate? What does Jade have to do with it?” Raven demanded.

“She likes you, Raven, and wants to be your friend. She tries and tries with you and you continue to act like you don’t need friends. Everyone needs friends. Everyone needs them. Including me. I have lunch and dinner with the other alphas once a month, just to keep us being friends. We all need to change. Including you. Now, go to Southern Treasures and get you some new clothes. Girl clothes and make friends,” Lennox said, motioning with his hand to get out of his office.

Raven cringed. “I have friends. The Death Hunters are my friends.”

“No, Raven, we are your family, your pack. Now go.” Lennox leaned back and stared at her. She knew that look.

“Okay, but I have friends.” Raven swallowed hard and stomped out of the office. Dave Regan and Angelo Camp were her friends. They did a lot of things together. She got along with all the hunters. She couldn’t think as she marched out of the alpha’s house. Why was it so important to have friends? Nobody wanted to be her friend.

She started to stomp back into the house and tell Lennox to stuff it, but she slammed into someone. Her body bounced backward, falling toward the ground. Before she could brace herself for the hard landing, she was swept into the air. Raven stared at the man holding her, but he wasn’t a man; he was a shifter, a tiger shifter. Immediately, her bear perked up.

“Get your hands off me. Who are you?” Raven demanded. She shoved until he let her go, falling on her butt, hitting the dirt hard.

The man just smiled. Before she did anything, her brother pulled her up. “We have a stranger on our land, Leo. Apparently, nobody is watching the front gate.”

Leo laughed then pointed at the man. “Raven, this isn’t a stranger. He is a new hunter. He is also Calum O’Keefe’s brother-in-law. This is Caz, and the alpha hired him.”

“A tiger. He hired a tiger shifter as a Death Hunter?” Raven asked.

Caz sighed. “What are you? A shifter bigot?”

Raven raised one eyebrow, looking straight at Caz. “No, I’m not a bigot. We have never had any other shifter except bears.” As far as she knew. “That’s all I’m saying.” She turned and stared at her brother. “You could have told me. Why is everyone keeping important details from me now?”

“I would have introduced myself, but you were so offended about me being a tiger shifter in your club that I decided not to,” Caz said, smiling.

Throwing her hands in the air, Raven sighed heavily and walked off. Mumbling under her breath, “It’s not a club, you beast. I’m not a bigot either.”

Raven could hear her brother and the tiger laughing as she walked away. Why was this hurting her feelings? Nobody even told her they were adding a new hunter. Yes, she knew about the Miltons, but he didn’t say that Caz was going to be a hunter. It seemed nobody was telling her anything anymore. The alpha had plenty of chances too.

She glanced back at the new hunter as she got into her truck. “Why, why did they have to hire him?” She could smell his scent. It was all over her since he’d had his big arms touching her.

And what was that smell? Raven leaned over and inhaled her shirt. “Peaches?” Who smelled like peaches? She took another look before she backed up. Not only was he good looking, exceptionally built like a Mack truck, but he smelled like peaches. Her favorite fruit.

Driving through the gate, she waved as Reed and Greer McDaniel were at the gate talking to Dave Regan, another hunter. Everyone seemed to be changing since they got mates. Why? What was so great about having another person at your beck and call? Never in a million years would she ever want a mate.

Raven loved this time of year. Spring was her favorite. She loved all the new leaves on the trees and the flowers. Cosmo had planted a ton of flowers since they returned last night, and it was breathtaking. He knew she loved impatiens and planted them in the pots surrounding the