This third book in the series veers off in a slightly different direction than the first two. The third brother, Micah, is mated to a werepanther, Theo, but the fact that "cats" and "dogs" don't mix, according to most, is by far the smaller issue. The real problem is a rather unusual one in werewolf-land: Micah doesn't want a mate and does everything to fight his attraction to Theo.

Theo is a panther born in a pride of lions, following his mother's line, not his father's. He's been treated badly by his uncle all along, and once Theo's father dies, the uncle attacks mercilessly. If it weren't for Theo's cousins, who all detest their father, it could have ended badly. So, with this history of rejection, Theo is devastated when Micah doesn't want anything to do with him either. Werecats may not mate for life in this world, but Theo is attracted to Micah and had been looking forward to being part of a couple, being accepted for who he is.

Micah has his reasons for not wanting a mate, and while an objective bystander might raise an eyebrow and call them questionable, they are very real for Micah. He manages to fight the attraction, barely, for a while, and the back and forth almost destroys Theo, but in the end, the need to be with his mate wins out. Not that this puts them in the clear, with a rogue wolf roaming their lands and the murders from book one still needing to be resolved, they have quite the fight on their hands.

When they do come together, it is Theo who demands to be mastered, who wants the pain, and the rough love Micah is happy to give him is just what he was looking for. If you like dominant shifters who behave like idiots before they see the light, if you enjoy reading about men who are total opposites and need to decide if they should even give their relationship a go, and if you're looking for a read with lots of rough man-on-man action, you will probably like this short book. ( )