by R. E. Butler
Neo squeezed her hips, and she met his gaze. “I can tell you’re thinking sexy thoughts, but don’t forget your parents are in the house.”
She tried to feign innocence. “How would you know what I was thinking?”
“First,” he said, leaning in and kissing her lips gently. “You smell turned on, like your sweet scent is on overload, extra sexy and amazing. Makes my gorilla want to do things to you.”
She shivered. “What things?”
“Wonderful, dirty, sexy things.”
“How else can you tell what I’m thinking?”
“Your eyes darken. But aside from that, I’m also thinking sexy thoughts, and it seems like we’re in-sync in that respect.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed him more fully, then eased away. “We should hurry and get home, then.”
“You have the best ideas,” he said with a grin.
“So back to my job,” she said.
He nodded. “I’d like to ask you to quit, but I won’t. If you want to keep working there, I’ll drive you. It’s not a problem.”
“I just don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t doing makeup,” she said.
His gaze narrowed, and she could tell he was mulling something over. She loved how his brows lowered and he pursed his lips when he was deep in thought. He was so sexy. She wasn’t sure how she’d been so lucky, but she was thankful he was in her life now.
“I have some ideas, love, but I don’t want to say anything until I have a few conversations with some people.”
“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I know, I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to get your hopes up if I can’t work something out for you, but I’m going to do my damnedest to make you happy.”
“I already am happy, Neo. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“You, too, sweetheart.”
They finished packing, filling up the two suitcases with clothes, a duffel with her makeup supplies, and a trash bag with velvet-covered hangers.
“Ready?” he asked at the doorway.
“Yes.”
She took one last look at her bedroom and then walked into the hall, closing the door. She stared at the polished wood and a sign that Khyle had made for her with her name on it. The bubble letters had been hand-carved and painted in her favorite pastel colors. She took it off the hook and tucked it into the bag with the hangers.
Downstairs, she hugged her parents. Dexter looked both happy and sad, but most of all he appeared stressed. His blue eyes were tight at the corners, and while he was smiling, it looked forced.
“Dad, are you okay?” she asked.
“I will be, honey, don’t worry.”
“I feel like I totally messed up your lives. I don’t regret finding Neo, but I hate that Khyle had to shift and broke your rules.”
“You don’t need to worry,” Dexter said. “I promise that we’re still your family and nothing is ever going to change that. The moment I knew your mom was my soulmate, you became the daughter of my heart. You found your soulmate, and I couldn’t be happier for you to be with such a caring, protective male. I don’t hold you accountable for anything that happened, you were following your heart. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”
She hugged him tightly, her eyes stinging with tears. “You’re the dad of my heart, too.”
“Khyle asked if you’d stop by the farm on your way out to say goodbye,” her mom said as she accepted another hug.
“Okay,” she said.
Her parents walked them out, Dexter opening her door as Neo put her things in the back of the SUV. Dexter spoke to him quietly and then joined her mom on the porch. Neo climbed behind the wheel and backed out of the driveway. They waved at her parents and she said, “What did he say to you?”
“That even though we’re soulmates, if I ever hurt you, he’d bury me somewhere I’d never be found.”
She barked out a laugh and shook her head. “Oh my gosh.”
“Hey, he’s your dad. It’s his job to threaten. I plan to do that if we have any girls.”
She smiled at him. “The boys better watch out if we do.”
“You know it.” He winked and pressed on the gas, accelerating down the road and then turning into the farm.
She couldn’t believe she was going to the farm to talk to her brother and the guys she’d thought of as her adoptive brothers, knowing that they were horse shifters. While part of her harbored some annoyance at not knowing the truth until now, she wasn’t going to hold it against them. If she’d been tasked with a secret to keep from her family because it would keep her soulmate safe? She’d totally keep them in the dark. She was just glad she hadn’t needed to.
Whatever happened to the herd because of Khyle’s law-breaking behavior, she knew she wasn’t responsible for it. The laws–however archaic she felt they were–were in place for a reason, and she couldn’t take the blame for what happened. She was just grateful Khyle had broken the law so she knew the truth. She’d never be the same, but it seemed that the herd wouldn’t be the same either.
She met Neo at the front of the SUV and took his hand.
“I’m so glad you’re mine, Dani,” he said. “I’m thankful you went on the tour even though your family was strongly opposed to it.”
“Me, too.”
“Love you,” he said, his voice low and growly.
“I love you, too.” She kissed him and smiled. “Let’s say goodbye to Khyle and the guys fast and get home.”
He gave her a sexy smile. “There you go, having great ideas again.”
She wiggled her brows. “I’m full of great ideas. Fair warning, most of them involve being naked.”
“Did I say great ideas? I mean the most exceptional, best ideas on the planet.”
With a wink, she gave his hand a squeeze, and they headed toward the big red barn to say goodbye.
Chapter Thirteen
Neo and Dani had spent a week holed up in their home in the gorillas’ private living quarters. When they’d emerged at the end of the week, the love he’d felt for her when they’d mated the week before had strengthened and deepened. He was one hundred percent head over heels for his soulmate, and excited to see what the future held for them. She fit right in with the gorilla band and Adrianna, Zane’s human soulmate, and Lexy, Win’s human soulmate.
He’d left his sweetheart with the two females in the marketplace that morning to enjoy breakfast, and had gone to speak to Anke and Zeger, the wolf couple who operated the marketplace’s supply store.
“Morning,” Zeger said when Neo walked up to the counter.
“Hey,” he said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
“Anytime,” he said. He motioned with his hand, and Neo followed him into the little store.
When Dani had asked about continuing her job at the cosmetics store, part of him had wanted to demand she immediately quit and glue herself to his side. The possessive and protective male in him didn’t want her away from the park, and even though he’d promised to drive her to and from work, he knew he’d be a wreck waiting for her. He would do it, though, to make her happy.
But he’d had some ideas on how to make her happy within the park. He’d texted with Atticus during their week-long sequestering, and his alpha had been instrumental in speaking to the other alphas and approving the ideas he had for his sweetheart. When she’d told the store that she was taking a week’s vacation, they’d not been happy about it. They were expecting her to return on Monday. If she liked any of his ideas, then she’d be able to give her notice to the store and have a job waiting for her here.
He wanted her to be safe, but he wanted her to be happy, too. He’d never put his foot down and demand she do one thing or another that went against what was in her heart. Her happiness was paramount to him. Period.
“Good morning, Neo,” Anke said. She turned from a shelf where she was dusting wireless speakers with
a cloth. “How was your honeymoon?”
“Awesome and over too soon,” he said as he took a seat at a little table in the back of the store.
“That’s so sweet,” she said as she joined him and Zeger at the table. “I’m excited about your ideas.”
Neo breathed out a sigh of relief. “That’s great news.”
“We got the okay from Joss to do whatever we need to make this happen but give us the full rundown so we can make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Neo nodded and took out a large piece of paper from his back pocket, unfolding it and spreading it out on the table. He’d asked Mercer, one of the lions, to draw up plans for an addition to the nail salon in the marketplace which was next to Anke and Zeger’s store.
“Here’s your store,” he said, pointing to it on the blueprints. “The lions will cut a hole through this wall and open the space between your store and the nail salon. They’ll build up the area between your store and the nail salon to create a place for Dani to sell makeup and do makeovers.” He pointed to the new area, which he envisioned would be lined with lighted glass shelves and have at least one chair and mirror set up for her to do makeovers. Dani would have the final say in what the store looked like of course, but he’d worked out the bare bones of what they needed to get working.
“We don’t mind losing part of that wall,” Zeger said, looking up past him to the wall that would become an archway into the cosmetics store. “When Joss told us about the remodel, we thought it was a good time to go through the stock and get rid of anything that hasn’t moved off the shelves in a year or more.”
“I’m happy to help with anything you need,” Neo said.
“I’m happy that things are changing in the park,” Anke said. “First, they added the nail salon down here, which we all love. And now to have makeup and a person who can make us all look lovely–well, I’m in heaven.”
“I like the candy shop,” Zeger said.
“Me, too,” Neo said. Win’s mate, Lexy, was a baker by trade and ran the topside candy store, along with her best friend Trina, who was mated to Justus, one of the bears.
“I hope more of our people find their soulmates,” Zeger said. “It’s been too long for so many.”
“I heard that more people have signed up for tours since they sent out the VIP tickets a second time,” Anke said. “That’s a good sign in my book.”
“Definitely,” Neo said. While his situation with Dani wasn’t quite the same as what the alphas expected to happen with the VIP tour tickets, she had come on the tour and he had known she was his soulmate. It just happened that she’d been given a ticket by Jeanie and hadn’t received one in the mail.
However she’d come to be his, he was grateful.
Rising to his feet, he shook both their hands. “Thanks for being so willing to help with this.”
“We’re happy to,” Anke said.
“Just name your firstborn after me and I’m good,” Zeger said.
Neo chuckled. “I’ll have to run it by the boss.”
“You know it,” Anke said with a wink. “Always check with the mate before making life-altering decisions. It leads to a longer, and happier, life.”
“Happy mate, happy life,” Zeger said. “That’s true of any species.”
Neo left and returned to the marketplace, where Dani had finished breakfast and was adding sugar to her coffee. He kissed her cheek and sat next to her, greeting Lexy and Adriana.
Lexy looked at her watch. “I need to scoot, or Trina is going to lord it over me that she’s at work before me.”
“Save me some dark chocolate sea salt caramels,” Dani said.
“You bet.”
“That’s my cue, too,” Adriana said, taking a last drink of orange juice. “I’ve got a nine o’clock French manicure.”
“Don’t forget to put me in the book,” Dani said.
“I won’t. I’ll send you a reminder text.” Adriana waved and left, heading into the nail salon.
“Did you have a nice breakfast?” he asked.
“Yep. How was your meeting?”
“Good. We’ve got some time before we need to leave to see your parents. I wanted to take you on a real tour of the park if you’d like.”
“Oh, really? I’d love that.”
She exchanged her regular coffee mug for a travel mug and poured her coffee into it. They headed topside to the employee cafeteria and took a leisurely walk around the park. They spent the most time at the bird sanctuary, run by Jess and Auden. They lived in the converted barn next to the sanctuary that doubled as a bird hospital. After visiting with Jess and Auden, they finished up the tour at the candy shop, where she took a wrapped package of caramels from Lexy.
“Who are those for?” Neo asked Dani as they headed toward the parking lot where the employee vehicles were kept.
“Dad. They’re his favorites.”
“That’s sweet,” he said.
“Well, he’s been kind of cagey about what’s going on with the family, and I know I’m going to hear about it today. I can tell he’s stressed and so is Khyle.”
“Heavy is the head, darlin’,” he said.
“I guess so.”
They talked a little on the drive to her parents’ house, but she seemed mostly lost in thought, and he let her have the silence. He pulled into the driveway, noticing that there were a few more vehicles parked there than he’d expected.
“I think all the guys are here,” she said.
Neo opened her door and took her hand. The front door opened, and Khyle greeted them, his eyes tight and his lips in a thin line.
She hugged him. “Everything okay?”
“Yes and no. We’re waiting for you, though. Dad wouldn’t tell us anything until you arrived.”
Dani gave Neo a worried look. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine, but he had no idea what her father was going to say.
They followed Khyle into the family room. Dani hugged her parents and each of the males, and Neo greeted everyone.
“Here, Dad,” she said, handing him the box.
He opened it and smiled at her. “Thanks, honey. You’re so thoughtful.”
Placing the box of candy on the coffee table, Dexter settled back on the loveseat and put his arm around his mate. Neo and Dani sat on one of the couches, squeezing on the end next to Khyle.
“All right,” Dexter said. He didn’t speak for a moment and then cleared his throat. “Damn it, this is hard.”
“Dad,” Khyle said.
“Nope, no,” Dexter put his hand up. “I get to speak now.”
Khyle let out a grunt and clicked his teeth together.
Dexter stared at the guys one by one, and then looked at Dani. “I’m so happy you have your soulmate and know the truth of our people. I know you’re learning about the laws that govern us and ensure our secret remains hidden from humans, but I also know that you don’t really understand what it means to be a shifter and particularly what it means to be alpha.”
Dani nodded but remained quiet.
“Sometimes, tough decisions–ones that seem unfair on the surface–must be made. And I’ve had to make one of those decisions. I don’t come to this conclusion easily, but it’s for the best for our people.” He paused, looking like he was trying to compose himself. Then he continued, “I’m going to step down as alpha.”
All five of the stallions voiced loud objections. Dexter put his hand up, and they went quiet, but Neo could feel the anger emanating from them.
“It’s the only way to preserve the herd,” Dexter said. “I’ve pored over the laws since it happened, and I have only two choices. I either step down as alpha or I exile Khyle. This way, you can choose a new alpha and the five of you can go on as a herd, and Khyle won’t have to be without his people.”
“Dad,” Dani said. “Why can’t you just overlook what he did or punish him or something? I don’t understand why you have to do something so drastic.”
“Bec
ause you’re not a shifter,” Dexter said.
“Well, I think that’s bullshit,” she said.
“Language!” her mother said.
Dani rolled her eyes. “Mom, seriously! You can’t tell me you think it’s the right choice! The herd should stay together, with Dad as alpha. Did you even ask the guys what they wanted to do? Look at them! They’re upset, especially Khyle.”
“Because I’m the one who caused this mess,” Khyle said.
“Because of me,” Dani pointed out.
“Stop it, both of you,” Dexter said. “No more trying to accept blame or make this situation easier. The reality is that when I chose to become alpha and start my own herd, I accepted the responsibility of upholding the laws. One of the main ones we have is that we don’t shift in front of humans unless they’re our soulmate. While what Khyle did was noble and the true definition of family in my book, it doesn’t change the law that he broke.”
Khyle rose to his feet. “I don’t accept this, Dad.”
“You don’t have a choice, or a say, in what I do as alpha,” Dexter said. “I make the decisions, and I’m stepping down. You can still use the farm to shift, we’ll still have the construction company, and we’ll still be a family. But I won’t be part of the herd, period.”
“No.” Khyle stared at his dad and then looked down at Dani and Neo. “If I leave the herd, do you think I might be able to find work at the park?”
Neo stared at him in surprise. Before he could answer, Dexter stood. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You’re not at fault here, Dad–it’s me. I made the choice to shift. I exposed us to the other shifters, and to Dani. And we discussed it last night,” Khyle said, gesturing to the other males. “Even if you step down, whoever takes over as alpha will still know that I’m a liability. No matter how much they want to keep our herd going, I’m going to need to walk away to preserve it. This way, you’re still alpha, and I can still work with you at the construction company and finish the park apartment project, but I’ll just be your son, not under your authority as leader.”