by Teagan Wilde
“This is our house?” Randall asks. An array of emotions comes over his face.
Each of the kids is holding one of my hands, and I help them up the stairs, following Damon. He stops in the middle of the living room, which has new furniture and a TV. The kitchen has brand-new appliances, and the cabinets are a dark cherry wood color. It’s beautiful.
Damon bends down and looks at the two kids. “I have something to show you guys.” I laugh as they leave me for Damon. Holding their hands, he leads them up the stairs, with us at his heels. Randall walks in front of me, staying close to his kids. I close my eyes and breathe, and I can sense his nervousness.
He will get used to everything. Damon pushes open a door, and my eyes widen in surprise. This bedroom is made for a little girl, with pink and white furniture, including a bed in the shape of a princess’s carriage. In the corner of the room are some toys, still in their packages.
“I heard that you loved princesses,” Damon tells her, and she looks at him in disbelief.
“Mine?” she says so softly my heart breaks slightly.
“Yours.”
She jumps on top of her bed.
Damon laughs and walks to the door next to hers. “This is yours.” His bed is in the shape of a spaceship, and the room is dark and covered with bright stars.
“Alpha, this is too much,” Olive manages to get out as her son runs into his room.
Damon looks at both of them. “It’s fucked up the way you used to live. Not anymore—and I am your alpha. It’s my job to make sure you are happy and safe.”
Olive’s eyes fill with tears, and she grips Damon’s hand. Randall pulls his mate into his arms and hugs her.
“What will my job be, Alpha?” Randall asks Damon.
“Your job is to help patrol the land, and you can take on other jobs. You will be paid a monthly salary, but your housing and utilities will be paid for. The salary is for you to spend on whatever. There is a garage near the front of our property, and you can borrow any vehicle you please. Oh, and your kitchen is fully stocked also.” Damon reaches inside his pocket and takes out a card. This is yours, and it has your monthly salary already on it. Then he hands them a phone. This is your phone, Randall, in case you’re needed, and this app will tell you how much money you have and help you keep track of everything.”
This has blown my mind. I can’t believe he is doing this for everyone. Yes, utilities are usually paid, but the salary and other stuff does not happen. They stare at Damon like he has three heads. I snake my hand underneath his shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin.
“I will leave you guys to it.” I hug both of them, welcoming them.
Damon turns back as he’s walking away. “Oh, and Olive, Randall… Welcome home.”
I am so happy! I am extremely pleased with everything. It’s hard to believe that, just yesterday, I came here to escape the rogue. The rogue—I completely forgot about that.
Damon stops walking and looks at me. “What’s the matter, Farren?”
“I forgot about the rogue until now.” His face hardens, and I can tell that he had forgotten too. “I just feel safe here, with you.” Which is 100 percent true. I feel like this is the home I never had, and that feeling is springing from Damon.
“You don’t have to worry about him, Moon. He is as good as dead once he is found. Come, we need to make breakfast.” I let him lead me over to our house, once again forgetting about the rogue.
Damon
Everyone is loaded into the SUVs, and we are pulling up in front of a steak house. I rented out a back room that is large enough for all of us.
All of the guys were excited to meet the pups. We haven’t been around kids in over a year, and we’ve missed them.
Farren has all of the guys staring at her in awe. She has this happiness about her that just makes everyone want to be around her all the time.
She is mine.
She is the alpha female; it’s in her blood to be caring, and I saw that earlier with Olive and Randall. She is protective of them. She noticed one of the packmates hanging toward the back; he is only eighteen years old, and he was the last to join before her. Farren took him under her wing. Now he is smiling and standing at her side. She is amazing and exactly what this pack has needed for a while. We needed her. I needed her.
I think back to the time I didn’t have her in my life, and I can’t even imagine it. My chest hurts thinking about it.
The hostess opens the door for us, and three others are waiting by a table. “Follow me.” They are all carrying stacks of menus.
It’s going to be expensive to feed everyone, but this pack is very well-off. My father invested wisely and opened businesses, and I did the same thing. He passed his wealth on to me, but I haven’t touched it, because I don’t need it. None of us has to worry or struggle. That’s the way it should be.
I reach for Farren, and she walks by my side. People are staring at us as we walk through the restaurant. They all suspect that we are different; some of them even know. My father used to be the alpha of another pack, a couple of states over. He was killed by another alpha, who didn’t want my father to change the old ways. I took on his legacy and I am doing exactly that: letting go of outdated traditions. Not too many people are happy about that, but I don't give a fuck. The old ways are ridiculous. Not everyone thinks this way. It’s slowly changing, but many older, bigger packs practice the old ways. Even some of the newer packs follow the older traditions.
Not me. We are meant to be free and not held down by invisible bonds.
Farren
I love seeing Damon being a leader; everyone looks at him with such respect. Olive and Randall’s two little kids are being spoiled by everyone. Quite a few of the shifters in the pack brought them little gifts. It’s so cute.
Damon leads me to the head of the table that stretches across the room, and I sit next to him. After we all sit down, the waiters place menus in front of everyone. Olive is sitting near me, with Randall at her side. Her kids sit with the guys in the pack.
Damon takes the time to talk to every single shifter, giving each one his full attention, making them feel important. Trying to hide my smile, I rest my hand on his knee. His nose flares as he looks at me, and I smirk at him. I love this reaction.
A bunch of waiters come into the room to ask for our drink orders, and everyone orders a beer. We can’t really get drunk, and if we do we don’t stay that way long. Damon rests his hand on the back of my chair. I lean further back so he is touching me, and soon his fingers are buried in my hair. I resist the urge to lean over and breathe in his scent, but I do grab a hold of his short beard, dragging him to me, and kiss him. He smiles against my lips. I love the way he doesn't mind that I am affectionate toward him. Most alphas do not allow their women to show them affection; they feel that it makes them look weak.
Damon lets me order first; then he has everyone else order. He is putting his mate first, then his pack, then himself.
“Olive, we are going to add a school to the property very soon. For your pups and the future pups in the pack,” Damon says. Olive is just staring at everyone, taking everything in. I guess this is really overwhelming for her. Randall is doing the same thing, but mostly watching her, probably to make sure she is okay.
Damon is looking at all of them with such a huge smile on his face. I touch his chest, closing my eyes, and feel what he is feeling. Pride, love, and extreme happiness. He puts his hand on top of mine, and I know he is searching for my emotions. We do this in secret. I open my eyes and notice everyone is talking among themselves or staring at their menu. Damon slowly opens his eyes, smiling at me.
A waiter puts our drinks in front of us. When I grab my water and start to take a sip, Damon puts his hand on mine, stopping me. What?
He takes the water and breathes deeply, his eyes turning gold. “Poisoned.”
What did he just say? His eyes glow more golden and fully shift into a wolf’s. He stands up quickly, and my br
other is already at his side, staring at the glass of water. “Nobody drink anything,” Maverick tells the pack, and they put down their drinks. The waiters look confused.
That’s when I hear the cackling laughter of a coyote. Damon smiles and, like a streak of lightning, he is gone. My brother is staring at the spot he just left. “Randall, keep everyone in this room,” Maverick says. “Lucas, Brandon, Silas, follow me.” Maverick runs out of the room, and there’s no way I am staying here. I am right on their heels, and we go out the back door of the restaurant. Right there, in the middle of a circle of coyotes, is my mate. Completely surrounded.
One of the coyotes has not shifted, and he is staring at me. Damon follows his gaze, growling deeply, and his body is shaking with the urge to shift. The coyote takes his gaze from me. My skin is itching because Damon is away from me and in danger. One man can handle a few of them, but if they all attacked at once, he could get hurt, and I am not sure if I could handle him getting even a scratch. I clench my hands together, my body tingling; my wolf is ready to come out and protect her mate.
The one coyote who has not shifted slowly looks up, making sure not to meet Damon’s eyes. “We did not come here for you,” he tells Damon. He looks at me, a slow smile coming over his face.
My stomach twists.
“Did you know she has a hit on her head?” He laughs and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Then all twelve of the coyotes turn away from Damon and look at me. Maverick comes closer to me, and three other guys do the same thing.
Then the coyotes run straight for me.
I shift without thinking about it. Damon snarls, jumps over the coyotes, and lands directly in front of me. Then he charges at three of them at once. Maverick and the other three charge the rest.
Something hits me hard in the back and I turn around, snapping at whatever hit me. A coyote charges and bites me on the shoulder. I yelp. I hadn’t expected someone to hit me from behind. Before I can retaliate, Damon jumps over me and takes him by the neck, tearing him off of my shoulder. Damon shakes his head violently, nearly tearing the guy’s head from his body. I shift back into human form, and Damon walks over to me. I bury my hand in his fur. He presses me back against the wall and stands in front of me, watching for any more coyotes. But there are none; they killed them all.
I am rattled that there is a hit on my head. I never expected that to happen. Now I understand why the first coyote tried to grab my ass, knowing it would cause me pain, right in front of my mate. I should have known there was a bigger agenda. They are trying to hit the alpha where it would hurt him most, by going after me.
I walk over to Damon’s truck and grab pants for him and the other guys. We always keep extra clothes for times like these. I turn my back as they get dressed. Damon presses his hand to my shoulder, and I turn around and lay my head on his chest.
I allow myself to absorb his strength, letting him hold me and make me feel safe. The guy who attacked me is lying on the ground, groaning, and Maverick closes in on him. “Don’t kill him, Maverick, we need to ask him who did this,” Damon says. I almost don’t recognize the sound of his voice because he is so angry.
Maverick picks the guy up off the ground. “I will take him to Cabin Five, at the back of the property.” My brother drags the guy to his car, and Silas follows him.
Damon wraps his arms around me. “Moon, you’re safe.” I close my eyes and let his words wash over me. I need to pull myself together. I am an alpha female.
Taking a deep breath, I inhale his woodsy scent and pull myself out of his arms. He does not let me go far. He keeps an arm around me, his hand pressed to my hip. There is no space between us. I can feel his protective instincts, the raw urge to protect me.
Lucas and Brandon are still with us. “We need to get home,” Damon says. “Tell the others they can stay if they want, and the restaurant can bill me, but I need to get her on pack property.”
I know I won’t feel safe until I am home. I feel too exposed at the moment, and I want to shift into my wolf and roam the woods of my new home. I have not gotten to do that yet. I also want to run through the forest with Damon by my side.
“I want to stay with the others, but I am afraid that I would be putting them at risk,” I admit, hating all of this. How did my life get to be such shit all at once? Don’t get me wrong—meeting Damon was the best thing that ever happened to me, but it came at the worst time: when I am in danger. But we shifters are used to violence, because that has always been part of our lives—pack rivalries, coyotes, and other dumb stuff.
“Come on, Moon, let’s go home.”
I walk over to his truck, and he helps me into the passenger side and shuts the door. I watch his abs flex as he walks around the front of the truck. Brandon and Lucas get into another truck. Lucas is on the phone, probably informing the others of what is going on.
“I guess they are following us back? I can’t believe that just happened,” I whisper into the dark cab of the truck.
Damon pulls me toward him, so I’m in the middle seat in the truck. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around my chest in a weird kind of hug. “Moon, I am sorry someone has done this to you, but know that I will protect you. Don’t worry for a fucking second, because you’re mine and that will not change. You will not be touched.” He pauses before he gives me a sly smile. “Unless it’s by me.”
I laugh out loud at that.
A bit later we arrive at our land, and he pulls the truck up to the front of the house. When I get out, the woods are calling to me. “Want to run together?” I suggest. My wolf is itching to be let out. She wants to see her new land and meet her mate. He smiles, stripping out of his clothes. My eyes hungrily take in his abs, his muscled body.
I am excited; my wolf is thrilled beyond measure to get to experience this with her mate. The first run is very important. We may have bonded as people, but our wolves want to spend time with each other. I hurry and take off my clothes, barely able to take my eyes off Damon’s amazing body. Muscles ripple under his skin as his body prepares for the change. He is just beautiful. His body is what you imagine when you envision a perfect guy—and he is mine.
I wink at him and take off my bra, giving him a split-second glimpse of me before I change. He laughs and changes with me, and our wolves stare at each other intensely. I stalk closer, my head bent down slightly. His head nudges mine, and we nuzzle each other. My wolf howls happily, being united with her mate. I bend down on my haunches, my tail waggling. His tongue shoots out, licking the side of my face, and I nip the side of his neck.
I spin around and run toward the woods. He howls loudly, and I speed up. The trees are flying past me. I duck under bushes and run through creeks, and he is right behind me, nipping at my heels. He grabs my leg and stops me, and I tackle him. He lies down on his side, and I lick his face before lying down beside him. He lays his head over my neck, and I close my eyes and allow myself—my wolf—to fall asleep.
What I never expected was waking up naked, lying in Damon’s arms—and I feel something resting against the side of my leg.
Oh boy.
I guess we both totally forgot that when you fall asleep, you usually change back into your human form.
“Uh, Damon…” I start, not knowing what to say.
“Hmm?” he mumbles, his hand sliding from my waist to my breasts. My eyes widen, and Damon raises his head and stares at the hand lightly grazing my nipple. I feel my face warm, but I can’t contain my glee that he is not letting go.
“Damon?” I whisper. His hand is moving with the rapid rise and the fall of my chest. His thumb moves, stroking the tip, and fire shoots through my body. His head rises further, I tilt my head, and he kisses me fully on the lips. I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Let’s take this home,” he whispers against my lips, and he sits up. Then we shift back into our wolf form, and I follow him as he hurries home.
Let’s take this home? What we are going to do? I don’t t
hink sex is on our radar just now, but I want to see all of him, touch all of him.
I follow at his heels and, a few minutes later, the house comes into view. One of our packmates runs up the steps and opens the door for us, and we run straight upstairs. We step inside his bedroom, and we shift back into our human form. My eyes move down his delicious body, right to his dick, which is growing and hardening before me. I lick my parched lips. He is studying me, taking in every bit of me.
“My Moon,” he growls, his nostrils flaring as he breathes in deeply, taking in my scent. I smile softy, loving the sound of my nickname on his lips. “Want to shower with me?” he asks. I hold his hand and take controlled breaths to relax. He leads me to the shower and turns on the water. The large stone shower is big enough to hold a couple of people. Each side of the shower wall has a shower head. I shut the shower door, and we step into the spray together. It’s slightly cool. Goose bumps break out across my skin. I don’t dare take my eyes off of him; I want to remember every single moment. He can’t take his eyes off me either.
He lets my hand go, and I watch intently as he gently rubs my forearm, warming me. He is a sweetheart. Leaning my head back, I let the water rush over my hair and face. Damon’s hands move from my forearm. My stomach clenches as he wraps them gently around my neck. He presses his lips to mine. My eyes flutter closed, my fingers drifting along his arms to the back of his head.
When we finally break the kiss, our foreheads rest against each other, and we stare into each other’s eyes. “You’re beautiful,” he tells me, his voice deeper than usual.
“You’re just everything.” His smile is so achingly beautiful, hitting me straight in the chest. My wolf is at a peace right now, so she is dormant.
“Can I wash your hair?” he asks me.
I never expected him to ask me that, but I can’t refuse him. “Yeah, as long as I get to do the same thing to you.”
He chuckles and takes my shampoo off the small shelf. He pops open the lid and pours way more than is needed into his hand. I am not going to correct him—that is for sure.