Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“It’s something we avoid.” Hunter rubs his thick brown beard, his frown deep enough to tell me he suffers with similar complications among his own kind.
We have made similar choices to set ourselves apart from our packs to find peace for our families. I’m unsure how Hunter avoids getting dragged into issues with the wider bear group, and I’m not in a position to ask for that kind of advice.
What I’m sure of is that wolf will report back to his alpha, and what happens next could impact everything we’re striving for.
Goldie is watchful, her attention only half on Scarlet, who’s holding Ahya close as she fusses. Can she sense the tension that’s vibrating through us all?
“We should go,” I say.
Hunter’s eyes scan the section of road outside the coffee shop. “Do you have others to call upon if necessary?”
I grit my teeth at the thought of being forced to call on the family we left and the memory of the blame they threw in our direction. It’s too bitter a pill to swallow, but if Gregory decides to make a claim for Ahya, I will humble myself and do whatever needs to be done, no matter the cost.
“We do,” I tell Hunter. “Reed. Finn. Get the truck and bring it outside.”
To Scarlet, I say. “Be ready to leave. It’s time.”
“Okay.” Lines bracket her mouth. I’m impressed with how calm she’s remained, and the way she’s avoided asking questions as though she can sense that it isn’t the time to reveal anything about our situation.
***
We leave the boundaries of Braysville before Scarlet asks, “Who was that man?”
“One of Gregory’s pack,” I tell her. “We have to assume he knows about Ahya.”
Her expression falls. “Will he come for her?”
I reach out to cup her cheek. “I don’t know, Scarlet. Gregory is unpredictable, but we can assume he’ll be interested in her existence. Not necessarily because she’s Aura’s child, but because she’s a she.” I reach over to touch Scarlet’s wild hair. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep her safe. We’ll keep you both safe.”
“I believe you.” Her hazel eyes are soft as they gaze at me, giving me the confidence that now is the time.
“But while you’re unclaimed, Scarlet, your life is at greater risk.”
She blinks, the softness morphing into something immediately more suspicious. I touch her lips before she replies. “I know you’re unsure and you have questions, but sometimes in life, our hands are forced. Sometimes we can’t wait for the perfect moment, and we have to jump in feet-first, regardless of the dangers ahead. This is one of those times.”
She shakes her head, but I lean in to kiss her, showing her with the softness of my lips all the emotions that I hold in my heart for her. Ahya gurgles, and I pull back to look at the sweet little girl whose existence is still a mystery.
“Sometimes we have to trust that the goddess’s plan for us is greater than the plan we made for ourselves.”
“The goddess?” Her eyebrow arches in question.
“She was wise enough to send you to us, and Ahya to you.”
I steel myself against a shiver. The world we live in is shifting, and “ours” means more than shared love. It’s a promise to protect. To defend to the death. It’s ownership and territory. It’s fate solidifying beneath my skin.
Scarlet might not be ready, but it’s time to do what is required. It’s time to claim our mate.
29
SCARLET
The tension in the cabin is palpable. The threat to me and Ahya looms over the men in this house in a way that I’m struggling to comprehend. I’m not from this dark corner of the world, and trying to understand the relationships and the customs of wolf culture is complex and baffling. All I know is I haven’t wanted to put Ahya down all day. Keeping her close is a fierce instinct. I’m not her mother. I’ve never spent time around young babies, and yet, I seem to know what she needs as though she’s my own.
I love her.
And watching stoic Nixon, rugged Reed, and gentle Finn fight for her smiles, try to anticipate her needs, and hover around her like silent guardians has me melting over them, too. There’s something about a man showing kindness to children, especially when they’re not blood, that reveals an essential inner trait that ticks all my female boxes.
They’ve even started to override my fears about this strange world I find myself in.
They think I’m their mate. A woman fated to join their pack. But I’m just Scarlet, an ordinary human woman with a splintered past and a sharp tongue. I came to Braysville for lumber, and now? Now, I find myself aching when one of them leaves the room, caring for a child, and at the center of a poly relationship with men who are also wolves. My mind is blown at how fast my life has changed.