"You owe meso muchfor this." I poked him in the chest repeatedly. "I wouldn't give up a meal for my own mother, much less anyone else. You're lucky that you're my husband."
"I will personally repay you in any way you see fit."
"I'll make a deal with you." I reached up, wrapping my hand around the back of his neck and pulling him close. "No more secrets. You're allowed to protect me, but not by keeping me in the dark."
He nodded, his breath playing across my lips. "I promise."
I placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. But before I could pull away, Chance wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, pressing his lips against mine. I opened up to him out of habit, his tongue swirling around mine. He was an incredible kisser, and within seconds, I felt my knees buckle underneath me. However, his strength kept me upright, his muscles bulging against my skin. When he finally pulled away, I saw that his eyes had turned their Alpha gold once more. And the scent of his pheromones filling my wolven senses did nothing to quell the raging hard-on fighting against my jeans.
"I thought you wanted to go?" I asked breathlessly.
"There's no way I'd turn down an opportunity to kiss the most beautiful man in the world."
I felt myself swoon even more. "I hate that you're so good to me. It makes it really hard to resist you."
He leaned in close, his lips brushing over my earlobe. "Good. The day you can resist me is the day I'm not doing my job as your Alpha."
"I love this, I really do, but weren't you worried about going feral and killing me a minute ago?"
"Oh yeah…"
"Come on, you big idiot," I said, pressing my forehead to his. "Sunset isn't far off, and you picked the only safe house on theother end of the preserve." I pulled back, giving him another small kiss. "But you're carrying the pack for me."
"What do you need all this for?" he asked, lifting it up from the floor near the front door. "Seems like a lot just to walk me out there and lock me up for the night."
"Oh, I'm not leaving your side," I replied with a smirk. His face fell, and I held my hands up. "Don't worry, I'm going to keep my distance. But I'm not going to leave you alone when you're scared."
"You don't have t–"
"Iwantto," I said, pressing a finger to his lips to shush him. "And there's no use arguing with me."
He breathed a sigh of relief, as if he'd been trying to hide how truly worried he was. Chance loved to talk a big game, but when it came down to it, he didn't like being alone when he was worried. That's why I stayed at his side,especiallywhen he was upset.
"Thank you," he whispered, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and kissing my forehead. "I don't deserve you."
"Damn right! You're lucky you caught me before some other handsome wolf snapped me up!"
We both laughed as we headed out of the house. I joked, but I was the lucky one, not Chance. If he hadn't found me…loved me, I don't know where I would have ended up.
Heading out the back gate, we cut into the tall grass and made our way into the woods. It was surprisingly easy to avoid the pack, but then again, the entire place was overrun with children coked out on sugar, so we were fairly innocuous comparatively. I secretly whispered a thank you to myself as we disappeared through the tree line. Having to put up with a hundred kids going insane was definitely not my idea of an enjoyable evening. That I left up to their parents.
As soon as we entered the woods, the sounds of the preserve faded away behind us. Under the canopy, it was already twilight, the sounds of the night coming on slowly. My wolf senses perked up, the scent of damp leaves and compost thick in the air. There was a sense of peace and tranquility there. I often ran to the woods on the preserve whenever I needed a break from the pressures of running the pack. When I could, I brought Chance along with me. Instinctively, I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together as we walked under the trees. All the world fell away when we were there, and today was no different.
For a long while, we just walked, our feet barely disturbing the damp leaves. Autumn had come on quickly, and there was already quite a chill in the air. The entire preserve was aflame with the colors of fall, a golden blanket of leaves coating the forest floor. No matter how long I’d been in Marquette, I just couldn’t get used to this sudden flash of beauty as the year came to a close. It was thrilling and fleeting, but I couldn’t think of a time I loved more. Recently, when I wasn’t taking care of my pack duties, I found myself sitting out in the trees with my laptop, writing away as a thermos of tea steamed quietly beside me. I couldn’t think of a time I’d felt more inspired or so happy.
I glanced up at Chance, his green eyes shifting to mine. It was hard to be grumpy when you got everything you ever wanted and more. I stopped, pulling him back, so that he was facing me.
“I hope you know how much I love you,” I said, looking up at him.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Where’s all this coming from?”
“Nowhere,” I replied with a shrug. “I just wanted you to know.” I reached up, placing my hand on his cheek. “You gave me the life I’ve always wanted and more. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Youbuilt your own life,” he said, wrapping his hand around my waist. “You wrote the books, you built the coffee shop, andyou are the one that does such a great job helping me lead this pack. The only thing I did was date you.”
“Maybe that’s all I needed…”
“I’m happy to be your muse,” he muttered, pulling me close. “And your foundation when you need one.”
