He grabs my chin and tilts my head up so I meet his gaze. “Idosay so.”
I give him a quick peck on the lips, my cheeks heating when he grins back at me. The fated mate thing still feels sudden, but also inevitable. My past might still be a mystery, but my future seems pretty clear.
And that future, wherever it might lead, is with Luke.
Part of me thinks I shouldn’t accept that so easily, that I should be more wary since nothing is ever that easy, but I can’t deny how steady and anchored the fated mate bond makes me feel. I’m not going to pretend I’m not happy about it.
Once both of us are dressed, Luke packs up what little stuff he brought with him into the duffel bag he pulled out yesterday. He slings the bag over one shoulder, then loosely wraps an arm around my waist as we make our way back downstairs.
Macy and Doc are sitting on the couch in the living room. Macy hops to her feet, quickly moving to stand next to Luke. She smirks and nudges him in the side with her elbow.
“All packed up?” she asks.
Luke gives her a tiny half-smile. “Yeah.”
Her brows pull together and her gaze darts to me. “Everything okay?”
“It is now,” says Luke. “They put a tracking chip in Ollie. It’s how they knew he was here. I took it out.”
“I see,” says Macy, frowning.
“It’s upstairs on the nightstand,” I say. “Someone should probably…”
“I’ll take care of it after you guys leave,” says Macy. She reaches over and takes the duffel bag from Luke, then jerks her chin toward the front door. “I’ll get this loaded up for you.”
“Thanks, Mace,” says Luke.
She dips her chin and heads outside with Luke’s bag and a small cooler she grabs off a side table on her way.
Luke moves toward Doc, who stands, tilting his head to the side to bare his neck. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“What exactly are you thanking me for?” asks Luke.
Doc’s eyes dart up to meet Luke’s for a split second then return to the floor. “You came when I called. You’re leaving your second behind to protect me. It’s more than my brother ever did for me.”
Luke shrugs one shoulder. “Not all Alphas are like your brother and Randall. I’m trying to be one of the good ones.”
“Then you’re succeeding,” he says softly. “From what I’ve seen, only the good ones get fated mates.”
Luke’s brows rise and his lips curl into a pleased smile. He claps the older beta on the shoulder. “Thanks, Doc.” He glances back at me. “You ready to get out of here?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I reply.
He returns to my side and leads me outside to the gray SUV sitting in the driveway, then opens the passenger door, gesturing for me to get inside. I slide into the seat and Luke closes the door behind me before making his way around to the other side of the vehicle where Macy is waiting for him.
She put a hand on her hip and pokes him in the chest, saying something I can’t hear from here. Luke chuckles and grabs her finger, using it to pull her into an awkward hug. She pats him on the back a couple times and pulls away, giving Luke a mock salute with two fingers before turning and going back into the house.
Luke jogs back to the driver’s side door and gets behind the wheel, shooting me a small smile as he starts the engine.
“What was that all about?” I ask.
“She’s still kind of pissed about being left behind,” he says. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, and I kind ofsaved her from a life she didn’t want. Shehatesit when I go off somewhere without her to watch my back, but she understands why I asked her to stay behind.”
“Sounds like she’s a good friend to have,” I say, returning his smile.
“Yeah,” he replies. “She is.”
Sixteen
