Archer stared at our hands touching. “If you want to be left alone to read or unwind, let me know. But if we’re doing this together, that means I need to think about us more than me. Let’s do game night with the pack instead. We can still go out when you’re in the mood. Or we’ll go to a nice restaurant and dine at one of the outside tables. They have a lot of those in Austin. We can even go hiking. I want to make you happy.” He touched my cheek. “I want to make you feel safe.”
Touched by his promises, I wrapped my arms around him. “I feel like I’ve been asleep my whole life until we met. Will you promise never to cheat on me?”
He drew back, his eyes leveling me. “I’ve never taken sex seriously, but that’s because I never found my other half. I lost my arm because of bad choices, but I know what’s important now. Communication, trust, love—all of it. That’s what we have, and that’s what I want.”
“I was unfaithful with Noah because he hurt me. I didn’t know how to leave a dangerous man. Why did he cheat with allthose women? I gave him everything he asked for, but I still wasn’t enough.”
“Because he was an ungrateful bastard who didn’t deserve you. I can promise you one thing: I’ll scorch the earth before I let anyone treat you that way again. But you don’t need me as a protector. Your spirit animal’s strong.”
“Promise you’ll never be unfaithful.”
Archer touched his forehead to mine. “Not gonna happen. Ever.”
I leaned back and traced my fingers over his beautiful tattoo. “I can’t give you children.”
He regarded me for a moment. “I fell in love withyou, not your uterus. Maybe kids aren’t in our future. But if they are, the fates will bring us a child.”
“That’s a life-altering sacrifice, Archer. If you want your own children someday, I can’t give you that. Maybe you should consider what that means. I don’t want you clinging to the false hope that maybe the Relic was wrong and a miracle will happen.”
“I don’t have those expectations. But you’re choosing a man with only one arm. That fight in the parking lot won’t be the last. I’ll defend you to the fucking end, but it’s not going to be easy. Some days are hard and I get in a mood. Sometimes I have nightmares. You’ll have to hear people talking shit about me, and there are things I can’t do that other men can.”
“And there are things youcando that other men can’t, like love me the way I need to be loved.”
He softly stroked my nape. “If we decide on kids, I’ll be the first to sign us up for adoption. That’s a promise. Genetics doesn’t make a difference to me. We can adopt horses, wolves, or even Relics. But I’ll never put the burden on you.”
The tears came, and this time, I didn’t hold them back.
Archer hooked his arm around me and hauled me up. “Come on, sweetheart. It’s been a long night.”
“Do you like living under Tak?”
“He’s the best Packmaster I’ve ever known. He’s got a great sense of humor but also expects us to work hard. Wolves need a kick in the ass. It helps us bond. Why do you ask?”
“Do you think he’ll accept me? I mean… I’m not a wolf.”
“So? Lucian’s not even a Shifter.” With his arm still around me, he said, “Most animal species group together because that’s the way we’ve always done it. From what I’ve seen, times are changing. People see the value in having other animals in their groups. Did Mel ever mention her aunts? One’s a panther and another a Mage. Tak is a different kind of leader. He doesn’t look at our Breed but our hearts. But since you’re a different animal, you’ll need to meet everyone’s wolf.”
“Assuming Tak lets me in.”
Archer gave me a lopsided grin. “Girl… you have a better chance at getting in this pack than I do, and I’m already a packmate.”
A cricket trilled outside the window as we stood in the center of the room.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” he asked.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I want you to stay with me every night.”
Chapter 29
One week later
Archer stroked the black mare’s neck while Lakota put on his pants. Everyone in the pack had officially met Cecilia’s mare without issues. Afterward, they introduced the wolves one at a time. All but Joy, who still didn’t feel comfortable shifting around the pack. Archer wondered if she might be a defect, but maybe she just had serious trust issues.
Hope wasn’t able to shift due to the pregnancy. Archer was most concerned about Virgil’s crazy wolf and possibly Krys spooking the horse, but the interactions were uneventful, if not amusing. Virgil nipped at her hooves, and then she chased after him.
Archer’s wolf needed no guidance. He crawled on his belly toward her before rolling over in the most vulnerable position. Her horse nickered as she took in his scent and then playfullynudged him. It was an odd pairing, but they were destined to be fast friends.
Tak plucked petals off a yellow dandelion while leaning on the pasture fence. “Lakota, bring Luna out. I need to see how they do together.”
