“Both.”
“Oh, I’d already guessed they were gay. That didn’t bother me. I understood why they kept it from me. They were worried what could happen to me if their secret got out.”
“And the wolf stuff?” Mateo couldn’t shift, either, but Carl could.
Her smile faded. “I was sad, more than anything.”
“Sad?”
“Yes. That Mateo and I can’t shift. That our parents didn’t meet Carl.”
“They’d been okay with him?”
“Yes. Carl and Mateo have a mate bond, just like we do. That is sacrosanct. In their case, they both felt it and knew what it was. Tamsin’s situation is…unique. Most of the time, with shifters, if there is a mate bond, it is not questioned. Just like you felt it, only you didn’t know what it was. I am also very sad that my father never got to meet everyone in this pack. That our mother never got to have so many extended sisters and brothers. That Aunt Eleana died working so hard to raise me.”
Da’von took another deep breath, held it for a moment, and blew it out again. “I should consider myself lucky, shouldn’t I?”
“I’m not going to tell you what to think.” She wiggled against him again and it nearly wiped out his ability to form worlds. He kissed her, his hands cupping her ass as he ground against her.
Thiswas perfection. He couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect woman for himself. Losing himself in kissing her was preferable to letting his mind roam down dark and deserted alleyways that couldn’t lead to anything good.
Peyton had offered to talk with him privately, to work with him to help him through this.
Meaning using his Prime powers to help settle his mind. At first, Da’von had rebelled against that option.
Maybe Ishouldtake him up on that.He was experiencing wild mood swings he wasn’t used to.
Brianna kissed him as she gently nudged him back toward the bed.“I think I can distract you, mate,”she thought to him through their mate bond.
It was definitely a distraction he could live with. He fell back onto their bed, pulling her with him and making her giggle as she landed on top of him.
This is the rest of my life.
Then again, all things considered…it wasn’t such a bad life to have.
* * * *
With her hands braced on Da’von’s chest, Brianna stared down into his brown eyes. “Love you.”
His smile beamed up at her. “Love you, too, boo.”
That shecouldfeel. Along with his confused, unsettled thoughts. Not nearly as much today as in previous days. With the wedding finally out of the way, she felt he was finding the time to breathe and accept their relationship.
And all the other…stuff.
She leaned in to kiss him again, losing herself to her mate, giving thanks to the Goddess for leading her brother’s life in such a direction as to put her here, in this place, and at this time.
There could be no explanation for this perfection other than divine intervention.
His hand cupped the back of her neck and slipped up into her hair, fingers threading through her tresses and gently fisting to hold her in place. With his lips slanted over hers, he deepened their kisses, sweetly insistent as his tongue slowly played over hers.
Part of her wanted to start working on expanding their family immediately, except that wasn’t practical for a lot of reasons. The first two being that both she and Da’von needed to finish college. The second being that she’d agreed to help care for Tamsin while the widowed and grieving corgi shifter lived with the Targhee Pack.
That was a responsibility she didn’t take lightly.
Then there was the fact that both Nami and Dewi were going to be having pups in a few months. She wanted to be available to help out as a babysitter, especially since Nami wanted to return to college. And there was little Bebe, too. If she did turn out to be a shifter, she’d need understanding babysitters while her parents worked.
People who could help her and teach her.
