Crush carried him over to the source of the sounds—a cluster of blueberry bushes near the trees. When Crush carefully shuffled his feet through the leaves, they found a squirming brown shape under a berry-laden bush.
“Naddie?” Killian said softly. “Come back to Daddy, hon.”
The chewing sounds stopped. A juice-stained snout poked out from the leaves, followed by a furry little head.
Relief flooded Killian’s chest. “All you wanted was a snack adventure, huh?”
Crush’s laugh sounded relieved, too. “She’s adorable.”
She really was. This was the first time Killian had seen Naddie in her coyote shift; she was beautiful.
Crush crouched so Killian could scoop up the coyote pup. It was only when Naddie was safe in his arms, that Killian relaxed completely. “That was such a scare. Gods.”
“Has she ever gotten into trouble?” Crush asked.
“You mean, stealing scraps of tasty food off our plates?” Killian said dryly. “Sometimes Walren and our other friends would leave bowls on the floor for the kids, filled with healthy snacks. Naddie would sniff them out and munch on everything she found.”
“Perks of having a good nose.” Crush grinned.
Killian elbowed him lightly. “Don’t encourage her!”
Undaunted, Crush picked a few blueberries off the bush and—with a careful look at Killian—offered them to Naddie. Naddie promptly gulped them down, her short tail wagging. Crush beamed.
“Naddie,” Killian chided. “You’re going to give your dad a bad rep. I didn’t teach you how to wolf down your food!”
Crush laughed. “‘Wolf’, huh? Looks like she’s further along on that learning curve than you give her credit for.”
Killian pouted. “I meant it as a figure of speech.”
Crush’s expression was oddly thoughtful. He wet his lips and met Killian’s eyes almost hesitantly. “Look, I know this might come across as me being an overbearing alpha. But you haven’t mentioned any coyote friends, and I figured... at some point, you might want someone to teach her the ways of her species. I’m no coyote, but... as wolves, we come pretty close. My pack would accept you and Naddie as honorary packmates.”
Killian’s thoughts screeched to a halt. “Y-you don’t mind having arabbit shifterin your wolf pack?”
Crush hesitated. “Well, there are usually... other reasons why a rabbit would be accepted. But I’m sure my pack wouldn’t mind having a coyote pup and her dad around.”
Then heblushed.
Killian stared. “Um.”
Crush gestured awkwardly. “After we eliminate your stalkers, maybe you’d like to... visit my pack? You haven’t mentioned your extended family. I’m guessing they’re all in Colorado. Do you have plans to go back?”
At the reminder, Killian sagged. “Rabbit families are, well, big. I’ve never felt close to mine because there areso many rabbits.Because we, you know, keep breeding. People even forget how many siblings or children they have. I might be an only child, but I won’t be missed.”
The more he revealed, the more horrified Crush looked. Then, Crush growled, “You’llneverbe forgotten in a wolf pack.”
He slipped his arm around Killian’s waist and pulled him close. With his other hand, he stroked Killian’s hair, ruffling it.
“Crush?” Killian said.
“Hmm?” Crush brushed his palm over Killian’s cheek and jaw, then down his neck. Killian’s heart skipped. But the alpha didn’t stop there. He grasped Killian’s shoulder and ran his hand down Killian’s arm, stroking down his side until it felt as though he had touched every inch of Killian that he could reach.
“Um, what’re you doing?” Killian squeaked. “Not that I don’t like it. This feels very, um, welcoming. It’s like you’re blessing me for a virgin ceremony before I get eaten by a beast.”
Right after, he froze.Why the hell did I say that?
But Crush only grinned, the scars stretching around his lips. “You havealreadybeen eaten by a beast.”
“I haven’t! Your mouth didn’t go near my butt!”
