"I'm really hungry. Are we going somewhere there's food?"
"Fuck. Yes. Sorry." I get back into gear, and we bounce down the drive, through the cover of trees. The urgency to feed my mate takes precedence over questions and answers. I drive a little faster than necessary, and a few seconds later we pull into the wide opening, with enough room for several trucks and UTVs to park. We don't host often, most community events take place in the cafeteria or one of the outpost buildings near our little downtown. But since Gray and I run the clan, we have enough space to host at least a handful of visitors.
I park, immediately turning to Mona to watch her take it all in. Her new home. She doesn't know that part yet, but we'll get there.
The siding needs to be re-stained, it's showing its age. Maine winters are long and harsh, especially this far north. But it's early summer now, so the rustic window boxes are overgrown with forget-me-nots and other wildflowers. Daisies claim the ground not packed in by wolf and tire tread.
Her scent changes as we sit here. It warms. Maybe her instincts know she's closer to home than she's ever been. Her omega knows she's finally found safety.
She's succulent. Sweet and dripping. The scent fills my mouth, invades my nose. It slips into my skin, threading through every fiber. It tugs at my cock. My knot thickens.
A knot only swells for a true mate. Chosen or mated, but the wolf and the man must accept the pairing. There's no doubt she's my mate, but this new sensation makes my knuckles turn white as I squeeze the steering wheel.
"Let's feed you," I say as evenly as possible. She hops out of the truck before I can open the door for her.
Chapter 17: Mona
Istretch my body long, practically squealing with relief—waking up in a soft bed is a luxury I will never again take for granted.
I look around the room, breathing it all in. Orion's scent still lingers on my clothes from our earlier hug, and behind it, less strong, is Grayson's. It's permeated the walls, like he's lived here his entire life. I haven't seen him yet, but I can hear muffled movement downstairs through the surprisingly thick walls—built, no doubt, for shifters. Orion never mentioned this was where he and Grayson lived, but I figured it out pretty quickly. I don't know how I feel about that yet.
I try to listen closely, but I can't make out anything they're saying. I have to face them, eventually.Him.
Not him. His twin.
The cabin is deceptively large. When we pulled in, it looked like a charming fairy tale cottage nestled amongst the overgrown wildflowers and canopied trees. But inside, it sprawled.
A long, winding first floor opened to a living room with four massive couches and walls covered in artwork and oldphotographs. We passed a small office and what looked like a reading room, and a lounge with two leather chairs beside an ongoing game of chess. In the kitchen, Orion opened a wicker basket full of sausage, biscuits and gravy.
I couldn't concentrate on anything else after that, and he blessedly gave me some privacy while I devoured every single crumb. It took an embarrassingly short amount of time, and he returned only a few minutes later.
We continued the tour up to a third-floor balcony overlooking the mountain bluffs. Back down to the second floor, we passed six bedrooms before he finally led me to a bedroom at the farthest end of the cabin.
Too tired to appreciate it, I yawned at the sight of the bed.
Orion looked like he had a million things to say. I did too, and the sun was still bright, but I couldn't hide my exhaustion. He crossed the small room, closed the curtains without a word. As the room darkened, my omega curled up inside me, content, and after an awkward goodbye, I fell asleep almost instantly.
I didn't sleep long, though. I'm hungry again. Or, still. I should get up and find food.
Orion never used the word mate, but I could feel it between us. If Beep hadn't kept shouting it, my omega basking in it, I might have dismissed his attention as intense attraction one might feel toward a complete stranger.
The kind you feel when you catch someone's eyes, and something just seems to click. Physical attraction is there, yes, but it's more than that. Chemistry.
Orion and I had it in spades.
Add in all this shifter-business, and I was playing a game where I didn't understand the rules.
I should be terrified. Not stuck with this feeling ofrightnessI didn't know what to do with. Even Beep, who has protected me through everything, who I trust to keep me safe, and has bettersenses than I ever could, accepts this entire situation without hesitation.
We are home, Mona. We are safe.
"What does that mean?" I ask Beep.
And, as usual, she doesn't explain.
So, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and look around. The bedroom is fairly large. Opposite the bed, nestled beneath a window streaked with pollen and water stains, sits a faded blue couch. Across from that, an overstuffed armchair big enough to swallow me whole. All the upholstery looks worn and threadbare, with frayed seams that someone has carefully mended. This whole place feels well-loved.
I wander over to the little seating nook by the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, finding them packed with everything from early-century, first-edition tomes to late-90s sci-fi paperbacks. A fine layer of dust coats everything.
