A growl filled his chest. “You’re mine.”
“But I come with some really horrible in-laws.”
Ezra took her mouth with his, a long deep kiss to silence ridiculous doubts. When they drew back for breath, Willow’s eyes were shining. Ezra rumbled the words in her ear. “You are mine, and I’m yours.”
She made a tiny squeaking sound, and lime and vanilla revived in her essence. “You’re my wolf.”
“Yes.” Her small contented sigh brought relief to a burning sensation in his gut. Right—Cassius had mentioned this. “We’d better get driving. My folks are waiting up for us.”
On the way over, using Aaron’s phone with Willow’s call still active on his own, Ezra had called Malachi in addition to his mom. The alpha had growled a bit but granted permission for Willow to occupy a guestroom at Dad and Mom’s place. When Ezra asked that Willow not be acclimated until Saturday at the cookout, he got another growl.“Please, Mal. Her folks just disowned her. She’s scared, hurt, overwhelmed.”Malachi had agreed.
Willow gave a little squirm as though just realizing where she was, nestled in Ezra’s arms while he rested against the car. She ran one finger over his bicep. “Still holding me up.”
He growled, confirmation and pleasure at the way she fit here, held close against him.
“I’m all right now. Let’s go.”
He tucked her into the car, but once back on the road, Willow became too quiet. The uneasiness in her scent now was only a low undercurrent, but he reached for her hand again, and she gripped his. Easy to guess what was worrying her.
“I know this is a lot, meeting new people and staying in a strange place.”
“Yeah,” she said. “But mostly it’s overwhelming that they’ll take me in like this. Unplanned and all.”
“This is pack, Wil.”
Then he drove in silence that slowly soothed his mate. Ah, silence, one of the many things they had in common. Willow had mostly relaxed by the time he turned his truck onto the dirt road that was home. Usually making this turn brought deep peace to his body and his soul. Tonight…tonight his rib ached. Tonight he couldn’t draw a full breath, hadn’t since Willow’s father barreled outside intent on attacking him for no reason.
Ezra pulled up the blacktop driveway he knew as well as his own. The entire lower level of his parents’ house was lit up. Of course. Along with their scents, the house held the sea-salt essence of his brother, and Trevor never shut off the lights when he left a room.
“Here we are.” Ezra parked the truck and pointed off to the right, though in the utter darkness of the country there was nothing to see. “I live over there.”
“Next door,” she said.
“Fifty acres and my cabin. Cassius and Sydney live across from me. We passed Trevor and Kelsey’s place already, first cabin on the right.”
“And the rest of the wolves are here too, other houses up and down the road. Your friends. Your pack.”
“All here.” He laced his fingers through hers. “So you’re about to meet my folks, Robert and Ann. Also Trevor. We were both over visiting when you called—Kelsey’s working late on her travel blog or something—and he’s apparently not leaving until he meets you.”
From the house Trevor’s voice came clearly to his ears. “If you wanted me to leave, you should’ve said so.”
Ezra hadn’t had time for instructions before he left—don’t overwhelm her, give her space to process. The same things he would need among new people. He gave a low growl, not a warning, more an assertion of boundaries with the extrovert whose enthusiasm sometimes got out of hand. Willow jumped.
“Sorry,” he said. “That was for Trevor.”
“Oh…they can hear us, Trevor and your dad. From inside.”
Ezra nodded.
Willow’s bottom lip pushed out as she processed the situation she was about to walk into. Then she nodded. “I’m ready.”
Fourteen
RobertSterlingwasanolder image of Ezra, his eyes just as green, his dark hair the only major difference between them. Ezra’s blond hair was from his mom, who welcomed Willow with such warmth she felt bowled over. Was this how it worked in a wolf family? Was Willow’s status as a potential mate enough that Ann Sterling truly loved and accepted her?
Overwhelmeddidn’t begin to describe the swamped feeling in Willow’s chest, the sudden need to cry in a room by herself, when Ann wrapped her in a hug and said, “You have a room here as long as you need one.”
Neither Sterling parent asked for the story. Ezra must have filled them in on the whole thing. He stood silently behind her in the foyer as introductions were made, and then the four of them drifted into the dining area off the kitchen.
