Carina managed to get most of them squared away in Khalida or the surrounding mountains, plenty of them beyond thrilled to help expand the city and see how much the world has changed, but there were also those that couldn’t handle the culture shock. The guys were already dead-set on us living somewhere remote so we wouldn’t need to deal with shifters constantly drawn to us and all of the stress that came with it, plus I had Byte-Ware to sell and pitch some money into the pot, so for once, all of the pieces actually aligned for a perfect solution.
One modern day castle on a private island, and a carefully selected pack to live there with us.
A yelp is followed by a sharp smack and Cinjin’s annoyed, “Quit acting like a little bitch and sit still.”
Following the sound of buzzing towards our section of the house, I slip through the open archway to where Reid is reclining in a chair as Cinjin tattoos his chest. Reid notices me first. “You’re back early.”
Leaning against the pillar of the arch, I smile. “The twin devils decided to try and baptize themselves, so Emmy had to dip out.”
Cinjin glances up, worry etched into his features. “They’re okay, though?”
“Of course, I have no problem drop-kicking my nieces to save them from becoming Kraken bait.”
With a snort he returns to his work. “You’re so benevolent.”
“I know, it’s one of my more redeeming qualities.”
Reid was the last one in the lineup, and honestly, this might be the most perfect idea Cinjin’s ever had. Slade joins us a little while later, and I lean back against him as we watch in peaceful silence. Ten minutes later Cin’s wiping off Reid’s chest, and I can’t help but grin at the end result.
It’s the same tribal wolf head that he tattooed over all of our hearts, a perfect balance of shadows and highlights. Now, we all finally have matching mate marks, visible proof that we chose one another and continue to do so.
Low chatter draws my eye over to where Nate and his mate Sarah are walking on the beach, and I can’t help but smile at the way he looks at her with nothing short of absolute adoration when she’s not looking. The only non-wolf shifter on the island, her black and orange hair is the same unique coloring as her fox. But where there was a little hesitancy on my part after our experience with Jonathan, it was quickly washed away once I actually met her. Sarah’s so sweet, she makes you want to wrap her in bubble wrap and shower her in candy.
“Hey, Nate?” They look my way instantly, and make their way up the path.
“What’s up, Sabrina?” He wraps an arm around Sarah’s waist, tucking her into his side.
Wetting my lips, I debate if it’s the right time to ask, but if the perfect moment hasn’t appeared by now, it’s not going to. “I know wolves were pushed to the edge of shifter society because of Ash, but some of you were still aware of them before everything exploded. Why was it such a secret that there were even other packs outside of Shadow Ridge to where the guys didn’t know?”
He looks past me to Slade. “I had my suspicions that your fathers were messing with things they shouldn’t after how dramatically their behavior deteriorated, so I got the others to agree to spare you. But since we didn’t know who they were involved with or how they were getting their hands on it, it came with the stipulation of cutting you off from any packs outside of those in Shadow Ridge so there wouldn’t be another exposure risk.”
With a sad smile, he admits, “I told you we kept you alive that day for a reason, Hawthorne, but the others didn’t have anything to do with it besides humoring me. It was becausesomethinghad to change. And seeing how much you boys hated the lives you were living? If there was anyone that would find a way to break the cycle we were all trapped in, I knew it’d be you.”
He claps his shoulder once before guiding his mate away to join my fathers down the beach where they’re fussing over Terra, our pack’s human lawyer. The poor woman hasn’t gotten a moment’s rest since they overheard her telling Hunter that she was traveling to Khalida to get some paperwork signed by Carina. All they heard was ‘attractive human alone around people that could kill her’ and it was over. But by the small smiles and lack of objections when that woman can get half of the people in a police station begging for mercy in a matter of minutes? She doesn’t mind their hovering.
“It’s finally ready.” Kaige emerges from the house, breaking into a broad smile when he sees Reid’s tattoo. “Looks like perfect timing, too.”
“What’s ready?”
He threads our fingers together, kissing the back of my hand. “Your room.”
“Seriously? I’d made my peace taking over part of all of your rooms and started wondering if that was your plan all along. What will you guys fight about, now?”
Slade chuckles, setting a hand on my hip from behind and urging me into the house. “I’m sure we’ll find something.”
Weaving through rooms, we climb the spiraling stone staircase that leads up to the third floor, our wing of bedrooms separated from the rest of the place for the dual purpose of privacy, and to ease some of the paranoia that can never fully be eradicated after the things we’ve been through. Tracing my fingers along the walls on the way, we finally come to a stop in front of the door at the end of the hall that I’ve never been allowed to set foot in.
“If you hate it, definitely don’t hesitate to say something, you won’t hurt our feelings,” Reid says from behind us, catching onto the way my heartbeat quickened.
Cinjin chimes in, “If anything, it’ll be fun for us since we aren’t telling you who picked what, and we can give them shit. Besides, after this long, I’m not sure what to even do with myself now that it’s done. You’d be helping us out until we find a new project to obsess over.”
“I can’t imagine I’ll hate it,” I chuckle. “Just a lot of buildup and anticipation so I’m bracing myself.”
Kaige turns the black iron handle, pushing open the ancient looking, dark wooden door with all of the flourish as if it were a gateway to another world. Hunter, Boden, and Damian are already inside, standing out of the way so they can witness my initial reaction before I can hide it like the cheaters they are, knowing me far too well. But there was absolutely no reason for any of them to worry,becausethey know me better than anyone else.
It isn't over the top crazy like I’d feared it would be, or jam-packed with the things they’d want to buy me I’d otherwise refuse, using this as an excuse to get away with it. In the center is a massive bed big enough to comfortably fit all of us, the bedding black and silver, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to block out an entire afternoon to change the sheets. There’s an antique wooden trunk at the foot of the bed, and beside a fully-stocked, built-in bookcase in one of the stone walls, a computer desk with a chair that won’t be murder on my back. A mini fridge is tucked beneath it, a basket on top loaded with snacks. On the opposite side is a fireplace with a TV mounted above it, and that’s it with the exception of two more doors.
Crossing to the trunk first, I open it and immediately break into laughter. It’s full to bursting with an abundance of brand-new sex toys, packed in so carefully that as soon as I sift through it a little, I ruin the careful tetrising they had to do to fit it all and can’t fully close the lid. Leaving that for future-me to fix, I head for the door in the left corner first. It leads to a walk-in closet only a little smaller than the bedroom with a wide array of clothes, a full-length mirror, and a small jewelry selection.
