“It’ll be fine,” I said. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“What if Anders does something stupid, though? Something dangerous?” June sounded worried, as though these thoughts had been festering in her head the whole time, growing into a more monstrous and terrifying nightmare.
“I’m not worried about him,” I said. “I handled him pretty well. If he wants to do something, I’ll kick his ass again.”
June shook her head. “That was because we caught him, er,literallywith his pants down. Anders became alpha for good reason. He may be a spoiled brat and a pompous asshole, but he’s a fighter. A dirty one. He’s dangerous if he has a plan. He’ll take all this as a personal slight. I’m really worried about what he might try to do.”
This was true. If there was anything I’d learned about that asshole in my time back in Idlewild, it was that Anders was a snake that would stab anyone in the back if it gained him some power or respect. She was right that he might want to do something to get back at us, but I’d happily bloody my knuckles on his face again if he saw the need to push things. Until it was all sorted, I’d have to keep my head on a swivel and be ready for that little asshole to do something.
“I love you, June, and I’ll do anything for you. Anders can try whatever he wants. We can talk it out like gentlemen, or we can slug it out like men, either way, Ipromiseyou’ll get the respect you deserve and the ability to still see everyone you love.”
June rested her head on my chest. “Say it again.”
“Say what?” I frowned at her.
“That you love me,” she whispered.
“I love you,” I said, and kissed the top of her head. “I love you more than life itself. I’ll always take care of you.”
She pressed herself into me again. My wolf sent waves of delight through my brain, happy to have our mate back, to have the woman we both loved in our arms.
“When do you want to head back?” I asked.
“Not now,” she said, putting a hand on my thigh. “I don’t want to face it all yet, is that okay?”
“Sure. I’m happy here.”
For almost two hours we sat there, enjoying each other’s company, talking about silly things and important things. Simply existing with her was enough for me, and when we finally stood to make the hour trek back to Idlewild, I felt renewed, rejuvenated, and ready for anything. June had the look of a new woman, or maybe a woman finally waking up from a dream to find that the real world wasn’t so bad after all.
Taking my hand, she twined her fingers into mine. “Ready?”
“I am. Are you?” I said, smiling down at her.
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I think so. Yeah.”
“Then let’s get going. No time like the present to tell an asshole to fuck off, right?”
She laughed, shaking her head as we made our way into the forest. “You really have a way with words, Leviathan Cross.”
74
JUNIPER
Deciding to take our time on the return trip, we walked rather than shifting to our wolf forms and running home. Whatever happened with Anders wouldn’t be pleasant, so I welcomed the extra hour of peace and quiet before dealing with it.
“Let’s go this way,” Levi said, pointing to a well-worn path in the forest. “We can skirt Hidden Grove using this path.”
“You don’t want to stop by?” I asked, frowning at him.
He glanced at me, a strangely bashful expression on his face. “The next time I come home, I want my mate by my side. Mytruemate,” he said, and squeezed my hand. “A mate who isn’t bound to anyone else.”
Giddiness swelled in my chest. “That…that sounds nice.”
Levi suddenly stopped walking, his smile fading.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you smell that?” he whispered as he looked around us.
