Page 54 of Claimed

“You’re back!” Philip, I think his name was, says in delighted surprise. “Hey, Erica! The wolves are back!” he yells over his shoulder.

Maddox gently places me on my feet then pulls me in front of him, wrapping his arms around me and securing my back to his chest. Hunter steps up to our right and grabs my hand as my free one moves to hold Maddox’s forearm over my chest.

Erica pushes through the door from the kitchen, her eyebrows lifting in surprise when she sees me.

A grin slowly spreads on her face, and she moves to lean on the counter beside Philip. “You’re the red wolf,” she says with a grin.

I nod, feeling shy, and watch as her eyes soften. She takes in my appearance, and I wonder what she thinks, seeing me standing here in nothing but Maddox’s T-shirt as I cling to them.

“I’m Erica,” she says, looking directly at me. “It’s nice to meet you…”

“Cherry,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“Cherry? Oh my Goddess, that’s adorable! It suits you.” She looks at the man beside her and says, “Hey Philip, why don’t you show the guys today’s features? I want to show Cherry something upstairs.”

“She doesn’t leave my sight,” Maddox says, holding me closer.

“You can go too,” Philip says, looking unbothered by Maddox’s protection. “Zack is in the kitchen. He’ll go up with you as well.”

I’m not sure what Erica wants to show me, but I get a really good vibe from her. And if Starfall Haven is to be my new home, then maybe it’s time I started making friends.

I turn in Maddox’s arms and look up at him as I ask, “Can we go, alpha?” I’m not sure why I tag that on at the end, but it feels right.

I see his eyes shine with what I think is approval, whether it’s because I asked for approval or because I called him alpha, I’m not sure. Either way, he nods before looking at my other mates and nodding. I assume they’re speaking through the pack bond.

He unwraps his arms from around me and takes my hand from Hunter as he leads me around the counter to follow Erica into the back. After a few steps, I stumble, so Maddox winds an arm around my back to help support me.

“Hey, guys,” Zack says, wiping his hands on his apron before taking it off. “I’m Zack.”

“Maddox,” he says with a nod of his head before gesturing to me. “This is my mate, Cherry.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you both,” he says with a grin as he opens a door that leads to a narrow set of stairs going up. He goes first, then Erica, then me and Maddox. He keeps both hands on my hips, practically lifting me up each step.

I want to tell him he’s being ridiculous, but my legs feel surprisingly unsteady. I try to recall if they’ve done this before and realize I haven’t actually stood on my feet much in my human form. I’ve always been sitting.

Have I forgotten how to walk?

At the top, we step into a surprisingly large living room where a man I don’t recognize is sitting on the couch, leaning over the coffee table that’s covered in strange ingredients.

“This is my other mate, Jon,” Erica says, gesturing to the man. He looks up in surprise then quickly stands, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up his nose and giving us an awkward wave. “Jon, this is Maddox and his mate Cherry. They’re the wolf shifters we met the other day.”

“Oh!” he says, sounding surprised as his eyebrows raise up his forehead.

“I just wanted to show Cherry something in here.” Erica opens a door off to the left, revealing a large bedroom. She looks at Maddox as she asks, “You aren’t going to let her go in there alone with me, are you?”

“Not a chance,” he grumbles as he pulls me back to his side.

“That’s fine. You can stand in the open doorway.” She steps inside and moves over to the window as she gestures for me to follow. “Cherry, come stand with me here.”

I try to take a step, but Maddox pulls me back. “What is this?” he asks.

Erica levels him with a stare as she explains, “Look, I promise I’m not going to hurt her or lay a hand on her. But I need to place a bubble of silence around us to tell her what she needs to know.”

“You can tell us both,” he says, holding me a little tighter.

“What I have to say is for her ears only. But if she chooses to tell you later, that’s up to her.” He doesn’t respond, and she huffs out a breath. “We’re gonna be right here. She’ll never leave your sight.”

Turning to Maddox, I ask, “Please? I want to know what she has to say. It could be important.”