“Like what you see?”
“You have a mighty fine ass.”
“So do you. I love the way it’s shaped like a heart and fits in my hands. No skinny twig for me.” I helped her sit up and then, because I couldn’t help it, kissed her again. “All right, I’ll go get cleaned up across the hall, then fix us something. You, in the bath, now.”
She saluted me pertly. “Yes, sir.”
After I showered, I put my ear to my closed bedroom door and could hear her off-tune singing. In my kitchen, I lookedthrough the fridge and quickly discarded the idea of omelets. I needed meat. Thankfully, I always had fresh, thawed steaks and hamburgers in the fridge. Pulling out three steaks, I grabbed a cast-iron skillet down from the rack above the gas stove and began heating it.
The steaks were almost done when I decided to check on Breezy. I gave a perfunctory knock on the door and opened it to see her coming out with a towel wrapped around her luscious body. “I was coming to see if you wanted a salad or anything with your steak?”
“Sorry it took me so long. I realized my hair was a hot mess after my first shower and decided to dry it. I found a hair dryer in your cabinet.” She stammered.
I nodded. “I think it’s Lyric’s.”
“I don’t have any clothes.”
My lips split in a grin. “I’d say what you’re wearing is great, but I think my heart wouldn’t stand it, nor would my dick. Let me grab you a shirt from my closet. We also need to call your dad and explain what’s going on, so he and the twins are on guard. Kellen already sent some backup there to make sure nothing was out of place.”
She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t even think of that. Here I am fucking around and...”
I crossed the room and silenced her with a kiss. “You are not fucking around. You were almost killed, taken, or whatever they had planned. Now, we are mated. I’m not gonna apologize for that, except to say I’m sorry it took me so long to come to my senses. If you’re sorry, then we have some major fucking issues.”
“No. Oh, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, Xan. I’m a mess.”
I wrapped my arms around her, scenting her fear and anxiety, but not one ounce of regret tinged her words. “We will handle everything together. Except when it comes to dealing with this threat, and then you will not be dealing with them.Promise me you will do what I say when I say it. This is non-negotiable.”
“I promise. I want nothing to do with it, or them, whoever they are. You, Kellen, Rowan, and whoever else can handle it. I’ll be the good female and hide.” She smiled.
I inhaled. “Shit, I think I burned our steaks.”
“That’s okay, I like mine done. Like done done. No bloody T-bone for me.”
Shuddering, I led the way to the kitchen and found our steaks done to her liking. “You are a disgrace, woman.” I grabbed the bag of premade salad, quickly rinsed it under water, and put it in a bowl. She grabbed out salad dressing and plates, and then we sat down at the table like two old married people. I found it to be the best dinner I’d ever eaten.
“Why are you smiling like that?” She asked, pointing her fork at me.
I loved how tiny she was, yet she fit me perfectly. Everything about her was made just for me.
“Report, soldier.”
“She got away.”
He stood with his eyes straight ahead, his hands clasped behind his back. Rage threatened to consume me. “What do you mean, she got away? There were four of you. Two vehicles and hers. She is a weak female. I understand you are human, but I’ve trained you. So tell me again, how she got away?” My growl had the men in the large conference room bowing their heads. A show of submission that calmed my wolf.
“We had her, and then a crazy wolf attacked. He killed Peter, Alan, and Jason. I barely escaped and only because he was more concerned with her life than mine.”
I glanced around at the dozen men standing around me. Each one was hand-picked and trained to fight to the death. They knew the consequences of failure. My claws came out.
“Wait.” He held his hand up. “I went back and watched through my binoculars. Your daughter is either mated or fucking the beta of the Iron Wolves.”
“Good job, Russ.” I patted his cheek, my nails scraping a little close to his throat. “Next time, if I send you on a mission to bring my daughter to me, dead or alive, you’d better make sure you follow my orders, or don’t come back.”
It was good being the one in charge. It had taken years for me to build a pack that could take on my old one, but first I needed to make her heel. The hatred I felt toward the girl burned in my gut. I’d been the light of my mate’s life until they’d had the young female, and then he and their twin boys had loved her more. Every time the girl with the golden blonde hair smiled, they acted as though the sun rose and set on her shoulders. I would have to sit and watch them fawn over the child, and forget I, their female, existed. It was up to me to discipline the female, since the males didn’t seem able to. Then what did they do to me? They exiled me. Made me a pariah to my pack and tossed me out with nothing but my clothes and a few thousand dollars. Well, I’d show them who was the alpha, the top bitch of the pack, and it sure as shit wasn’t a sniveling little whelp that came out of my vagina.
“I want a team to head over to Xander Carmichael’s place. Boys, this is a level five.” Growls met my orders. Four of my strongest warriors stepped forward. Eyes bright, a soldier nodded.
“We will go.”
