Page 35 of Alfie

He barked out a laugh and gave her a kiss. “You are so precious to me. And you keep me on my toes. Two it is. After the tour. And the non-orgasm surprise.”

“Are you sure I can’t switch the order? Orgasms sound more fun than a tour.”

“Waiting will make it better.”

“That might cost you another one.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips over the shell of her ear, sending a riot of shivers down her spine. “Three it is.”

Chapter Fifteen

Alfie was actually more nervous about sharing his real home—the underground one in the wolves’ private living area—than he was anything else. Because he didn’t want her to think he’d started their official mating off with another lie. He just hadn’t been able to share the truth of their living situation until the alphas had met her and been satisfied that she was fully committed to keeping the secret.

She wasn’t able to have the access codes for the underground areas yet; that would come after the mating ceremony with the pack. But he was allowed to show her his home and she was allowed to move in with him.

He was worried she’d feel betrayed again. But it was a situation he’d been unable to deal with until now.

They walked around the park as he gave her a real tour, starting with the security office, where Justus took her photograph for a badge and entered her into the system. As they waited for the card to print, Justus said, “It’s not a swipe card, it’s mainly for if you choose to work in public in the park, you’ll have an ID.”

“We haven’t talked much about that,” she said, glancing at Alfie.

“All in good time,” Justus said. “Once you know the truth, the other stuff is just details. Important, of course, but not right-this-minute serious.”

“Does your mate work in security?” Myla asked.

“Trina works in the candy shop, along with her best friend Lexy and lioness Jenni. Trina and Lexy are human. I actually met Trina the day she came to meet Lexy for a job interview.”

“I thought humans didn’t work at the park unless they were soulmates?” she asked.

“They made an exception because Lexy was a soulmate and wanted her friend to work with her. There were strict conditions, like Trina wasn’t allowed to go anywhere but the candy shop and the parking lot essentially,” he said with a laugh. “Fortunately, she learned the truth from me quickly and was able to join in the secret.”

After the ID had printed and was attached to a lanyard, Alfie took her to the safari tour and they walked along the path, stopping at the empty paddocks so he could tell her which shifters would be in them, ending at the norms’ paddock, where Tank was being given a treat of carrots by Rhapsody and Kelley, their young son Khap toddling along with them.

The aviary was next, with Jess and Auden and Maggie at the helm, followed by the avian hospital, the petting zoo with Mercer, Rhomi, and Luna, the unused movie theater, and the carousel, which was being deep cleaned ahead of opening again in the spring, manned by Ginny.

They stopped at the apartment complex but didn’t go inside.

“I don’t really live here,” he said.

Her brow arched. “So you have a secret house somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Oh!” She let out a little gasp. “I was just teasing. Do you really?”

“I do. And this is the surprise that’s not sexy.”

She smiled. “I like your sexy surprises.”

“Trust me, I do too.” He inhaled and then blew out a sharp breath. “When the shifters in the park started finding human soulmates, the first issue was where the shifter would say he or she lived until their soulmate knew the truth, and second was where the family of the human soulmate would be able to visit if they came to the park. At first, a single apartment was made in the big red barn with the façade of other apartments, but it was determined by the alphas that it wasn’t feasible long-term. So they built the apartment complex here, with the help of a construction company run by shifters who live in the town of Little River.”

She looked at the apartment building, and then back at him. “So no one really lives in the apartments?”

“Only if they need to, temporarily. One of the lions has a human soulmate and she’s pregnant. Her family has come to visit them many times, in the apartment they believe is theirs. And when I met you, I moved into an apartment immediately.”

“Wow.” She rocked back on her heels. “I thought the apartment seemed a little cold.”

“Cold? Like temperature?”