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“Why wouldn’t you be?” We needed to work on building trust between us, not cause more doubt.

She was quiet again for several long seconds, and again the urge to know what was going on in that head of hers was so fucking strong. “I’ll be able to come and go as I please, right?” she finally asked. “You’re not going to…to hold me there.”

I wanted to lock her in my room and never let her out of my sight again. “You’re not my prisoner, Iris. You can come and go all you like, but I need to know where you are. My wolf needs to know where you are when you’re gone. And I need you back with me every night.”

She nodded, her expression still so damned unreadable. “I still have my task; my coven is relying on me. That has to be my priority right now.”

I knew that already, but things would go a lot differently from here on out. “Of course, but I’ll be with you while you’re working on it. Not Relic.”

“I guess I can handle that,” she said, surprising me. “And you know Relic’s just a friend, right?”

My beast didn’t give a fuck. Iris was mine, and I didn’t want the male near her. Shifters were possessive, jealous, protective. I didn’t say that, though. I needed to ease Iris into the way it would be between us.

I glanced at her again. “There’s something else, something you’re not telling me. I can sense it.” And I could see it now in her eyes.

She ran her hand over her dress, and her fingers shook slightly. “Where will I be sleeping?”

I had to swallow down a snarl of hunger. “With me.”

“You don’t think we should take it slow? Get to know each other a little more before we take it…there?” Her voice was husky.

“You’re my mate, Iris. That isn’t going to change, no matter how much time passes. I know you, not in a conventional sense, but on a deeper level. We’ll always have this connection. Everything else we’ll learn about each other over time. If we sleep in separate rooms tonight, it will only make things more difficult tomorrow.” I waited for her to protest, because Iris loved to argue with me. She pushed me as well, and fuck, after our talk in the field, I knew why.

She drew in a deep breath, and when she let it out, it shook. “Okay,” she said.

My gaze shot back to her. “Okay?”

“You’re right. I’ll admit I’m nervous. Better to just get it over with, like tearing off a Band-Aid.”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. She wanted to get it over with? Fuck that, I’d make her crave me. I’d have her reaching for me night after night. She didn’t understand this yet, what being mates meant, and she wouldn’t, not until I claimed her. Soon she’d understand how intense things would become between us. But if it helped her tonight, I’d let her think this was something to get out of the way.

Tomorrow would be a different story.

I finally pulled up outside the keep, and Iris was out before I could get around the truck to open her door. She reached for her bags in the back, and I stopped her as the keep doors opened and my pack rushed out.

I brushed my fingers over her skin. “Someone else will bring those in.” Then I took the plant from her hand, placed it back in the truck, and scooped her up in my arms, not just because I wanted her closer, and I did, but for my pack.

Her arms flew around my neck. “What are you doing?”

I pressed my mouth to her ear. “If they believe you care for me, petal, they’ll warm to you a lot faster.”

She stiffened for a moment, then tightened her arms around my neck and let me carry her inside.

The great room had been decorated, and Sally had gone all out with the food. I wanted to take my female upstairs and finally claim her, but they’d gone to all this trouble. I had to do this for my pack. Nothing about this was how we usually did things, but it was how it had to be done. I couldn’t afford to take Iris away for a week—my pack needed me, and she had her task.

So I needed to show everyone that we were all in and that having Iris here was a good thing. Some would need more convincing than others. Many of them had been around when Selene did what she had, and it would take time for them to get used to having a witch living here, especially one who looked like her.

I put her on her feet, reluctantly letting her go as my people came up to congratulate us. Seeing Iris in her dress, the flowers still in her hair, I could tell it went a long way with some of the females. It looked like Iris had made an effort for me. They didn’t need to know she’d done it for her coven or about the ritual.

Anything to help them accept her as fast as possible.

Now that I finally had her here, I wouldn’t lose her, and the best way to keep her was for her to connect with the pack and make this place home.

My people could make that easy on her, or they could make it hard, depending on how she chose to look at her new situation.

Asher stood by Iris. I’d assigned her to my mate. At least if she was close, she could ensure Iris’s transition here went smoothly, and if I wasn’t around, step in if there were any issues.

I took Iris’s hand. “You must be hungry.” I led her to a table.