AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 28
Zephyr
Threedayslaterand she was still sore.
And her husband? He was pleased.
She frequently caught a self-satisfied look on his face, and now that his fear of breaking her had been passed over, she had to shove him away to let her pussy heal. With his stamina, he’d done a number on her.
She walked out to the deck, wincing slightly at the soreness, feeling exactly where and how deep and how hard he’d been with each step. The dogs—all except Baron who she was convinced just hated her—followed on her heels, trying to sniff her extra since the night, possibly because they smelled Alpha all over her.
Or maybe because she was nervous.
She was nervous because Dante and party were on their way from the airport and she wanted to give them a good impression unlike last time when she’d been lost and adrift. She was also extra nervous because her husband was going into the death ring to fight that evening, and even though he was cool and collected and completely relaxed about it, she wasn’t. She was terrified that he would die or get severely hurt and she didn’t want either of those options. Fuck reputations, her husband was more important. But he was also the leader in a pit full of snakes, and sending the right message was important not just for his reputation but for the safety of everyone associated with him. If there was one things she’d learned about this world from observation, it was that weaknesses were sniffed out and exploited until there weren’t any left. And she hated that but it was what it was and she had to make peace with it too.
She was also nervous because the serial killer who’d been framing Alpha had been silent since the Shadow Man meeting, and her husband believed it was the calm before a storm. Her gut agreed, and that made her nervous, nervous enough to consider bringing her family on the compound for safety even though they’d hate it. Well, except Zen. Her sister had fallen in love with the place. Maybe she could talk to Alpha and have her move into the guesthouse.
Later.
Pasting a smile on her face, she ignored the twinge and looked down at the stairs where the weekend guests were climbing up. After living at the compound for months, the vista and the forest had become home to her, and watching her guests faces and the awe on them, she was reminded of her first day climbing those very steps.
Hector led the group, after being back from whatever mission Alpha had sent him on, and she was glad. She’d missed him and his brand of humor, especially the ease with which he pulled Alpha’s leg.
Speaking of, her husband stepped beside her, his hands coming to her hips in a move that was pure proprietary, and waited to greet them.
Dante, as handsome and suave as she remembered, stepped on the deck with a smile, little Tempest who wasn’t so little anymore in his arms, dressed in a bright yellow jumpsuit that was absolutely adorable, little yellow bow on her head.
“Thanks for having us, brother,” Dante nodded at Alpha, and pressed a platonic but affectionate kiss of greeting to her cheek. “Beautiful as always, Zephyr.”
Oh, he was a charmer to boot but damn if he didn’t make a woman feel good.
His wife Amara, the goddess of a woman Zephyr still didn’t know could exist, greeted both Alpha and her with a warm, sweet-scented hug. “Thank you so much for having us. We needed the break. Your home is stunning,” she complimented in a raspy voice, and Zephyr felt pride fill her. It was such a contrast to the last time she’d met her, when she’d been unsure about her marriage and an unknown for Alpha, insecure in both herself and their relationship. Standing there, she realized she had changed too, become more certain of herself and her relationship, her insecurities still present but taking more of a backseat with the reassurance of her love. God, she loved him, this him. Not just for who he was now but who he let her be.
She liked this version of herself, the woman who could be strong, be vulnerable, love openly and lust shamelessly, and know it was all okay, that she wouldn’t be judged for it, or would never be told she had to change certain aspects to conform better in his life.
She loved that.
“Of course,” she answered Amara. “We’re family. You’re always welcome here.”
Amara gave her hands a squeeze and Zephyr saw a scar on her wrist. But she didn’t say anything, turning to the other couple in the back, one she’d seen at the wedding but hadn’t been introduced to. The intense man and the spectacled woman, and with them the young boy who’d talked to her at the wedding, the boy who was currently kneeling and petting the dogs.
“Oh hey!” she waved at him. “You remember me, right?”
The boy didn’t look up, just scratched Bear. “You cry a lot. Yes.”
“Xander!” the spectacled woman admonished, giving her a slightly embarrassed smile. “Hi. Sorry. That’s Xander. I’m Morana. This big guy is Tristan.”
Tristan gave her a man nod but kept his distance, aloof. Yikes. There was no warmth to the man. She would’ve thought him a robot except for the way he looked at Morana and checked Xander with his eyes, occasionally looking over at Tempest and Amara. Interesting.
“Let’s get you settled,” she clapped her hands and led them all inside, giving them a tour of the place, guiding a few of their guys to set up their stuff in the guest house. Nala and some of her helpers worked in the kitchen to prepare everything for them, Leah coming over to help with the kids, which was useless because Tempest didn’t want to leave her father’s arms and Xander had found himself a comfortable spot on the rugs with the dogs.
It felt different from the time her parents had come for dinner. This time, she felt like the woman of the house, like an equal hostess rather than a daughter trying to prove everything was perfect. They sat and talked casually, keeping it light mostly because the kids were awake and members of the staff were around. Out of the couples, she realized Morana and she were the talkers, although the other woman was a genius and she was not. Amara piped in but listened, maybe owing to her profession as a therapist, which Zephyr though was really cool. It made her wonder though what her contribution to the group was. She was a hairstylist, and she loved her job, but in present company, it reminded her of the questions she’d had when she’d met the ladies at the club, about what she could do for them.
Tristan and Alpha were the quietest of the bunch, Dante the most easy-going, Alpha talking when he had to, and Tristan not talking at all. But he did sit with his arm around Morana, his fingers touching her neck and the romantic in her slightly swooned at that.
Soon, Alpha left to warm up before the fight with Hector. Leah took over babysitting duties, and the rest of them got into a Rover, Victor driving them to the arena where The Finisher would fight.
***
