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“Want some water?” Shane opened the fridge. “Or maybe some beer?”
“How about some tea?”
Shane turned to the kettle over the range. “Tea it is.”
While he fussed over my tea, I sat on one of the stools around the island. It was so strange to be back here. This had been my kitchen, my home for the past year, and now it wasn’t. However, this place held bad memories.
When Shane first witnessed one of Minsi’s panic attacks, I talked to him about this afterward. This house was complicated for her. It held her parents’ memories, but it also held Conri’s, Dixon’s, and even Lorie and Keeva. Right now, the bad memories were winning over the good ones.
He had agreed and immediately started renovations—the walls were being painted, some furniture had been tossed out, and now they were waiting to buy some new pieces, and even the decorations and mundane kitchen things were being replaced. But it would take time for the changes to be complete. Meanwhile, Minsi still associated this house with the bad stuff.
Shane brought over two steaming mugs. He placed them on the island before sitting down on the stool beside mine. He turned my stool so I was facing him, and pulled his stool closer.
His eyes fixed on mine. He placed his hand on my knee, leaning over me. A small smile tugged at my lips and I met him halfway. His lips brushed against mine, a soft flutter, and then they were gone.
“That’s better.” Keeping his hand on my knee, he picked up his mug with his other hand, and took a sip of his steaming tea.
I frowned. That was it? We barely had any time alone lately and that was how he kissed me?
I grabbed my mug, taking a careful sip so as not to burn myself. Chamomile and vanilla, my favorite. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou.” He put his mug down and scooted closer to me, his legs straddling mine. “I mean it. I don’t know what to do when she has these attacks. If it weren’t for you …” He shook his head once. “See? You should be here. Living in this house with us.”
I stared at my mug for a second. “Shane, we’ve talked about this.”
“I’m changing my mind,” he said, adamant.
I chuckled. “No, you’re not changing your mind. You never really agreed with me. You just went along with it because you knew I wouldn’t concede.”
“You know me so well.” He flashed a dazzling smile.
Dear moon … we were alone in the darkness of the kitchen with the brightness of the moon outside illuminating everything, and he was wearing only shorts, exposing his glorious torso, shoulders, and arms. And I wasn’t wearing any underwear underneath this dress.
Didn’t he know how easy it was for him to disarm me when he smiled like that?
I cleared my throat. “You’re saying that because of Minsi.”
“That is a big reason, yes, but you know I want you here … with me.” He squeezed my knee.
“If I move back in, people will talk.” Just like they talked when I lived here with Conri. Many still believed I had been his woman, no matter what I said or did. “They will see me here and they will assume we’re together.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, seeing as you’re my mate.”
I put my mug beside his. “Shane, we are in such a precarious situation right now. Our numbers are low, and a handful of significant wolves are wary of you for many reasons, but mostly because of your Shadow Wolf. You don’t want to add fuel to the flames by telling them you’re mated to the pack’s omega.”
His lips pressed into a thin line and his jaw ticked, the way it always did when he was irritated. “I don’t care about your rank. Besides, after all you did for the pack? They should be worshipping the ground you walk on.”
I shook my head. “It isn’t easy to change a lifetime of habits and perceptions.”
“I already announced I’m changing your ranking in the next official council meeting.”
“And that caused Serge and the others to voice their discontent. Imagine when you actually do it. Then you tell them you’re mated to me? They might as well challenge you.”
His eyes darkened, his hands clenched into fists. “I would like to see them try.”
I reached over and placed a hand on his chest, right above his heart. “Don’t you want to be a better alpha? A fair alpha who listens to everyone? Then you can’t ignore what they are saying and threaten them.”
Shane let out a long sigh and rested his hand over mine. “My mother told me you were wise and you would be a great mate for me. She was right, as usual.” Shane’s arms reached out, and in a flash, I had moved from my stool to his lap, my legs around his waist, my hands clutching his shoulders. I almost yelped with the sudden movement, but thankfully, I kept it in. “You’re right, I know that. I’ll change your ranking, give them time to get used to it, and then we’ll fix the other problems—“
