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She gave a ghost of a smile. “And then, out by the lodge last night, my mother pointed out you can’t have a weak mate. You’ll need someone who can give you whole children.”
“If I couldn’t have you, I would neverhavechildren. And now I have this need to cast out your parents.”
“Don’t say that,” Payton murmured. “I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to watch you find happiness with another woman. I may not be able to shift, but I’d certainly gouge her eyes out.”
“I love that you’re so bloodthirsty.” He brushed some hair off her cheek. “Do you like working at the diner?”
She thought about for a moment. “Yeah, I do. I always thought I had to find my passion, but there’s nothing I really had a burning need to accomplish. I like Esmeralda. When I’m waiting tables, it makes me feel like I’m part of the pack instead of just someone to pity.”
“Youarepart of the pack. You’re special, Payton. I want you to move in here, with me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Going a little fast, aren’t we?”
“I’ve been waiting a long time.” He stretched and lay out on his back, then pulled Payton close, draping her across his chest. She snuggled into his embrace. “When I left here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive. Took me years to get strong again. And I knew I would need money to combat Bennett. So, I worked, saved, and had Mitch keep an eye on things.”
“Mitch? As in Mitchell Bly?”
“Yep.”
“He was your spy?”
“There were several people keeping me in loop about things going on here. The bank manager, Doris, told Mitch about the property taxes not being paid. So the three of us devised a way for me to pay them off. And when the lodge went on sale, I had Mitch write up the papers.”
She was impressed. “You never gave up on getting the pack back, did you?”
“It’s not in my nature to give up,” he said. “I have learned patience, though. My father was alpha. I was born knowing I’d be the alpha one day. Bennett Warren murdered him and tried to murder me. The day I left was when I started to plan how I’d return and rip his throat out.”
She rested her chin on her hand as she looked up at him. “But you’re alpha now.”
“Technically, not yet. I challenged him. Pack law demands I defeat Bennett in combat.”
Payton snorted. “That asshat is probably still running with his tail between his legs. I doubt he’ll be back.”
He signed. “If that’s the case, I’ll have to call another meeting to see what the pack wants to do.”
“We should change pack law to make it more democratic rather than stuck in the barbaric way of combat ritual.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I’m your mate, aren’t I?
He smiled at her. “Yes, you are. So, when are you moving in?”
“Anyone tell you that you have a one-track mind?”
In the blink of an eye, he had her flipped over onto her back. He loomed over her, kissing her until she was breathless.
“When it comes to you … you have no idea.”
While staring into her eyes, he reached up to cup her breast and rub her nipple. Excitement gripped her, and she spread her legs. His already hard cock nudged against her opening. He slid into her wet heat, finding a rhythm that quickly stoked the fire in her blood.
“Mmm,” she moaned.
“I’m never going to get tired of being inside you, Payton.”
In and out, he pumped. Before she knew it, an orgasm flushed over her, robbing her of breath. Seconds later, he followed her into bliss.
Chapter Eight
