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Emotion filled him. He knew it couldn’t be easy for Kammie to choose to leave the only people she’d ever known, but she was doing it for him, and he loved her for it.
“If it’s what you want, then it’s what I want.”
She snorted and laughed, brushing at the tears that spilled over her cheeks. “You wanted to take me out of Wilde Creek from day one.”
“True.” He kissed her gently. “You’re mine to cherish, Kammie, to protect and love. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’d be happiest here, with you.”
“Then this is where our life will be. I promise I’ll be the best mate to you, and the best father for our children.”
“You’re already the best mate. You were willing to clean strangers’ homes for me without complaint.”
“My bear was complaining a lot.”
She chuckled and leaned into him, resting her ear over his heart. “I love you even more for that. Thank you for not pushing me. I’m sorry I’m such a mess sometimes.”
“I love everything about you. Wherever you are is home for me, and whatever the next chapter of our life together brings, I know it will be amazing because we’re together.”
“The next chapter of our lives begins tomorrow night in the sacred cave. We’ve got a date with some oil and old furs.”
“And lots of love.”
She smiled up at him, and it was his favorite smile—the one that made him feel warm from the inside out because he could see that she was truly, sincerely happy.
“How about we head home and warm up right?” He swung her up into his arms and carried her the entire way to his house, over the threshold and straight to the bathroom where they warmed up under the hot spray of the shower. His bear rejoiced to know that Kammie wanted to stay with the sleuth. He’d thought it would take a long time to convince her, but it had happened quickly, and he was grateful. Even if she hadn’t realized it, she’d been ready for a change, and a bear stomping through the woods on the full moon was just the sort of change she needed.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Row wouldn’t let Kammie do anything to get ready for their time in the sacred cave. He said that the males were supposed to do everything for their females, and so she listened to his advice and walked to his mom’s house for a short visit in the afternoon. Alice was a sweet woman who always seemed to have a smile on her face. When Kammie was welcomed into her home, she found a small group of women sitting in the living room with books in their hands.
“I’m sorry, I can come back another time,” Kammie said, realizing she’d interrupted a gathering of some sort.
“Nonsense,” one of the women said, putting a bookmark in her place and closing the book. “We’re just having our weekly read-and-gab. Family isneverinterrupting, unless the bedroom door is closed.”
Kammie smiled. Alice introduced Kammie to her friends, she-bears from the sleuth who’d been getting together to discuss romance novels—in between sharing laughs about their mates and families—for several years.
Aggie, who wore her silver-streaked hair in long waves, patted the couch next to her, and Kammie sat down. “Now, Alice tells us that you and Row are going to the sacred cave tonight. Do you have any questions about it?”
“He mentioned oil. What is that for?”
Delphi passed a plate of pecan pie bars to Kammie, and she took one. “The oil is used for anointing. Row will recite what amounts to marriage vows to you. They’ll follow a basic script, but he’ll be able to make the vows his own. Then he’ll touch lavender oil to both sides of your throat, over your heart, and to your lower belly.”
“A lot of females become pregnant during their night in the sacred cave,” Aggie said. “Our people believe that when a truemating such as yours occurs, the great bear spirit blesses the union with a cub immediately.”
Kammie knew she looked surprised. “Wolves only go into heat once a year, in September. I can’t get pregnant right now.”
Stella smiled thoughtfully. “I think you might be surprised what happens when truemates come together, wolf biology or not. Besides, Alice has been wanting a grandchild to fawn over. The only question is whether she has to travel to visit her grandcub or if you and Row will be here in the sleuth.”
Kammie felt all their eyes on her and she was glad she and Row had already made this decision. “We’ve decided to stay.”
The women cheered, and Kammie found herself enveloped in a group hug that warmed her right to the core. As they settled back into their seats and Aggie gave Kammie her copy of the romance novel they’d read, Kammie knew she and Row had made the right choice.
Row disliked the wolves, but he’d seen only the bad side of things. Kammie knew that there were wolves who liked and cared for her. Jeremiah and his mate Honey, Brynn, Adam, and some of the other omegas. But the truth was that pack life was harsh because the laws made it so. The ranking hierarchy forced the alphas to evaluate their people based on their physical abilities. She wished that her pack had been as loving and welcoming as the sleuth. Even if Fayar didn’t show affection to Gloria as outwardly as Brynn and Acksel did, there was no denying that the two loved each other greatly. For Kammie, that was all that mattered.
Tonight they were going to the sacred cave, and in the morning the sleuth would celebrate their mating and welcome her as one of their own. They didn’t seem to care that she was a wolf or that her body was riddled with scars—they only cared that she and Row were mates and were happy. She’d only been in Oakville for a short while, and already it felt like home, which she attributed not only to the kindness of the bears but also her amazing mate.
She’d show him just how thankful she was…later.
