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If she was not, she would have run from me when I tried to lift her up.
She would not have allowed me to carry her away.
Even now, she is gazing up at me in curious longing, her fingers stroking the fur at the base of my neck and along my shoulder. It is distractingly pleasant to be touched by a gentle hand.
My craving for a mate seemed to rise and fall with my hormonal phase, but that desire never really went away. It just lay dormant, waiting for the right time and the right woman.
I didn’t expect it to happen like this, but it feels right.
It feels like destiny.
We were fated to meet, fated to become mates.
She sighs softly as she closes her eyes, snuggling her head against my shoulder.
I came back to Nightshade for a reason, and now I have two good reasons to kill the Alpha and take over the town.
Revenge for what he did to me, and my brothers is the first.
Making this town a safe place for our mate and the children we will have is the second, and it is much more important than simple revenge.
I know as I look down at the woman who is sleeping in my arms, trusting me to protect her, that I would do anything to keep her safe.
If killing the Alpha would get in the way of that goal, I would find a way to let it go.
My brothers would understand. They already know our lives are going to change.
They’ve met our mate, and they are possessive of her.
If I was not established as pack leader, they would not have allowed me to take her away from them.
This separation is only temporary.
The urge to take her home to claim her and mark her is strong, but easy to ignore.
I never want to make my mate suffer the empty landscape of The Abyss, for any reason.
It will not be my home for much longer, nor will it be for my brothers.
Once I have knocked the Alpha off his throne, Nightshade will belong to the five of us.
There will be no reason for anyone to see the inside of that barren prison ever again.
Our mate especially is much too precious for that terrible place.
I bring her back to my mother’s house, where I know she will be safe until I am able to return for her.
My mother opens the back door and steps out when she sees me coming into the yard.
Her eyes are wide as she approaches, her gaze moving around as if she is looking for injuries.
“Where was she? What was she doing? Is she okay?”
“She was in the forest, near the portal,” I answer. “And she is … fine. She fell asleep.”
It is all truthful, if a little scant on details.
I am not certain if it is wise to mention that she feels like my mate, especially since she is in my arms naked, and I am definitely not going to breathe a word about my brothers. The fictional romance books my mother liked to read when I was young were sometimes progressive, but I do not think those scenarios will be what she expects for her surrogate daughter.
