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She slips into a restless sleep, but the aftereffects of healing creep up on her, leaving her body trembling in pain.
We hold her through the night, through the agony of the aftermath of her healing so many. She never once complains, suffering through it until she finally drops off to sleep a couple of hours before sunrise.
We leave Quinn in bed. She needs to rest, and if we are there, our wolves will demand we wake her up and claim her. Instead, we leave her breakfast warming in the oven, and we head out into the pack, trying to make ourselves useful. Dom isn’t with us today, but there is plenty to do to keep this pack running and to help Quinn, and that’s what we want to do—help her and make ourselves useful so she will keep us.
Not just in her bed, but at her side.
We run the perimeter with the others, checking for any signs of hunters since we are the best at recognising them. They slowly warm up to us, and once we are back, we don’t bother putting on shirts since we run hot and are going to work up a sweat. I sling on some borrowed shorts and head to the rubble of the pack house.
Without waiting for an invitation, I start to help, and between the three of us, we begin to make a good dent. Lucien can lift a lot, and the others start to appreciate that. We never once stop, even as the sun peaks in the sky, making us sweat like hell. They stop watching or throwing glares, and I just focus on the rhythmic motion of clearing.
We bag as much as we can or put it in the wheelbarrows and drag it over to the pile they created. It’s hard work. My musclesache, and my throat is dry, but I carry on every single day and put in the work.
I’m sweeping some ash in the back corner when something catches my eye. Leaning down, I pull out a partially broken wooden photo frame and wipe the glass. The picture inside is a little singed and dirty, but I make out a young Quinn, Jang, and Maire.
“It was her birthday.” I whirl at the voice to find Marie standing there. She thrusts a water at me, and I take it with a nod of thanks, draining it before handing it back. “The picture.” She nods.
“Oh.” I hand it over, and she smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, as if she cannot do that anymore. “It was one of the happiest days of the year. He had this in pride of place on his desk.” She swallows hard, her eyes turning glassy with pain before she blinks it away. “Thank you for this.”
I nod, unsure what to say. This is the mum of the woman I have fallen for.
I’ve never had to meet a girl’s parents before, never mind when we are supposed to be enemies, so I’m unsure what to say. I’m not good at this stuff like Lucien or crazy enough to wing it like Jai. Luckily, she saves me from myself and peers into my eyes.
“Jang liked you, I could tell.” She nods. “But if you hurt or betray my daughter, I will rip out your heart and eat it.” I blink, astonished as she smiles kindly. “Now make sure to drink plenty of water. It will be hot today.”
I blink at her for a moment. “Erm, thanks, I will.” I cough, rubbing at my hair, which is growing long since it’s been a while since I cut it. “Just so you know, I don’t want to ever hurt Quinn again.”
“Good, then we won’t have any issues.” She pats my arm as she heads out to hand out more water.
“I like her,” Jai says as he leans on a shovel, covered in ash and sweat. “She’s crazy like me.”
Fuck, what kind of family am I in?
By the time we get back to Quinn’s house, we are covered in sweat despite washing all the ash off hours ago. We started moving the wood over to rebuild. Surprisingly, Quinn is there, curled up in her chair with a mug in hand. She turns and blinks when she sees us.
“Erm, are you okay?” she asks, her eyes roving over our bare chests. “I’m not complaining?—”
Jai grins and heads her way, grabbing her hand and dragging it down his sweaty chest. “No? Want to play?” She chuckles as she slides her hand lower, gripping his cock.
“You wish.” She huffs as she pushes him away, her nose crinkling. “Now shower because you stink, and we are eating with the pack tonight.”
“We can just stay here,” I begin with a frown, but she glares at me in a way that makes my cock hard and lets me know she’s going to get her way.
“No, we eat with the pack tonight. You are one of us now, so you better get used to it. Plus, the more they see you, the better, so go shower.”
While Jai flirts with her, I claim the shower first. I’m almost too tall for it, so I have to bend my head, and after washing, I dress in more borrowed jeans and a shirt before letting Jai and Lucien claim it. In the meantime, I’m with Quinn, both of us happy to sit in silence. We find solace in each other.
“Do you regret saving me?” she asks, and I whirl around to see her. “When we were kids, if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here now. You’d still be a hunter, and nothing?—”
I cover her mouth with my hand. “First of all, everything happens for a reason, and no, I don’t regret it. For a while, I thought I did, but the truth was, I regretted not doing more that night. I hated who I had become. Like this, as a wolf, I feel . . . whole, happy, and free. You gave me that, Quinn.” I remove my hand and kiss her softly. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Still hate me?” she whispers against my lips.
“Sometimes.” I smirk against hers. “Still hate me?”
“Sometimes,” she admits, dragging her lips across mine softly before nipping my bottom lip. “Thank you for saving me that night.”
“Thank you for saving me now,” I murmur, sliding my hand into her hair and tugging her closer so I can deepen the kiss.
