Page 23 of Drew

“Isn’t Sanders coming to discuss the merger with their new line of gas grills? I’d be there, but I’m driving my parents to the airport.”

“Shit. I forgot about that.” Callum could easily have handled the meeting, but Drew refused to ask him to abandon his parents in favor of taking care of the shit his alpha should be handling. Plus, it was best to introduce her to the pack when Callum could also be present. “Okay, I’ll go to the meeting, but I’m going to have Maddox sit on Alyssa.”

“You still think she’s a flight risk?”

“I don’t think so, but I want to be sure.” His gut told him she was here to stay and would only take a little persuading to make Mount Woodridge her permanent home.

“Alright.” Callum sighed. “I’ll call off the pack, so long as you’re with her. And do you want to call Maddox, or would you like me to?”

“I’ll text him. But send Gregory over and then arrange for the pack to meet tomorrow evening. I’ll introduce her then.”

“Right. Got it. Go get some sleep.”

After giving Callum the address, he tucked the phone back into his pocket and stared at the door. Broken, the latch wouldn’t enable it to close. He had no plans to leave her, so her security wouldn’t be an issue, but for his peace of mind, he needed it fixed before leaving in the morning. Her safety was now a top priority.

Eager to crawl beneath the blanket and wrap his body around Alyssa’s, Drew pushed the door open. She rose in the bed, rubbing her eyes with one hand and clutching the blanket to her chest with the other. He’d tried to be quiet but hadn’t succeeded.

“Are you leaving?”

“No. Just needed to make a phone call, and I didn’t want to wake you. Go back to sleep. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She yawned. “I have groceries in the car. If I’m not leaving, I need to go get them.”

Drew climbed the stairs to her bed and perched on the edge. “Do you want to leave?”

“No. Not really. I like this town. It feels different.”

He placed his hand over hers. “That’s because you belong here.”

“I also…” she trailed off, focusing on the blanket. “I want to learn more about what I am.” Her gaze sought his. “About our species.”

“I can help with that. I want to know everything about you, and I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Starting with grabbing my groceries from the car?” She nodded to his jeans. “Since you’re already mostly dressed.”

“How about you go back to sleep? I’ll grab your stuff, then come join you.” He stretched. “I don’t think either of us had much sleep the last few nights.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t.” Covering her mouth with her hand again, she yawned. “Not since I met you.”

“That’s the mating lust. It’s all-encompassing, powerful. It creates such a strong need that it’s hard to focus on anything else after you’ve got a whiff of your mate. Do you feel better now?”

“Yes,” she replied with a nod. “Not as antsy. Though…” she hesitated. “I don’t really want to be away from you. Is that weird?”

Drew leaned closer and kissed the top of her head. “No. I feel the same. You make me feel calm and strong. And confused as hell.”

Her laugh was husky. “Yeah, try living in my shoes.”

He pressed his lips to her temple. “We’ll get it sorted out. All your questions, that is.”

“Good. Because there’s a lot of them.”

He had a lot of questions too, but he didn’t voice a single one. He’d get his answers after they both rested, which would have to be soon enough.

Chapter Nine

Odd sounds stirred Alyssa from slumber.

Confused and disoriented, she sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and tried to place the noise. What was that sound? Tools. Low male voices. The floor squeaked.

---