Page 23 of Claimed By the Alpha Pack

“You honor us.” Griffin lowers his head and then turns his face away, exposing his throat to me.

I hear a gasp from the porch, and I look at the woman over Griffin’s shoulder. Her hands cover her mouth as she stares at Griffin, still with his neck bent. Leaning forward, I slide from the truck. When my feet hit the dirt, I remove my hands from Griffin’s and slide my right hand up to caress his neck. Drawing in a deep breath, I inhale Griffin’s scent deep into my lungs. He smells like my favorite blanket, fresh out of the dryer.

Standing up on my tippy toes, I press my lips against his throat over his pulse point. Large hands rest on my hips, holding me steady against him. A second set of hands and a warm hard body press up behind me, hands resting on my ribcage. “I accept this.” Whispered words fall softly from my lips. In my heart, I know I’ve made the right decision and that I am where I belong.

Chapter 16

Conrad

~Paint it Black - Gob

My mission is simple: go to Grace’s house and grab everything for her and the baby. Driving up the long driveway, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something isn’t right. I reach out through the pack bond to my brothers. Gracie and Ashina are safe at our house. Breathing a sigh of relief, I continue down the driveway.

The house comes into view, and the front door is wide open. Stopping several yards away from the house, I get out of my car and leave the door ajar so it doesn’t make noise. Walking closer, I know the scent on the wind. Roxy’s scent is almost overpowering. Her wolf apparently scent marked the entire perimeter of the house and probably inside as well. How did she get out of lock up early?

Stepping into the house, I can see the extent of the damage. Roxy shredded the couch, broke and chewed the chairs. I knew Roxy was a self-absorbed narcissist, but I didn’t believe that she would go this far. Walking further into the house, I head towards Grace’s bedroom and it looks like a bomb had gone off in it. Clothes are in tatters, her bed destroyed and her dressers dumped and pissed on. I do the only thing I can think of and I text Andrea.

Conrad: Hate to disturb you this late. Do you still have Barrett’s credit card?

Andrea: Yeah, he told me to hold on to it in case I needed to pick stuff up. Why?

Conrad: I need you to call Miller and get him to open his store up. Someone trashed Grace’s place. She’s got nothing left.

Andrea: Who the fuck would dare attack the Alpha’s mate?

Conrad: I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.

Andrea: Does Ashina need anything?

Conrad: Thankfully, she left her room alone. Her formula is untouched, as well as her diapers and clothing. Roxy wasn’t that big of a cunt.

Andrea: Good, I’ll meet you at your house in about two hours.

Conrad: Thanks for this, it means a lot to us.

Andrea: What’s the pack for? Give my bestie a hug for me.

Staring at my phone for several more moments before I update my brothers. The growling between the two of them is almost too much to handle. It’s bad enough my wolf wants to rip free and maim Roxy. It takes me several trips to get all the baby’s things into my car. The worst of it was packing the bassinet. Damn thing needs a doctorate in engineering to disassemble it. Luckily for Grace, Roxy didn’t look in the dryer. The bulk of Gracie’s comfortable clothing was in there waiting to be folded.

Grabbing the closest hamper, I throw all the dry clothes then double check the washing machine. More clothing, so perhaps it wasn’t a total loss for Grace. On the upper shelf I find the garbage bags and drop the wet clothing in there. I’ll do her laundry for her when she sleeps tonight. I don’t want our mate stressing over anything. It’s bad enough we have two threats to watch for now. A rogue Alpha and a jaded ex-girlfriend are no joke to mess with where our human mate is concerned.

Staring at the old hunting cabin, all I can think about was the night we told old man Michaels that his granddaughter is our mate. Being a wolf himself, he was happy that the future alphas of the pack were Gracie’s mates. So we made many happy memories in this house until the day her mother took her away from us.

Climbing back into the car, I start the engine and turn the car around. All I can think about is having our mate in our house tonight. Where will she sleep? What room will she choose to sleep in? Per tradition, if there’s more than one mate, the female by scent will choose the room she wants to sleep in. The choice she makes is usually indicative of whom she will bond with first.

My heart races with the anticipation of watching Grace walk into each of our bedrooms and choose. My brothers and I talk off and on about the impact of her choice and how to handle the decision. I suggest we push her to take Barrett’s room. Since he’s an Omega and would be much gentler than any of us possibly could be with her. Barrett immediately objects, noting that the other Alphas would need him to settle their beasts.

Fucking hell, he’s right.

I make it home faster than I was expecting to and drive up the long, winding driveway. Every crunch of rock under the tires spikes my anxiety further. The porch lights illuminate the wrap-around porch. Griffin is on the porch talking to four of the packs Betas setting up guards for the night. Soon as my car comes into view, they shift and take their positions.

Parking close to the steps, Griffin bounds down the stairs, soon followed by Ethan, who keeps looking back at the house. “I’m glad Grace didn’t come with me. Roxy did a number on her belongings.”

“What’s left?” Griffin looks at the bags and laundry hamper on my back seat.

“Not much. I sent Andrea to Miller’s to grab clothes for Grace and extra stuff for the baby. She still has Barrett’s credit card, so she’s all set.” My brothers nod along as they carry the items into the house.

I decide to grab Ashina’s stuff and carry it in myself. Shouldering my way past the front door, I’m greeted by the most beautiful sight. My mate laying with her baby on her chest with her head in my mother’s lap. Mom is slowly threading her fingers through Grace’s long magenta locks. Grace’s face looks like one of the great Renaissance artists sculpted it; smooth, relaxed cheeks, high cheekbones, and full lips.

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