Page 125 of The Wolf in My Tavern

He strides off with Arlo at his side.

Ada

Some travel to collect mates and children from villages where they were kept safe. The rest travel with us. The shifters favor wolf form, keeping a close watch for trouble. But there are also horses for the surprising number of humans who call Ludstone home, along with wagons laden with supplies pillaged from the fallen Canis pack, which further makes for a slow precession.

We have lost some pack members but also gained new ones.

As we crest a slight rise, a valley spreads out before me, giving me a perfect view of the Ludstone lands. To the left of the river, the land rises sharply and is steep and rocky. To the right, the slope is gentler and lightly forested, leading to layers of dense forest that finally give way to high, snow-capped mountains.

My gaze sweeps back to the valley. I always imagined shifters living in caves underground, but far below, I see the distinct roofs of cottages. At least some of the pack is above ground, I presume.

Gray pauses beside me in wolf form, lifts his head, and howls.

Goosebumps spring across the surface of my skin as the other wolves take up the call. As long as I live, I shall always find it a hauntingly beautiful sound.

Their howls quieten down, and Gray looks up at me as though seeking approval, his head tilted and his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a comical way.

“It is beautiful,” I say, grinning. My heart feels like it might burst with joy that this shall be my home.

We wind our way down through the forest until it opens into the valley. Here, I discover that although the Ludstone pack does have an extensive cave network, they also have wooden cottages clustered together in little pockets between the trees, which resemble a village with staked-out farming plots. Chickens are milling around in the path, but they scarper hearing our approach, clucking and flapping into coops and barns out of the way.

Callum remains in wolf form, padding at the side of my horse, but Gray shifts to human and, gloriously naked, walks beside me.

“I didn’t expect to see chickens!” I say.

Gray chuckles. “We are a civilized pack,” he says. “Not every pack member is a shifter, and sometimes those with human mates prefer the village, which benefits all when hunting is lean. Most packs form alliances with villages. We do, too, but we also have a village of our own.”

Then and there, I fall in love with my new home.

A few of the former pack members are waiting at the entrance to the den and have already begun clearing up the mess left by Canis.

They greet us with cheers, and there is more howling as wolves and humans rush every which way.

With the aid of the supplies we brought from Canis, along with various caravans from new allies, we are a thriving community again within a matter of weeks.

I grew up with nothing. The future before me is so different from what I might have envisaged. I have two mates. Soon, I will go into heat and, Goddess willing, I will be with child.

I think about the children’s book I hid under my bed, which Callum returned to me and is now lost again. The book makes me think of Betsy: her mischief, boldness, and resilience. Although she was part of my life for so short a time, she taught me much.

I lost a book I loved, but I will miss my dear friend more.

We can never have everything. That is not the way life works. I see now how little possessions matter.

I have gained two beautiful mates, a home, and a community—time to embrace my new life and make the very best of the blessings I have.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Ada

Iblink open my eyes—warm, safe, snuggled in my decadently layered nest. The shutters have been left open to my left, offering a view of a cloudless blue sky. The air is chill, but I am warm, squished between my mates.

Heaven.

Gray selected a collection of interlinked chambers for our quarters at the very top of the den, accessed via a long, winding corridor. I like that our suite is deep inside the pack territory. It feels safe and protected, but I also love the views from the shuttered stone window that look out across the valley and beyond.

The suite is surprisingly civilized for a shifter pack. The main room has a table and chairs, lamps, and beautifully stitched hide curtains at the entrance. Packs are sociable creatures, and we more often than not join others in the main cavern during downtime when patrols and hunts are done.

Being mated to a pack leader and a royal shifter who has already attracted visitors makes for a busy life, so I enjoy being in our quarters when I can have my mates all to myself.

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