Page 141 of The Wolf in My Tavern

I will stay in love with the woman she becomes, ever fascinated with the changes in her as she realizes her potential in hard-won increments. She is a survivor of terrible circumstances, making her empathetic to those who need protection the most. She has already insisted upon a visit with the Halket clan, where she spent time with Gwen. She has found both an ally and someone to look up to in the clan queen—they are different in many ways, yet they share many of the same ideals.

It is good for Ada. It is part of her growth and journey. Seeing her flourish gives me the greatest joy.

“When are you going to tell them?” Drake asks, stirring me from my thoughts. We are standing in the central cavern. It is early morning, and he has just returned from a patrol with news from Blue Bell, a human village.

It is a good few days of travel by horse, taking the broader pathways, but less than half a day for a shifter traveling across the country.

I shrug, then smile. “I think it will make a nice surprise.”

He chuckles. “For sure. They are settled, from what I heard.”

“It looks like I will be taking a trip to Blue Bell today.” I slap him on the shoulder and stride for my quarters, where I sense Ada will be found, even as I use the pack bond to call Callum.

He is out on patrol and sends his acknowledgment and curiosity through the bond, but I contain my thoughts lest I give the game away.

I find Ada talking to Lizbeth and looking particularly petite next to the taller shifter lass. A giant pile of woolen blankets, furs, and pelts is resting in the middle of the bed, and the two women are cooing over them.

Nesting. I indulged my mate’s nesting urges and ordered some from a specialty trader with connections to the weavers’ guild to the south. The bed is already deeply layered, but there is always room for more soft things.

Also, I enjoy fucking her in the nest when she refreshes it with new favorites—I consider it a win-win.

Their heads swing my way. They both grin. “You won’t get in the nest tonight by the time Ada is done,” Lizbeth announces.

She is with child, just as Ada is. They became friends from the very start. Lizbeth is bold and daring, whereas Ada is quieter, sometimes playful, and occasionally feisty. They are good for each other. Lizbeth further brings Ada’s confidence to the fore.

I left a pack a year ago to look for a missing promised mate. While I was gone, my father died, and my pack members became enslaved, scattered, or fell.

My missing mate turned out not to be my mate but that of my long-time friend and my younger brother.

What happened to the pack, my father, and many of those I knew and loved, is a grief I must live with.

But I also believe in the will of the Goddess. It was by my father’s command that I searched for Arlo and Lizbeth. I returned with them and avenged his death.

“We are going on a little trip,” I tell Ada. “You can finish sorting these out later.”

“Can I come?” Lizbeth asks.

I shake my head. “You will hear all about it later.”

“Oh,” she says, all curious.

Ada has likewise perked up. “Where are we going?” she demands to know.

“It is a surprise.”

“I hate surprises,” Lizbeth says, clearly disgruntled that she is missing out. “Come and tell me immediately when you get back.”

“I will,” Ada says.

I do not doubt that Drake will have already told his mate all about it by then: shifters love to gossip.

“Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” Lizbeth turns her nose up to me, and gathering the pile of pelts that is clearly for her, she stalks out of the room.

Callum passes her as he enters the room; his ginger hair is tousled, and his skin is golden from the sun.

“We are going on a trip,” I announce.

I feel his question through the bond.

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