Page 46 of Unforgivable Fate

“Bunny.” Griffin repeated with a shake of his head, “I think you’re going to need to introduce me to your other boyfriend.”

Nova giggled, “Not a chance.”

“Oh come on, could be fun.” He teased.

“Impossible. I threw him in the garbage when I was mad.”

Griffin laughed with her, “I’d say I’d get you another but the idea of anything other than me making you cry out with pleasure makes my possessive side want to burn down the nearest sex toy shop.”

“I got it on Amazon so don’t do that.” She nuzzled her lips against his again. “And besides, you’re the only thing I need now, mate.”

“Mmm. I like the sound of that.”

“I thought you might.” She nipped at his bottom lip. “You’re smiling again.”

“I think it’s a sight you’re just going to have to get used to, sweetheart. I’m happy. You make me happy. Being a Crescent wolf makes me happy. For so long all I’ve wanted is to find the place I belong and now, I have. It’s here, in Noir, with you. This is my home.”

“Damn right it is.” Nova playfully bopped his nose but then pulled back to cover a yawn. “Speaking of home… we should head back and get some rest.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I’m always right.” She teased as she rolled and jumped to her feet, offering him a hand to help him up from the ground. “Come on mate. Let’s go home.”

He took her hand, looking up at her with a hope he knew he couldn’t hide in his eyes, “Home? Together?”

“Well I’m not letting my mate live in Bear’s bachelor pad so yeah. We’ll get your stuff moved tomorrow but I’d like you to stay with me tonight. If you want?”

“Of course I want.” He pulled himself to his feet and then swept her against him, spinning them slightly, causing Nova to laugh and him to grin even wider, “There’s nothing I want more.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Nova stared out the kitchen window into her backyard, lost in thought. She’d come into the kitchen to get a glass of water but as she waited for the filtered water pitcher to fill, her mind had drifted. It had been doing that a lot lately, really ever since Griffin had moved in with her and they’d made their mating official. Her family had been overjoyed and wanted to throw her a party, wanted to start making wedding preparations for the new moon, but she’d asked them to give Griffin and her some time to settle into some sort of routine together before pushing anything else on them.

The truth was… Nova was happy. She was really and truly happy. She woke up beside Griffin each morning and she smiled. She didn’t see Maddox in him at all anymore. He wasn’t the brother of the man who had terrorized her family and broken her trust. When she looked at him now, all she saw was her mate, the man that fate had sent to complete her, and her whole body warmed with the knowledge that he was hers.

It was strange, because she’d have sworn to anyone that asked that she’d been happy before Griffin arrived in Noir. She’d loved her life then. She had spent her days helping her siblings, who were the most important people in her life. She’d picked up groceries for Luna when she couldn’t get to the store with the twins. She’d visited Maya and babysat baby Carmen. She’d helped Leo more and more, stretching her visions to the breaking point to help him find and contact more wolf packs. Her days had been full of family and fun but somewhere inside of her, she supposed she’d always known that something was missing.

She’d just never have imagined that something was Griffin Clary.

Being mated to him filled her with a happiness that she couldn’t quite put into words. It wasn’t just that the mating heat had become something else entirely. It was no longer a simple urge to have their naked flesh rubbing against one another. Their connection was deeper now. She wanted to be with him, to be near him, all the time. She felt more like herself when he was with her, as if his acceptance of all she was, all she had been and all she could be, gave her the freedom to accept her own flaws and failures and move on from them with hope for the future.

He made her stronger, and not just in the emotional sense. He truly made her stronger. Now that they were mated the bond had solidified and she could feel Griffin’s strength and power. He could feel hers too, he said, and it flowed freely between them. If she felt weak or fearful, his power rushed towards her to help buoy her and give her whatever she needed.

That day in Leo’s kitchen when her visions had come back had only been the beginning. Since then, she’d experienced more changes in her gift. Where before, she always felt as if she had no control over her visions as they swept in whenever and however they wanted, now she could call on them at will. She could also get through an entire day without being overtaken by the most basic vision of a woman dropping a can of tomato sauce at the store or a pack member coming down with a cold. She could only assume that the extra control she had found was because of her bond with Griffin and his constant, steadying presence in her mind due to the link.

Things between them were good. Better than good even. Once she’d stopped fighting the mate bond it had become the simplest thing in her life to accept.

She knew there were still some Crescent Pack members who glared whenever Griffin walked through town but for the most part, he was being accepted into the pack. Her family had accepted him too, wholeheartedly, which wasn’t a surprise considering they’d pushed her towards him from the moment he came to town. Griffin was a Crescent wolf now and despite his last name, a member of the DeLuca family, which meant that even those that might not fully trust him kept their mouths shut and their eyes averted, not daring to go against their Pack Alpha or their Seer who had mated with him.

All in all, things were better than they had been in a long time… which was why Nova knew that the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood up meant something was wrong. She had tried to dismiss the bad feeling in her gut as mere worry. After all, whenever she’d thought she was happy in the past, something had always managed to blow up and ruin everything, hadn’t it?

“Hey. Hey!” Griffin’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts and Nova blinked. “What’re you doing?”

She could only watch as he took the pitcher of water, which was overflowing into the sink and all down her hand and arm, He put it to the side and flipped the tap on the faucet to turn it off. He turned her around to look at him and frowned at whatever he saw on her face.

“Nova? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.” She frowned right now.

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