Page 61 of Moon Fated

I entered the bathroom and opened the glass door, stepping in beside Evelyn. Eyes heavy with contentment, she turned to face me as my hand skimmed along the soft curve of her hips.

"Morning.” I breathed her in, and a shiver ran through me when I caught my scent still on her skin. I wanted her to get out of the damn shower so every wolf in my pack would know I’d left my mark.

"Morning." Her cheeks flushed under my scrutiny.

I couldn’t help but smile, the memory of the night before flooding back to me in vivid detail. The hunger in her eyes, the way she’d let me devour her and begged for more.

I pulled her into my arms, the water cascading over our skin. “I have to go to work.”

“You mean we can’t hole up here forever?” She tipped her head, grinning up at me. I ran my fingers over the mark I’d left on her neck, already healed into a dark whorl that looked curiously like a berry on the end of a stem.

“Have you seen yours yet?” she asked, turning me around and running her fingers over my skin.

“Describe it.”

“Them.” Her touch sent prickles over my skin. “There are three over your shoulder blade. They look almost like cedars.”

That was perfect. The trees were my refuge, and that’s what I wanted to be for my mate. My pack. I turned back to face her. “You drew blood.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes. “And you didn’t?”

I grinned, dropping my head until my lips met hers. “I love you.”

She pulled against my hips. “I love you, too.” Without warning, she smacked her hand against my bare ass. “Now stop stealing all my water.”

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Evelyn

The house was too still. I paced the length of our living room, my feet sinking into the plush carpet, the silence punctuated by the rhythmic tap of my nails against my jeans. Each tick of the clock heightened my nerves.

"Come on, Lana.” I raked a hand through my auburn hair. Rowan had said she'd be back by dusk, and the sun was already dipping behind the trees.

Nothing could’ve gone wrong, right? She was only clearing out my things, and it wasn’t like I had much. I both hated and loved that Rowan wouldn’t let me go with her. I understood him wanting to keep me safe, but to make Lana do my apartment cleaning and check out? That didn’t seem fair.

I paused by the window and pressed my forehead against the cool glass. Finally, a gravelly rumble broke the silence as an SUV pulling a U-Haul trailer rolled up the drive, dust swirling in its wake. My pulse quickened, and I swung the door open before the engine cut out, the crisp evening air a slap against my flushed skin.

"Hey!" Lana dropped from the vehicle, her dark hair cascading around her shoulders, looking every bit the badass third-in-command she was. My anxiety melted away as she wrapped her strong arms around me.

"Did you miss me that much?" Lana teased, pulling back to look at me with a smirk. Her gaze was assessing, but the edge of concern there told me she understood the gravity of what today meant for both of us.

"Don’t flatter yourself.” I grinned, and it felt good to smile, to let Lana's easy confidence buffer the storm of emotions inside me.

"Good answer, Beta." Lana nudged me with her shoulder, her eyes sparkling. "You ready for the pack meeting tomorrow?"

"Ready as I'll ever be.” Which was…not ready at all. The weight of the upcoming gathering settled over me. It wasn't just any meeting—it was my first step into this new life. The moment I took my place in Black Lake as Rowan’s other half.

"Let's get your stuff inside.” Lana gestured to the bags and boxes in the back of the SUV. "The boys will be over in a sec to unload the trailer. Then we can plot how to survive the pack's curiosity about their alpha's new mate."

Interest was a mild way to put it. Rowan Steele had staked his claim, and while his friends were quick to accept me, I wasn’t so sure about the elders. Or the members of what used to be Kitimat.

“Don’t think about it too hard.” Lana pulled the door open. “You haven’t talked to your parents in years, right? So no difference if they don’t accept you now.”

How had she known what I was thinking? “I feel like there is a difference.”

Lana nudged my elbow as she walked by with a box. “We’re your family now, Evelyn. You’re not getting rid of us.”

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