Page 56 of Make Me

Claire had issued a royal decree, officially lifting the ban on intermixed matings. Working alongside Cody and his father, Bethany had issued a corresponding ruling, negating the necessity for blessings by the leaders. They also extended a warm welcome to any pack or pride member who had previously been exiled due to intermixed mating, should they choose to return. Although a few diehard purists remained within the pack and pride, recent events, such as Calen reuniting with his family and Bryson's second-in-command openly acknowledging his witch mate and their previously concealed relationship, were swaying the tides of public opinion.

There was a new generation dawning in the Realm. Roland and Vanya had been executed, and the entire Realm was turning over a new leaf. Claire, Holly, and Bethany had been dubbed the “Unitam Triad” as they started several realm-wide initiatives with their mates. Bethany wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t just Cody behind the new nickname, but it amused all their mates, so the women just rolled with it.

After the challenge, Cody had told his dad his focus was going to be on Bethany and helping her with the pride. He didn’t want to take over the pack any time soon, he had confided in Bethany, Mylo, and Zack. But he was working on several initiatives to proactively mix the pack and pride members, so when the time came, the transition would be easier.

Mylo and Zack helped him with some of those but also helped Bethany with other things as well. Zack was pouring over the pride’s records for exiled members, and Mylo was helping to track them down once they were identified. Everything was making amazing progress, but it had been a busy few weeks and Bethany hadn’t had as much time with her mates as she would have liked. It seemed like she’d fought so hard to have them, and now she didn’t have time to enjoy it.

As she stepped through the portal from the Fae lands to the neutral ground, she was determined to change that tonight. She had just been visiting Claire, whose magic was returning in leaps and bounds. It had been a good visit as they finalized the Realm’s market opening in a few weeks, but Bethany was looking forward to stealing her mates away for some alone time.

She was not the only one with that idea, though. Cody, Zack, and Mylo were standing in front of the portal as she exited.

“We’re kidnapping you,” Cody announced. “And there’s no getting out of it.”

Bethany laughed. “I was about to tell you all the same thing.”

“It’s been too long,” Zack murmured, drawing her into his arms.

“Mmhmm,” Bethany mumbled as she buried her face in his shoulder, her body relaxing.

Zack released her, and Mylo stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. Bethany leaned back into him.

“So, where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise.” Cody was practically bouncing on his feet. Whatever it was, they were excited about it. Bethany could feel it down the bond.

Mylo grabbed her hand with his as they walked deeper into the neutral grounds. They seemed to be headed towards her and Cody’s spot. Maybe it was a picnic lunch. Bethany would enjoy that. Maybe they could go for a run in the woods afterward.

When they hit the clearing, though, she stopped dead. Taking up almost all of the clearing was a beautiful two-story log house. The smell of freshly cut wood saturated the air and spoke to the recent construction.

“What?” Bethany stammered out. There was a house in their clearing? A new house.

“It’s our house,” Cody said, a wide grin on his face as he bounced on his toes.

“But how?” Bethany couldn’t seem to form complete sentences. The large windows glowed gold in the setting sun, and the light-colored wood door seemed to beckon her.

Zack laughed at her shock. “We’ve been busy. But we had help. Claire sent over some Elves, and they got it built quickly.”

“Do you like it?” Mylo asked softly.

She turned to him. “You built me a house.”

He grinned, his gold eyes dancing in amusement. “We did. Would you like to see the inside?”

Bethany nodded, still in shock, but she let Mylo guide her inside. The first room they entered was large and cozy, like a warm nest. Filled with neutral colors and a few splashes of green, there was a large couch against one wall with a low table in front of it. Against the opposite walls, hammocks hung from the exposed beams in the ceiling in front of the large windows. With the forest all around them, it felt like the house was actually in the trees. Past the large room, it opened up into another room with a long table and a kitchen. A set of stairs was to her left, and Mylo led her up the stairs.

“There’s an office up here,” he told her. “For when you don’t want to go to the meeting hall. And three extra bedrooms and bathrooms for when you want space from us.”

“And this”—Cody pushed open the door at the end of the hall—“is our room.”

Bethany gasped as she stepped inside. The walls were painted pale green. To her right, floor-to-ceiling windows let in the afternoon sun and provided a beautiful view of the forest and the rest of the clearing. Against the left wall, the largest bed Bethany had ever seen was piled high with pillows and soft-looking blankets. She felt her lioness stir with the desire to build a cozy nest. Beyond the bed, two doors were open, revealing a closet and a bathroom. Bethany could see the edge of a large bathtub through the bathroom door.

She turned in a circle, taking it in.

“What do you think?” Zack asked, leaning against Cody’s chest as the three of them watched her take it all in.

“I love it,” Bethany breathed as she stepped up to the bed and ran her fingers along one of the blankets. It was as soft as it looked. “It’s beautiful.”

She looked over at them. “Thank you,” she said, choking up. She searched for more eloquent words to show her appreciation, but nothing came to mind. They’d built her a house!

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