Page 30 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

And I was. I had always been. My heart, my mind, my wolf, they all recognized the same thing.

Rafe was mine. My home. My protector. My mate. Mine, mine, mine.

I was his. Completely, utterly. And nothing would ever come between us and live to tell the tale.

Nothing.

EPILOGUE

RAFE

The crackle of burning logs filled the night air, the scent of woodsmoke mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest surrounding our pack house. I breathed it all in, letting the familiar fragrances soothe the lingering tension that held me in its clawed grip since that fucker Bowen’s attack a month ago.

I leaned back in the flimsy camp chair and took a sip of my beer. The moon hung full and ripe above, her silver light washing over my pack gathered around the fire pit. I’d turned down Declan’s invite to join the Hollow wolves for their full moon run. The pack needed this—a chance to come together, reconnect, remember who we were above the recent wave of bullshit over the past months.

The flames danced, casting flickering shadows across the familiar faces gathered around the fire pit. My pack. My family. A sense of belonging washed over me as I took in the scene, something I hadn’t truly felt since taking alpha at Elise’s insistence.

No. This was where I belonged. With my wolves, not hangers-on at someone else’s party.

My ears picked up snatches of conversation around the fire pit, and the occasional burst of quiet laughter from Orion and Brielle. Tara sat cross-legged in the grass with them, her fingers knotting together in her lap. She startled when the logs popped, shoulders hunching up to her ears. Nervous energy poured off her, slowly washing away when Brielle reached out to squeeze her hand with an understanding smile.

A few yards away, Kai and Elise lounged in chairs that matched mine, studiously ignoring each other. I appreciated that she exuded eau de par-fume rather than her usual lemon-scented rage, even if she stared into the fire like she wanted to fight it.

And Kai... He absently stretched and flexed his hand, face tight with pain. Maddy’s brother was a walking exposed nerve, all his cocky bravado stripped away. Guilt churned in my gut as I studied the fresh pink scars.

Bowen’s parting gift.

My wolf paced through my head, trailing shame from one end of my thoughts to the other. We all carried scars after our brush with death. Some just carried them more prominently than others.

My fault. I should’ve done more to protect him, protect all of them, better than I had. Kai was just the one who’d paid the price.

I wouldn’t give up on them.

All the more reason to come together under the light of the moon and let our other halves take our skins for a few hours of pure instinct.

Too bad we were still missing one.

As if on cue, the faint rumble of an engine hit our turnoff. My head swiveled toward the sound, tracking the approaching headlights. Maddy. The knot of worry in my chest loosened a fraction as her beat-up sedan rolled to a stop next to the pack house.

She climbed out, all long legs and easy grace, a stack of books tucked under one arm. Even in the dim light, I could see her shake one in my general direction before darting inside.

She was out in a flash, closing the distance to the fire pit with quick, eager steps. “Sorry, sorry. Got caught up at Ink & Beans.”

A chorus of greetings rose from the pack, genuine warmth lacing their words. My wolf preened at how seamlessly Maddy had slipped into the fabric of our little family, claiming her place at my side as if she’d always belonged.

She settled into the empty chair beside me, close enough that our knees brushed. A possessive thrill raced up my spine at the casual contact. The urge to pull her into my lap, to bury my face in the crook of her neck and breathe her in, crashed through me.

Mine.

My wolf, entirely human me, I didn’t know. Didn’t care. We were in complete harmony on the subject of our mate and the utter state of undress she should forever be in.

“At this rate, you should just buy the place and move in,” I teased. “Might be easier than hauling half their stock home every week.”

Maddy ducked her head, but not before I caught the shy smile that flickered across her face. “About that...”

She trailed off, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I fought the urge to reach out and smooth the little furrow that had appeared between her brows.

“What is it, Mads?”

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