Page 256 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“If they let you stay,” Valeria teased, making Dad’s face crumble for a moment.

He looked over at me, giving me the biggest eyes he could muster.

“They can stay,” Cade was the one who answered for me.

‘I need the brownie points,’he explained via mind-link.

It startled me a little, until I remembered that I was marked. Since he was alpha, that automatically made me a member of his pack.

‘You okay?’Cade asked when he sensed my conflicting emotions.

‘I’m fine,’I replied, not wanting him to think I was regretting anything.

‘Talk to me, My Queen.’

‘I was just thinking about how I was a member of Crescent Moon again for only a week, before I have to leave.’

‘Did you want to stay? It wouldn’t be forever, but until the pack house is complete, we could come and go from the pack grounds, so you can stay with your family until the pups come.’

‘You would do that for me?’

‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy,’he assured me.

‘I—Can I think about it? I was looking forward to doing this alongside Violet, but I want to start a life with you.’

‘You’ve got a life with me, Bells. That mark on your neck and my pups in your womb are a testament to that.’

There was a clearing of a throat and we stopped mind-linking.

“Is everything alright? Do you not want us here, sweetie?” Mom asked.

“No. I’d love you guys to be here. We were talking about something else.”

“I see you marked each other,” Dad grumbled from her side, only to get poked in the rib by mom’s finger. “Ow, Tuli! You’ve been getting a little aggressive, and not in the sexy way I usually like.”

“Gross,” I groaned, shuddering.

“Stop trying to bully our children’s mates,” Mom argued.

“He could have asked first!”

“You didn’t make Evie or Cecilia ask. Don’t be sexist darling. They’re grown adults who were robbed of eight years together. I was surprised they waited until we left to do it.”

“Alright, I get your point,” Dad mumbled, making me grin.

I loved Mom. She was the best.

“We’re okay to stay, then?” Dad asked and I nodded.

Cory, Evie, Violet and Chris showed up while we ate. Violet was carrying the paperwork removing the legal power of attorney we put in place before my coma. Once I was done signing them, she put them in an envelope, and sighed with relief, like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

Cade and I were almost done with our food, when Violet finally noticed the mate mark on my neck.

“Hey! How come Chris and I have to wait, and Bells didn’t, Dad?” she asked, pointing at my neck while she glared at Dad.

“They didn’t ask!” Dad defended.

“We didn’t ask, either. You just decided!” Violet crossed her arms.

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