Page 103 of A Wolf in the Garden

“I’m sorry, alright? I won’t tease your mate.”

Ellie’s hand tugs at my wrist. “Van, can we just finish reading this? And Seth,don’tpush him. Not today. We’re not in the mood for it.”

Ellie sounds exhausted. Shefeelsexhausted, and as I turn to face her she simply lifts the letter, holding it out to me.Right.There are more important things to focus on.

•When I return, we will work on training Ellie to prevent this from happening ever again.

•Until we get back, DO NOT practice any magic. That includes in the bedroom… so don’t get carried away.

I cringe, and beside me Ellie makes the same face.

•Stay on the vineyard grounds. It’s a beautiful place, so not a terrible location to be trapped.

West is hurrying me along. This is our way of fixing the mistakes we made ten years ago. We should have handled the fae situation back then differently.

I don’t know how long it will take for us to return — it could be a few days, possibly longer. You know how my family likes to make things difficult. Take care darlings.

Love,

Mom xx

Ellie leans into me now, wrapping her arms around my waist. I hug her back, bending to kiss the top of her head. “This is why I avoided everything for so long, after the Unravelling,” she murmurs into my chest. “I just had a feeling that the ears were trouble, thatIwas trouble, so I tried to hide it and ignore it, and hoped that it would go away. And now look; no good has come from me being non-human.”

I brush my hand through her hair, the strands almost dry now, as I consider my reply.

“I disagree.”

She glances up at me, and I can tell from the look in her eyes just how much she needs to hear this. “You’re perfect,” I start, but she’s already shaking her head. “No, listen to me,” I say, the alpha growl entering my voice unintentionally. Ineedher to understand this. “You are perfect. You are not the problem here. You are nottrouble. The situation is shit, but that is not your fault. You have to know that.”

She nods, burying her face against my chest, and I hunch to whisper in her ear. I want to ease her worries. “A lot of good has come from you being non-human. No human could take a werewolf cock the way you do.”

She snorts, jabbing me in the stomach with her finger, muttering “Not in front of your brother.” I ignore Seth’s mumbled“Heard plenty last night anyway,”and tilt her chin up towards me once more, kissing her lips, her cheek, her forehead.

“I wish you could love yourself the way I love you,” I tell her.

“It’s just the fear, Van. That’s all it is. Those fae are terrifying. I had a gut feeling, all this time, that there was something scary out there and therewas.” Her eyes close, and I brush the tears that run down her cheeks with my thumbs. “I hate that I’m crying again,” she whispers.

“I’d be worried if you weren’t,” I tell her quietly, trying to be reassuring. “It’s been a crazy twenty-four hours. You’re allowed to feel a little delicate. I know I do.”

“Ellie.” Seth’s voice is as serious as it ever gets, and she sniffles as she looks at him. “You should definitely listen to him, because he’s right. This is what makes Van a good alpha. He leads with his heart. He cares.” The look he gives me makes me feel bad for snarling at him earlier. I’ve missed this, missed the sense of camaraderie with my brother that burned away when he chose to remain in my father’s pack. When he didn’t choose me.

I’ve missedhim, even if he can be a little immature from time to time.

“I know,” Ellie replies as she leans into me further, the warmth of her love washing over me through the bond.

* * *

Ihad hoped that once my sister was here in New Zealand, that we’d ease into pack life. Having my pack members thrust headfirst into fae-level danger wasn’t something I’d planned for.

“Van,” Lacey growls at me through the phone as soon as she answers the call, “don’t youdareblame yourself for this, okay? Those fae assholes are the ones to be upset and angry with, not you.”

I lean back against the couch, Ellie tucking herself against my side, and stare out at the ocean view, focusing on the spot where the fae were last night.

“I blame myself for not protecting you, and Iamto blame for that. I sat on the beach howling without a thought towards —”

“I’m going to stop you right there, because your mate was in thewaterin thedark, and unless Ellie has secretly become an Olympic-level swimmer in the past decade, we all know how fucking dangerous that was for her. A fated mate supersedes the pack, we all know that. We’ve all grown up watching Dad choose Mom over anything else.Don’t blame yourself. Besides, it’s offensive that you think I can’t protect my own pups. I’ll fucking rip their throats out before any fae come within ten feet of my boys.”

I sigh, rubbing my temples. “I didn’t mean —”

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