Page 28 of Cherished By Her Guardian

“It feels so much nicer here, for sure,” Declan said.

They set their boots on the rug at the door. Barron hung up their coats and ushered them into the kitchen, where a female with shoulder-length gray-blonde hair was stirring something on the stove. She turned with a smile.

“Oh! You’re here, I’m so happy! I’m Denise.” She gave Winterlyn a warm hug. “Welcome to the family, Winterlyn.”

“Thank you so much.”

“I made chicken and dumplings again,” Denise said. “This time I’m not trying to bribe you with anything.”

“Bribe?” Winterlyn asked.

They sat at the table while his mom brought over the pot of stew. “She wanted me to take a mate from the pack and settle down.”

Winterlyn’s brows went high. “Really?”

“Don’t mind me,” Denise said. “I just wanted some grandbabies to love on. But I’m really glad he didn’t take my advice.”

“I’m glad too,” Winterlyn said.

“Trust me, I wasn’t going to be swayed with chicken and dumplings. I was determined to wait for my mate, no matter how long it took.”

“I bet the chicken and dumplings was good luck!” Denise said.

“How on earth is that even a thing?” Barron asked.

Denise paused in ladling stew into his bowl. “You don’t know. Maybe my chicken and dumplings is magical, like the Well up at the North Pole. Maybe something amazing will happen to Declan and Winterlyn tonight because of it. Magic dumplings. Could you imagine?”

Winterlyn smiled broadly. His parents were so sweet.

“After what I’ve seen this week, I believe anything is possible when it comes to fate and magic,” Winterlyn said.

“The alpha would like to see you two after dinner,” Barron said.

“Oh? Did he say why?” Declan asked.

“No, but he told us to come along as well,” Denise said. “I’m sure it’s related to your mating. Alpha Phoenix is a great male.”

“Is he mated?” Winterlyn asked.

“He was, but she was from an arranged mating and ended up breaking the mating and running off with a male from her former pack. The alpha never re-mated. They had two kids together before she took off, and their oldest, Maxwell, will take over the pack when Phoenix steps down in the future.”

“That’s sad,” Winterlyn said.

“And a good example of why sometimes it’s better to wait for your truemate than be in an arranged mating that’s not right,” Declan said.

“Ours worked out wonderfully,” Barron said. “But it’s good to follow your heart.”

While they ate the most amazing dinner Winterlyn had ever had, his parents asked her questions about her family and her people, the witch who’d brought her and Declan together, and their plans for the future.

“We’ll live up in Northernmost until we have kids and want to bring them around their wolfy peers, as my sweetheart likes to call them,” Declan said. “Plus the family of course.”

“That sounds lovely,” Denise said. “There’s some land available in the development to build a home whenever you’re ready. The construction company that the pack owns is always looking for local work.”

“Perfect,” Winterlyn said. She already couldn’t wait to start a family with her mate. Knowing there was a place for them to build a home was icing on the cake.

After the meal was over, she helped Denise clean up while Declan grabbed their things from the car and put them away in the spare bedroom.

“Thanks for letting us stay here for a few days,” Winterlyn said.

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