Page 136 of Scent of Home

I hear that word and everything in me feels incredible. Light. Happy.

“Yes, pause until we get home.” I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss my growly mountain man.

“I want to try fucking you in my hammock.”

“You have a hammock?” I ask, intrigued. Yeah, I want to try that, too, now. It will be a fun experiment.

“Come on, we better go rescue Finn and Locke and get home.”

I get dressed, and with Bray leading the way, we return to the party and where my heart has decided to call home.

My pack.

Chapter forty-one

Locke

The tourists snap photosand turn towards the old lady handing out candied apples. The air smells like popcorn and corn dogs, fairy floss and beer.

“We heard the lead singer of Derision lives here now?” A young woman asks with a snigger at her inebriated friend.

The old lady raises her barely there eyebrows. “A lead singer of Derize? I don’t know what that is, but there’s nothing of that name here.”

“No, Derision-”

“Have a candy apple. It’s good for your soul. The apples are farmed from a natural orchard deep in the mountains, and the candy is made in my very own kitchen.”

The tourist steps back with the candy apple, smartly giving up any idea of further interrogations.

Alma, the old lady, grins as they walk away and slaps me on the back when I move to stand beside her.

“Nice one, Alma.”

“Ah, but you belong to us now, and we don’t share. Have you heard of Derize? Apparently, a famous singer moved here,” she asks with a wink before she turns to hand out another apple.

My eyes prickle, and I look up, feeling the weight of her gaze. There she is, in a white dress, spinning around with Finn. She smiles, and it’s like the sun bursts through the clouds.

“She’s beautiful.”

Alma shakes her head. “Then go dance with her, you twit!”

I flick the old woman an amused look and move towards my alpha. She looks incredible. She is incredible.

My alpha. My queen. My goddess.

In the glow of the fairy lights, on the first day of the River Festival in a town that we’ve made our own, I want to dance with my scent-matched alpha.

When I get close, she spins out of his arms and into mine.

“Have I told you how much I love you today?” She asks me.

I smile down at her and shake my head.

“I love you.”

“I adore you,” I whisper and kiss her so hard we both end up panting for breath.

We sway to the music, and I feel the comforting presence of the pack nearby.

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