Page 6 of Hunted

We’ve lived like that for years, though, at the back of my mind, I’ve always harbored hopes of one day all of us living like a real pack. That time feels like it might be soon. Maybe even now.

“Is there any land for sale?” Colton asks.

“I hadn’t heard there was,” Bennett says.

But there might be. There are some old farms further out of town. Not many, and some are still working farms. A disused one might offer us the space and the outbuildings we could turn into a home for all of us, and we could afford it if we sold all our homes.

That Bennett and Colton aren’t immediately rejecting the idea is a good sign, and I relax. As Alpha, I’m the leader, but this is a decision everyone has to want. I don’t want to force it on everyone, and I won’t.

“I haven’t looked into it,” I say. “But I could ask around.”

Bennett’s expression is thoughtful. “It’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Keeping everyone safe in a crisis would be easier if we’re all living under the same roof.”

I should have known Bennett, as my second, and the person responsible for pack security would think of safety first.

“And maybe we could get land big enough to have an outbuilding that we could convert into a bigger kitchen for Penny,” Colton says, also looking thoughtful. “She’d have all the space she needed to scale up her bakery operation.”

“Do you think the rest of the pack will go for it?” I ask.

With each word, this vision sounds more and more real. Like it might actually happen.

“We’ll talk it out,” Bennett says.

Yes, I tell myself, already excited by the possibility.

“And that other thing?” Bennett asks, studying me closely.

“The reason Ivy missed Aerin’s baby shower?”

Even Colton is paying close attention to me. “Has she or your dad said what exactly has them so wary?”

I sigh. “Like I said, trying to get anything out of my dad has been difficult.”

“And Ivy?” Colton prompts.

“Impossible. Other than saying she’ll get back to me and to make sure Aerin doesn’t go anywhere alone? Nothing. She says she’ll talk when things aren’t so hectic.”

“Hectic as in they’re in trouble or hectic as in running a pack is a lot of work and she’s busy putting out minor fires?” Bennett asks.

“Pick one,” I mutter. “I have.”

3

AERIN

Istare at the wall, once again, unable to sleep.

It’s the middle of the night and the only thing that has stopped me from tossing and turning has been not wanting to wake Mack. I’d have gone downstairs to find a boring TV show to put on that might send me to sleep, but the thought of tackling stairs has become less and less appealing the further along I get in my pregnancy.

Behind me, Mack stirs. He wraps his arm around me and kisses the back of my shoulder as I inhale his warm caramel and sandalwood scent. “Thumper busy thumping?”

Mack came up with the nickname when the baby started kicking. And the more my baby kicks, like a rabbit from one of our favorite movies, the more the name seems to stick, and the more we’re in danger of using it instead of giving our baby an actual name.

I smile despite my tiredness. “That nickname is becoming a habit, and I’m not sure I want to stick with it for the long-term, Mack.”

His jaw cracks as he yawns. “Are you sure? Thumper Winters has a ring to it.”

As ridiculous as it seems, he’s right. It actually doesn’t sound so bad. I swallow my smile before he can see it.

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