Page 27 of Fated In Winter

Mark began to work on my wound as Romy wrapped her arms around me, holding me close.

I had found my mate, and as the snow began to turn to ice, leeching the warmth from our bodies, I knew we would have to go inside soon. We would have to face the next day, and then the next, knowing that something was out there, something we didn’t know how to fight yet.

But we were strong. We were Pack.

And I had my mate.

CHAPTER8

Romy

The followingday warmed up slightly, but not enough. I had slept in my mate’s arms, needing to ensure that he was whole. I couldn’t understand how things could happen so quickly. I knew this was the way of wolves, and yet it felt so strange. This is a man I hadn’t expected, and yet here he was, in my arms, in his home. We had wanted Conner to be near his Pack in case the wound worsened, but his Healer was good, and the strength of his Alpha meant that Mark could pull on those bonds if needed.

That all meant that my mate was pretty much healed and just needed rest.

The other Pack members had taken Darren away to heal, much like the other rogue that they had caught only a few weeks ago.

We had more rogues than ever, wolves that couldn’t hold on to their own power, strength, and humanity.

But we were also saving more than ever. I had to hope that there was something in that. That somehow, we were finding a way to make it work.

We would find what was changing them, what was sending them over the edge, but for now, I would focus on what we had.

Conner’s home was slightly bigger than mine, full of memories and hope. There were pictures on the wall of his large family. There were memories and tokens from his thirty years of life strewn about the place.

He was so much younger than me, but in the ways of wolves, perhaps in the way that he lived, was older than I was. I had dealt with pain after pain and then hidden myself for decades, but he had found a way to thrive even on the fear of what he might become because of the strength of his wolf. He still fought. He still lived.

His home was ahome. His bed was soft, a large king easily big enough for two. There was a guest room and an office, and there were places to grow. He had land, and the home didn’t set off feelings of despair and loneliness.

I didn’t know what our future held, but I knew I never wanted to sleep under my roof again. Maybe I could move in here, in the Redwood den, even though I was a Talon. After all, others did it now. Our dens were so connected it didn’t matter that there were miles between us. We found ways to make it work.

Our Pack was becoming one.

Our den would be doing the same.

“You’re thinking too hard. It’s hard for me to sleep.”

I smiled down at him.

“Oh?”

“I’m just saying. You make it difficult.”

“I’m just thinking about where I want to wake up tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.” He looked up at me, and I grinned down at him. He lay on his back in his bed, naked and hard.

He was fully healed and fully erect.

I grinned at that and looked down at the clothes I still wore. He had shifted to wolf and back to finish the healing process and hadn’t bothered with clothes. I had slept nearly on top of him in my clothes, warm and happy, but not wanting to get naked and have ourselves fall into bed with one another when he was still healing. And yet, he was healed, and I wanted more.

“Stay,” he said as he reached up and cupped my face. “Stay here with me.”

My heart ached even as it swelled three sizes along the mating bond. “Although your home is already ahome,it feels just like you. And I wouldn’t mind finding a way to make it my own with you. Make it us.”

“Change anything that you want, make anything that you want. I want to figure out who we are together. I want this. I can go to the Talons if you want, we can make a den there. You just let me know.”

I shook my head as I leaned down and captured his lips. “No, the Talons are my Pack, and I need them, but your family is here. Your large, wild, amazing family is here. I want to get to know them. To be close. I’ve not been close with family in a long time. We’ll find a way to make it work, have my duties be between both dens or something. I’m sure Gideon and Kade already have a plan. That seems like our Alphas.”

“I’m sure they do. And later, we can finish planning their event for them. We can plan what we need to do to make this place ours, but for now, I want you, Romy.”

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