Page 42 of Confusing Hearts

I waited until we were off campus and stopped at a red light to pull her towards me and steal a kiss. “I love that you worry about me, and if you can just be patient, I’m going to show you why.”

“Okay, okay. I’m not really good at surprises though, just so you know.”

“Now you tell me?” I asked incredulously.

We drove in silence and she felt nervous. I wasn’t used to her being nervous around me, not since the early days of our mating. I hadn’t felt it like this then though. It was a sign our bond was strengthening.

I pulled off the road a short time later and down the long drive.Our drive, I thought. I could see the confusion on Jenna’s face as I pulled up to the log cabin.

“What’s going on, Chase?” she asked.

I got out and walked around to get her car door. I pulled her up by the hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

We walked to the front porch and I opened the door, then scooped her up in my arms and carried her inside. She giggled and punched me until I let her down.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“Well, first, what do you think of it?”

“Huh? It’s amazing. Look at it. Needs a little cleanup and some new furniture, but it’s great. Where are we?”

“Home,” I said simply, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her back against me. “Our first home. We close on it tomorrow, but since the money’s already in escrow, they gave me the keys a day early.”

“Our home?” she asked slowly, her faced flushed. She turned to look at me to make sure I was serious.

“If you really don’t like it, I’ll put it back on the market tomorrow after closing and we can keep looking.”

“Not like it? Are you kidding? Look at this place.” She wandered around checking out each of the rooms, then the back yard. “It’s huge. Why do we need so much space?”

I shrugged. “I liked the solitude. I’m tired of sharing you and worrying about getting caught all the time. We can just be together, be ourselves, here.”

“You bought me a house just to spend time alone together?”

I nodded. “Yeah, basically.”

“Chase, that’s insane! How can you even afford this place? We’re in college.”

I looked at her oddly. I hadn’t considered that we had never really spoken about our finances. It felt like we talked about everything.

“Have a seat,” I told her, pointing to one of the rocking chairs that had been left on the back deck. I took the one closest to her. “How much do you know about wolf packs?”

She shook her head. “Not much. I mean, I know you tend to live in groups and instead of a King, you have an Alpha. I think that’s right, at least.”

“That’s true. Westin Pack is one of the largest packs in the world. My however-many-greats-grandfather started the Westin Foundation as a way to fund our pack. It deals with a lot of charities and investments. It sets us apart from other packs. We were civilized earlier. We carry no debt. Everything in San Marco, where I’m from, is a front or hobby for the town itself. The Foundation pays a monthly stipend to all wolves in the pack equally. It starts when your wolf surfaces. For me, I was sixteen. I was an early shifter,” I told her proudly.

She rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

I laughed. “Basically, that means I’ve been accumulating money for the last four years and just banking it in savings and personal investments. I’ve never really touched it, till now. Don’t worry, though, this place is only about three months of earnings.”

I let that sink in for a minute.

“You’re, like, rich? Like, really rich?”

“I don’t know what your pack, or family, or whatever you call it, is like, but with me, princess, you will never want for anything. I have more than enough for the both of us, and when we are bonded, you will become a full pack member and receive your own monthly allowance from the Foundation.”

She snorted as she laughed. “Chase, I’m a panther. I’ll never be pack. They won’t just turn over all that money to me. It’s a sweet thought, but let’s be real here.”

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