Page 111 of Chosen Destiny

Tension left my body.Thank gods they’re being freed and the witches didn’t want to fight alongside her.

With my mate’s help, we went to the bedroom next to the living room, and I shifted back. My head immediately felt clearer.

Once I was dressed, Bodey pulled me to his chest, pressing his forehead against mine.

Are you okay enough to go in there, or do you need a few more minutes?Bodey kissed my forehead, and I nuzzled into his arms.

For a moment, I focused on the electricity from our bond thrumming between us.I’ll be okay. I’m just ready to go home.

Oh, believe me, so am I.He took my hand and led me out the door, and we sat down to discuss a treaty.

* * *

Four months later

I wipedmy palms against my jeans for the thousandth time. Bodey took my hand as he drove the Jeep, a huge U-Haul trailer attached to the trailer hitch.

Everything is going to be fine.He squeezed my hand lovingly.You took down a queen and got all the wolf territories to share resources and work together, and you’re just nervous about us moving into our new house.

I didn’t do any of it alone.I arched a brow.We involved everyone.

Just like we are now.He tilted his head behind us, where the royal advisors followed us in Jack’s and Lynerd’s cars, along with Samuel, Katelin, Theo, Jasmine, Stevie, Stella, and Mom.

Pearl had decided to stay in Oxbow with Charles. Surprisingly, he’d stopped being as much of a dick, but the bridge between Pearl and me was too large to bridge.

Bodey was right. We weren’t doing this alone either, but renovating my parents’ mansion so Bodey and I could move back into it had my nerves on edge. All my memories of my parents had happened there, including their deaths, and I was nervous about what living there might do to me, even though the move had been entirely my idea.

Samuel had taken Bodey’s house since he was now the alpha and needed to run his pack without the royals breathing down his neck—and for other packs to feel as if we favored Idaho. I wanted a fresh start, but I didn’t want my parents’ deaths to haunt me. Theo had brought over all the boxes I’d once seen in Zeke and Tina’s house, which turned out to be full of photos of my mother. There were even several of her and me at the mansion, though the camera was focused on her. No wonder he hadn’t wanted me to find them while I was in his house. There was no denying that little girl was me.

“I can’t get over King Sutton’s graciousness about Katelin mating with Lynerd.” Bodey shook his head and frowned. “I had a hard enough time with Jasmine and Theo, but Lynerd killed several of Sutton’s men.”

That had been a point of contention and almost derailed the treaty. But Lynerd had explained that he hadn’t meant for anyone to die. He’d allied with Kel to save us, not just his people, get insider knowledge, and get close to Kel so he could do what he’d done in the end—kill the bitch. He’d had to wait for the perfect time, but he hadn’t hesitated to remind me again that I owed him.

Even I’d had a hard time forgiving him, but after time and reflection and several talks, I’d gotten there. The royal advisors, Bodey, and I had agreed that, if not for Lynerd, Kel likely would’ve won.

Oregon had rejoined the Northwest Territory, and Lynerd had stepped down, giving the spot to Theo, whom we now trusted implicitly. That had made us more accepting of Lynerd as there was no risk of him splitting from us again, and not kicking him out of our territory fulfilled my debt to him.

“Fated mates are hard to keep apart.” I leaned over the center console and laid my head on his shoulder. “You know that.”

“I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

We turned onto the road that took us to the mansion, and when we drove up, the worry eased from my chest. We’d purposely changed the look, including adding a small prison half a mile from the house, which the royal coven had already spelled. Zeke was there, rotting away for life. Because of Theo, we didn’t want to execute him, although once Zeke had realized Theo was one of us, he’d made it clear he had no interest in retaining a relationship with his son. Tina felt differently and stood beside her son, and she’d even formed a good relationship with Jasmine.

Is this how it looked when we were kids?Samuel linked to me. He didn’t remember the mansion at all, except for what he’d seen in pictures. I had vague recollections of Dad’s study, but that was mainly it.The outside where we played and Dad’s study are close to identical, but not the rest of the house. Bodey and I made the rest our own.

That’s fair. I’m just glad I’m getting to see what this place and land looked like when we were children.

I understood his curiosity, but unfortunately, some things couldn’t be re-created. I replied,Us being here together in this moment will make it feel like a home.

We pulled up to the three-car garage to the right of the four-story brick house and climbed out of the car. The four vehicles pulled in behind us, and everyone got out.

“Holy shit.” Jack whistled as he shut the driver’s door of his Navigator. “No wonder you didn’t want us to see it before now. I would’ve claimed a room, but man, that’s still possible.”

I rolled my eyes and gestured to the two smaller houses that flanked the main house. “That house there is for when you all visit, and the other one is for the royal coven.”

“Yay!” Stevie smiled. “You built a house for us to stay in and visit.”

Bodey wrapped an arm around my waist. “That was all Callie’s idea. I wanted to make you assholes stay at a hotel in town, but she refused to hear of it.”

“That’s because she’s good people.” Theo winked, his own arm around Jasmine.

Rubbing his hands on his pants, Samuel kept glancing at the front door.

Jasmine bounced on her feet. “Let’s go in and see the house!”

Our friends and family bounded inside, wanting to see what Bodey and I had done with our secret project—the first of many things the two of us would build together.

In that moment, I realized I’d been silly to be afraid. Yes, I’d always remember my parents, but with Bodey at my side, we would make the place our own, and it would truly become home.

And there wasn’t anything I wanted more than that.

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