Page 41 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

“Back to your room,” she whispered, sliding her hand into mine.

TWENTY-TWO

Fiona

Reed apologized profusely, but as soon as we dropped my suitcase in his room and I washed my face, he needed to go check in with his Alpha. I wanted to come along, so relieved he was up and about, back to his usual strong, dominant self, instead of the pale, bruised shadow of a man I’d seen in that bed after our accident.

I wasn’t sure that I’d completely dealt with my shame at how I’d hurt him, but when he told me he wanted me to stay, that he would still follow me if I left… I believed him.

Deep down, I didn’t want to leave. I was just so horrified at what I’d done, I felt like I had no other option. How could he possibly still want me—and whatever evil magic lived inside me—as his mate?

But when he kissed me, held me, spoke to me like that… it was impossible to deny him. That same part of me underneath, the wilder, freer part—it craved him in the same way his wolf craved me.

I had to hope that with his help, I’d learn to control my magic, like he and his pack mates had their wolves.

Terrifying? Yes. But now that I knew it was there, was there any other option?

Everyone cheered when we walked into the Alpha’s bedroom, but still, I hung back, letting them surround Reed and welcome him back to the land of the living. They were his pack, and I wasn’t as certain as he was that I’d be accepted back. I’d pretty much hidden in Olivia’s rooms ever since getting cleared by Brielle, except for sneaking into his sick room at night, holding his hand until dawn.

But Olivia’s eyes shone brightly as she crossed the space to wrap me up in her arms and rock back and forth like I’d just given her the best birthday present of her life. She was such a kind, caring woman. I hugged her back, tears once again stinging my eyes. But when the other pack females—Brielle, Shay, Leigh, and even Elodie, the maiden—came to circle me and offer hugs and words of welcome, the tears started to come more quickly.

“Oh Goddess, save me from hormonal females.” Galyna grabbed a tissue box and handed it to me as she offered me a back slap of welcome. She was less touchy-feely than the others but still looked bemused instead of pissed-off like the first time she’d seen me. It was progress.

“Shut up. Sometimes girls cry,” Leigh snapped, stealing the tissue box and blotting her own misty eyes, making me laugh in the process.

“You’re pregnant, it happens,” Brielle said with a little chuckle.

“I didn’t think you would all want me back.” I bit my lower lip, feeling stupid for blurting it out to these women I barely knew and had been avoiding. But it was true, and honesty was a core tenet of who I was as a person.

Or, well, a magical, not-quite-human person.

Leigh was the one to roll her eyes and respond. “Of course we want you back. That’s what being pack is all about. We all make mistakes, but we still love and support each other. You’re not getting rid of us that easy.”

I smiled at that, lost for words.

Reed was right. They didn’t want to boot me, even though I’d messed up. I glanced over at where he stood, surrounded by the males in a very similar circle. And for a moment, I just thought about how freaking amazed I was that these people were all in my life. They could have treated me like an outsider, but instead, they took me in and treated me like family.

Certainly, better than myownfamily ever had. The scars of my great-grandmother’s institutionalization ran deep, and my “oddities” were shameful, something to keep hidden.

To find people who accepted me like this, completely and without reservation? I was a lucky, lucky girl.

I still had reservations, though, about staying with the pack. The beastly magic that lurked inside me was destructive. I could tear them apart, if I wasn’t careful. I didn’t want that, but when that power had come out?

The memory was still fresh, the glee, thejoyI’d felt at causing such a horrific storm. I shuddered at the vivid sensations, trying to keep a smile pasted on that now felt hollow.

I was with the pack, but I was by no means one of the pack. And I couldn’t let myself forget it.

After the initial welcomes concluded, everyone settled in around the room. Reed surprised me when he sat down on the floor, his back to the wall, and pulled me down across his lap.

“I can sit next to you,” I whispered.

He growled low in his throat, narrowing his eyes at me. “I haven’t touched you in a week, and you want to deny me your touch now?”

“Well, no, I don’t want todenyyou anything, but your entire pack is in here,” I whispered back, cheeks heating as one or two of them glanced our way, then pointedly averted their eyes. Olivia had told me that wolves had freaky-good hearing, meaning our private conversation was anything but.

“And they know how I feel about you and what it’s like to have a new mate bond. Touch soothes wolves. It doesn’t have to be awkward, and I promise you they don’t care. Look around. See how close they all are?” He discreetly pointed to Brielle and Kane, and yes, they were snuggled up close, despite the crowd. I let myself trace the rest of the group, and every mated couple was touching in some way. Shay and Dirge were the most reserved, his arm around her waist as they stood together, her back to his chest.

I could keep standing on human propriety, or I could accept that none of us were human and their culture was different. I leaned back into his grip, exhaling as I let him tuck me under his chin.

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