Page 22 of Planet Wolf

I laughed, throwing my head back. He was funny. I wouldn’t have thought that, but maybe I should’ve. On the other planet, he was the one always smiling, always seemed to be having a good time.

“Are you upset that we made the trip take a little bit longer?” Jadon asked, as he deftly steered the conversation away from how they did or didn’t like Earth.

I turned to fully face him. “I’m not. I suppose I should be, but truthfully, even though I was very sick and had almost been blown up, it was the best time of my life. Ever. So, no I’m not upset. Not at all. I wish it could’ve gone on forever.”

For just a second, his gaze turned wolfish again. He hadn’t done that since arriving here earlier. I watched as it faded back to his human eyes. “That’s the mating, beautiful. Do you think you would’ve felt that way otherwise? You were almost blown up, then dragged around for days by three men who should have gotten you home earlier, before you had a seizure. Would you really have enjoyed that otherwise? Sleeping in a cave? The snow?”

There had been a lot of uncomfortable parts of our trip, sure, but there were things that weren’t, too. “Actually, it was like the sun was just better there, if that makes sense. It warmed my skin, made me feel better in between all the other things that happened to us. So, yes, I see what you’re saying and, yes, you’re right. It was mostly you three. Yes.”

Did that mean I was mated to them? I didn’t hate the idea.

7

The house was still lit up completely when we arrived, which made sense since no one had turned the lights off when we left. “How did you get this place?”

We stepped inside, and Carl shut the door behind us. With a snap, I heard him lock it.I’m now inside an empty house with three guys whose names I just officially learned…Yet I wasn’t the least bit bothered or intimidated by being alone with them. We’d survived in the woods together and the house offered far more comfortable surroundings. I was safe—that much I knew—if nothing else.

“We rented it.” Jadon said then he dropped a kiss on my forehead. “It feels better now that you’re here in it with us.”

“I was able to do it before we ever landed,” Carl said as he smiled at me. “Easy to break into systems, create identities. All of it was simple. We knew this was the same district you lived in. Had no idea until we got here that it was so close.”

My head swam and my knees threatened to give out. Alfie grabbed me, tugging me close against him. “You’re okay. It’s been a lot tonight.”

“I’ve been weaker since I got back.” I’d told him as much already, but the others hadn’t heard.

Jadon wiped my hair away from my forehead. “We all have. The separation from you became physically painful for us, too. I imagine it’s been worse on you, since you weren’t well. That will be our primary focus, wherever we are. Getting you better.”

“That focus would be a futile waste of time.” I shook my head as it cleared a little bit. “I’ve been sick since birth.” When I spoke, it was to Alfie. I’d put him off, but we might as well rip off the proverbial bandage and get it done. “Technically, I was four years old, but the doctors think I was born with the condition. They can’t really explain my symptoms.” I touched my watch. After my jaunt off planet, Doug thought I should always carry my medical information with me. “It’s in here. I can transfer all of the info to you, if you can take it this way.”

Alfie put out his hand. “Give me the device. I’ll get the information off it.”

That made the most sense.Let him have at it. I didn’t even look at the time on my wrist, I just handed it over to him. Carl scooped me up. “Well, enough of today. You’re going to go to sleep where we can know you’re safe. In an actual bed. With no caves or dirt involved.”

“I really didn’t mind that cave at all.” That was the truth. “The ground never seemed hard. I was loopy from that leaf, though, so maybe that contributed.”

Alfie laughed. “It completely did. Those leaves are wonderful at negating negative drug reactions. They’re natural sedatives that also clear the system temporarily. You can’t live on them permanently or they become less effective until they stop working altogether. I thought…”

Carl groaned, whirling me around in his arms. “I think she gets it. We were all there. She lived. You were right, they worked.”

Alfie held up his hands. “Yes, okay. No more medicine talk before bed. How are we dividing?” He looked at Jadon, his deferral making sense to me now. Jadon really was their leader.

“I’ll watch. I don’t like this place. I want a sense of it. You stay with her, Carl. Alfie needs to study her records. He’ll watch inside the house.”

Alfie nodded. “Right.” He kissed my cheek. “Go, get some rest. I’ll be by to check on you, if that’s not too weird. I can’t help it. I have to.”

Carl kissed my cheek, and my skin heated up.Wait a second, he is going to stay with me. Before I could even ask, he whirled me around again. “I told you I was getting the longest hugs.”

“Esther,” Jadon said as he took a step toward me. “We almost lost you several times. We’d just scented you when everything exploded. Somehow, we all lived, then you were suddenly sicker. It seemed like you were just slightly off and then…”

Alfie held up his hand. “No medical stuff or I’m going to get into it again, too.”

Jadon grinned at him. For an Alpha relationship, he didn’t seem to mind them teasing him. I sort of loved it. What were all the dynamics?

“The point being, we lost you, but we have found you again. You will not be taken from our side. If we stay here, so be it. Maybe I can move the pack to Earth. If I can’t, then they’ll reform without us. My mate comes first.”

“We’re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves here. I haven’t agreed to be your mate or anything else like that. Also, shifters forming a pack here probably won’t work. It’s illegal.”

Carl shook his head. “There are plenty of shifters on Earth. You guys just have no idea. Never mind that for now, though. Are you hungry?”

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