Page 52 of Her Eternal Mate

“When you came home, all injured and apologetic, I thought the same thing. I cannot live a life without you, either. It’s the most difficult thing for me to imagine,” Alexis said, coming closer to me, so close that our bodies met and our lips were kissing the distance close.

Then, before reaching up to kiss me, her mouth lingered near my ear, and she whispered, “I love you more than life itself.”

It was a subtle kiss, a soft, tentative brushing of the lips as we held each other. My lips craved the softness of her cheeks, the wetness of her lips, and the warmth of her mouth. There was something powerful about reconciliatory kisses like this.

It was a sweet moment that ended all too soon when a group of werewolves suddenly returned from their hunt. Vince was leading them.

“What word from the town?” I asked, hurriedly stepping back from Alexis so that they wouldn’t see that we were having a romantic moment to ourselves.

“Will. Those goddamn soldiers have reclaimed Beckett Pharma’s tower. Apparently, they dug a whole tunnel from his new headquarters. They’re swarming out of that building like locusts. We managed to close that hole, but there are still soldiers within that building, doing crazy shit,” Morgan said.

“Is that true?” I asked Vince.

“Morgan’s right. Those bastards are trying to enter the town secretly. We can’t have that happen!” Vincent said.

“What do you say, my love?” I asked Alexis.

“Whatever we do, we do it together,” Alexis said.

I knew that I was in no shape to fight right now. Taking Alexis with me would only compromise both of us, as one would spend time covering the other. At that critical moment, a thought occurred to me.

It was inevitable that I was going to retire from this life soon. Vincent would be the alpha after me. He would have to delegate, oversee, and take care of the commune.

“Vincent,” I said, calling him from above.

“Yeah, boss?”

“I leave this one up to you. You’re going to lead the pack and do what needs to be done about this,” I said.

Several members of the hunting party gasped in surprise. Alexis looked at me with disbelief.

“Are you sure, Will?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. Then, looking back at the hunting party, I said something that had been lying heavy in my mind for some time. “We stand on the brink of war. It might not be as impressive in scale as the Second World War, but make no mistake, it is a war by every definition of the word. The last time the Grimms faced a war, we fled. However, I have understood after a long time that running is not in the cards for us anymore. We make our stand in this town. We will drive away those who seek to disparage us!”

It wasn’t quite a big crowd, but still, the hunting party resounded with applause, cheers, and hoots instilled with passion and courage. I meant every word of what I had said.

“Go, then. Regroup. Recuperate. Reinforce. When you are ready, go back and conquer that tower!” I said. Then I stayed there, watching them head back into the commune to do as I had said.

“Why aren’t we going with them?” Alexis asked.

“The last time I went into that tower, I was alone. It was just you and me. That’s why we failed. What good am I as the alpha if I cannot harness the raw force of the pack? Trust me. When those forty, fifty pack members go in that tower, they will kill every soldier in their path.”

“Is this one of the steps?” Alexis asked.

“Steps?”

“You know, steps to retirement? You’re trying to see if Vince is ready or not?”

I smiled and nodded.

“But we do have a plan of our own, don’t we? Capture a soldier alive and bring him back here?” I asked. “I’m just prioritizing what’s important to me. Right now, I’d rather spend time with you and do what you think is right.”

Alexis gleamed with glee, her face breaking into a broad smile.

“You know, when you agree with me, it turns me on so much,” she said, tugging at my wrist and pulling me toward my home.

“I have all these bandages,” I said, pointing to my body.

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