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  “Since when?” he pressed.

  “Since I realized you were my mate,” I replied, so softly that I was surprised he could hear me.

  “When did you know?” he asked, smoothing back the strands of hair that had come loose from my ponytail.

  I couldn’t meet his eyes any longer. It was too difficult to bare myself so completely. “Not long after Belinda died.” My words fell between us and I felt him go completely still on top of me. The only movement in his body was the beating of his heart. He wasn’t even breathing.

  I forced myself to continue. “You were so…broken. I wanted to heal you.” My breath hitched. “If I could have brought her back, I would have. I hated to see you in so much pain.”

  I felt a tear trickle down my cheek and cursed myself inwardly. I’d cried more in the last few weeks than I had my entire life.

  “So that’s why you stayed,” he breathed.

  “Yes.”

  His thumb traced the trail of dampness the tear left behind. “That’s also why you left, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “You were finally getting stronger. You didn’t need me anymore and it—” I couldn’t continue because my throat convulsed. I swallowed hard, forcing back more tears.

  “It hurt,” he finished.

  My throat wouldn’t loosen enough for me to speak so I nodded my head.

  “Chloe, look at me.”

  “Lachlan,” I began.

  “You call me Ian when we’re in bed together, Chloe. You have since the beginning.”

  My eye opened at the thread of steel in his voice and my gaze collided with his. Though he didn’t look angry, there was a resolve in his eyes, as though he’d made up his mind about something.

  “Ian,” I whispered.

  “I’m sorry, Chloe,” he apologized. “I’m sorry that I put you through that.”

  My hands squeezed his shoulders reflexively. “Why should you be sorry?”

  His lips brushed my forehead. “Because I learned over the last three days that there’s no pain like the one you feel when you watch your mate suffer. And you bore that in silence for nearly two years. For that, I am sorry.”

  My heart thumped against my breastbone, one hard bump. “I would do it again because you needed me,” I replied.

  “Jesus, Chloe,” he said, his voice rough, before he kissed me again. “I can’t let you walk away now. Not after this.”

  I couldn’t breathe as his mouth found mine once more.

  When he lifted his head, he said, “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

  I shook my head. “There’s nothing to make up, Ian. I wanted to do it.”

  “Then you have to stay with me,” he insisted. “Because I still need you. I’ll always need you.”

  I looked up at him, seeing everything I’d ever wanted wrapped up inside him. Love, warmth, family. He was offering it all to me.

  “Make me yours,” I said, curving my hand around the back of his neck. “Now.”

  He kissed me again, giving into my urging touch. As our mouths opened, our tongues tangling and tasting, his hands moved to the hem of my t-shirt, lifting it over my head. Beneath it I wore a simple cotton tank that disguised the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra. It followed my t-shirt to the floor.

  My own hands were busy, diving under the hem of his tee as well. He reached over his head, his hand grasping the material between his shoulder blades and pulled it off.

  My flip-flops had fallen from my feet when he laid me on the bed, but he released my mouth and straightened, tugging my leggings and underwear down my thighs, over my calves, until I lay bare before him.

  He rose to stand at the end of the bed, unbuckling his belt. I watched as he kicked off his boots and socks and shoved the jeans off. When he rejoined me on the bed, we were naked, our bodies twined together skin-to-skin. He barely took his eyes from my face as his hand roved over my body, trailing over the pink scar tissue on my side, down over my belly button, and from hipbone to hipbone.

  I laid my hand flat on his back, smoothing it over his skin. My fingertips brushed the bumps of his spine and I felt the flex and bunch of his muscles beneath my palm. He was warm and heavy, his body enveloping me.

  When his fingers dipped between my legs, I gasped and arched my back. The sharp hunger I felt for him was insistent as though it had been months rather than days since he’d last touched me.

  “Ian,” I breathed.

  He smiled before he kissed me again, his finger circling my clit. As my hips began to move, his mouth moved down my neck, the tip of his tongue light against my skin.

  Then his mouth captured my nipple and I gasped again. His lips tugged and sucked at my breasts as his hand continued to move between my legs, his fingers toying with my clit before they slid deep inside me.

  “I want you inside me, Ian,” I demanded, my nails digging into the flesh of his spine.

  “I am inside you,” he whispered against my skin.

  I shivered at the sensation of his voice vibrating against my breasts. “That’s not the part of you I’m talking about.”

  I felt his smile and retaliated by dragging my fingernails over his back in the way that I knew drove him crazy.

  He groaned and removed his fingers from my body. Moving over me, he reached between us and guided his cock to my entrance. I lifted my legs, my thighs hugging his hips, as he slid inside.

  He stilled when he was fully seated in my body. “There, I’m inside you.”

  I growled at him. “Move, Ian.”

  He pressed his hips tighter to mine. “Say please.”

  I shook my head, resisting even though I wanted to give in. My pussy clenched hard as he nudged a place inside me that made my nerve endings spark. It was enough to crack my resolve. “Please, Ian.”

  He withdrew and thrust again, his movements slow and deliberate. He set a languid rhythm that felt good but wouldn’t bring my body to the clamoring release it ached for.

  “Ian, faster,” I urged.

  “No,” he replied.

  My nails dug into his ass as I pulled his hips toward mine, pushing him to move more quickly. “Yes,” I hissed.

  “Your injury is still healing,” he argued.

  “You’re the one who’s about to be injured if you don’t stop teasing me!” I growled.

  He chuckled, his hips moving at a faster pace, but it still wasn’t enough. When I snarled at him, his chuckle turned into full-fledged laughter. He lifted me, turning us so that his back rested against the wall. With one hand supporting my spine, his other splayed across my lower belly putting his thumb in just the right position to roll against my clit.

  I leaned into the hand on my back, giving him room to maneuver as I rose and fell against him. As the orgasm swelled within me, he pulled me up and gripped my ponytail in his hand.

  When the first wave crashed into me and I cried out, he sank his teeth into my shoulder exactly where his mark had been before. This time I didn’t fight the urge. I turned my face into his neck and latched on.

  He groaned against my skin and I knew he was coming. Together we rode out the orgasm, our bodies crashing together as it seemed to continue on and on. When it finally ebbed, something clicked within me, a void in my heart that was no longer empty. I lifted my mouth from his shoulder and ran my tongue over the mark I’d left behind. I felt Lachlan do the same. Then he pressed a gentle kiss to the bite.

  “Now you’re mine,” he murmured. “And I’m yours.”

  “Always,” I replied.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Lachlan

  After I made Chloe mine, she insisted she needed a bath. Then she dragged me into the tub with her. I’d never been one for soaking in a bath, preferring a shower instead, but she converted me.

  Afterwards, I carried her back to the bed and we slept together naked until mid-afternoon.

  I awoke to something brushing my face. I swatted at it without opening my eyes and heard Chloe gig
gle. I cracked one eyelid and saw that she was using the end of her ponytail to tickle my nose.

  “Oh, you’re awake. That’s great,” she said cheerfully. “I’m hungry.”

  She yelped when I pinched her ass and retaliated but I ended the fun before it could get carried away.

  “You’re still healing,” I stated. “No wrestling for at least another week.”

  “Then you should make me something to eat,” she retorted. “Since I am still trying to regain my strength.”

  “I think you’re just milking it now,” I replied, but I still got to my feet. Chloe did need to eat more often to fuel her body’s efforts at putting her to rights. “What do you want?”

  “Pancakes?” she asked innocently, her eyes moving toward the kitchen table.

  I groaned, turning my back to her. “No, no pancakes. You’ll get ideas. I’ll make pasta.”

  She sighed, but when I turned toward her she was smiling.

  As I went about putting together the meal, she watched me, reclining on the pillows on the bed. “I could get used to this,” she said.

  I shot her a look. “You act like I haven’t cooked for you before. As I recall, we took turns making meals while we were here.”

  “Yeah, but now that we’re mated I figured you’d turn into a slob that forgets how a stove works.”

  I tossed a bit of Parmesan cheese at her, but she snagged it out of the air and put it in her mouth.

  “We never talked about where you want to live,” I mentioned casually. “Now that Darrell is no longer in charge, would you want to move back here?”

  She chewed, staring at me with a thoughtful expression on her face. “No, I don’t think so. I love it here and the wolves I grew up with, but it’s not home anymore.”

  “What about North Carolina? You would be closer to your grandmother.”

  Her eyes met mine. “Wherever you are, that’s where my home is. Home is in the heart and soul, not a place on a map.” She paused. “Actually, I think I’d like to stay in Dallas at the pack compound. Our pups would enjoy playing with Ricki and Calder’s little ones.”

  When I dropped the spoon I was using to stir the pasta sauce, she laughed.

  “Pups?” My voice was high and tight.

  “I’m going into heat in a few days. Unless you pick up some condoms in town, there will likely be a pup around Christmastime.”

  Shifter pregnancies were shorter than human ones. If we created a pup soon, I might have a son or daughter by Christmas. My chest compressed as I imagined Chloe with a pregnant belly, then holding a tiny bundle to her heart. “What do you want?” I asked.

  She got up from the bed and crossed to me, placing a hand on my chest. The knot inside it loosened immediately. “I would love to have a child with you, Ian, but I’m more than willing to wait.”

  I stared down at her, imagining her eyes staring up at me out of a child’s face. “I want children with you. Tomorrow or ten years from now.”

  “That’s a beautiful thing to say, Ian, but it doesn’t tell me what you want to do when I go into heat.” She cocked an eyebrow at me, waiting.

  “No condoms,” I murmured.

  A smile spread across her face, so full of joy and hope that it took my breath away. “You’ll be a fantastic dad,” she replied.

  “I just hope we don’t have triplets like Ricki and Calder.”

  Her smile faded and her eyes widened. “Oh my God, do multiples run in your family?”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “No. All my ancestors had one pup at a time.”

  “Maybe we should wait a bit before having pups. Ten, maybe fifteen years,” she hedged.

  I couldn’t stop the roar of laughter that escaped me and I looped my arm around her waist. “No way. Now that you brought it up, that’s exactly what I want.”

  Then I kissed her. The pasta was overcooked by the time I was done, but it was worth it.

  After dinner, we each carried a beer out onto the porch and enjoyed the warm evening. The fragile connection that bound us after the mating bite was growing stronger with every hour. I could feel her inside me, a constant warmth.

  I hesitated to bring up a topic that might upset her, but I was concerned.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked me, tilting her head to rest on the back of the chair. “I can feel your worry.”

  I took a deep breath. I’d forgotten this part of the mating bond—the sharing of moods and thoughts. It was nearly impossible to hide things from a mate, not that I wanted to.

  “Why didn’t you take part in Darrell’s punishment?” I asked. She’d been so determined to make him pay for what he’d done to her parents that her decision to bow out surprised me.

  Chloe twisted her head and met my eyes. “A lot of reasons. I’ve had to kill before, and I’m certain that as pack enforcer I’ll be required to do so again. This time, though…” she paused, gathering her thoughts. “Darrell Whelby hurt so many people. Yes, he took my parents from me and Gram’s son from her, but the females that he hurt over and over deserve the chance to make him pay.” The corner of her mouth curled up in a smile that held no amusement. “And, honestly, I think any punishment they could dream up would be far more creative than mine.”

  “You said there were a lot of reasons,” I said softly. “What are the others?”

  “I’ve been too close to death the past week. Brayden’s death. Your death. My death. I don’t want to swim in a sea of blood for the rest of my life. Killing shouldn’t be the only thing I’m good at,” she murmured.

  “It’s not the only thing you’re good at,” I replied, sitting up straighter in the chair.

  She smiled, small and sad. “I know, Lach, but I don’t want to walk too close to that line. It’s too easy to cross over and never return. I’ve seen the wolves that exist hand-in-hand with death. They forget that life holds meaning and beauty.” She hesitated. “They forget to live.”

  I understood then what she meant. “Then I’m glad you stood aside.”

  “Speaking of living, fancy a run in the woods under the full moon?” she asked.

  I glanced up, shocked to see the full moon hanging in the sky. I hadn’t noticed the waxing moon for months if not years. “Yeah, I think I would,” I replied slowly.

  With a wicked grin spreading across her face, she stood and began to shuck her clothes. “If you catch me, maybe I’ll give you a prize.”

  Before I could do more than put my beer aside and stand, she was already naked and leaping off the porch. She shifted mid-stride, letting loose a challenging howl as she dashed across the open field and disappeared into the trees.

  I stripped and followed her in the blink of an eye, eager to chase my mate.

  When I did finally catch Chloe, I made sure she understood that the only prize I wanted was her.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chloe

  One month later

  The sun was setting over the MacIntire pack compound, but the place was buzzing with activity. Wolves were milling about in the open field where we gathered for pack runs.

  Only the tall grass had been mown down and raked up a few days before. In the center of the clearing, stood a tree. It was huge, it’s branches covered in fairy lights and paper lanterns. Chairs were arranged in rows facing the trunk. Though the moon was full, shining down so brightly that we didn’t need other lighting, there were lanterns set everywhere, the candles inside casting a gentle glow. More fairy lights were strung along the backs of the chairs.

  It was romantic and beautiful. The perfect setting for a mating ceremony. Though wolves didn’t marry as humans did, when true soul mates found one another, the pack often celebrated it with a ceremony during the next full moon. All the pack members would watch as the mates made vows to one another, then the entire pack would shift and enjoy a run beneath the moonlight. It was an ancient and wonderful tradition.

  Ricki and Lachlan had planned the entire thing to surprise me. I thought we would make our vows in
the moonlight, surrounded only by our family and pack mates. Having been raised human, Ricki wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted it should be special.

  I glanced around and realized that Ricki’s idea of special also included a cake and champagne, so I had no complaints whatsoever.

  A shrill whistle pierced the air and the wild activity ceased. Ricki stood in front of the tree where Lachlan and I would make our promises to each other and clapped her hands.

  “Everybody sit your asses down!” she yelled. “We need to start.”

  I laughed as wolves grumbled and found seats. My grandmother sat in the front row between Carter Whelby and Nicholas. Miss Emma and her husband, Tom, were further along toward the end. Other wolves from what was once called the MacArthur pack were there. After Carter became alpha, he changed the name to Prater at the pack member’s insistence.

  Several members of my grandmother’s pack were in attendance as well. Though the MacIntire compound usually remained half-empty, tonight it was full to bursting. All of the empty houses were filled with guests and friends.

  I watched from my position on Ricki and Calder’s front porch as everyone settled down, their voices hushed as Calder and Lachlan took their positions beneath the tree.

  I looked down at the simple cotton dress I wore, glad that I’d allowed Ricki to talk me into it. The halter straps tied behind my neck and left my back bare to just below my shoulder blades. The dress fell to my ankles, clinging to my figure without restricting me. The white material would glow in the moonlight.

  I’d drawn the line when Ricki tried to fix my hair. I fully intended to go for a run with my mate after the ceremony was over and any effort to curl or pin it would be wasted in the end.

  Ricki bounded up the porch steps and stood next to me. “You ready?”

  She glanced down at my empty hands and frowned. I had refused to carry a bouquet of flowers as humans often did, preferring instead to walk to my mate with open hands and an open heart.

  Clearly, Calder still needed to explain a few things to Ricki about the differences in shifter mating ceremonies and human weddings. Otherwise the poor unmated she-wolves of the MacIntire pack would face this every time they found a mate. Most of them would be unable to deny their alpha female anything she wished, buckling beneath the weight of her dominant personality.