Jane

I’d never been a big sleeper, not even as a child. All of that changed when I spent that first night wrapped in Seth’s arms. It had been one hell of a day, full of ups and downs. After I’d confessed all my secrets, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I’d never told the story to anyone else. Not that I had many people in my life, only my boss and Gerri. Although I’d never even been tempted to tell them about what had happened to me, I had a feeling they knew there was something big. But they’d never asked, respecting my need for space.

I hadn’t thought twice about sharing the story with Seth. It had felt right, which made sense since he was my mate. And oddly enough, it brought us together even more. Made our bond even stronger.

When we were done talking, he carried me into my bedroom and drew a warm bath while I stripped out of my clothes. More of that unexpected sweet that he gave me. I could quickly become addicted to it.

I’d almost fallen asleep in the bath, and he’d lifted me out, dried me off, and tucked me into bed. It was the last thing I remembered until waking up, with his warm body cradling mine, late the next morning. Ten hours later, I was beyond grateful for both the bath and sleep.

“I can’t believe you talked me into packing up my apartment and moving in with you less than twenty-four hours after we met,” I grumbled, reaching into the back of the truck to grab another box.

“Give me that,” he chided, grabbing it out of my arms. “You don’t carry heavy things when I’m around.”

“Or me either, apparently,” Jared groaned as he came around the corner.

Seth had been busy while I’d slept. He’d called his beta and instructed him to rent a moving truck first thing in the morning and get his ass to my apartment. Jared had done as he’d asked, showing up before noon. I’d been surprised when there was a knock on the door since I wasn’t expecting anyone. It was probably for the best, since I would have driven myself crazy with nerves if I’d known it was Seth’s beta. My experience with John’s father colored my perception of them, but Jared had made me realize that it wasn’t fair to judge others by the actions of one person, especially considering the unusual circumstances.

Jared had shoved a holder with three cups of coffee into Seth’s hands and lifted me off my feet with a fierce hug. That had earned him a swat to the back of the head from my mate, and the ice had been broken that easily.

“More working and less flirting with my mate,” Seth ordered.

“If that’s what you call flirting, then I’d better give you some lessons.”

I was the one who swatted Jared upside the head after that comment. “My mate doesn’t need to know how to flirt. He already has me.”

“For you!” he howled. “I meant that I’d sharpen up his flirting skills so he could use them with you.”

I hit him again, for good measure. “He doesn’t need your help. He does fine on his own.”

“Damn straight I do.”

“I was just trying to help,” Jared complained.

“Like I said, more working. That’s how you can help.”

I laughed, enjoying how they interacted with each other. It was obvious the two men were great friends who knew each other well. I liked that for Seth, and I wanted that for my kids. And as his mate, it’s what they would have.

Our kids. It was completely insane to think that I’d have them someday, and maybe even not that far in the future.

I’d been alone for so long, I never wanted to go back to that. I flat out refused to. I’d never be that scared, young girl again. I was Seth Bashar’s—head of the shifter council—mate. I’d accepted his mark, committed myself to a fierce alpha. I was determined to be the strong she-wolf he deserved to have at his side.

“It’s a good thing she doesn’t have as much crap as most women do, or else you’d have me carrying stuff all day long without a hint of remorse.”

“Damn straight I would.”

Seth offered me an apologetic smile, his eyes reflecting an understanding of why I hadn’t been able to fill the small moving truck Jared had driven into the city. Neither of us shared the reason with Jared, and I was happy to let him think it was because I was just a low maintenance kind of woman. Instead, I let them get back to work because the quicker they were done, the sooner I could unpack and get settled into my new home.

The rest of Seth’s pack was as welcoming as Jared had been. Several of them stopped by to help move my possessions into his home, but they didn’t stay once the job was done.

“I hope I didn’t scare them off.”

“Not at all, baby,” he reassured me. “If anyone scared them off, it was me.”

“Oh, really? And why would you do something like that?”

“Because I wanted my mate all to myself.” He stalked towards me, yanking my body against his when he got close. “I’ve never been good at sharing, and I’m going to be especially greedy when it comes to you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“My wolf’s feeling greedy, too. He wants to see his mate. To spend time with her.”

I felt the brush of fur against my skin and knew my she-wolf wanted the same thing, but I was nervous. “It’s been a while since I’ve let her out.”

“How long?”

I ducked my head in embarrassment as I admitted, “More than a year.”

“Jane,” he choked out, sounding strangled.

I lifted my head slowly and searched his face. I didn’t find judgment, only sadness. He understood how much it had cost me, not being able to allow her to run free.

“Living in the city gave me a lot. I tried a couple of smaller towns right after I left the pack, but I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone knew everybody else, and they weren’t shy about asking questions I didn’t want to answer. When I tried the city, I was anonymous, even while surrounded by people. By other shifters, even. Without any of that pesky nosiness.”

“You had pack without pack.”

I’d never thought about it that way, but he was kind of right. “Except I didn’t have the same closeness. There was none of the social touching that’s common in a pack. And I never truly felt safe, which is part of why I haven’t let my wolf out in so long. There weren’t many opportunities to let her roam free.”

“That’s all changed for you now. I’m going to give you more closeness than you’ll probably be able to stand, and I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you.” Gripping my arm, he led me towards the screen glass doors off the kitchen. “I’m doubly glad that you let me talk you into the move right away. It gives me the chance to provide you with something you need.”

We stepped outside, and I smiled as the fresh air hit my lungs. It was a clear night, with the waning moon

“You’re completely safe here, and you can run in wolf form as often as you’d like.”

“How about now?”

“Fuck, yeah,” he agreed. “My wolf was hoping you’d say that.”

He started to strip out of his clothes, and all thought was wiped from my brain. It wasn’t until his shirt was off and his pants were half-way down his legs that I remembered I was supposed to be taking my clothes off, too. Not that anyone could blame me, Seth was hot and we were newly mated. But the need to shift was pushing at me hard.

I quickly rid myself of my clothes, listening to the sounds of snarls and popping bones as Seth shifted to wolf. He trotted towards me, rubbing against me and licking my hand. I sank my fingers in his fur, enjoying the feel after missing it for so long. Then he backed away, those familiar brown eyes gleaming with impatience, and I let my wolf free.

My vision turned sharper as my bones popped. The sounds of the night were louder, and the air tasted better. I dropped onto all fours, and let loose the howl that ripped from my throat. In wolf form, I rubbed my body along his, scent marking him to make sure any other females in the area knew he was mine. And then I burst forward, leaping off the back porch, and allowed my wolf to run free. I spent hours experiencing the wonder of nature. I chased every smell, exploring my new territory. Sprinted to my heart’s content. And the whole time, I was conscious of the male at my side. We ran together until I was exhausted, and then his wolf claimed mine for his own.

For the first time ever, both halves of me were content—woman and she-wolf.