Being on Gabriel’s bike was thrilling, but when we were looping around Austin, taking exits and on-ramps to make sure our scent was thinned out enough that we weren’t able to be followed, I couldn’t enjoy myself. All I could do was think about what might happen if Killoran and Trey ever caught up with us.

Don’t be silly, I thought as we sped out of town towards the farm. Gabriel can handle them in a fair fight.

That wasn’t why we’d left the house. He wasn’t avoiding another fight, one he would win, we were leaving because they knew where we lived now and could easily ambush us at any time. Gabriel wasn’t running—he was being smart.

I knew we were getting close, and when I saw the turnoff, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Gabriel slowed the bike and pulled it down a freshly paved private driveway. There was a new gate as well, which was open, and we blew right through. Seconds later, the farm came into view.

It was beautiful, like something out of a dream. Crops of all kinds rose up all around us. There were some greenhouses and as we pressed on, the main house came into view. It was perfect, and sat strong like it had grown right up out of the proud Texan land.

Beside it was a barn, and I could see someone heading inside through a door. Other figures were working in the fields, and I saw dust kicking up from far off in the distance. Someone working a tractor of some sort, maybe? I was hopelessly without knowledge on the subject of farming. Maybe that’s what made our arrival all the more romantic, all the more exciting.

We were like two outlaws on the run, kicking up dust as we belted our way through the Texas spring, seeking refuge, a place to refuel, hide out until the heat died down. My heart pattered in my chest like the banging of a war drum.

How thrilling! I thought as Gabriel maneuvered the hog towards the front of the house where a tall alpha with dark curly hair was standing, his arms crossed beneath a tattered Henley. I recognized him as Preston. We parked in front of him and Gabriel got off the bike and quickly extended a hand.

“Gabriel,” he announced.

“Preston. You guys made it.”

“Feels like we drove across the whole damn state to get here!” Gabriel joked as I got off the bike and made my way over to them. “This is my mate—my fated mate, Percy.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Preston replied with a nod. “Welcome to the farm.”

“It’s beautiful,” I told him, looking around, still in awe of the place. “You guys built this?”

“We worked hard on it,” he replied. “Fought for it too. We’ve been through a lot together. The pack’s all out doing their own things right now—at least the alphas are. Kenneth, my mate, is around here somewhere. So is Jamie. She’s feisty, has a thing for trying to convert us over to what she calls ‘The Dark Side.’ So be careful!”

“Hey, she can try,” I chuckled, moving closer to Gabriel, who slid an arm around me as though it was simple reflex now. “But she won’t get too far!”

“So, listen,” Preston said. “We don’t have a room for you guys right now. The place is crowded, and we’ve been joking about needing a new addition for a while. But what I can do is either put you up in the living room, or up in the loft in the barn. Only issue there is you might not like all the smells from the stuff we keep in there.”

“The living room’s fine,” Gabriel said, making a quick decision. “We’ll do our best to stay out of everybody’s way. And like I said, I’d love to help you with that addition. Woodworking’s always been a dream of mine.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Preston said with a smile. “Why don’t you guys go in and get comfortable. Kenneth will help you out. I’ve got a few things to get done before dinner, which I hope you’ll join us for so you can meet the rest of the pack?”

“Of course,” I replied. “And if you need help cooking, just ask.”

“I’m sure we will,” Preston nodded. “I’ll see you both later.”

Preston sauntered off and I turned back to Gabriel and breathed an enormous sigh of relief. A smile flooded my lips as I planted both feet and toppled straight over into him. He chuckled as he caught me and held me close, stroking the back of my head with a loving hand.

“I should have killed them when I had the chance,” he said softly. He was upset with himself and that wasn’t right. I took a step back and looked at him.

“Don’t say that. You saved me. Without you…they would have done horrible things to me.”

“Yeah, but if I’d only—”

“Stop!” I told him, pressing a finger against his lips to stop him from going on and being too hard on himself. “Don’t do that to yourself. I’m okay because of you, and if you hadn’t seen them again this morning, we’d both be in trouble again!”

He looked back at me, and slowly I saw his expression change as my words started to sink in. Finally, he nodded. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” I replied with a cheeky grin. “I’m always right!”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yup!” I laughed as he reached forward and pinched me on the butt. Giggling, I scurried up the front steps, pulled open the door and stepped inside. The living room wasn’t overly large, but it was enough, somewhere between cozy and roomy. The windows hung below the eaves at just the perfect angle to keep the sun from blaring in. I could see right through to the kitchen and dining area, where an omega with a perfect tan and dirty blond hair was working at the stove.

“Hello!” I cried out happily as I skipped over to him. I must have looked ridiculous but I really couldn’t have cared less at that moment. He turned to look at me and smiled.

“You must be…”

“Percy!” I replied, then pointed over my shoulder as my mate came in the door behind me. “And that is my mate, Gabriel.”

Kenneth rinsed a sauce-covered hand under the sink and dried it on his apron before extending it to me. “Kenneth. Preston’s mate. He told me you guys would be coming.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise,” he replied. “Bit of trouble?”

“More than a bit,” Gabriel said as he set our bags down by the couch.

“Well, that’s one thing we’ve already got in common,” Kenneth replied.

“Had some trouble yourself?” Gabriel asked.

“Oh, we’ve got acres of the shit!” A girl’s voice rang out. I turned to see her walking towards us from the back of the house.

“You must be Jamie,” I said as she approached.

“Mmmhmm,” she replied, giving me the once-over. “And you must be giving this big man here about a hundred hard-ons a day!”

She glanced over in Gabriel’s direction and then back at me—then winked. Her audacity shocked me until I remembered what Preston had said about her trying to convert guys like us, and then I smiled.

“Oh, more than that,” I chuckled. Turning back to Kenneth, I eyed what he was making. There was rice, all kinds of vegetables cut up into cubes and some kind of red sauce. “Jambalaya?”

“You got it,” Kenneth nodded. “Want to help out?”

“You just tell me what to do!”

“Okay, grab that knife and we’re going to brown some sausage…”

I settled right in like the place had been designed for me. Gabriel kissed me on the back of the head and went outside to meet the other alphas, or maybe to help Preston with something. But before I knew it, everyone was coming in for dinner and I was helping serve. There were so many of them, I knew it was going to be some time before I had everyone’s names down.

There was Preston and Kenneth, Juan and Bailey, Terry and Scotty, Jamie and a ton of little kids running around.

Give it time, I kept telling myself as one of them brushed past my leg and I couldn’t recall their name. I couldn’t help but smile and squeeze Gabriel’s leg under the table as we dug into the jambalaya.

“This is damn good, Kenneth,” Terry remarked as he got up for seconds.

“Percy helped out,” Kenneth replied. “Thank him too.”

“Oh, I barely did anything!” I said, covering my full mouth. “Kenneth’s the chef!”

“Well, you can be my sous-chef, how’s that sound?”

I glanced at Gabriel, who was smiling at me and looked back at Kenneth. “That sounds fantastic.”