Chapter 31
Hours later, we were lying in my bed, naked and finally sated. It had taken Abraham a while to calm down and not feel so out of control. Apparently, the best way for him to feel connected to me was by being deep inside me.
I wasn’t complaining.
“The cops are closing in on us.”
I frowned and propped my head in my hand, so I could see him. He was lying on his back, staring at my ceiling. “What do you mean?”
“With that many murders so close to our land, they’ve become suspicious. Or they’ve probably been suspicious for a while. They’re questioning the whole pack.”
I sat up in bed and clutched the sheets to my chest. “Shouldn’t you be out there then?”
He shrugged. “They’ve already questioned and cleared me and my family.” He’s quiet for a moment before adding, “Maybe they’ll find out some information that we haven’t.”
“How will you know?”
He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Paul’s keeping us updated.”
“Have I met Paul?”
“He’s Peyton’s brother. I think you met him at your first pack cook out.”
It took me a moment, but I finally connected the dots. “He’s the one who got Peyton my court documents.”
“That’s the one,” Abraham said easily, but his face told a different story. “Don’t worry, I spoke to him about that. It won’t happen again.”
I swallowed. “And Peyton?”
He sighed and rolled over to face me. “She’s not allowed at family dinners anymore, she lost her job in the lodge, and I’ve cancelled every meeting she’s tried to schedule with me. I don’t know what else I can do to dissuade her. I’m hoping this is enough.”
Damn.
That girl is relentless.
“I didn’t know she’s been trying to schedule time to see you.”
“Does it matter?” he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“It does to me.”
Abraham slid closer and wrapped a big arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest. “Why, baby?”
That word, the one that drove me crazy, almost derailed my thoughts, but I was able to stick to my guns. “I’d just like to know all the ways she’s trying to slither her way into your good graces. It’s important to know my enemy’s moves.”
He chuckled softly. “She’s not your enemy, baby.”
There’s that word again.
I gritted my teeth and spoke through them. “She is. She wants what’s mine, she’s tried time and time again to encroach on my time with you, she’s trying to get you alone when I’m not around, and she even exposed my darkest secret to your whole family. How is she not my enemy?”
He rolled over in the bed, taking me with him until I was underneath his large frame, looking up at him. “She has nothing on you. If I wanted Peyton, I could have had her years ago.”
I raised a brow. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “What can I say? Ladies find me irresistible.”
I punched his chest and bit my lip to hide my smile. “Ladies? What ladies?”
“Well, there haven’t been any since I met this one lady. She’s turned my world upside down and I don’t have the time or energy for anyone else.”
I punched him again. “Oh, please, don’t let me get in the way of your revolving door of ‘ladies’.”
He leaned down and stole a kiss from my lips. “See, what you don’t understand, is this lady I found, she’s the one. I was born to love her and for her to love me. She’s a little stubborn, but I kinda’ like it. I know one day she’ll come around and love me just as much as I love her. In the meantime, I just have to put up with her nasty right hook and her smart mouth. It’s a hardship, but I’m getting through it.”
My smile spread like wildfire across my face while tears gathered in my eyes. “Do you mean it?”
He cocked a single eyebrow. “About your right hook and your smart mouth? Hell, yeah I mean it.”
I punched him again.
“No,” I whispered. “Do you really think we were born to love each other?”
His smile fell from his face as he cupped my cheek with his big hand. “I know we were.”
He leaned down and kissed me so softly my heart hammered in my chest like it was trying to break free. Abraham placed his hand above my heart and deepened our kiss. He sipped from my lips like it was a fine wine until both of our heart beats rang out loudly in the quiet room.
When he finally released me, I had another question on the tip of my tongue. “But, how? How were you born to love a human?”
He kissed both my cheeks and the tip of my nose before answering. “I don’t know, baby. But, I know it’s true. I feel it in every single one of my bones. There’s no one else for me, but you. Please believe that.”
Logic, my trusty friend, was screaming he was wrong. There were so many variables in play here for this theory to be correct. What if I had chosen a different weekend to take a vacation? What if I’d chosen a different spot in the mountains? What if I’d never gone hiking? What if he’d never found me? What if I hadn’t made it through my first shift?
There were a million reasons why him and I made no sense. A million things stood in the way of us ever even meeting, let alone being fated to be together.
But, I knew it was true.
I could feel him in every part of my body, like he was a part of me. I could feel his happiness when we were together, could feel his despair when we were apart. I could even sense the joy he feels every time I walk into a room.
It was all there. Inside me. His mark on me was indelible, just like mine was on him. Every time I was with him, I knew it was the exact place I was meant to be.
Was that love?
Is that what I felt for him?
Was love the reason why everything aligned when he was near? Why my heart skipped a beat every time he smiled at me?
I wasn’t sure.
And until I was, I’d keep this all locked up inside me.
He deserved truthful, heartfelt declarations of love. Not half-assed guesses or insecurities. Until I could give him everything he deserved, I’d keep this all to myself. I’d let it grow and gain speed inside me until I couldn’t hold it anymore. Then I’d know it was real. Then I’d tell him everything he deserved to hear and more.
“Hey, I wanted to run something by you,” Abraham said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
It made me a little sad that he didn’t wait for my response to his lovely words. That he knew to not expect to hear ‘I love you’ in return from me. I promised myself then and there that I’d work harder toward coming to the same conclusion he had. That I’d keep pushing past my comfort zones.
“What’s up?” I asked him, my tone as light as I could make it despite the heavy conversation we’d been having.
“We’re holding a solstice celebration this year and inviting some local packs to join us. I was hoping you’d host it with me.”
“What would that entail?”
He pulled me down onto his chest until his heart beat echoed in my ear. “I just want you by my side while I greet all the other alpha’s and their mates. Maybe help the kitchen staff make some final decisions on food and stuff. It’s nothing much.”
I thought through his words carefully. He was asking me to stand by his side in front of other pack alpha’s and their mates. In doing this, he would be showing not only his whole pack, but all the visiting packs that we were together. He’d be claiming me in front of his peers.
“I’d love to,” I told him truthfully.
He squeezed me tighter and sighed. “I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but with everything we’ve been dealing with, it kinda’ slipped my mind.”
“When is it exactly?”
“Next weekend.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, that’s a little short notice, but I guess I can work with that. How many people are you expecting besides your pack?
“About a hundred.”
I sat up, so I could look at him properly. “A hundred people are coming to your pack lands and you’re just telling me this now?!”
He shrugged. “Yeah, what’s the big deal?”
I held up a hand, so I could list my grievances properly. “I don’t know anything about what I’ll be responsible for, I don’t know what I’m going to wear, I don’t know what I’ll have to do before that, I don’t know what I’ll have to do the day of. Abraham, I don’t even know what a solstice celebration is!”
His deep chuckle caressed my skin in the dark room and I fought off a shiver as he pulled me back down to lay on his chest. “Baby calm down. All you’ll have to do is field a few questions from the staff–”
“But, how will I know what the right answer is?” I interrupted.
He skimmed his fingers down my arm until he could wrap his hand around mine. “Just use your best judgement. There are no wrong answers.”
I huffed and rolled my eyes. That was easy for him to say! He didn’t have a party for over a hundred and twenty-five people riding on his choices!
“And what about hosting? What will I have to do there?”
“Just greet our guests with me. Stand by my side as my mate. That’s all.”
I took a deep breath and nodded against his hard chest. “Okay, I think I can do that.”
He kissed my forehead. “See, baby? It’s not that big of a deal.”
“I still don’t know what a solstice celebration is,” I grumbled into his chest.
Abraham chuckled again. “It’s devolved a lot over the years and we don’t celebrate it the way our ancestors used to or for the same reasons. Now it’s kinda’ just an excuse to get together, eat a lot of food, and jump over a bonfire.”
My eyes widened as I turned toward him. “Jump? Over a bonfire?”
His smile lit up the dark room. “Hell, yeah. That’s the best part.”
I shook my head and snuggled in next to him. “Werewolves are crazy, aren’t they?”
His laugh rang out through the room and I smiled to myself. I loved when I made him laugh like that. I loved hearing his laugh. Loved the way it seemed to lighten whatever load I was carrying at the moment.
Was that love?
He squeezed me, breaking me out of my thoughts again. “I guess we kinda’ are, huh? I’ve never spoken to a human about our customs or practices before. Never realized how crazy they must sound to you.”
“I’m not a human anymore,” I whispered.
He squeezed me tighter. “No, you’re not. But I know you didn’t grow up in this world, so it’s interesting for me to see things from your point of view.”
I tried to fight it, but a big yawn escaped my mouth, anyway.
Abraham reached down to pull the covers up to our chins. “You need to be up early, baby. Let’s go to bed.”
I pouted at him in the dark, sure he’d be able to see me with his enhanced vision. “Do you really have to leave in the morning?”
He sighed heavily. “I swear, if I didn’t have to leave, nothing could tear me away from you.”
A small sad smile tugged at my lips. “Yeah, I know.”
He reached over and kissed my cheek softly before whispering against my skin. “I’ll see you in two days, though.”
I sighed. “I know. I just like spending time with you. I feel better when you’re near me. I don’t want you to leave.”
He hummed deep in the back of his throat. “That’s the mate magic at work. We’ll always feel better together. Stronger, more powerful as a team than we ever will apart.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist and settled my head against his chest right above his thumping heart. “Will it always be like this?” I asked, my voice heavy with sleep.
He kissed the top of my head. “Always. For as long as we live.”
His words, although really sweet, were also ominous.
How long would that be? Did we have fifty years ahead of us or five? Or was it months? With this serial killer on the loose and after me, I might only have days or weeks.
I shook my head softly as sleep pulled at me harder. I couldn’t think that way. I needed to stay positive and trust that Abraham would keep me safe and when he wasn’t around, I knew Wyatt would do anything to protect me. My werewolves, my pack, my family wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I needed to trust in that.