Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
The polar bear shifter nodded at Elias, but his gaze lingered a beat too long on the doorway, his nostrils flaring subtly as if catching a scent on the breeze. Something in his posture pricked my echo-sense.
I nudged Booker under the table. “Think Bexley’s okay? He looks distracted.”
Booker chuckled. “Polar bears are broody on a good day. But yeah, something’s got him rattled.”
Mira leaned in conspiratorially. “I heard he’s been like that all day. Snapping at suppliers and burning perfectly good steaks.”
I felt a sympathetic twinge, wondering if his bad mood had something to do with finding his fated mate. If he had, I had faith all would work out in the end…like it had for Booker and me.
Life with my wolf was everything fate promised...and more.
EPILOGUE
BOOKER
Alara’s fingers laced through mine as she stepped beside me to watch our children from the front porch of our cabin.
After spending time in all three of our “homes,” we’d decided that our permanent base was with the Wilderness Pack, but we made frequent visits to Timber Ridge, as well as Nightbriar a few times a year.
This cabin was where our hearts lived, though. It was where our pup and kittens had been born, where they would grow up, and where they would return once they were adults who needed to come home.
Lilia, our six-year-old pup, growled at the elderly wolf she was facing off with. Then he was attacked by two cubs, our five-year-old, Porter, and three-year-old, Addie. My dad fell to the ground and howled like a pack of fully grown shifters had taken him down.
Alara giggled when, not to be outdone, Lilia leaped onto the pile of wrestling animals.
“How about we take the kids home with us tonight?” my mom suggested as she meandered from the house onto the porch.
My wolf immediately perked up, extremely interested in this plan. My cock stiffened, definitely in full agreement with the idea. I fucking adored my children and wouldn’t trade a second of the time I spent with them. But it had been several months since Alara and I had a night alone together. And she’d been a little more demanding in that department lately. As she always was when she was carrying one of our babies.
Unfortunately, that meant a lot of quickies and quiet fumbles in the night. I was ready to really celebrate knocking up my mate again by taking my time, worshipping her body, and making her come so hard she forgot her own name. Just so long as it was mine she screamed.
Alara tried to play it cool, but I didn’t miss the hitch in her breath or the slight acceleration of her pulse. I bit back a smile when I met her pretty gray eyes, and her cheeks bloomed with pink. “Um, that would be…sure. No problem. We can…um, pick them up tomorrow?”
My mom snickered softly and patted my mate’s arm. “We’ll keep them for the weekend, if that’s okay.”
“Perfect,” I grunted before Alara’s guilt could get the better of her, and she insisted we bring them home the next day. “When can you—I mean, when will you leave?”
Alara gasped and pinched my side with a scowl and a deep blush. I couldn’t stop the grin that curved my mouth, but it didn’t matter since her whole focus was on the heated promise radiating from my eyes.
“Okay, kids! Who wants to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa?” my mom shouted, clapping her hands as she strolled out into the yard. The rabble-rousers all shifted, and my dad cheered as loudly as the kids did as they jumped to their feet and ran inside.
Half an hour later, I shut the front door and turned around slowly. My dark, hungry gaze landed heavily on my tempting little mate, and she smirked. Knowing very well what was coming next, a deep growl rumbled in my chest. A warning. I wasn’t in the mood for a chase, and if she made me do it anyway, she would pay.
Alara’s smirk faded, but there was still a glint in her gray orbs that had my cock swelling to a damn steel pipe. Perhaps I wasn’t as opposed to a chase as I thought. Truthfully, we both enjoyed her punishments. Even if it meant she couldn’t sit down the next day.
“You won’t get soft and sweet tonight, kitten,” I growled. “But you know what will happen if you run. When I catch you, your pretty little ass will be sporting my handprint for a week.”
Her eyes widened, but she still sassed, “Catch me if you can, wolf.”
Then she spun around and took off.
A wicked smile stole over my face as I gave her a head start by removing my clothes before shifting and bolting out of the house into the forest to track my mate. It only took me ten minutes to catch my lynx. Then I shifted, waited for her to do the same, threw her over my shoulder, and marched straight to our bedroom.