Lily turned in the front passenger seat to look at the curly haired little boy. “Yes, Thorn. There are a lot of children in the Evergreen pack. I’m sure you’ll make friends in no time at all.”
The little boy smiled wide before turning his attention to all the people outside his window. She’d known Katrina since the Omega Celebration years earlier when an ogre attack had killed Katrina’s mate. It was during that time that Lily’s home pack and family had been attacked and killed. Marcus had brought Katrina, his best friend’s pregnant mate, to the palace for protection. Since then, Marcus and Katrina had been inseparable, and yet, there wasn’t a physical relationship between them. Lily had thought given time the two might end up together but that had been five years ago.
Their vehicle rolled to a stop in a row of parking spaces to the east of what appeared to be a craftsman’s bungalow on steroids. It was a mash of styles, from the front porch with its covered roof and sturdy, field stone pillars and its long, close to the ground, ranch-style building, to its Tudor half-timbering and clay-tiled roof. The Evergreen main house and their new home was perfect, and strangely well cared for compared to some of the other buildings.
Lily couldn’t help the sliver of anger that appeared at the thought that the pack may have been forced to maintain the building above their own homes’ needs. The white paint looked fresh. In fact, the exterior looked spotless and she could imagine the interior would be much the same. True, the other homes and businesses looked solid but each could use a bit of care.
“Easy, mate,” Jensgar crooned while rubbing soothing circles on the back of her neck. “We’ll have a word with the king’s men. There has to be an explanation.” Jensgar might not be able to sense her emotions or thoughts as easily as she could his, but she had to wonder sometimes because his accuracy was outstanding.
Lily stretched across the front console between their seats and covered her mate’s lips with her own. What had originally started out as reassurance quickly turned heated until the sound of a clearing throat had her pulling back. She glanced to the back seat to see everyone smiling and trying to look anywhere but at them.
“Sorry guys, but you can’t really blame me,” Lily explained while Jensgar chuckled in her ear. His warm breath tickled the tiny hairs along her hairline, causing goose bumps to rise along her arms.
His calloused hand cupped her cheek, bringing Lily’s attention back to her handsome mate. “We can handle anything together.”
“Never doubted it for a second.” Lily held no illusion that this was going to be easy, but the best things never were.
Chapter Ten
Jensgar stared at the shadows of bare tree limbs floating across the ceiling, breaking up the light that flowed in from the full moon. With their first day officially in the record books he wished he felt more optimistic, but the facts were the facts. The Evergreen pack was on the verge of collapse and he wasn’t entirely sure how to stop it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t work his ass off trying to save it, but he had a realistic view of the challenges before them.
From the first moment they’d stepped out of their vehicle the activity had been nonstop. They’d met with the king’s advisors and spent hours reviewing every aspect of the pack’s files and status before they cleared out. Jensgar and Lily had barely had a chance to settle in before they joined Thomas to meet with the farmers and tour the area’s farmlands. Even though it was late spring, many of the crops planted had yet to even sprout.
Mammoth tractors fertilized the earth while others were busy moving irrigation sprayers in an attempt to bring life to these dry lands. Though he recognized the hope in every pack member’s tired eyes, he couldn’t miss their defeat or the acceptance of their fate either. These people had been fighting the slow death of their community and livelihood far longer than either he or Lily were aware of.
During the meeting, they’d reviewed the past two hundred years of the pack’s existence. Though they’d been given a summary of the last fifty years before they’d arrived, this new information shone a much harsher light on the whole situation.
In essence, less than fifty years after their original alpha’s death, the decline began. Slowly at first, only a few bushels in total, but steadily, each year the losses grew until now they found themselves only a few years away from disaster.
The members of their new pack had greeted Jensgar and Lily warmly with open arms. They’d discovered that the pack had banded together to bring new life to the unused alpha’s residence and main building once they were aware of his and Lily’s decision. It wasn’t taking long to become attached to these people, bringing their plight into sharper focus for him, if that were possible.
“Not having much luck sleeping, love?” Lily’s sleep-roughened voice broke through his troubled thoughts.
The springs of their mattress protested as he rolled to his side to find his beautiful mate watching him closely with those crystal blue eyes. How had he gotten so lucky? Jensgar could never have predicted how his life had taken a different path from how he thought his future would play out. He’d expected to train warriors and lead them into battles until he was either killed or retired. Sad fact, but he’d accepted the risks of his position long ago.
“You should be sleeping yourself,” he replied. “I’m not sure how much rest we’re going to get in the coming days.”
Lily placed her soft palms on the center of his chest and pushed until he rolled onto his back once again. Before he had the time to process what his mate was doing, she crawled on top of him and settled her head on his chest all without breaking eye contact. Her flowing blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight and his fingers itched to touch her pale porcelain skin.
“Don’t try to turn this around, you need to rest, Alpha.” She tried her best to seem serious but the slight upturn of her lips gave her away.
“Alpha, eh? I am not your alpha,” he teased while softly digging his fingertips into her ribs and tickling her until she squealed.
“Okay…okay, mate… mate, I give.” Lily laughed as she squirmed to get away from his quick fingers.
He stopped his attack and wrapped both of his arms around her. At times, he forgot how big he’d become until something as simple as his mate perched on top of him brought the fact home. He sometimes worried that he might unintentionally hurt her without realizing his own strength. While his size would be an asset to lead the Evergreen pack, he worried about being too rough with his mate.
“Did I hurt you?” He had to make sure.
Lily looked at him for a moment, her assessing gaze pinning him to the bed. “You would never hurt me. What’s wrong?”
“Of course, I would never intentionally hurt you, but now that I’m…” he raised one of his hands in the air and motioned up and down his much larger body.
For a moment, she looked at him in confusion before saying, “How long have you been worrying about this?”
“The moment I got a good look at myself.” It had been a shock once he’d found a mirror big enough to take in all of him.
Lily’s quick intake of breath was followed by peppered kisses to his face. Her soft lips brushed over his eyelids, forehead, cheeks, chin and finally settled on his lips. He opened his mouth, allowing her tongue entrance, but quickly, he dominated the kiss. He mapped her mouth fully and nipped at her plump bottom lip until he heard that glorious sound, his mate’s moan.
His exploration stopped the moment Lily pushed on his chest. Her heavily lidded eyes shined bright with the rise of her wolf and the tips of her canines peeked out from under her swollen lips.
After a moment, her eyes cleared slightly and she released a soft growl. “Stop distracting me.”
“I’m not the one who started kissing, that was all you,” he teased as he attempted to pull her closer for more.
Lily shook her head. “You have never and will never cause me any harm, even with your new size and strength. However, we will be having words if you ever levitate me again unnecessa
rily.”
“You almost tripped over that hole. I was saving you.” Jensgar couldn’t hide his smile so he didn’t bother trying.
“A hole? It was a divot in the earth. You pretty much scared the hell out of everybody in the area. There could have been an easier way of sharing your ability with our people.”
“Our people. I like the sound of that.”
“So do I,” Lily said with a smile. “Now have we put your fear of hurting me to rest, because you’re messing with my plans.”
“Plans?” He was intrigued, and the devilish smile on Lily’s face had his mind wandering to various pleasurable pursuits.
“Have we settled this concern of yours?” she repeated, obviously waiting for his response.
He couldn’t lie to his mate. “I’ll try to work on it.”
Lily eyes turned from concerned to heated in under a second. “Good, because there is something I’ve been desperate to try.”
“Try? Exactly what might that be?” he asked, his voice dropping a few octaves lower than moments before.
His fiery mate only smiled as she slid her body down until her lips hovered dangerously close to his straining erection. The two of them had made love in various positions and places since mating but Lily had never attempted to explore further. He understood his mate had never done what she contemplated before. He remained still, not wanting to affect her decision either way.
Tentatively, her pink tongue darted out to taste the precum glistening at the end of his hard cock. He fought to contain his groans and fisted his hands into the sheets as she continued to explore with her wicked tongue. Her warm breath fanned over his heated flesh as she traced the veins running from the base of his cock to under the mushroomed head with maddening slowness.
Without warning, she opened those hypnotic lips and wrapped them around the head of his cock. His back arched off the bed and a deep moan broke free as she used the flat of her tongue to lick the underside while slowly sucking him further into her hot mouth. Her innocence and inexperience had her taking him too far, causing herself to choke slightly.
“Easy, baby, take your time,” he instructed as he reached forward to brush his fingers along her swollen lips.
“I want to make you feel good,” she said with a touch of insecurity.
“Mate, trust me when I say, everything we do together makes me want you more. I’m trying to hold onto my control and give you the time to explore. Never doubt how amazing you make me feel any time that you touch me.”
A smile played across her face and she watched him through heavily lidded eyes. He could make out the tips of her canines extending below her top lip before she dove back in, claiming his cock with renewed vigor. Slamming his head back onto his pillow, he opened his legs a bit further, giving her more room as she once again settled between his legs.
Lily ran the tips of her tongue and teeth down the length of him before licking one of his swollen balls while rolling the other in her soft hand. When he reached for her she quickly responded by taking his hands and forcing him down onto the mattress.
“I’m in charge. This is all about you, love.”
With a slight nod, he raised his hands above his head and wrapped them around the thick wood of their headboard. His mate’s growl was Jensgar’s only warning before Lily wrapped her hand around his throbbing cock and sucked him like a lollipop. She liked having control, and he was more than willing to surrender it to his mate.
Heavy breathing and moans melded together in a cacophony of sounds bouncing off the four walls of their bedroom. Lily’s confidence seemed to grow with every noise he made until he found himself on the edge.
“Baby, I’m going to come,” he warned, wanting to give her ample time to pull away. Without stopping, Lily doubled her efforts. The headboard easily gave way as he dug his claws in. Every kiss, suck, hum and lick drove him closer, until he could no longer remain still. His hips bucked with every downward stroke of her hand, which seemed to excite her further. Jensgar’s balls pulled up tight to his body as lightning rushed through his veins, seizing his muscles in mid-thrust.
His howl reverberated off the walls and shook the panes of glass in the windows as his orgasm took over. Lily took all of him, draining every drop until he collapsed back onto their bed.
Lily crawled up his body and settled her head on his chest, her smile warming him even further. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. How had he ever been lucky enough to have this amazing woman love him?
Once his muscles stopped shaking he began to roll them over so that he could pleasure his beautiful mate, but one word had him returning to his back.
“Nope,” Lily growled and nipped at his peaked nipple before resting her chin on his chest. “I wanted to love on you to make you feel good. I don’t need any reciprocal action other than to fall asleep in your arms.”
He ran his hands up and down his mate’s silky body, stopping to massage any tight muscles he found. Lily snuggled on top of him and he pulled the comforter across their bodies. It wasn’t until he heard her breathing even out that he allowed much-needed sleep to draw him into its dark shroud.
***
The morning broke as it had done the day before and would do tomorrow, but this day brought with it the challenge of turning this pack around. It would be their first full day as leaders of the Evergreen pack and the day they’d officially meet with every member of the pack. The old community center, unlike many of the other buildings, had a fresh coat of paint along with the main house. Lily had realized quickly that their pack had done so as a gift upon their arrival and she felt humbled by their generosity and kindness.
They’d also uncovered a few details about the last alpha, which in truth only brought up more questions. According to a few older pack members, the former alpha had gone into the forest early one evening but never returned. When she didn’t appear after a couple days, a search party went into the forest to look for her. What they found couldn’t be explained. Her body appeared sunken and leathery as if she’d been mummified. After her death, the same thing seemed to happen to their land, although it took hundreds of years.
The smell of bacon wafted into their bedroom the moment she opened the door. Jensgar had left her sleeping in bed alone. She understood that his intentions were good but at the moment sleep was not her top concern. The survival of this pack took precedence over any personal need to sleep in.
She walked down the long hall from their private suites to find Chris, the warrior from Dedric’s pack whom her mate had trained, standing guard over the entrance to their private portion of the main house.
“Good morning, Chris, shouldn’t you be with the other warriors out among the pack?” she asked, already having a good idea of what his answer would be.
“No, Alpha Lily, I’ve been assigned to your protection.” The pride in his voice alone told her that any argument to the contrary would be futile. She and her mate would be having more than one discussion this day. She didn’t require protection.
“Why does everyone insist upon calling me alpha?” Lily had heard Thomas call her that, but apparently, the trend was spreading.
Chris stood tall and without taking a moment to think he immediately answered. “Because both you and Gen…Alpha Jensgar lead our pack.”
It was as simple and complicated as that. True, she was no longer Omega Lily, but was she an alpha?
Instead of voicing her concern, she continued toward the huge farmhouse kitchen that took up one quarter of the main house. Several islands along with tables filled the space, while a row of fridges and stoves took up an entire wall. A couple of women she’d met the day before, along with Amalia and Katrina worked at the multitude of ovens, frying pans, casseroles and bread makers. At the center of it all was a short, gray-haired shifter by the name of Diane.
They’d met the day before, and she had learned that Diane had been running the main house for hundreds of years. The responsibility had been given to her family
line since the creation of the pack. Lily saw no reason to change that. Her duties lay elsewhere among the pack, and to be honest she was a mediocre chef at best. Gods knew she didn’t want to give anybody food poisoning. They’d have enough to deal with already.
“Good morning, Alpha Lily, did you sleep well?” Diane asked as Lily sat at the kitchen island closest to where the women were working.
“Yes, I’ve had a restful night,” she answered honestly, because once she fell asleep on Jensgar’s broad chest she’d slept soundly. Lily still had a hard time believing she’d brought her mate to the point of shaking uncontrollably beneath her. She could easily become addicted to his moans of pleasure.
“We’ve tried to keep most of the noise down until after you had woken up,” Amalia explained as she flipped rows of pancakes on the large griddle in front of her.
“Thank you for being so thoughtful, but I should’ve been up much earlier than this.”
Diane rounded the kitchen island and sat on the stool beside Lily with various notepads in her hands. Katrina set a plate of breakfast goodness in front of her.
“We’re in the process of transferring everything from stock, ordering, diets and recipes to the new computerized system. I was hoping to have a moment of your time to review the menus together as well as the costs.”
“Sure, if you don’t mind me eating as we go through everything?”
Diane’s shock was evident and Lily was unsure what she’d said to cause that, well, at least until the woman spoke.
“I would never disturb your meal, Alpha.”
“The last thing you need to worry about is disturbing me. Besides, this might be our only opportunity to get it done in the busy days to come.” Lily took a bite of the fluffy eggs on her plate. “S’good. Okay, let’s start,” she instructed with a flourish of her fork, making Diane smile wide.
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