“Why don’t we go inside?” Hannah suggested. Her demeanor had softened noticeably toward me, but I didn’t miss her eyeing my hold on Allegra. “It’s freezing out here.”
In an effort to extend another olive branch, I kissed Allegra on the forehead and murmured, “Why don’t I get our things and the gifts out of the car? It’ll give you three a little privacy to say hello.”
Hannah brightened at my suggestion, and I was pretty sure I saw another small crack in her armor. As I headed back to the car, a satisfied smile spread across my face.
* * *
I stretched as I woke and rolled over to take Allegra into my arms, but I found an empty space next to me. A scowl formed on my face as I remembered why I was in bed alone. Over the past two days, I’d worked my way into Allegra’s parents’ good graces. However, that had included sleeping in separate rooms. I hadn’t spent a night away from my mate since the day we met, and it was driving me crazy. It made me even more impatient to give her the present I had stashed away. I was also more than ready to come clean with her parents about what I was and deal with their reaction, whatever it would be. Allegra and I had decided to wait until after Christmas to give them the full story. She wanted time for them to get to know me first, and she didn’t want it to ruin the holiday if things didn’t go well.
A soft knock had me sitting up, but before I could call out for whoever it was to wait, the door inched open and Allegra’s sweet face popped inside. Her eyes swept hungrily down my bare chest and paused on my morning wood tenting the sheet. It had hardened even more the moment I’d felt her eyes on me, and I fisted the sheet on either side of me to keep from racing across the room and dragging her back to bed.
“Don’t look at me like that until you’re going to do something about it, baby,” I growled. Her eyes bounced back up to my face, and she grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry.” Then she beamed at me and did an excited little jump. “It’s Christmas, sleepyhead. Get your sexy butt out here so I can open my presents!”
I laughed because she was just so fucking adorable. “Give me a minute to get some clothes on, sweetheart. I’ll be right there.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze swept over me once more, this time without the heat. “Are you sleeping naked in my parents’ house?” she whisper-yelled with a cute glare. I loved how jealous she got and how possessive she was over me. It was sexy as fuck, and it kept me from any worries I might have had about my caveman instincts when it came to her.
I shook my head as I rose from the bed. “I wouldn’t do that.”
She looked slightly mollified but still a little put out. “Wear some pajamas, would you?”
I grinned and winked at her. “You’re hot as hell when you get territorial, you know that?” Her cheeks bloomed with pink, and she shrugged.
“I don’t like the idea of another woman seeing you in just your boxers, not even my mom.”
I closed the distance between us and pulled her into my arms as I kicked the door shut. “You’re the only woman I want seeing me naked, baby. The only woman I’m interested in looking at me at all.” Allegra’s frown curved up into a sweet smile. “Besides that, you know I’ll always do whatever it takes to make you happy,” I reminded her. She nodded and leaned up for a kiss. Before I had a chance to enjoy it, or take it any further, she slapped me on the ass and broke out of my embrace. The next thing I knew, the door was once again shut, and I was all alone. Laughing, I padded over to my suitcase and hurried to throw on a T-shirt and pair of sweats before joining the family in the living room.
I saved the best gift for last, and the wait had nearly driven me out of my mind. Especially with my impatient wolf growling and practically pacing inside me.
Allegra gasped at a beautiful scarf silk scarf she’d just received from her parents. While she ran over to give them each a hug, I slipped her last present from my pocket and placed it in her spot next to me. “You missed one,” I announced, attempting to sound surprised.
“I did?” she asked excitedly as she spun around and came racing back to me. All morning, I’d watched her light up with every single gift she opened. Her mom had mentioned to me that Allegra still loved the holidays every bit as much as she had as a kid. It was adorable, and Allegra’s enthusiasm was contagious. But what truly got to me was this glimpse of what our daughters would look like at Christmas someday. Which brought me back to the matter at hand.
Allegra stopped when she reached the couch and stared at the small box wrapped in silver paper and red ribbon. Her eyes darted from the gift to me and back, then she snatched it and gave me a bright, hopeful smile. “From you?” she asked excitedly.
I winked and grinned as I shook my head. “Santa,” I joked.
She laughed and plopped down into her seat before ripping the wrapping off the present. Her breathing halted as she stared at the black velvet box, then it whooshed out as I dropped to one knee in front of her.
“Allegra, sweetheart. I knew from the moment we met that you were destined to be mine. Even if my mind hadn’t known you weren’t my fated m”—I paused when I realized what I’d been about to say and quickly adjusted—“soul mate, my heart would have made it clear. I belong to you, and you belong to me. Forever.” My eyes drifted to the spot on her neck that sported a barely noticeable reminder that I’d marked her. “And I want the rest of the world to know that we’ve mat—committed ourselves to each other.” I popped up the lid to the box and removed the diamond solitaire from its velvet bedding. “Will you marry me and wear this ring that”—I gave her a sly grin—“marks you as mine?” I didn’t wait for her answer as I slipped the ring onto her finger.
When I looked up, tears were streaming down Allegra’s beautiful face, but she was smiling from ear to ear, beaming brighter than the sun. “Yes!” she shouted before throwing her arms around me and almost knocking us backward. Then she pulled back suddenly and frowned. “I want everyone to know you’re taken too,” she grumbled as she looked pointedly at my unmarred neck. I almost laughed, but I knew the fact that I didn’t carry her mark upset her more than she let on. It wasn’t like human women could smell her scent on me the way shifters could.
I dug into my opposite pocket and produced another ring. This one was a solid, white gold band. It was a little thicker but almost an exact match to the one I would add to hers on our wedding day. “I figured you’d feel that way, and I completely agree.” Allegra practically bounced with excitement as she snatched the ring from my hand and quickly pushed it onto my finger.
Before I could steal another kiss, the sound of her father clearing his throat drew our attention. He gazed at us proudly, and I patted myself on the back for taking her father aside yesterday and asking him for his blessing. Not that his disapproval would have stopped me, but I would have waited until we were home to pop the question.
Hannah was also gazing at us happily, her hands clasped in front of her, and when Allegra glanced over at her, I felt the tension in her melt away. She jumped up and ran to her mother, giving her a fierce hug. Joe shook my hand and congratulated us before giving Allegra a big bear hug.
Hannah walked up to me, and Allegra couldn’t have smiled any wider when her mom gave me a hug. “Take care of my baby girl, Zeke. It’s hard for me to let her go, and if I find out you’re not treating her right, I’ll find you and put you down like a rabid dog. Got it?”
I almost chuckled, considering how fitting her analogy was. Instead, I nodded solemnly and assured her that I would always do whatever it took to make her daughter happy. She seemed content with my response and suggested we all have lunch. Allegra readily agreed and started for the kitchen, but I tugged her back and raised my brows in a silent question.
“This afternoon,” she conceded. “Just give me a little more time to enjoy their happiness.”
I gave her a swift kiss before pressing my forehead to hers, keeping our eyes locked. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.” She sighed and nuzzled her nose against min
e before pulling away to lead me to the kitchen.
It was just after dessert that night when I finally put my foot down and stopped waiting for Allegra to make the first move. “Joe, Hannah,” I said as I stood from the table. “Allegra and I would like to discuss something with you.” I tugged my mate to her feet and gave her a reassuring smile. “Trust me,” I whispered. She nodded, looking a little less terrified.
We all sat in the living room, and I was about to start when Hannah piped up, “Did you knock up my baby girl before you married her, Zeke Blakesley?”
Allegra fell into a fit of coughing, and I patted her on the back as I considered how to answer. I didn’t want to lie, and the truth was, it was possible that Allegra was pregnant. I hadn’t used protection even once since I’d popped her cherry. “I promise, we’ll be married before we have any children.” Hannah considered my answer for a moment, then relaxed in her seat.
“There’s something about myself that I haven’t shared with you, and I’d like there to be complete honesty between us,” I started.
“Zeke’s a wolf shifter!” Allegra suddenly blurted, then she slapped her hands over her mouth and stared at me in shock.
“Well, that’s one way to do it,” I sighed.
“Oops,” she mumbled.
Allegra’s parents stared at us in stunned silence, and I took it as a good sign that they weren’t freaking out or trying to shove me out the door. Taking advantage of their speechlessness, I began to explain exactly what and who I was. Unexpectedly, they were calm as they asked questions. It was clear that they weren’t sure whether to believe me or think I was crazy. Allegra piped in every once in a while, and that seemed to boost my credibility.
The whole thing went better than I could have hoped for. Apparently, the past two days had been enough for them to not only believe me, but still trust me to care for their daughter. In the end, we all had the same goal, to make Allegra happy.
When we returned home, she told me to forget everything and dragged me into the house and up to our bedroom. An hour later, we both collapsed onto the bed in a panting, sweaty mess. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You have nothing to thank me for, sweetheart.” I summoned a small amount of strength and rolled on top of her. “I love you, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’ll never tire of hearing you say that.”
Allegra grinned and bucked her hips, pressing her drenched pussy against my already thick and hard cock. “Seems like it gets a whole other reaction from those words. Guess I better say them often if I want lots of orgasms.”
I shifted my position so I could slide my length into her tight pussy. “All you have to do is ask, baby. I’ve got a lifetime of orgasms to give you.”
Epilogue
Allegra
Fitting into the Timber Ridge wolf pack went more smoothly than I expected. It helped that I wasn’t alone in making the adjustment since my wish that my friends found shifters of their own came true. But what really clinched everyone’s acceptance of me was when we found out I was pregnant shortly after the holidays. I’d been carrying the first baby to be born into the pack in almost eight years, so the pregnancy was a big deal to everyone. It also turned out to be the start of a baby boom.
Jake, the son I gave birth to five years ago, had plenty of other children to grow up with. He mostly hung out with Larissa and Calliope’s firstborns, but he always made time for his younger sister, Alena. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and it wasn’t rare for her requests to get him in trouble.
“Jacob Joseph Blakesley, what in the heck do you think you’re doing up there?” I raced across the kitchen floor to brace my hands against his back so he didn’t fall off the counter he was perched on top of.
“Gettin’ Alena’s sippy cup. She wanted milk.” He wiggled the pink plastic cup in my face. “See?”
“If Alena wants a drink, tell her to come ask Daddy or me for one. No climbing on the counter,” I reminded him for about the hundredth time as I slipped my hands under his armpits to set him on the floor.
“But I didn’t climb up there, Mommy,” he insisted with a frown.
“Oh, yeah? How did you get on the counter then?” I asked, taking the cup from him so I could fill it with milk for his sister.
“I jumped!” he exclaimed.
“Don’t be silly, you can’t jump that high,” I chided as I opened the fridge to pull out the almost full gallon of milk. I cringed at the thought of how much would’ve spilled if I hadn’t caught Jake before he’d started pouring.
“Can too,” he insisted in a stubborn tone that had me stifling my grin when I turned back in his direction. It turned out that I hadn’t needed to worry because my lips formed a perfect circle as I gasped in surprise at the sight of Jake in his furry wolf cub form in a low crouch, getting ready to jump.
I had never considered the possibility of him shifting to get on the counter any of the times I’d caught him up there. Looking at the small pile of clothes on the floor, I asked, “How come you weren’t naked when I came in?”
He leapt off the counter and shifted back to his human form. “Eww, bein’ nekked on the counter is gross. I put my clothes on the counter before I shift.”
I rolled my eyes at his explanation and started to pour the milk into the pink cup as he got dressed.
“I’m going to have to disagree,” Zeke whispered in my ear, coming up behind me around wrapping his arms around my body. “I’ve done lots of ungross things to you while you’ve been naked on this counter.”
“What’re you sayin’ to my mommy?” Jake asked, narrowing his dark eyes at his dad suspiciously. His hearing was already better than mine, but Zeke seemed to know exactly how low to speak when he didn’t want little ears to catch what he was saying.
“I’m just telling my mate how much I love her,” Zeke replied as he stared our son down. It had taken me a little while, but I’d gotten used to the dominance games they’d been playing since Jake turned three and his wolf tried to get territorial with me and he’d bared his teeth at his dad. Zeke was an amazing father, but he had no problem putting our little cub in his place when necessary.
“Uh-huh,” Jake huffed, taking the now-full cup from me. “I’ll bring this to Alena for you, Mommy.”
“Thank you, sweetie.” I pressed a kiss to the top of his head, and he flashed a triumphant look at his dad before trotting past us.
“That boy,” Zeke grumbled.
“Is just like his daddy,” I teased, turning around to smile up at him.
“He’s a handful, that’s for sure.” He brushed his lips against mine. “I have a feeling his wolf will end up being just as dominant as mine when he grows up. Be prepared for some interesting times when he’s a teenager and all that testosterone starts flowing through his system.”
I pressed his palm against my slightly rounded belly. “Maybe we should hope for another girl this time around.”
He bent low to press a kiss over the spot where our third baby was growing. “Nah, I’ll take whatever you give me and be damn happy, sweetheart.”
I ruffled my fingers through his thick hair. “Another perfect answer, just like always.”
“Only because fate did me a solid and gave me the most perfect mate in the entire world, and I’ve been thanking my lucky stars ever since.”
I couldn’t agree more since I’d ended up with an amazing husband and the family I’d always wanted. “Me too, handsome.”
Her Alpha, Kace & Larissa’s story, is up next! Join us over in Fiona’s Smutaholics on Facebook for sneak peeks before it releases.
If you’re in the mood for more shifters while you’re waiting, Rochelle Paige (the Davenport half of our writing duo) has the first book in her shifter series FREE (as of May 16, 2020)! And Elle Christensen (aka: Fiona) has some great Fae romances, starting with Protecting Shaylee!
About the Author
The wr
iting duo of Elle Christensen and Rochelle Paige team up under the Fiona Davenport pen name to bring you sexy, insta-love stories filled with alpha males. If you want a quick & dirty read with a guaranteed happily ever after, then give Fiona Davenport a try!
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