Sometime later, after we’d caught our breath and our racing heartbeats had begun to even out, he wrapped himself around me from behind and hugged me close. “There,” he whispered, “Now we both said it for the first time while coming.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that worked its way out. It was funny, but it was also sweet and made me love him even more. “I love you, Luke,” I murmured as I snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“Love you too, baby. Forever.”
* * *
The next morning, I tugged Luke’s hand as I pulled him out to the living room. “Come on! It’s Christmas!”
The living room looked as though Christmas had thrown up all over, and I loved it. I’d always loved this holiday, but Christmas morning was always my favorite part. Watching my parents’ faces as they opened the gifts I’d bought or made for them was better than my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls. And that was saying a lot because those decadent treats were like a bit of heaven in your mouth.
I was a little nervous this year, though. Luke and I had learned a lot about each other in the past few weeks, but I couldn’t help worrying that he would hate the presents I had for him. But he’d lit up with each gift he opened, and it officially became my favorite Christmas in my life so far.
I was flabbergasted when I opened a box from him that contained my favorite romance series in hardbacks, each one signed by the author. He laughed when I screamed and launched myself into his arms, peppering kisses all over his face. The gift had been even more meaningful when I unwrapped a beautiful, handmade bookshelf from my dad. They had clearly collaborated, and it made me feel warm inside to see Luke becoming a part of my family.
My mom squealed with delight, and I turned to see her holding up the shirt that said, “Promoted to Grandma” with the year our baby would be born. I knew my parents had scented the pregnancy, but it was still fun to pretend I was telling them for the first time, and my mother’s reaction made it even better. When my father opened his, he practically melted into a puddle. I ran over to hug them both, and even though I was ready to return home with Luke and start our lives together, I cried because it would be difficult not to see them every day. But they assured me they would visit often, and I imagined it would be even more once the baby was born.
The front door suddenly opened and shut. Luke’s whole body stiffened, his wolf flashing in his eyes as they locked on me. There was a protective gleam in them that had me hurrying over to him. He pulled me down into his lap and wrapped his arms around me as though to shield me from whoever had arrived.
My mom stood and walked out to the foyer, returning shortly with Luke’s sister trailing hesitantly behind her. A low growl emitted from my mate, and he tucked me against his chest as he glared at Heather.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she held up her hands and shook her head. “I come in peace. I promise.”
After Heather’s apology, she’d done a one-eighty and had made an effort to get to know me better. Since I was staying with Luke, I’d convinced my parents to allow her to continue living with them. But I hadn’t been able to talk Luke into letting her join us for Christmas morning. He wouldn’t budge because he didn’t want anything ruining our first holiday together, and he was still wary of his sister’s sincerity.
We’d respected his wishes, and she’d rented a room in the hotel for the night. However, I’d talked Heather into coming back in the late morning. I hated the idea of her being alone on Christmas, and I felt like it was a great opportunity for us all to continue burying the hatchet.
Luke’s hold on me didn’t lessen, but I felt a bit of the tension in his body slip away. “Merry Christmas,” he murmured.
Heather smiled tremulously as she came farther into the room. “Merry Christmas.” She sat in an overstuffed chair near us and lowered the bag on her shoulder to the ground. Then she dug through it and retrieved some small, brightly wrapped presents. She handed one to each of us before returning to her seat and shrinking into it while her hands twisted nervously in her lap.
Luke unwrapped his box and opened it to find a thick platinum band nestled in the tissue paper. His brows lifted, and he looked at his sister in surprise. “Grandpa’s ring?”
She nodded and gestured to the present. “I know the men in our family like to wear rings so that even non-shifters know they are claimed. And even though Adley was raised in this pack, I thought that since she is human, she might like to get married.” A lot of shifters considered the claiming enough, but some didn’t. Particularly those with human mates as it was a tradition in our culture. I was impressed with Heather’s thoughtfulness and hoped she was turning her life around continued to blossom.
Luke looked down at my face and smiled tenderly. “Is that something you’d like, baby?”
I hadn’t realized until right that moment how much I wanted to marry him, and it seemed almost funny that I had Heather to thank for helping me come to that realization. I nodded, and he bent his head to kiss the tip of my nose. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
Heather sighed, but it wasn’t an irritated one. It sounded more like relief. I glanced at her, and she jutted her chin toward the present in my hands. “If you’d said no, this gift would have been a little pointless,” she said with a sheepish shrug.
I ripped open the red and white paper and lifted the lid. My breath caught in my throat when I saw a beautiful, diamond-encrusted ring with a round diamond on top, flanked by deep blue sapphires.
“Heather,” Luke’s shocked voice drew my attention to his face. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and smiled at me. “That was my great-grandmother’s ring. She was also human. It was passed down to me, but I think it should be yours.”
“I can’t take this,” I sputtered as I tried to hand the ring back, but she wouldn't take it.
“Who knows if I’ll even find my mate, and that ring shouldn’t just sit around waiting. It’s meant to be worn by a woman in love. If my mate shows up someday, I want to have something new made. Something that reminds me I’m a different person. Hopefully, someone worthy of him.”
I was too choked with tears to respond, so I simply stood and took a few steps to her chair, pulling her up into a hug. “You will be,” I told her.
The rest of the day was full of love and laughter, and I was delighted to see the ice between Luke and Heather thawing. I truly believed she was on the path to becoming a better person, and eventually, I believed she had earned the right to return home. So, I approached my new alpha and spoke on her behalf. He seemed genuinely pleased with the situation and gave his blessing.
Luke’s family had welcomed me with open arms, but it wasn’t until Heather came back that I felt as though I’d been blessed with two complete families. And when our daughter Sloan was born, my parents came to visit, and those families merged into one.
Epilogue
Luke
“Hey, baby,” I greeted Adley as I walked up behind her and slid my arms around her waist. I kissed her neck, and as usual, even after ten years together, a shiver raced down her spine. My chuckle vibrated against her skin as I dragged my lips up to nibble on the shell of her ear. “I missed you,” I breathed. I’d only been gone twenty-four hours while completing an assignment given to me by my alpha, but I hated any lengthy time away from my mate.
Adley twisted around and twined her arms around my neck, lifting her face for a proper kiss. Eagerly, I pressed my lips to hers and groaned before licking along the seam of her mouth. She opened for me, and I tangled my tongue with hers, starving for her taste. The kiss began to heat, but before I could sweep her up in my arms and carry her to our bed, our three-year-old, Zuri, came running into the kitchen, exclaiming when she spotted me.
“Daddy!” I groaned at the interruption and nipped Adley’s lip when she stifled a laugh. I adored my children, but it hadn’t taken me long to understand what Kace had been talking about. Our pups had perfect timing. Anytime I had Adley beneath me or was about to find
a private place to have a quickie, one of our kids inevitably needed something.
“I thought they were with Calliope,” I mumbled before turning and crouching down to catch my daughter as she threw herself into my arms.
Before she could answer, Calliope strolled into the room with our seven-year-old son, Wren, following with his eyes on the floor.
“Wen said I can’t shift ’cuz I’m a girl,” Zuri wailed dramatically.
I narrowed my eyes at my son when he quickly glanced up but verbally responded to my daughter. “You know he’s just teasing, pumpkin. Sloane can shift, and she’s a girl.”
Zuri pulled her head back and looked up at me with crocodile tears running down her face and her little lips trembling. My heart cracked at seeing my baby girl so upset.
“I said she probably wouldn’t be able to shift as early as me since she’s a girl,” Wren muttered, digging the toe of his sneaker into the floor. “Not that she wouldn’t ever be able to.”
“I’m sorry,” Calliope spoke up. “This was my fault. Azlyn’s been upset because Rush shifted a week ago.” My eyebrows rose at this news. Rush was only three, a year younger than his sister Azlyn. It wasn’t unheard of for kids to shift that early, but it didn’t happen often.
“She’s convinced herself that it’s because she’s a girl since Kyla didn’t shift until she was around eight. Wren obviously heard her complaining and relayed the theory to Zuri.”
Adley waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Kids have misunderstandings all the time, and Zuri tends to be…” she glanced at our daughter still crying softly in my arms and whispered the rest, “a little overly dramatic.”
Calliope chuckled. “She and Azlyn are going to be competing for an Oscar someday.”
“I don’t want a mate named Oscar,” Zuri suddenly wailed as she began to sob hysterically again.
“Let’s just hope the selective hearing goes away soon,” Adley said as she rolled her eyes, but her tone was amused.
“Hey, pumpkin. Can you calm down for me, please?” I cajoled.
Zuri hiccupped and sniffed a couple of times before nodding her head. “Good girl. You’ll shift when you're ready, Zuri,” I told her gently. “Do you believe me?”
My daughter nodded again and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. “Yes, Daddy. You know everything.”
I beamed but tossed a small glare at my wife when I heard her coughing to cover her laughter. “That’s right, pumpkin,” I said smugly.
Zuri snuggled into my embrace, and I picked her up as I stood. Calliope gave a quick wave and said goodbye before she headed out.
Adley offered to make a snack, and Zuri clapped happily, all traces of her despair wiped away. I set her down in a booster seat at the kitchen table and placed a kiss on her head before turning to face my son. He’d been sneaking toward the door but froze when he felt my eyes on him. His head swiveled around, and when he saw the expression on my face, his shoulders slumped.
“Let’s talk,” I said, tipping my head toward the back door that led to a large backyard that ended at the edge of a forest. I strolled over and opened the door and watched as Wren trudged over. He looked so pathetic; I had a hard time holding in my smile. Zuri wasn’t the only dramatic one around here. I maintained that they inherited their flare from their Aunt Heather. Whereas Sloane, my pragmatic child, took after me.
Wren plopped down onto the plump cushions of one of the wicker chairs at our patio table. I took the chair next to him but rotated us to face one another.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked softly.
“No.” Wren sighed with relief, but I didn’t let him off the hook so easily. “But I’m disappointed that you would say things to Zuri that you knew would upset her.”
My son grimaced. I didn’t have to punish him often. Seeing my disappointment was usually enough to have him asking forgiveness and correcting his behavior.
“She was going on and on about shifting, and I didn’t want her to get her hopes up.”
I cocked my head to the side and studied him as I responded. “I appreciate what you were trying to do, buddy, but she’s three. She doesn’t understand the logic the way we do. Next time, tell Mom or me, and we’ll handle it if we think it’s necessary. Got it?”
Wren nodded and dug the toe of his shoe into the ground again. “Sorry, Dad.”
I pulled him from his chair and gave him a big hug. “Thanks, buddy. But I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”
He stepped away and stoically marched back into the house, making me chuckle.
When I walked in, he was telling Zuri he was sorry and giving her a hug. Then he threw me a smile and announced, “I’m going out to play!” as he bounced out of the room, clearly over the whole incident. Adley snickered, and we shared a look of amusement. Life was never dull in our house. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
* * *
“You’re amazing,” Adley panted later that night when the kids were finally asleep, and my mate welcomed me home with a silky scrap of fabric that quickly landed on the floor in shreds.
“That is the word on the street,” I teased as I spooned her and tucked her into my body.
Adley snickered and reached back to poke me in the ribs. “Like anyone else would know.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks but you, baby.”
She let out a little sigh of contentment and her fingertips floated softly over my arm, sending little zings of pleasure over my skin. “While I fully admit that you are amazing in bed,” she acknowledged, “I was talking about as a husband and father. I still can’t believe that fate gave me you as a mate.”
Frowning, I rolled Adley onto her back and came up over her. “You are everything, baby. If anyone should be shocked at their good fortune, it’s me. I can’t think of anything I did to deserve you, but it doesn’t matter anyway because I’m never letting you go. You’re mine.”
My mate smiled, and it lit up her beautiful face, filling me with love and a healthy dose of lust. “Such a neanderthal,” she muttered with a smirk.
“Maybe I am,” I consented with a wink. “But you love it.” One of my hands drifted down to cup her soaked pussy. “It gets you so wet. Are you needy, baby? Do you want your caveman to fuck you?”
Adley licked her lips, making my mouth water, and nodded. “Please,” she begged, wrapping her legs around my waist.
Flames of desire engulfed me, and I thrust my hard, fat cock into her tight channel and fucked her with wild abandon.
“Luke!” she hissed. “Yes!”
“Fuck, baby,” I groaned. “I’ll never get enough of this pussy. So damn good.”
“I’m so close—”
“MOMMY!”
I stilled and buried my face in Adley’s neck as I growled, “Son of a bitch!”
“Hold that thought,” Adley whispered with a snicker. Her walls clenched around my hard on, and my hips punched forward involuntarily. I groaned at the sheer ecstasy and scowled at her as she pushed me away and climbed off the bed.
“You’re going to pay for that,” I warned.
Adley smirked as she threw my T-shirt over her head. Looking sexy as fuck in my clothes, she pranced to the door and quipped, “I hope so,” before disappearing. I fell to the bed with a laugh and a tortured groan.
“DADDY! There’s a momster!” Zuri yelled at the top of her lungs, and I chuckled as I rolled out of bed. “Momsters” were Daddy territory. I grabbed a pair of sleep pants and put them on before heading off to be a hero. My kids might have been little cock-blockers, but along with their mom, they were the loves of my life. I’d do anything for them, including slaying “momsters.”
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About the Author
The writing duo of Elle Christensen and Roc
helle 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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Her Mate: Badlands Territory/Shifted Love Crossover Page 6
