but he fought against it.
Pulling away from the kiss, I looked into his glowing gaze. “How long can you fight it?”
For a brief second, his wolf eyes flashed through. “For as long as I need to.”
I leaned up to kiss him again, but a knock at the door interrupted us. I recognized Blake’s scent almost immediately.
“Why don’t you take your shower and get packed up. There are plenty of suitcases in my closet to choose from.”
“What time does our flight leave?” I started for the stairs and he to the door.
“Six. We’ll leave for the airport directly after the meeting.”
“Okay. Tell Blake I said hi.” I made my way up the stairs to the bedroom and shut the door. Blake and Ryker talked downstairs and I was shocked at how easily he was able to acquire my information. I guess he was as good as they said.
“Are you nervous?”
I looked out the window at all the cars before answering Tyla. “A little. I can’t help but wonder how they’ll take me. My own pack treated me as if I was a leper, except for Sebastian.”
“Who’s that?”
“My father’s second in command and my protector. He was more my friend than anything. Or at least, I thought he was. He betrayed me in the end, just like my parents. I guess you can say my experience with other wolves hasn’t been promising.”
She sat beside me, bumping me in the shoulder. “We’re going to be your family now, Bailey. Everyone downstairs will love and respect you as their alpha. You have to be willing to open up and give them a chance.”
“I will. Everything just seems to be moving so fast.”
“You’re not having doubts are you?”
“No, of course not. It’s just, I wish things could be simpler. I used to be so jealous of my friend from college. Knowing she’d be able to fall in love, get married, and do as she pleased. I envied her freedom.”
“You’ll be free here as well. As far as getting married, is that something you want? You know our kind don’t exactly have weddings.”
“I know, but I can always wish.” I remembered back to when Becca and I would go to one of the dress stores and try on wedding gowns. It was silly, but I knew it was something I’d never get to experience.
Opening the bedroom door, Ryker slipped his head inside. “You ready, angel? Everyone’s here.”
Tyla put her arm around me. “You can do this. I’ll see you downstairs.” She squeezed my shoulder and then disappeared, leaving Ryker and I alone.
“So how many wolves are in your pack?” I asked him.
“ Our pack,” Ryker reminded me for the umpteenth time as he pulled me in for a kiss. “Why don’t you go take a look?”
He opened the door wide and I held in my surprised gasp as we entered the living room. Dozens of men, women, and children all turned to gape at us. “Oh my God,” I breathed. The sight was absolutely amazing. I had never known a pack to be so large.
There weren’t just Arctic wolves either. There were reds, grays, and even a small number of Arctic wolves all congregated in one place, smiling at each other with no rivalry. I could feel the power of their blood calling to me, giving me strength. It was something I’d never felt before with my own pack.
“Do you feel that? I’ve never felt it before until now,” Ryker mentioned through our bond.
“Me neither.”
Taking my hand, Ryker walked me through the crowd, and I said my hellos to everyone as I passed. In the corner was a group of wolves that had immense power pouring off of them. When they saw us approaching, they bowed their heads. I had already gotten to know a few of them at the bar, including Cedric. I didn’t realize how strong they were until they were all together.
“Everyone, this is Bailey Whitehill, my mate,” he announced.
One by one they introduced themselves, but of course it was Cedric’s smart ass mouth that caught my attention as he made his way toward us.
“Ready for the full moon,” he quipped, punching Ryker in the arm.
Evelyn Anthony
James Rollins
Cynthia Sax
EB Jones
Emma Holly
Carol Durand, Summer Prescott
Clark Ashton Smith
Glen Cook
Natasha Stevens
Kim Gruenenfelder