She sat down beside the lake. It was still cold out, but she wasn’t ready to head back home.
Jessica avoided her today, as did most of the women who would visit the kitchen.
“He sounds nice.”
“He sent his condolences when my parents passed.”
“He’s still alpha?”
“No, he passed that to his son when he proved himself. We’re still in touch, but we don’t see a lot of each other.”
At the mention of his parents, she saw a sadness there. “You miss them?”
“Yes. They … sacrificed their pack to save me. My father loved his alpha and would do anything for him. My mother was the same, and I couldn’t believe that they chose me. Mom would always laugh and say that I may not have been her alpha, but I was her son, and she wouldn’t have anything bad happen to me. That the moment she gave birth to me, she made a vow to protect me always.”
“I bet she knew she had someone special,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I’m talking about my family and yours…”
“Are monsters? You don’t have to worry about it. It’s nice to know that even though you were kicked out of your pack, you were still loved by your parents. It means there is hope.”
“Hope for that?”
“That not all wolves reject their children. It’s not some inbuilt rule that they must believe what their pack wants in order to stay there. My family had a choice, and they chose not to love me.”
She thought it would hurt to say the truth, but it didn’t. There was no reason to hide from it. They didn’t love her, nor did they want her.
“You’d make a good mother,” he said.
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Do you want kids?”
She nodded. “Yes, for a long time that’s all I thought about. I wanted a big family. I think it’s why I tried so hard at my old pack. I wanted their love and to have them fight for me. I was wrong to think they could love me though. That was my mistake.”
“No, it’s their mistake for not seeing how fucking amazing you are. Don’t ever make others’ faults your own. You’re not them, Cassie. I for one am pleased that they didn’t want you. I got you all to myself.”
He tugged on her arm, pulling her against him. She landed on his chest, and she chuckled. Kissing his lips, she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
“You’re very goofy when you start.”
“Only with you.” Both of his hands rested beneath his head, and she stared down at him.
“Thank you for doing all of this,” she said. “Helping me.”
“There’s nothing else I could see as more important than helping you.”
“I’m a woman in need.” She chuckled.
“You’re worried?”
“I’m not worried or anything. I’m concerned.”
“What about?”
“Jessica told me that I could stay at your home for a couple of months. To have that connection to the pack.”
“Yes?”
“What happens after those two months?”
“Cassie, baby, I hate to say this to you, but to me this is not a casual hookup. I’m not using you, and I’m not going to let you go when your time is up. I want you to stay,” he said.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. You’re mine, Cassie. I don’t ever give up what is mine, and I have no intention of starting now.” He cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking across her lip.
She licked his digit as he pressed it against her mouth. When he pushed inside, she sucked on him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Good, why?”
“You’re not feeling sore?”
Her pussy clenched. “No, I’m not feeling sore.”
Within a second, he flipped her on her back, and was over her. He pulled her shorts from her body, spreading her legs as he did. His cock slid in deep, already so hard that it made her gasp.
“Because I’ve been wanting to do this to you all morning but I wanted to try and be a gentleman about it.”
He pulled out of her only to slide in deep, going to the hilt. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down, taking his lips as he fucked her. The sounds of the earth around them filled her with peace as Abel made love to her.
She felt whole for the first time in her life, and she knew it was all about him and the pack. This was her home, where she wanted to be.
Abel had somehow fixed her broken heart, and when she’d arrived at his home, she was indeed broken.
She also believed she was falling for him, and hard.
****
Abel checked the security fences around his property. He owned several acres of land, and the surrounding forest. To make sure no one mistook his land as available to hunt on, he’d placed metal fencing all around that also contained rolls of barbed wire on top of each line of fencing.