“The alternative is that your bone sets improperly and you have a permanent limp for the rest of your life.”
“Landon.” Jane stood at the doorway. “Are you giving your nurse a hard time again?”
“It’s not my fault if she’s the one being difficult.”
She waddled toward the bedside. Her stomach was so swollen that it was becoming harder and harder for her to walk. “Landon.”
“Fine. I’ll try to cooperate.”
“Good.” She leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
“Where’s Roman?”
“He’s out with some of the pack members, trying to find a suitable place for us to claim as our own. There’s a bit of a dispute going on about what places are best. If you ask me, we should just settle around this tree. It seems as good a place as any.”
“Only if I’m allowed to be the matriarch,” Cynthia chimed with a quirky smile.
“You? The matriarch? That’s a straight path towards disaster.”
She answered my insult by slapping the back of my head. Now I was starting to remember why it had never worked out between the two of us.
“Seriously, though. The tree would be a pretty good watchtower in case anything tries to mess with us and being a valley, it should prove easier to defend against outsiders.”
Jane was making a lot of sense. I didn’t know where she had learned all this stuff but it was certainly impressive. “I think you’re right.”
“Do I get a say in this?” asked Cynthia.
“No. Because you’re going to be pack whether you want to or not.”
“And who’s going to make me?”
“That little lover of yours,” I countered. “Fiona, I think her name was.”
Cynthia blushed at my comment. “It’s just a little fling — nothing serious.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Jane winked at Cynthia. “Would you mind if I had some alone time with my mate?”
“Of course not. And if he tries anything funny, just let out a shout and I’ll be sure to put him in his place.”
“Last I checked, I’m still the alpha male of this pack.”
“Last I checked, I can still kick your ass if I want to.” Cynthia spun on her heel and walked away. All I could do was shake my head. Some people are just too much to handle and Cynthia was certainly one of them.
“She’s quite the character,” said Jane. “But I’m glad she’s part of the team or else I fear we would have lost you.”
“Nah, it would have taken more than a few bite wounds to get rid of me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I pulled her into bed with me and held her against my chest. “Let’s not talk about the past. All that matters now is the future we intend to create together.
Just then, Roman barged into the room with a headdress of antlers on his head.
“Uh…?” Jane looked at him like he had just lost his mind and honestly, it seemed like a pretty viable possibility. “Do you mind explaining what’s that on your head?”
“A symbol of my status within the pack. Some of the members made it for me using the antlers of our kill. We were pretty successful. So, if you guys want dinner, I’d suggest going down there before it’s all gone.”