“I’ve been telling people we’ve been undermanned for some time, Nana.”
“Undermanned...” one of the other women muttered. “My Kieran said—”
“Um... I’m sorry to make this all about me, but seriously, what? Are you saying I could be pregnant?” I looked down at the little implant in my arm, and the women’s eyes followed it.
“That won’t help anymore,” one said with a carnivorous smile. “We work for the strength of the tribe, and children are our greatest strength.”
“They only work for the ones like that Nerida girl, who can’t shift,” Nancy said.
“So you’re saying....” I didn’t have the words, but the two Nanas nodded anyway.
“Pfft...” one of the quieter women said from the back. “Stop tormenting the girl. She hasn’t gone through initiation yet, and you’re going to play games with her?” The woman’s dark eyes locked on mine. “Your body is a gift from the goddess, born from the originals who were raped and forced to bear children for those we do not speak of. You will have a child when you feel ready, not before. Never again will fertility be imposed on you. Sometimes, when caught up in the moment of bonding, pregnancies have happened. The swelling you felt inside you heralds the potential for a child from the union, but it won’t happen unless you want it. I’m Asher, by the way.”
“Thanks, Asher.” I gave the Nanas a baleful look, which only made them laugh all the more. “I hope you’re not offended that I’m glad that’s not on the table just yet?” I said to Slade.
“With all the practising we’ve got to get done? Never, princess. Now, about what we were talking about before...”
“Welcome to the family,” Nancy said, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. “That boy gets out of line, you tell me. His grandfather was always a mouthy one, as is his father.”
“Hey, it was opening my fat trap that got me the girl, Nana.”
“Yes, and I’m sure the girl can think of a much better use for it.”
“Our esteemed leader’s here,” one of the women said, peering out the side fence to the front yard.
Nancy glanced over to the back door with a flat gaze. “You need to invite the alpha into your territory. You can rescind it at any time, but for now, you let her in.”
“Thanks, and nice to meet you all,” I said with a nod and then walked off.
The house felt cool and blessedly quiet as I went inside, Slade at my heels. I glanced at the big spread of food arranged over several tables and, he tugged me into the kitchen.
“You OK, princess?” Those hazel eyes searched my face, looking for cues to go with the feelings no doubt rocketing down our link. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. “I’m sorry, love. Brandon was right to be angry. I didn’t mean to dump you in this.”
My hand went to his cheek, just feeling the rasp of his bristles for a moment. “As much as he would hate to admit it, you can’t plan these things.”
I saw the smile in his eyes as he turned his face, his lips kissing my palm. I gasped at the soft feel of them pressing against my skin. Fuck, I thought as I felt my cunt throb, this is like the heat, but worse.
It was nice of all these people to come and celebrate this moment with us, and I’m sure all of them were lovely, but a house full of guests was not what I wanted right now. I wanted the silence to settle over us in this foreign space as we stripped ourselves bare for each other, nothing between us as we gave ourselves time to really discover what we’d created together.
“God, princess,” Slade groaned, his eyes hooded. “You smell so fucking hot. Maybe I can flip up your skirts and crawl under and—”
“Smell?”
His eyes opened slightly, but he still looked dazed, pressing his body against mine, his hands slipping down to my hips to press me closer.
“Like honey, heavy and dripping and hot, just like you’ll feel when I push myself inside you.”
A loud knock on the front door had both of us jumping. For a moment, I just stood there, Slade’s arm loosely wrapped around my waist, the feel of him—hard and heavy against my leg—anchoring me in the now. Another knock came.
“No flipping skirts,” I said, waving a finger before pulling free and walking over to the front door. Buddy came bounding over, yipping at the door until I pushed him away. I opened it to find Kelly and Finn standing on the front step, which was to be expected. What surprised me was Jack and Hawk stood behind them.
“Hi, come in,” I said. “You didn’t have to knock.”
“This is different, Jules,” Finn said, then nodded to Kelly.
She straightened, her demeanour sombre now. “As alpha of Sanctuary, I request entry into your home.”
“Um...sure. Come in?”