Epilogue
Zeke
Allegra’s hand squeezed mine tightly as we walked up the steps to a pretty house in a typical suburban neighborhood. “Relax, sweetheart,” I murmured before leaning over to brush a kiss over the top of her head. The curtains in the picture window to our right shifted slightly, and Allegra’s grip tightened again.
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I just want them to like you and to tell them…” She shivered, and I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or the cold, winter air.
I stopped on the porch and turned to face her, wrapping her in my embrace. “We’ll tell them together, and even if they are resistant to the idea in the beginning, I’m sure they’ll come around eventually.” I wasn’t as confident as I sounded, but I wasn’t about to do anything to upset my mate any further. I couldn’t stand it when she was unhappy.
I wasn’t sure what I’d do if her parents didn’t accept the idea of shifters or having their daughter mated to one. For a moment, my wolf pushed against my skin, and I almost gave in to the urge to bare my teeth as we considered simply killing her parents and removing them from the equation. Just as quickly, I told my wolf to back the fuck off and reminded him how angry and sad it would make our mate. He immediately calmed down and retreated.
The solution was to make them like me enough that they would accept anything else we told them. I could be docile. Like a cuddly dog. My wolf nudged against me again, and I could practically feel him shaking with laughter.
Allegra’s head tilted to the side as she stared up at me. “Are you ready for this?”
I smiled tenderly and gave her a whisper of a kiss on the lips. “Definitely. I just want to get this over with so you can stop worrying.”
She returned the gesture, and the love shining from her eyes had my beast and me practically purring. “I want them to love you like I do,” she admitted quietly.
I grinned wolfishly. “Not exactly like you do, I hope.” I didn’t bother to hide the hungry expression on my face and pushed my erection into the apex of her thighs.
A shiver skittered down her spine, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips, making me groan. “Definitely not,” she agreed. Then she went up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine.
I was about to deepen the kiss when the front door suddenly flung open, shattering our moment, and an attractive woman who looked a lot like my mate burst out of the house. She yanked Allegra out of my arms and into a tight hug. Since it was her mom, I reluctantly let her go. Looking past them, my eyes met those of an older man who was shaking his head with an exasperated smile. “I held her off as long as I could.”
“Hi, Mom,” Allegra gasped as she struggled to breathe while returning her mother’s hug. I was about to yank her back when her mom finally let up. She kept an arm around my mate when she turned to face me.
She had a tight smile on her face, and though I wanted to growl at her possessive gesture, I reminded myself of the goal and gave her a bright greeting. “Mrs. Hale. It’s great to finally meet you and your husband. Allegra talks about you constantly.” That was a bit of a stretch, but her mother’s expression softened, so I knew it had been the right move.
Allegra’s father stepped out and gave her a warm hug, before her mom, once again, put an arm around Allegra. My wolf pushed against my skin in annoyance, and I held in a growl. Neither of us liked anyone else trying to lay claim to our mate.
Allegra must have seen the warning in my expression because she hurried to introduce us. “Mom, Dad, this is Zeke Blakesley. The sheriff of Timber Ridge and my…” She trailed off and looked at me with a hint of desperation.
I gently extracted her from her mother’s grip and tucked her into my side. “The man who is hopelessly in love with your daughter.” Allegra melted into my side, and I gave in to the urge to punctuate my point with a kiss on her crown. It was a small gesture, but it was still staking a claim, and it soothed my beast for the moment.
Allegra’s parents looked a little surprised at my answer, but they also seemed pleased by it. “Nice to meet you,” Allegra’s dad said as he held out his hand for a shake. I took it firmly, and he nodded, clearly happy with the exchange. “Call me Joe, and this is my wife, Hannah.”
“Why don’t we go inside?” Hannah suggested. Her demeanor had softened noticeably toward me, but I didn’t miss her eyeing my hold on Allegra. “It’s freezing out here.”
In an effort to extend another olive branch, I kissed Allegra on the forehead and murmured, “Why don’t I get our things and the gifts out of the car? It’ll give you three a little privacy to say hello.”
Hannah brightened at my suggestion, and I was pretty sure I saw another small crack in her armor. As I headed back to the car, a satisfied smile spread across my face.
I stretched as I woke and rolled over to take Allegra into my arms, but I found an empty space next to me. A scowl formed on my face as I remembered why I was in bed alone. Over the past two days, I’d worked my way into Allegra’s parents’ good graces. However, that had included sleeping in separate rooms. I hadn’t spent a night away from my mate since the day we met, and it was driving me crazy. It made me even more impatient to give her the present I had stashed away. I was also more than ready to come clean with her parents about what I was and deal with their reaction, whatever it would be. Allegra and I had decided to wait until after Christmas to give them the full story. She wanted time for them to get to know me first, and she didn’t want it to ruin the holiday if things didn’t go well.
A soft knock had me sitting up, but before I could call out for whoever it was to wait, the door inched open and Allegra’s sweet face popped inside. Her eyes swept hungrily down my bare chest and paused on my morning wood tenting the sheet. It had hardened even more the moment I’d felt her eyes on me, and I fisted the sheet on either side of me to keep from racing across the room and dragging her back to bed.
“Don’t look at me like that until you’re going to do something about it, baby,” I growled. Her eyes bounced back up to my face, and she grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry.” Then she beamed at me and did an excited little jump. “It’s Christmas, sleepyhead. Get your sexy butt out here so I can open my presents!”
I laughed because she was just so fucking adorable. “Give me a minute to get some clothes on, sweetheart. I’ll be right there.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze swept over me once more, this time without the heat. “Are you sleeping naked in my parents’ house?” she whisper-yelled with a cute glare. I loved how jealous she got and how possessive she was over me. It was sexy as fuck, and it kept me from any worries I might have had about my caveman instincts when it came to her.
I shook my head as I rose from the bed. “I wouldn’t do that.”
She looked slightly mollified but still a little put out. “Wear some pajamas, would you?”
I grinned and winked at her. “You’re hot as hell when you get territorial, you know that?” Her cheeks bloomed with pink, and she shrugged.
“I don’t like the idea of another woman seeing you in just your boxers, not even my mom.”