"Do you think you can drop that bomb and then head to the house?" Kassie's mouth dropped in disbelief.
"No, but I was trying to stay out of trouble." It was strange that I was enjoying this moment so much. Maybe things weren't quite as different as I feared they were.
"If Mason hadn't told us to stay back and be alert, we'd all have run after him." Mona sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "I knew I should've gone with my gut and not let you go."
"We can talk about that later." Kassie pointed at me. "Tell us what happened. What did the vampire want?"
Mason ran back out of the house and straight to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
Wow, now I was getting lectured by three people. "I'm sorry. It's just... all the attention made me feel uncomfortable. It's going to take a while for me to get used to it. I've lived my entire life, trying to stay under everyone's radar and not garner attention."
I hadn't even considered that. Mason pulled me away from his chest for a second and looked me in the eye. I should’ve known. "You just did something so amazing for our family. We weren't trying to make you feel uncomfortable."
The word ‘our’ wasn’t missed by me. I finally had a family again. "I know that, but I didn't do anything. Each one of you has played a part in making me what I am… someone who is becoming a stronger person, not weaker." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips. "I need you to be my partner and not change who you are." Lately, it felt like he had been holding his wolf back, and it caused everything that had been bothering me to come out. I need you to be an alpha with me and not try to let me do it all alone.
Of course, I'm with you. His hand cupped my cheek, and he smiled. I wanted you to rule as the queen. I thought you needed people to see you stand on your own.
There is a reason why royals’ mates are alphas themselves. They're stronger when they rule together. I needed him to see that.
"Okay, I know you guys are having a moment, but I’m damn impatient and need to know what the hell is going on." Kassie appeared right next to us, so close I could feel her breath.
"If that's not an effective way of breaking that up, I don't know what is." Mona chuckled as she watched the whole thing.
"All right." I turned toward her and took a deep breath before filling her in.
Ella and Louis stayed at her parents’ house that night, while the rest of us went back to the place that was truly home to me. Besides, our small house was only a few minutes away from Mason’s father’s pack.
When we walked into the house, some of the stress and tension that had been plaguing me seemed to dissipate.
"Is there a certain place I'll be sleeping?" Teague glanced around the house with his nose wrinkled.
It was obvious he wasn't used to a standard, middle-income home. Our house was nice but nothing that would wow anyone. That was part of the charm. Here, I wasn't a queen or an alpha. It had taken a while with us moving around, ensuring we weren’t tracked. Somehow though, we’d finally found the first place that felt like home after my parents died. "Do you two ladies mind sharing a bed so Teague can have his own?" I gave a small smile to Teague. “This place only has three bedrooms.”
"Why am I not surprised?" Teague mumbled the words, but we were able to hear him clearly.
“Yeah, that’s fine with us.” Mona smiled and glanced in Kassie’s direction.
“Fine.” Her words were gruff.
"We'll be back in New York by tomorrow, Teague." I tried to hide the smile from my lips. "So if you could tough it out one night, I'd appreciate it."
"Of course." His smile was forced, which made Kassie snort.
"I'm beat." I glanced at the clock and realized how late it was. It was approaching midnight.
"We need to be at the airport by ten in the morning." Mona began up the stairs. "I've already made the plans." Her eyes landed on Teague. "Let me show you to your room."
The night had felt short and joyful. After we had calmed down from the vampire confrontation, we all had dinner together and spent time with a healthy Dehlia. She was so much stronger than I'd ever realized before.
"Let's get to bed." Mason took my hand and tugged me in the direction of the stairs. "Goodnight, everyone."
"Goodnight." Kassie nodded. "Oh, and Elena, don't sneak out or do something else equally dense."
Well, at least she hadn't outright said ‘stupid’.
"Don't worry," Mason said right before he disappeared. "I'll keep a close eye on her."
Will you now?
Yup. When we reached the top of the stairs, he took the first door to the right into my room.
The room wasn't anything fancy, but it had a queen bed, a makeup table, and a closet where all my old clothes stayed. The bathroom was in the hall right next door, separating mine and Mona's rooms.
He pulled me into his chest and then shut the door. As soon as it clicked closed, he kissed my lips and grabbed my ass. I love you.
Instead of trying to form words, I matched each one of his tongue strokes and pressed my body firmly against his.
A low growl escaped him. He lifted me, so I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he walked us over to our bed.
I thought you didn't want to do anything here while Mona and Kassie are so close. He'd always teased me because the walls were thin here.
Tonight, I don't give a flying fuck. He nipped at my lips, making me moan. Let's just try to be a little more quiet than usual. We can make up for it tomorrow night when we're back in our soundproof bedroom.
His promise made my stomach flutter. He carefully placed me down on my back as he stood over me.
I reached forward and peeled his shirt from his body. His abs were on display, and his muscles bulged as he removed my shirt as well.
His body covered mine as he leaned down to bite and kiss my neck. Within seconds, my bra disappeared. I'm sorry. Tell me if I'm going too fast.
Normally, we made love to one another, teasing and terrorizing each other until we were both desperate for a sweet release. Tonight though, I wanted something different. Faster. I need you.
Well, we can’t have that now, can we? He lowered his hands, yanking my jeans and panties off in one go.
I wanted him desperately, so I unbuttoned his pants, tugging them hard so they dropped to the floor. When both of us were finally undressed, he grabbed my legs, lifting each one against his shoulders and chest. He remained standing as he slammed into me over and over again.
The quick thrusts made me dizzy as the pleasure was overwhelming.
Soon, we both climaxed and fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, we woke and quickly got ready to head back to NYC. It wasn't long before we all were dressed and heading over to James and Dehlia's to pick up Ella and Louis.
As we turned down the drive to his parents’ pack, we noticed that wolves were strategically placed throughout the woods.
At least, James knew to take the threat seriously. I wasn’t quite sure what we’d do if something happened to either one of Mason and Ella’s parents right after Dehlia was healed. However, it made me doubt my decision even more. Maybe I should meet with him?