Amber

A couple of weeks passed, and Sarah and I were mostly ready to move. Everything but the essentials were packed, and I was torn between nervous and excited.

Things were going well between Devon and me while we were in the city. Devon seemed more relaxed than normal, and all our problems seemed far away. I liked being able to talk to him straight between our minds because we could always have a private conversation even in my small apartment when Sarah was home. And he'd already taught me how to shield my thoughts and emotions and vice versa, and I was getting more used to being able to feel some of what he was feeling besides.

Sarah had apparently gotten over her anger at Devon, and seemed to have accepted everything now, which made things at lot less stressful as well. Things were going well, almost too well, because I was afraid moving back would mess things up between us.

He kept sleeping on my floor in his wolf form every night. I'd tried to convince him on other various sleeping arrangements, but he was adamant he'd sleep best in the room with me, and I had to keep the bed. I didn't argue much. I liked having him there with me and it made me feel secure.

He was usually in his human form again and ready for the day by the time I woke up, and most of the time he just waited around. I wasn't a late sleeper, but it seemed he was even an earlier riser than I was.

This morning was no different, and he was in my room when I awoke, sitting in my desk chair and doing something on his phone. I smoothed my messy hair as I pushed myself up. He immediately left his phone and joined me, the mattress dipping under his weight. "Morning, beautiful."

His appreciative eyes were on me. If he wanted to think I looked nice in the morning, who was I to argue? It was the best sort of delusion. I smiled at him. "Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Fine."

His brow furrowed. "You had nightmares last night."

I shrugged. "I don't remember them, so no harm done?"

"I don't like you feeling afraid." He pecked me on the lips.

I remembered feeling afraid of him, but that feeling was long gone. Even his aggressive wolf was a big softie for me. "I'm not afraid when you're around."

His smile built the increasingly familiar ache between my legs. I was getting used to craving him when he was present and longing for him when he was gone. When we kissed it only increase the fervency of my feelings. I was coming to love having his lips on mine. It felt aggravating and satisfying all at once.

We ate breakfast together. I was done with work, so my day was pretty much clear. Devon had arranged a moving van for Sarah's and my stuff. I probably didn't need it considering his pack already had everything, but I didn't want to leave it behind to go to waste. I was sure I'd never sleep in that bed again, not when Devon's was so much better and he was in it, but it could be repurposed for someone else's need, I was sure.

After breakfast, Sarah was already gone, apparently attempting to get in the maximum amount of socializing with her human friends before we left. I didn't mind because it gave me more time alone with Devon. When we got back to the pack he'd be too busy to spend this much time with me, so I enjoyed it while it lasted.

We sat on the couch together and I leaned against him. His muscular arm wrapped around my shoulders anchoring me to his solid heat. I could have stayed beside him like that all day.

His voice was less sure than it usually was when he finally broke the comfortable silence. "You don't have to agree, but it is possible for a human to become part of the pack, if you want to."

"How?"

"Same ceremony we do for wolves. It can be done anytime, but most packs do it when the moon is full. All it requires is a simple exchange of blood with the alpha and then you'd be able to talk to the pack through the link the way you talk to me."

"You want me to do it?"

"Well, of course I would like it, but I won't force you."

"How does all this even work?"

"Well, no one knows exactly, but it has to do with the magic of the pack. The pack strengthens the alpha, and the alpha anchors the pack together, sort of like a focal point through which everything flows."

"You know that makes no sense, right?"

"Well, I did say no one really knows. What we do know is that a pack can exist as small as an alpha—and the alpha doesn't have to be male, but often is—and about a half dozen members."

"So why don't rogues form packs then?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe there are other requirements? Maybe there are too few rogues strong enough to bind the members? My pack was formed generations ago, and my family came into power when my great-great grandfather won a challenge against the corrupt alpha."

"Again challenges. I don't like how they sound." I couldn't help but picture someone trying to overthrow Devon and it made me angry at even the idea someone could challenge him.

"Don't worry, beautiful. I've got the power of generations of alpha blood in my veins, and a pack that follows me willingly."

I squirmed a bit at the endearment. Even hearing him say things like that to me sometimes made me feel that nagging ache I couldn't quite ignore. I glanced at his face. Was he oblivious to what he did to me? I didn't think so.

I stretched my neck up and kissed the side of his cheek and got a smile as my reward. Looking back, I don't know how I had left him. It might be that the bond was acting more strongly on me now and that's why I felt differently, but he really was attractive. Even the way he moved made me want to be close enough to touch him.

Resisting all my urges, I focused back on our conversation. "So, if I join your pack, would I have to be luna?"

"Well, you would be luna automatically, but you don't have to do anything you don't want to do." He was tiptoeing around me still in many ways, as if to make up for everything. It was sweet, but I kind of wanted him to realize that even if I was a weak human compared to him, I was also a survivor.

"Well, what do lunas usually do?"

"They take care of the physical and emotional day to day needs of their members, although every pack is a little bit different. Alphas usually handle the defense and financial aspects, but there's a lot of crossover depending on the pair."

"So who's handling the luna stuff right now?"

"My gamma and his assistant. They'd directly report to you if you took on the role."

"Oh." Well, this was all incredibly intimidating. I'd been mostly taught how to do chores and learned how to avoid pissing the Lyndons off as much as possible. Since I'd been on my own I'd learned to work a register, fake smile, make great coffee, and speak up for myself a bit, impressive accomplishments, but nothing on what other people did. Heck, I wasn't even very good at reading, since I'd only learned as much as Mrs. Lyndon thought made me a more efficient worker, and that wasn't much at all.

I didn't want to admit that to him though.

But maybe my feelings leaked through because he pulled me closer and smiled. "Amber, it's no rush. You help the pack solely by existing, and the rest is waiting for if you want when you're ready. Gamma Terry's been taking care of those duties since my mother got sick, and can continue doing it indefinitely until he retires, and the new gamma after him."

He moved me so that I was straddling him, and I absolutely burned with the agonizing fire he was building. He brought his mouth to mine, and all my insecurities fled in the distraction of his touch.

After long teasing moments, he pulled away. Like this on his knee, he was still a bit taller than me, but our eyes were nearly level. While I examined his grey eyes, a flicker of gold flash through them.

"There's one more thing people will expect of my luna...or rather, my mate."

Something in his tone made me stiffen nervously and cast down my eyes out of habit, but even that didn't make the ache go away.

"Eventually everyone will expect us to produce an heir."

"Oh. Yeah, that."

"It's no rush. And I could always choose an heir if you don't want to," he hurried to add.

"I hadn't thought about kids that much," I admitted. "I'd always just focused on keeping myself alive."

"Understandable."

I shrugged. "I was on birth control for years when I was with the hunters."

"They had you on birth control?" he seemed annoyed.

"Yeah. Something about not potentially diluting the hunter population with my filthy weak blood, I believe Mrs. Lyndon said."

Devon growled. "I wish I'd stopped to kill all of those damn Lyndons."

"I wouldn't have been upset."

"I was just so focused on bringing you back to my pack then, Amber." He leaned his forehead against mine. "I was awful to you."

"Hey," I said, moving my head back so he was forced to look at me. "I'm here, and I'm not scared now. I knew I was screwed when I realized werewolves had me, but even when I thought you all might kill me, I wasn't sure I was worse off."

"The fact you thought you might be better off killed by werewolves..." He scowled and his anger slipped through, but it didn't scare me because it wasn't directed at me.

I leaned forward to distract him and he did exactly as I wanted and kissed me again. When we broke it, I looked down. "I'm not opposed to the idea of maybe having a baby with you, some day. Maybe not quite yet though?"

He smiled and my heart pounded at how handsome he was when he looked happy. I wanted more of it. "That sounds perfect to me." Then he paused. "Maybe we should look into human birth control before we leave—not to rush you, but..."

As I watched, his face fell, and his eyes flickered to the colour of his wolf's as his eyes met mine. "I don't know how much you've already been put through, and I don't want to pressure you. I know what that fucking hunter had been trying to do before he killed you, and—"

I shook my head. "He'd been making me uncomfortable for a long time, but you saved me from whatever he really might have done. I was lucky you got their when you did."

He pulled me closer. "Thank goodness." He breathed against my neck, the warmth tickling my skin. It built more heat down between my thighs. I moved my hips to more snugly into his to try to find some relief for the ache.

And then his phone rang. With an irritated huff he picked it up and looked at the name of the caller. "It's my brother, I have to take this," he said. I tried to move off of him, but he held me in place with a hand on my hip. Heat flew to my face when I realized he was planning on talking to Oliver while I still straddled him.

That embarrassed feeling quickly fled as I watched Devon.

I couldn't figure out what had happened from just his side of the conversation, but it was obviously something bad based on the way his expression darkened and his eyes flashed. He was tense, and my mind spun with worried ideas of what could possibly be wrong.