Chapter Fourteen

“It’s so different being back here,” Corey murmured, looking around her cabin. “How long were we gone?”

“Three weeks,” Ace said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He kissed her neck, and she leaned into the affection. “Do you feel like you need to Change?” he asked. “You can. There’s plenty of room between your property and Gunner’s. You and Hallie have been doing really good with control, and if you go outside of the territory, I can bring you back.”

She closed her eyes against how good it felt to be in a normal moment alone with him. “I’m okay.”

“Damn right you are,” he uttered as he passed her. He was carrying the duffel bag he’d packed and brought out to the wilderness where she and Hallie were rehabbed. Even now, after just Changing this morning, she could feel the animal. Ace had assured her she would get used to having another creature in her mind, but so far she still had moments of being overwhelmed.

“You have seen me at my worst,” she said suddenly. It had been on her mind a lot lately.

He set the bag down near the hallway and turned, eyes questioning. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” The emotions bubbled to the surface. She was so used to being strong for Hallie, but here in the quiet with Ace, she felt vulnerable. “You saw me hurt, and defensive, and naked after Changes when my body hurt, and with three weeks of bathing in a river, and no makeup and messy hair, and—”

“Hey,” he said softly as he closed the distance between them. “I was honored.” He pulled her in and swayed her in a dance. “Owen said something that stuck with me.”

“Oh God, I can’t imagine. Was it something to do with a dick joke?” she teased.

Ace laughed, spun her out, and drew her back in. “He called me a guardian of a silver bear. Do you know how fuckin’ cool that is?”

“No.”

“Trust me, you’re cool. And you know, the timing worked. My boss was already training someone to take over at the other location, I had to iron out details with the realtor, I had time to take off. I will never forget spending three weeks in the woods with you and Hallie and Gunner.”

“And Owen, the stage-five clinger.”

He laughed and nodded. “And him. God, he is a mess.”

“Aren’t we all though?” she asked seriously.

He looked down at her, and his blue eyes softened as he moved a flyaway strand of hair from her face. “You’re not as messy as you think.”

“I think I lost my job.”

He shrugged. “You can work at Moosey’s. Captain needs help on the barbecue side.”

“I don’t know anything about barbecue, other than I like to eat it.”

“I’ll match your paycheck at the dentist.”

“Wait, are you for real?” she asked, excitement trilling through her. “I can work with you?”

“Sure. Hallie is applying too.”

“What?” she belted out, stepping back from the dance. “Are you super-serious right now?”

“She asked Captain about it last week when he was visiting you two.”

“How did I miss that?”

“You were Changed. We could all make it pretty great, I think.”

“How do you do that?” she asked, falling back into step with the dance.

“Do what?”

“Just figure everything out. Just make everything okay.”

Ace shrugged. “I was supposed to be a king, remember? The leaders are born that way.”

“Will you say yes to Gunner’s invitation to the Fastlanders?” she asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?” she asked.

“On what you do.”

She paused and looked up at him, shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“If you need the Crew, I’ll be in the Crew. If you don’t want it for any reason, I’ll be your Crew.”

A slow smile stretched her lips, and her eyes burned with emotion. “I think you’re already my Crew.”

He leaned in and kissed her. “Do you need more? Does your animal need more?”

She understood what he was asking. Did she need to be a part of a bigger Crew with Hallie?

She nodded. “I think so.”

He smiled. “I hoped you were going to say that.”

“Yeah?”

Ace nodded. “I want to be a Fastlander.”

“Really?” she asked, hope filling her chest.

“Yeah. With you.”

“Let’s tell Gunner yes.”

Ace pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected a call to Gunner. When the Alpha answered, he sounded worried. “What’s wrong?”

Ace put it on speakerphone and hugged Corey close. “Is Hallie there?”

“Yeah, she’s right here.”

“Corey and I wanted to tell you something.”

“Okay, go on.” Gunner still sounded worried.

“We both wanted to say yes to the invite.”

Hallie whooped in the background, and Gunner’s deep chuckle came through the line. “About damn time.”

“Hell yeah!” Hallie crowed.

Corey buried her face against Ace’s chest and inhaled his scent. Her bear had already memorized it.

“Owen said yes too, and so did Wreck. So did fucking asshole Captain. We’ll have a dinner soon to celebrate, okay?” Gunner asked.

“Sounds good,” Ace rumbled, eyes steady on Corey. She stood there with her hands over her mouth, looking up at Ace and trying not to break down crying with happiness.

The emotions had been so intense since she’d been Turned.

“The Crew is set,” she whispered thickly.

“We’ve got our people,” he agreed.

“We aren’t outsiders anymore.”

Ace shook his head, but seemed unable to speak after that last part. His eyes filled with emotion, and he didn’t have to say any words. She knew. He’d been alone, and now he wasn’t.

Loneliness would never be a part of his life again.