Chapter 14

Orion

Every day I spend with Scout is more wonderful than the last. Seeing her exploring the house brings so much joy to my heart. The smallest thing fills her with so much excitement and gratitude. "But how did you know?" she keeps saying, as she discovers one thing after another?—

The library, with a spiral staircase leading up to the second level gallery;

The cozy reading alcove that hangs right over the forest, stuffed with comfy cushions;

The collection of vintage teacups and saucers, with a selection of different teas from around the world (all my mom's work; can't take credit for that);

The little maze on the far side of the house, lined with twinkling fairy lights, and planted with fragrant herbs.

I feel her unfurling, starting to believe that tomorrow is going to be a good day, and the day after that, and the day after that…

"I never want to leave here," she tells me over and over, and that suits me just fine. We spend most of our time in bed, or in the pool, or wandering outside in the sunshine. Part of me is dying to take her out and show her all the good things in the world, but the other part is happy to have her all to myself. There'll be time for all that later. One day soon, I'll take her to meet the clan. I know my mom senses something is up, but so far I've managed to keep her at bay. Truth is, I can't wait for her to meet Scout, either. See the look on her face when she sees that everything turned out just the way she promised. All I needed was to believe in fate and build the perfect nest for my mate.

But for now, I can't get enough of my sweet girl, and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of our time together.

This morning,the bed is empty when I wake up, though. And I'm disappointed. Every other day, I've woken up first and watched her while she was sleeping. Staring at her beautiful face in a way I couldn't if she was awake, because she'd probably think I was weird. I love to see how her lips always part a little when she's asleep. I love how her eyelids are a little translucent and sometimes I can see her eyes moving back and forth, and I know she's dreaming. She always sleeps sprawled out. She told me her usual bed is a broken old army cot. But here, she relaxes and spreads out like the queen she is.

Often, she throws the covers off, and I can stare at her lovely tits and soft belly. Sometimes I even get a glimpse of the golden triangle of hair between her legs.

But today, her side of the bed is cold.

I jolt upright, sensing that something is wrong.

My beast takes charge and I dash around the house, snuffling, desperate to track her down.

At last, I find her in the floral bedroom—the one I call "Scout's dressing room" now. My heartbeat slows down.

But when she turns to me, I notice that her soft forehead is marred with a frown. Panic jolts through me.

"What is it, honey?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep." She swipes the back of her hand across her forehead.

"Something's bothering you. Come tell me about it."

She gives me a brave smile as I draw her down onto the bed and encircle her in my arms.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my family." She puffs out her cheeks. "This is gonna sound real stupid?—"

"Scout, nothing you have to say is stupid, trust me." I take hold of her hand and keep stroking it until she's ready to continue.

"I just hate the way that dad is gonna think I failed because I didn't make it back. And I know that's crazy. I'm so happy here with you. Why should I give a crap what my dad thinks, after the way he treated me?"

I swallow hard. The tears in her eyes are like a knife twisting in my heart.

"You know what I think?" I say carefully. "I think your dad—in his own way—set you an Alpha challenge."

She wrinkles her nose. "What's that?"

"It's common among shifters. When the Alpha of a clan or pack has several sons, he often makes them compete to see who would be best suited to succeed him when he gets old."

She nods thoughtfully. "That figures. He always seems pretty preoccupied about building the community and the family's position in it." She's quiet for a moment, then her expression darkens. "He put me in his Alpha challenge, but he never expected me to make it back."

She springs to her feet, and when I see the fire burning in her eyes, I fall in love with her even more.

"I've got to show him." She paces up and down in front of me. "I can't rest until I do it."

Her small hands are clenched into fists. I reach out and hold them in mine. "You're saying you want to continue with your mission?

She nods fiercely. Then sadness fills her eyes. "I don't know how long it's gonna take. I might be gone for days or even weeks. I can't stand to leave you, Orion, but I've got to do this. I hope you understand."

My heart fills with pride for this tough little girl of mine. She's even more of a fierce she-bear than I knew.

"Okay," I say slowly. "I do understand. And I'll be right here when you get back."

Then I bite back a smile. What she doesn't understand is that there's no way I'm leaving her by herself, ever again.