Chapter 57

Two weeks later,two males who looked overheated in the Florida sun delivered the order to return, wearing dark, ill-fitting suits.

We were summoned to Luis's packhouse, and the cream envelope was handed to Bredon in silence.

After the males were excused, Bredon expressed gratitude for the extended hospitality, and we returned to our condo.

We gathered around the table and watched Bredon use a knife to open the envelope. He read the single page and then slid it toward Sig.

Sig read the words aloud.

"One week." Talia rolled her shoulders back. "We can make that timeline."

I'd been packed for weeks and could be ready in minutes. I didn't have much, and what I did have would not be appropriate for the weather in Northern Canada.

"Sig, arrange the plane," Bredon ordered. "We will leave tomorrow."

Sig nodded. "Do you want to respond, or I can speak on your behalf?"

"I'll do it," Bredon decided, looking stone-faced.

"Is there anything I can do?" I felt helpless, and I didn't like it.

"Prepare," my mate told me.

I still wore the oversized T-shirt as I climbed into bed with Bredon.

He pulled me close. "No matter what, I vow to keep you safe."

"Are you worried?" Since the order had come, he'd become colder, more closed off.

"Yes."

I wasn't surprised by his answer but by how quickly he'd answered.

"Before, I was responsible for Talia…as much as she would allow. Now, you are in my life and my priority."

"I'll do whatever you say." It was unsettling seeing how concerned he was.

"No. You should do whatever is needed to survive," he corrected.

"I'm scared," I admitted.

"That is good."

That surprised me. I thought Lycans were always confident that they would succeed.

"Use your fear, listen to your wolf, and use your instincts."

"Okay." My heart was racing.

He kissed me as his hands slid under my shirt. "I need you, Sage."

"I'm always ready, Breed."

He pulled away to see my face. "So sweet. My mate is sweet."

"I know you are concerned."

"I keep coming up with different scenarios worse than the one before."

"Don't think about it tonight," I begged. "It's just us here."

He kissed me again, his tongue thrusting into my mouth. He rolled us so that I was on top of him, and he ripped my T-shirt down the front and tore the strips from my body. "Give me your tits."

I wanted to giggle. Man or wolf, they all liked boobs. I leaned closer and fed him my breast.

His mouth sucked in my nipple and more. He lightly ran his teeth along the sensitive skin. His lips settled over the hard tip, and he pulled hard—almost to the point of pain. Bredon enjoyed keeping me on edge, although I knew he would never truly hurt me.

I switched sides, and he continued. Then he sat up, taking me with him, my nipple never leaving his mouth. I knew he wanted me to ride him. I started to lift my hips and reach for his cock when his teeth closed on my taut peak.

"Awww," the cry escaped my lips. It didn't hurt. It was more of a surprise.

"I will give you my cock when I decide it is time," he growled. He wanted control tonight. Not that he ever ceded it to me in bed.

"Crawl up here and sit on my face," he ordered.

"Uhm…what?" I knew what he wanted, but I was unsure. I didn't want to suffocate him, and from that position, it seemed like it could be easy to do.

"Sage?"

I pulled my breast back. "I've never done it that way," I admitted.

"Then come up here, baby, and take a seat." He grasped my arms and gently pulled me forward.

I did as asked, and once I was in position, I slowly lowered myself onto his face.

His hands went to my hips as his tongue made a long swipe through my folds. My body gave a slight tremor in response.

I was still unsure about this and couldn't figure out what to do with my hands. The headboard was too far away for me to grip unless I bent at the waist, which would mean placing more weight on Breed's face.

He nipped my clit, and damn it, I reached for the headboard, placing my pussy almost on his mouth.

There was no more teasing tonight. He attacked my clit with his tongue and, from time to time, his teeth.

I was close to coming. It would take very little to send me over. "Please, Breed," I begged. "Oh God, please." The tension building inside me was to that point where a part of me wanted to grind on his face, smashing his lips and nose to get relief, while a tiny part of me wanted to run. To escape these big feelings and emotions that would overwhelm me very soon.

He pulled me down to his mouth and sucked my clit like he had my nipple.

I came so hard that my arm muscles spasmed.

He pushed my hips up. "Now, ride my cock, mate."

I was having difficulty making my body work. Suddenly, crawling backward became more difficult than parallel parking on a busy street.

He half-lifted and pushed me down his body. I had to rest my hand on his chest to balance. Then he positioned his cock and guided me downward, filling me with his hardness.

I dropped my head back. "Feels so good. The best."

"All the way up, love." He lifted me until his head was barely inside of my channel. Then he pushed his hips up as he drove me down.

"God, yes." My voice rumbled. I took over, riding him hard, lost in the sensations.

"Goddess, you are so damn tight, my love."

I felt his fingers in the crease of my ass. He then used one to circle my sensitive entrance. He'd been playing with my ass for days. I'd shared up front that I had not done anal, and if that were to happen…I wanted him to go slow and use lubrication.

I must have tightened because he slapped my ass cheek. "Do not deny me."

I let out a breath and concentrated on the feelings, not where they came from. Soon, I was going to come. "Breed…oh Breed, I'm so close."

He held my hips down as he pumped his hips and ground against me.

When I could take it no longer, he pushed his finger into my ass, and I let go.

He pumped two or three more times and filled me. "I love you. I love this." He kissed me before pulling out of my body and settling me beside him.

"I love you, Breed. I think I have from the start."

We checked into a hotel in Yellow Knife at ten p.m. local time.

I ignored the process. My body's clock was screwed. I was tired and hungry.

"You must eat before you sleep," Bredon told me.

"Room Service?"

"I'll place the call."

I wandered around the one-bedroom suite while Bredon placed the order. I wanted to laugh. The wolves enjoyed luxuries. Taking a private plane may have prevented me from flying commercial ever again. There were no long lines to get through security, and the seats were comfortable, with plenty of legroom.

He found me in the bedroom. "Thirty minutes."

"Will we be going shopping tomorrow?" He and Sig had exchanged ideas in their short-hand language during the flight.

"You and Talia will shop while Sig and I make plans."

I wanted to argue that Talia and I should participate in these planning sessions, but I knew I would be overruled.

"You should make a list of your needs."

The relaxed Bredon was gone. Now, he was much like the male I had met many months ago. He was very comfortable issuing orders and using as few words as possible. He'd found time before we'd left Florida to get a haircut and was now clean-shaven.

I hoped that once things were settled with the Redds, I might catch glimpses of the loving and low-key Bredon. I dug into my tote and found a pad of paper and a pen. Returning to the living area, I began my list.

Talia and I prepared to leave on our shopping spree the next day.

"Stay watchful," Sig told us.

"We will be fine," Talia flashed a frown in his direction. "We are going shopping, not recovering hostages in a war zone."

"Remember, there is no such thing as too warm," Bredon reminded me.

"I know." I wanted to remind him that I had managed to survive thirty years on my own, not to mention braving winters in Chicago. However, now was not the time to fight.

He handed me a black credit card. "Do not scrimp."

"We know what we are doing," Talia said, sounding exasperated.

I didn't blame her. I shoved the credit card into the pocket of my cross-body purse. I glanced at her. "Ready?"

"Very ready." Talia followed me out of our suite.

"Oooohh, hand warmers." Talia was enjoying the attention of the two salespeople who showed us items they thought I'd need.

"I'm more worried about my toes. They always take forever to warm up." I tried to keep Talia in check, but she was determined that I had multiples of everything.

"Boots. We should look for warm boots," Talia told me.

I added that to the list. "I'm going to need lunch soon."

"After we look at socks." She followed the sales associate.

I was sitting behind the driver's seat as we covered the miles on our way to the Reddlands. I'd grown tired of reading, and now, I stared out the window at the rural landscape.

Talia had the right idea. She was sleeping.

I had not slept well the night before. My brain wouldn't turn off.

Bredon had not followed me when I slipped from our bed, so I ended up staring out our living area window.

The moon had been bright, and I couldn't stop staring. It had called to me.

Please watch over us, I prayed to the Goddess. Help me do the right thing. I wasn't sure that I knew what that was. I'd listened to Bredon and Sig for hours and worried that nothing I could do would matter. Anton would be upset by my very existence.

During my lunch with Talia, we'd discussed packing her photos and where they could be safely stored.

"Why didn't you ask Bredon not to return?" she'd asked before sipping her champagne cocktail. You are the only one who could change his mind."

I'd been surprised by her question. "I couldn't do that."

"You are in danger. Anton is…unpredictable." She returned her glass to the table. "He is always petty and is jealous of Bredon."

"Not returning was never really an option. Breed feels responsible to the Pack."

"I never understood it." She frowned. "He feels a great duty to the Pack, yet he doesn't want to be Leader."

"He mentioned that his father told him his role was supporting Anton." I shrugged.

"Compared to their father, Anton is virtuous," her voice turned angry. "He was cruel, enjoying causing pain and discord whenever he wished."

"I don't want to take anything away from Bredon," I admitted. "He already has to deal with me not being Lycan-born. I don't want to be a burden."

"You will never be a burden." She shook her head. "You are the other half of his soul. When he discovered that you were gone…he was devastated."

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't know what else to do."

"I know. He knows." She let out a long sigh. "Seeing him with you for all these weeks, he has been happy. It has been a very long time since Bredon was happy."

"I love him but feel like I've complicated his life."

"You have." She smiled. "Bredon likes to solve problems, so it is a good match."

"I wish I could contribute to the Pack somehow," I blurted.

"You have. You are," she told me quickly. "To a Lycan, the idea of finding their mate is ingrained in us. It is a dream to find your mate, our ultimate goal. Only then will we feel complete and happy."

"I thought he was happy in Florida." I felt my eyes begin to sting.

"He was." She took another sip of her drink. "The next few months will be stressful. It will not be easy. Anton derives joy in making our lives difficult. You are the easy target, but that won't stop him from poking at us all."

"I'll hold onto the good times and make sure that I support Bredon. I pray that we make it through."

She studied my face. "It sounds like you've thought about this a lot."

"I feel unprepared. I only know a little about the Lycan life and how to move within the Pack. I have to have faith that I will know what to do."

She reached across the table and patted my hand. "The Lady has blessed you. I have faith."