Chapter 32

Chapter

Thirty-Two

Rowan

I opened my eyes to the room bathed in a soft golden glow. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the curtains, casting dappled patterns on the walls. The bedding beneath us was in disarray, a testament to the thirty-six hours we'd spent there.

The shower was running. For the seventh time.

I grinned, stretching my arms behind my head. I could still feel Evelyn's body imprinted on my skin, the heat of her searing into my bones.

This was what it felt like to claim and be claimed. To entrust the key to your heart to another and hope they didn't break it.

You gonna step out into the sunlight anytime soon, bud? Jasper's voice hummed in my head.

Green isn't a good color on you , I sent back, then followed up with, Weren't you the one who said I needed to take this mating thing more seriously?

I regret everything.

I chuckled, tossing off the sheets. I'll meet you at the garage.

As much as I didn't want to leave Evelyn's side, I needed to talk with Jasper and Lana. I needed to meet with Blake and have a heart-to-heart with Justin before approaching Kitimat. Some of their pack members had already come sniffing around. I needed to nail down a plan for integration.

We would be one pack again.

The thought made my throat tighten. It wouldn't be as simple as that, and I wasn't naive enough to believe it would be. Nathan had challenged my father, and we were still knee-deep in the fallout.

But I'd learned from that experience. I knew we could do it differently.

I entered the bathroom and opened the glass door, stepping in beside Evelyn. Eyes heavy with contentment, she turned to face me as my hand skimmed along the soft curve of her hips.

"Morning." I breathed her in, and a shiver ran through me when I caught my scent still on her skin. I wanted her to get out of the damn shower so every wolf in my pack would know I'd left my mark.

"Morning." Her cheeks flushed under my scrutiny.

I couldn't help but smile, the memory of the night before flooding back to me in vivid detail. The hunger in her eyes, the way she'd let me devour her and begged for more.

I pulled her into my arms, the water cascading over our skin. "I have to go to work."

"You mean we can't hole up here forever?" She tipped her head, grinning up at me. I ran my fingers over the mark I'd left on her neck, already healed into a dark whorl that looked curiously like a berry on the end of a stem.

"Have you seen yours yet?" she asked, turning me around and running her fingers over my skin.

"Describe it."

" Them ." Her touch sent prickles over my skin. "There are three over your shoulder blade. They look almost like cedars."

That was perfect. The trees were my refuge, and that's what I wanted to be for my mate. My pack. I turned back to face her. "You drew blood."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "And you didn't?"

I grinned, dropping my head until my lips met hers. "I love you."

She pulled against my hips. "I love you, too." Without warning, she smacked her hand against my bare ass. "Now stop stealing all my water."