45

T he answer is seven.

In case you were wondering how many times we took turns providing each other with orgasms until I'm pretty sure I literally passed out from the last one and slept until morning.

I feel like I'm glowing. I definitely haven't stopped smiling. He said he didn't want to take me here because of the nosey werewolves, but there is no way they didn't hear my screams and his roars last night.

I expected to be a little embarrassed this morning, but everyone is acting like they couldn't hear us all night. Maybe they couldn't. Or maybe it's because they're all werewolves, some having found their mate. Maybe sex isn't such a taboo topic in some realms.

Like the one I'm a freaking princess of. I'm still working on wrapping my head around all of that, but it makes more sense than anything else so far. Like why I was homeschooled, and we traveled all the time. Why I was given wolfsbane my whole life. Possibly why my parents were taken from me. Why I was kidnapped. It's all still a load of shit for anyone to go through, but the more we learn, the more the puzzle starts to look like a picture instead of a blotchy mess within a flimsy frame.

We're packing up the little bit of luggage we brought with us. “When can we come back? I love it here,” I ask Roman.

“Unfortunately, the season just started, so we can’t come out here for a day or night for a while. Plus, there's your school work, and the internet out here isn't reliable since we have no cell service. But outside of those things, we can come here whenever you like.” He smiles.

“Until I'm the found princess and my whole life changes,” I say, kicking a rock on our way to the car.

He sets his stuff on the ground, stops in front of me, takes my chin in his hands, and brings my eyes to his. “Your life will not change any more than you want it to. I don't care if they're the king and queen, you are my mate, and I swear, I will not let them make you do anything. Understand?”

I nod my head because once again, words fail me when he gets all intense like this for me. It also makes me a little wet in the britches if you catch my drift.

I told him I thought I was ready last night, but after last night, I know I'm ready. In case he doesn't have as much control as he thinks, I want to make sure I have the one solid thing in my life—him. I know mates are taken seriously, but I don't want to leave any room for any potential discussions, separation, or the like.

I’m also really tired of them sharing their silent conversations without me. I want to be able to reach him at all times.

Most of all, I'm just really ready to be his. Completely.

We had lunch with the pack and said our goodbyes to Jeanine and Meredith. Miss Tilly got teary-eyed as we left without her sister, but they each promised to take turns visiting more. Roman told her she could stay as long as she wanted, but she wanted to come home with us.

Andrei loads into the car with us, claiming to be tired from last night, but I have a feeling it's just so we can spend more time together. If he'd just ask, I'd tell him anything he wants to know that he hasn't already gotten from me being with Roman.

The twins, Benny, and Slate are running beside the car as we drive down the small street to the end of the forest. The sun is shining, and the new day feels less heavy than everything did last night. I’m staring at the obnoxiously-handsome side of Roman's head when all of our phone alerts start going off at once with a number of missed calls and voicemail messages.

They're all from Khaos, and there’s even a few from India. My hands are shaking so badly while we wait for him to answer Roman’s call. We've stopped the car and rolled the windows down so the other men know what's going on as well.

“Pick up. Pick up. Pick up,” I whisper-chant to myself.

He doesn't answer. Roman ends the call and immediately redials his number, laying his hand on my thigh and rubbing his thumb back and forth to comfort me.

He finally answers, but he sounds like hell, “Roman...we...were”—he coughs into the phone—“we...were...attacked.”

Oh my god.

Our voices mesh together as we try to talk to him at the same time, Roman asking, “What do you mean attacked? By whom?” and me asking, “Where are you?” but the line goes dead.

I cling to the window of the car and cry, “Slate, help! Where's your laptop? Do you have service? Can you find him?”

Slate darts behind the car to shift, thankfully aware of my still not being used to naked men everywhere, because I was so upset I wouldn’t have remembered to turn my head.

“I'm on it,” he grunts as he rummages through the trunk for his stuff.

“Andrei, hop out, let Slate in, in case he doesn't quite have service so I can drive farther to where he needs to be,” Roman commands. Though he doesn't even have to finish because Andrei immediately understands what he needs, and he swings his door open and steps out.

Slate gets in the car, and Andrei offers me a nod before closing the door.

I'm trying to keep my shit together and not cry AGAIN when Slate finally makes his sound that means “ah-ha, I got it.”

“What, where are they?”

“He's right on the edge of the forest of his pack lands,” he says while turning his laptop around to show us.

“That's so far away,” I cry, because I have no idea what to do.

“Eris, Dolos, Andrei, go back to the pack and gather Jeanine and a couple others to help. And supplies. Tell them we're taking a plane, and we're flying out in an hour,” Roman says with a stern nod that they return.

“Oh my goodness,” Miss Tilly says to herself.

I grab my phone and dial India’s number again, but I've called her five times now, and she's still not answering.

“Slate, check Khaos and India's locations. Are they still together?”

After a few moments of furious typing, he nods.

“What can I do? I need to do something!” I beg.

Roman turns to me, taking both my hands in his and says, “Leera, focus. It's going to be okay. You keep trying to call them. Can you do that for me?”

I nod.

“Slate, get that plane ready.”

“Already on it, Boss.”