Chapter 28

Teddy tookLeo to his gym to let him get some energy out. I stayed behind and offered to start packing. We'd be driving back since Teddy would need his truck, so we weren't technically in a rush, but I was eager to bring him home. It didn't feel right without him there, and Leo would need to go back to school eventually. Teddy brought a few boxes from the basement and promised he'd help me when they got back. I waved them off, happy to help in some way. He offered for me to come with, but just being in the city was outside my comfort zone. Being around that many strange males wouldn't be good for my lioness.

While they were gone, I packed up what I could. Luckily, Teddy didn't seem to own much. No books, or tons of electronics. He had a few sketch books and nice looking pencils that I was careful with, and his kitchen was fully stocked, but I got the feeling he wasn't home a lot. There wasn't a lot to do there. That was one of the reasons he brought Leo to the gym. He didn't want Leo to get bored.

I was packing his pantry when they got back. It was a long drive, and we'd need to either eat everything in the fridge or buy a cooler to keep the food fresh, but I saw no reason to waste anything. Aiden's kitchen was plenty big, and he said to add whatever we wanted to it. He had two refrigerators too, so I wasn't worried about taking up too much space.

Teddy had Leo on his back, a big grin on his face, and Leo looked exhausted but happy. I tipped my head curiously, smiling at them.

"Did you have fun?"

Teddy and Leo nodded together, and Teddy pointed his finger over his shoulder at Leo.

"He's tough. We wrestled, and he took me down. It blew my mind. Half the gym cheered for him."

Startled, I looked at Leo. "You took him down?"

Leo shrugged, sliding off Teddy's back. "They taught us to wrestle at the pride. I was careful, though. I didn't want to hurt him."

Teddy ruffled his hair, his smile never faltering. "You did good, little cub. It's okay to wrestle for exercise if you're nice about it. There's a whole sport with rules and everything for wrestling. I used to do that in school."

Leo looked curious, and he followed Teddy out of the kitchen, peppering him with questions while Teddy set him up for a shower. He came to join me once Leo stopped asking questions long enough to get clean, leaning to kiss me quickly.

"Can't hug you cause I'm all sweaty. You got a lot done. It would've taken me way longer. Did you need more boxes?"

I didn"t mind him being sweaty last night, but I couldn't say that out loud without blushing. Being intimate with him was still new, and I wasn't comfortable talking about it outside of the bedroom yet.

Diverting my attention, I pointed to the open cabinets. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt. I'm only halfway done in here. I didn't pack your clothes yet. I wasn't sure how long we were staying or what you'd need while we were here."

Teddy frowned, looking around the apartment. "How soon can we leave? I don't need to stick around. I'd rather go home with you two."

Hearing that he was just as eager as I was to get back made me really happy and I ignored his warning about being sweaty to hug him tightly. He let out a contented growl, cuddling me against his chest, and rested his cheek on top of my head.

"I like making my mate happy."

My belly fluttered, and I looked up at him in surprise. "Mate?"

"Yeah… You don't feel it?"

I never really thought about it before. I didn"t think it would ever happen for me. I wasn't entirely sure what to look for. But when I closed my eyes and thought back to all the moments I shared with Teddy, I had to admit it felt right. Like he belonged with us. That feeling made it easier for me to trust him and let him in, even while I was still afraid.

"I… I do. I didn't know what it was before." Happy tears sprang up and spilled over my cheeks. "You're my mate."

His big hands cupped my cheeks, his thumbs brushing away my tears. "Yeah. My mate," he said breathlessly. When he dipped down, I lifted onto my toes to meet him halfway for a kiss. It was tender and filled with warmth and only made me cry harder. Teddy pulled me into a hug and I buried my face against him, my shoulders shaking in silent sobs.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, little cub. She's okay. Those are happy tears."

Leo quietly joined our hug, cuddling in close, and I let out a long shaky breath. This was everything I ever wanted. Right here, with both my boys close, I felt safe and happy. And strong too. Like I could do anything, as long as they were there with me. I'd face a thousand lifetimes with the pride if I knew I'd end up here with them.

Between the three of us,we got the rest of Teddy's apartment packed up by the end of the day. We spent one more night there, and then bright and early the next morning, we packed up Teddy's truck and headed out. We weren't going straight back to Blackridge. Teddy said his mama would tan his hide if she found out he moved states without telling her. So we went to visit her first. She didn't live in Dallas, she was a few hours outside it, but not too far out of our way. We listened to an audiobook that Leo chose, and he and Teddy were riveted by the adventure until we pulled into a small cluster of houses just outside Wichita Falls. They were pretty isolated from the city, and there was some greenery nearby to shift in safely. It was a nice place, and Teddy said everyone who lived in this neighborhood was part of his family.

Teddy's mother, Ada, was expecting us. He called the night before to say he was bringing me and Leo to meet her. She stood on her porch, waving and smiling as we pulled into the driveway. Teddy rolled down his window, waving back and grinning. She didn"t wait for us to get out, hurrying to the door to greet her son.

"Hey, Mama."

"Hey, baby bear. How are you?"

Leo snickered from the back seat, and Teddy smirked at him over his shoulder as he pushed his door open and climbed out to hug her.

"We're good. Hold on. I wanna introduce you to some people."

He hustled around the truck, opening my door for me. Leo got out on his own, and he hovered by Teddy's side after I got out. I could tell he was nervous, he was wary around new people, but Teddy didn't hesitate to help him. He put his hand on Leo's back supportively and tucked me under his arm, leading us both to meet his mother.

"Mama, this is Talia, my mate, and her son, Leo. He's real smart."

Ada's hands flew to her mouth in surprise. She looked close to tears when she finally spoke. "Really? You mean it?"

Teddy looked proud, nodding once. "Yeah. They're mine. And I'm theirs."

I loved that he didn't just claim me. He claimed us both. And he loved us both unconditionally. I smiled up at him and he let out another contented grumble in response.

"Oh, oh, I think I'm gonna cry. You awful bear! Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known? Why am I just meetin' them now? I gotta call the family over!" She whacked Teddy's arm, giving him a scowl that didn't hold any venom to it. She swung her attention to me, beaming the same way he did whenever he was happy. "Talia, it's so nice to meet you in person. I'm so happy you'll be part of our family. And you–" She looked down at Leo. "I've heard a lot of great things about you. Teddy told me you love to read. My brother has a whole library of books for all ages at his house. His kids are all grown now. I'm sure he'd be happy to let you take some with you."

Leo's eyes lit up. He was still cautious, and his smiles were uneasy, but Ada was determined to win him over and offered him her hand as she led us inside. She had him set up in the kitchen with cookies and milk before I could blink, and she peppered him with questions about the things he liked as she puttered around. Teddy leaned close, whispering in my ear.

"He's gonna be real spoiled by her. Mama loves cubs."

I could see that. She waved us over and handed Teddy a plate of leftovers like she did it so often she didn't even have to think about it. He sat down beside Teddy and dug in without a word, so maybe it was a habit by now.

"Talia, are you hungry? Thirsty? I've got sweet tea and water. Darla, my sister-in-law, she's been making these green smoothie things for weeks now. I'm sure she'd be happy to bring one over."

"Oh, um… Tea is fine. Thank you."

She bustled around in a frenzy, making snacks and handing out drinks. Teddy and Leo were swapping food for fun, whispering to each other, while Ada asked me about the drive in.

"Teddy, dear, call your uncle. He'll gather the clan. We haven't had a cub in ages, so I'm betting they'll all show up with presents."

"Mama…" Teddy sat up straighter, a warning in his tone. "I'm not invitin' the whole family. Talia's still healin'. A couple at a time at most."

I ducked my head, frowning at my hands. I appreciated him sticking up for me, and he was right that I wasn't ready to meet large groups yet. I could only meet Blackridge a little at a time. But it was still embarrassing that I needed to be coddled like that. I wanted to be brave and meet them all at once, but I didn"t know how many males there were and if they were all big like Teddy, it'd be really intimidating.

Ada's hand on my shoulder drew my attention back to her. Her smile was kind and understanding, and she didn"t look upset with me.

"I'm sorry. I was so excited, I forgot all about that. I remember how hard it was to meet new people. How about just a couple? My brother and his wife love Teddy and have been hoping he'd meet someone. They helped me get better too, so they know how to act."

I didn"t want to disappoint anyone, and I felt okay as long as Teddy was with me. I nodded shakily, leaning into Teddy's embrace when he pulled my stool closer and tucked me under his arm.

"Proud of you," he murmured against my temple, rubbing my arm supportively.

Leaning into him, I sighed. "I'm okay. You make me feel safe."