“My wolf is not sweet. He’s a savage beast,” he growled, hoisting me over his shoulder to stalk the rest of the way to the house.
I giggled as he stomped across the deck and through the door, which earned me a playful swat against my butt. “Okay, okay. I admit it. You’re a big, scary hunk of a man.”
“That’s more like it,” he murmured before setting me on my feet.
“It’s a good thing I have a privacy fence.” My gaze raked down his sexy body, stalling between his legs as his dick hardened and a drop of precome beaded at the tip. “I’d hate to have to kill someone for seeing you like this. Kace wouldn’t be happy about it.”
“I’m sure the alpha is just as territorial over his mate. He’d understand,” he assured me with a smile as he pressed my back against the nearest wall and crowded against me. “But my wolf loves how vicious you can be.”
I peered up at his face. “And you?”
“I already knew you were fierce.” He wagged his brows as he snagged the pair of athletic shorts he’d left on the table and tugged them on. “I’ve seen for myself how good you are with a knife.”
“You should probably warn the rest of your pack about my knife skills so they don’t mess with me.”
His brows drew together. “My pack?”
With everything we’d talked about over the past week, the one topic that we had avoided was where we were going to live. “I figured you’d want to take me up to your cabin so I could meet them before we moved up there.”
His eyes widened, and his head jerked back as though he was blown away by the suggestion. “I didn’t think that was really an option now that I have you.”
“How come?”
Rome wrapped his arms around me and brushed a kiss against the top of my head. “My cabin is great, but your house is a lot nicer. And there’s a reason we’re called the Wilderness Pack. The nearest restaurant to our pack lands is about half an hour drive away, and it’s owned by humans who aren’t aware that shifters exist.”
“I’d still kick butt in the kitchen.” I leaned back to smile up at him. “Even if it was just an open flame in the backyard.”
“You’re an incredible chef and an amazing woman. I have no doubt that you’d be able to stomp through the forest to hunt up enough supplies to whip up a gourmet meal for the entire pack.” My heart warmed at his confidence in me. “But you love your job. You wouldn’t have the same kinds of opportunities
“And you’re happy handling the Wilderness Pack’s finances,” I pointed out. “I asked Peppa about it, but Kace already has somebody who does that for him. So that wouldn’t be an option for you here.”
“Look at you being as sweet as you accuse me of being all the damn time.” He claimed my mouth in a passionate kiss that left me breathless when he lifted his head. “I don’t see Keane taking my role away from me. There isn’t anyone else in the Wilderness Pack who could do the job half as well as me, and I can manage the accounts as easily from here as there.”
“But would you be okay with living in Timber Ridge? Kace’s pack is a lot bigger than what you’re used to, and you’re not a fan of crowds.”
“I can handle being around people as long as you’re one of them.” His hold on me tightened. “Being here makes you happy.”
“I get to take care of you, too.” I nipped at his bottom lip, loving how his wolf flashed in his eyes in response. “Especially on the important stuff.”
“And you do an excellent job of it, pretty baby.” He brushed his lips against mine again. “How about a compromise?”
“What kind?”
He thought about it for a moment before suggesting, “I’ll talk to Keane and Kace about splitting my time between the two packs while you check with Peppa to see if she’d be okay with scheduling you four days on and three days off so we can spend a few days at a time at the cabin.”
It was the perfect compromise, at least as far as I was concerned. “I love that idea.”
“Then we’ll make it happen.”
9
Rome
Having my fated mate under the roof of the cabin where I’d lived for the past five years was even better than our time at her house. There was something about having her scent on my sheets and knowing only five other people were within fifteen miles of us that soothed my inner beast.
It also helped that we’d barely seen anyone since we got up here. Keane and Leyton, his younger brother and beta, had stopped by the first day to meet Thora, but they hadn’t stayed long. Booker, who used to be a part of the Timber Ridge Pack, had dropped off a hunk of venison after his wolf took down an elk. It was a great welcome present, and Thora had used it to back up her boast about being able to cook over an open fire. It tasted better than the elk they served at Timber Treasures, which was fucking delicious.