Bailey looked up at the enforcer. “You ever think how crazy it is that the T-Rex’s closest non-extinct relative is the chicken?”
Deke blinked. “No. No, I never think about it at all.”
“You don’t? Well that’s weird.”
He frowned. “No, it ain’t. I doubt many people think about it.”
“That’s their problem.” The mamba walked off.
Trailing after her, Deke said, “I don’t see how it’s an actual problem.”
“Also not my problem, Eye Candy.”
A low growl. “You know my name. Use it.”
“Why?”
Her lips twitching, Blair cast a concerned glance at Luke. “You’re a little calmer, but your cat isn’t. What can I do?”
Warmth flooding his chest, he gave her hand a soft squeeze. “You’re doing it just by existing. He’ll settle down once we’re away from here and he and I have you to ourselves.”
“Good,” she said. “I want to go home, unpack the rest of my things, and then fuck you stupid.”
His body tightened. “Is that so?”
“It very much is. Don’t worry, you’ll like it.”
He felt his lips quirk. “Oh, I don’t doubt that I will.”
Finished dabbing on a light layer of makeup the next morning, Blair carefully returned her cosmetics to her pallas cat-themed case—a novelty gift from Elle. It turned out that Blair had been right to assume that her inner animal would lose some of her edginess once Blair unpacked all her possessions. Shifters were innately territorial. It was important for them to have their own territory, even if that was merely an apartment. It anchored them. And although the place already felt like home to both Blair and her inner female, this made it more official.
Blair’s gaze flew to the mirror as she noticed Luke entering the en suite bathroom. Pressing his front to her back, he snaked his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
“What has you feeling so smug?” she asked, though she could guess.
“I like seeing all your things mingled with mine. Some were already here, I know. But this is different. It’s not about you leaving little touches here and there. You’re all moved in, you’ve made the space fully ours. I like it. Like how easily our lives clicked together.”
She felt her brow crease slightly at the latter comment. “You worried that they wouldn’t?”
“I thought it might take some time before they did. You’ve had a lot to adjust to. You had to leave your home, your territory, and your pack. You had to take on not only me but the role of Beta female—I can’t even say for sure which of the two is the trickiest. More, it all happened fast, and you’ve barely had time to settle into mated life thanks to how much is going on.”
It hadn’t occurred to her that he’d worry she was a little overwhelmed. Turning in his arms, she curved her own around his neck. “I always knew those changes would come. I knew they’d happen in quick succession. I guess, for you, it all came out of nowhere—you expected us to bond later down the line. You had no idea that my mother had invited your ex bed-buddy to Sylvan territory, spurring me into speeding things along, until only a few nights ago.”
He squinted. “Something I’m still pissed about.”
Ignoring that, she continued, “But it wasn’t sudden for me. I was ready. I’d been ready for weeks. Not simply for change, but to embrace it. And I have. It hasn’t been a hardship. I don’t have any regrets.”
His expression went all warm and lazy. “No?”
“No. So don’t let my mother get in your head.”
“It isn’t about her, baby. It just sometimes hits me how much you’ve given up for me and our bond.”
“I don’t see it as making sacrifices. You long ago offered to join the pack rather than transfer me here. I vetoed that, because I knew that—as much as I hated it—the pack would never make you feel fully welcome. They wouldn’t have given you the rank you deserve either.” They were too distrustful of other breeds of shifter, and Luke was far too dominant to have been content with being a mere member of the pack.
“Their attitudes might have altered over time.”
“But not enough for Embry to have made you Beta or even Head Enforcer. You wouldn’t have been happy there. Here in the pride, you’re happy. I knew I could be happy here, too. I like how the pride is run. I like its members—well, most of them. And I outright adore your family. It was really a no-brainer that you and I would be better off here than in my old pack. Plus, I need distance from Noelle if I’m to have any chance of living a life that doesn’t involve her attempting to control it.”
“On that, we agree.” Luke knew that if he had joined the Sylvan Pack, there would have been constant drama. Because while he understood why Noelle felt driven to hold Blair so tight, he would never excuse it. If they had lived in close proximity to Noelle, he would have found himself arguing with the woman every time she tried imposing her will on Blair.