As a mated couple, they were set for life. No reason to make the necessary payments for another one that was only really needed by the church. Still, he wasn’t going to judge anyone.
“I’ll make all the arrangements to guarantee their safety.” He nodded at Lucas and let him know those were their final words before he took off, running toward the perimeter of the woods. Once he got to the edge, he slowed down his pace and concentrated as he took stock of the fence, breathing in deep to detect any new scents.
Humans were trying to figure out ways of covering their asses, and so far, they had been unsuccessful, but that didn’t mean they would ever stop trying to fuck with them.
His thoughts once again drifted to Winter. Did she need the usual crap a woman wanted?
Flowers?
He’d never picked flowers for a woman or bought them. Winter wasn’t like other women though, either. He’d observed women. Human and wolf.
Why did he even give a fuck?
Like Lucas said, there were plenty of willing women in his own world who would gladly sleep with him. It wasn’t like it was going to be a task for them. Shaking his head, he went back, and by nightfall, he’d checked the perimeter three times with no signs of any damages.
Seeing no reason to prolong his journey or avoid going home, he started to walk back. As he came to the edge of the woods, he stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bunch of wildflowers. They were startlingly beautiful. Even though it was night, he had amazing vision.
Bending down, he picked a handful and then finished the journey home. He hid the flowers behind his back, bidding the guards to leave before he entered his place. The scents of onion, garlic, and tomato were heavy in the air. He breathed them in and went straight to the kitchen where Winter was cooking.
Baby Daphne was in the high chair while Winter stood at the stove, holding a book in one hand, reading as she stirred a sauce. He noticed it wasn’t too late. Normally, she left him alone for dinner.
“Evening,” he said, startling her.
“You’re back.”
“Yes, and these are for you.” He lifted the wildflowers up for her to inspect.
“You bought me flowers.”
“I picked them as a thank you for everything you’re doing for me.”
“You really didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.”
“But, you really didn’t.”
He smiled. “I know. I guess I wanted to do something nice.” He put the flowers in her hand and bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’m going to go and get ready for dinner.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and went to take a quick shower. Perhaps he’d overlooked a small thing. He was going to start treating Winter as if she had chosen to be here rather than forced by his hand.
He’d win her over, get his fill, and then he’d be able to let her go, move on with his life, and not worry about women invading his world again.
****
They were only flowers.
Hand-picked, not even bought.
Not that it mattered. She didn’t care.
Even as they were beautiful, it still didn’t matter. They were just flowers. Nibbling on her nail, she kept on staring at them. Biting her nails was a nasty habit she’d gotten out of many years ago, but it would seem a wolf giving her flowers brought back all the worries and concerns she thought she’d put to bed a long time ago.
They were just damn flowers.
It was late, and said problem flora were now a couple of days old. When Rocko had brought them to her, she’d put them in a glass since he didn’t own a vase. The next day, a vase had magically appeared.
Of course, the next two nights, Rocko hadn’t been around for her to ask him a single thing. Now, she was stuck, alone, with her thoughts, wondering what the hell to do. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to be.
She didn’t know what her life was actually supposed to be like, but she had a feeling this wasn’t it.
This is your life. Get used to it.
The sound of a baby’s screams filled the air.
Drawing her attention immediately to Daphne, she rushed upstairs. She’d been worried about the little girl all day. She’d woken up in the foulest of moods and that hadn’t improved at all in the past hours. All day, she’d seemed to have a temperature and nothing would settle her.
“Hello, sweet girl, how are you?”
She got more screams.
Touching the baby’s forehead, she frowned. The temperature had spiked.
“This isn’t good.” She licked her lips, grabbed the thermometer she’d seen with the kit underneath the changing area, and quickly checked. She hated that she couldn’t comfort Daphne. The little girl’s cries grew louder.