The Woodland Packs

When I set Nevaeh down, she was shivering. “Oh my God. How did that happen?”

“I don’t know.”

We didn’t have heating in the house. All of the homes in the pack were very well-made, and well-insulated, but without women, we hadn’t bothered to put in fireplaces, or central heating.

“We’re going to have to keep you warm.”

I began to look around the room. We didn’t have blankets hanging over the couches. Everything was either in a linen closet or in our bedrooms.

“Your house is really beautiful. Different than Claire’s.”

Nevaeh didn’t seem to be as worried as I was about the heating issue. She was staring at the walls, the kitchen, the intricately curved cornices.

“Ah, yeah. Brad’s a plasterer and Aaron’s a carver, so our house has details that some of the others don’t.”

“Cool,” Nevaeh said as she wrapped her arms around her body and walked around the room.

I needed to get her into a blanket, and there was a few ways of doing that. “Would you like a tour?”

She nodded and I pointed to the study.

“Down here is pretty much like Claire’s house. Kitchen, living space, laundry and a spare room we have set up through there. Upstairs are our three bedrooms and another lounge room and library.”

“Library?” she asked, her eyebrows rising high as she took a few steps up the staircase.

“Yes, we all like to read. Learn. Especially Aaron. He’s kind of the brains of this triad.”

She nodded and walked up to the top of the stairs.

“Is this your bedroom?” she asked as she walked into my room. A place no woman had ever been.

“How’d you know?”

She smiled. “It’s at the front of the house, so I suppose any offender would have to get through you, wouldn’t they?”

“Yes.”

I prowled forward, watching as she took off her jumper and placed it on the bed.

She was looking around my room, seemingly innocently, but I could sme

ll something had changed in her chemistry. She was sweeter, hotter, somehow.

It appeared the choice now for me was to push forward, or wait for Aaron and Brad to join us.

She sat on the bed. “It’s so warm in here.”

I walked forward and knelt before her, put my hands on her thighs and opened them, sliding between them so I could look into her eyes.

“Will you stay with us, just until we know if you feel what we do? That you’re our mate and we’re meant to be together.”

In her eyes I saw so much vulnerability and fear, yet she didn’t run.

She cupped my face in her small, warm hands, and nodded. That was all the sign I needed.

I leaned forward and kissed her.

She moaned as our lips met, and pleasure shook me to my very core.