“How are you dealing with…” Ada gave her aserious look, and she knew exactly what her friend was asking.
“They didn’t penetrate me.” She paused toswallow a lump in her throat. “They touched me inappropriately,though.” She shivered and tightened her fists that rested over hersmall baby bump.
“How did Gunnar take the news?”
“Not well at first,” Anna Claire replied.“He was angry, but he kept his temper in check around me. I saw hisbeast in his eyes, though.”
“Are you having any reservations?” Ada hadbeen her best friend and a confidant when they were living in theO’Kelly clan. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t say to the female.They’d both been through so much.
“No, not at all.” Anna Claire sighed andshifted in her seat to turn toward her friend. “With Gunnar, all ofthat just went away after a while. He was my friend before he wasmy mate. It took me a long time to tell him what had happened, butwhen I did, it was like lifting a weight from my mind and body.Once we finally touched and mated, I just let it all go.”
“He really is perfect for you,” Ada said,using her free arm to hug Anna Claire.
“He is,” she replied with a wide smile.
They quieted as they heard Gunnar’s truckarrive. He’d been working in the fields all day. The females werebeing watched over, but for the last hour, Luca had been working atthe elder’s home finishing up the underground shelter below theircabins. The first of the month was only a day away, and they neededto get everything prepared.
“I’ll head back to put him down so you canhave a few moments with your mate,” Ada offered, nodding to Gunnaras he entered the living room.
“Good evening,” Gunnar said as he leanedover to kiss his mate. The magic that connected them swirled aroundher body, and she felt a need deep in her core. “You smellamazing.”
“So do you,” she teased as his mating scentreached her nose.
“Come to our room,” he ordered. “I want tospend some time with you before I have to start dinner.”
Anna Claire took his hand and let her matetake them back to their quarters where they got lost in each otherfor the next hour and a half.
Dinner was going to be a little late thatnight.
Gunnar kissed his mate for probably thehundredth time since he’d arrived home. He couldn’t get enough ofher body or scent. It was almost seven before he finally broke awayto head to the main house to make a quick meal. She promised to bethere after she showered, and he had to force himself away fromtheir room when she padded naked from the bed to the bathroom tostart the water.
Up in the main house, Drake and Rex werecoming in from the fields. Everything was planted, but with theabsence of rain over the last few days, they’d set up the wateringsystem to care for the seeds as they began to sprout.
“After dinner, I think it would be best ifwe check the property,” Drake announced as he took a seat at thehead of the table.
“That would be a good idea,” Gunnar repliedas he stirred the pot of chili. “I’ll go with you.”
“We need one more, because I have to work onsome small engine equipment that I’ve been neglecting,” Rex said.“I’ll call Ransom to see if he’s free.”
Rex walked out of the room to place thecall. Gunnar looked up as his mate entered the kitchen with hersmall hand resting casually on her stomach. He still couldn’tbelieve he was going to be a father.
When the time came, during the winter whilethey were in hibernation, he would take the reins and deliver hiscub just as his brothers had done and his father before him. It wastradition and something all males taught their sons when they wereold enough to find their own mates.
“That looks amazing,” she hummed as heladled a bowl for her, adding a pinch of shredded cheese to thetop. “You remembered?”
“I remember everything about you,” hereplied before taking the bowl to the table. He remembered howshe’d asked for cheese with her chili with fear in her eyes thefirst time he’d made it. He swore to himself that he would neverlet her go a day without for the rest of her life, and he’d hopedhe’d kept that promise so far.
After he was satisfied she was eating, hemade himself a bowl and sat to her left. Drake and Tessa were quietas they ate their meal while their cub ate some meat Gunnar hadpulled out from the mass he’d cooked to add to his meal.
“Do you think they’ve been back?” AnnaClaire asked as her hand went suddenly still. The spoon was halfwayto her mouth, and a bit of the liquid dripped back into her bowl.“I mean, shouldn’t you take more than just three of you tocheck?”
“We know there is at least three of them,”Gunnar replied, taking her free hand with his own. She dropped thespoon in the bowl and pulled her hand free. He’d noticed how shedid that whenever she was worried or about to panic.
“What do you want us to do should they beout in the woods?” She was thinking hard about the hunters, and itkilled Gunnar to know she was feeling anything other than peace andsafety, but she was right…they had all their plans in place exceptone.
“Call the sheriff,” Drake grunted as he tookanother bite of his meal. “As much as I don’t like having thatangel here, he would be the best person to call. He could be herein a second with that disappearing act he does.”
Gunnar caught a bright smile coming from hismate. She’d been placing little hints around about how much sheliked the panther’s healer and the angel, and how she wished theywould at least try to be friends with the other shifters in thearea.
Again, his mate was right.
“It’s better to have the cats here if theyare available,” Gunnar offered, looking dead into his brother’seyes. He saw the resistance, but he also saw a glimmer of hopethere, too. Grumpy ole Drake was coming around.
“I’ll program the sheriff’s number into themates’
