"There's beef stew downstairs," I whispered.
And my alphas, breathless and entirely satisfied, laughed.
I felt them, all of them at once, as if I were physically attached to them. We were a pack, truly one pack, and the difference between simply being bonded to Hudson and being bonded to all of them at once, was astounding. I crawled into Xavion's arms, Leo kissing the big man as we piled up on my bed and fell into a restful state; that glorious twilight between actual sleep and merely resting.
We only parted after Leo's knot had shrunk enough to slide away from me. I didn't want the shower that waited for me. I wanted to smell like my alphas, a mixture of fragrances that intoxicated me, for as long as I could. But the human side of my mind was hardwired to accept nothing else. I showered, mourning the loss of their scent, and went downstairs while they did the same.
Hudson brought Tommy down with him, the others following bit by bit. I pulled warm, fresh bread bowls from the oven and loaded them down with the stew. We settled around the dinner table shortly thereafter, the dogs joining us. Bosco rested his head on my thigh and I slipped bits of beef to him, as was our typical nightly ritual.
Outside, snowflakes drifted past the window lazily. Our little home lit up the night, pushing away the impending darkness and releasing warmth into a frigid, uncaring world.
I looked around at the table as my alphas chatted, not quite part of the conversation but rather listening in on it. Xavion and Gabe were debating about what project they wanted to do the next day, but if the snow kept up, I'd end up snuggling down in their arms instead; at least until I had to leave for my meeting.
I glanced up at the ceiling and watched for a moment. My alphas' roof work was the fix I had needed. No drip of snow, no drop of water permeated the night sky mural painted above my head. And there, mingled with every star in the universe, was Her.
The moon, only a painting but still, gazed lovingly down at us and cemented something in that moment.
This was where I belonged, where I had always belonged.
And no bitch was going to take that from me.
Chapter 14
Sadie
We awoke the next morning to a problem.
If I were going to head into town, the roads had to be shoveled enough to let me do it. My tiny sedan wasn't going to make it over the drifts and I'd end up in the trees if I tried to run over three feet of the white stuff.
No matter how much my men dug, cursed, and threw their backs into it, it just kept coming down. Tommy and I watched from the porch, him as a puppy all wrapped up in every small dog winter accessory I owned, and me in three separate coats while I clung to my hot cocoa.
Though I had to admit, it wasn't so much that I was cold. I just loved the trappings of the season; the steamy mug in my hands, the cozy clothing wrapped around my body, the penchant for snuggling in with your loved ones in front of a roaring fire. I couldn't wait until I soothed Lillian's feelings that evening and got the whole Meet taken care of behind closed doors. Maybe we could take the dogs with us out to the cabin, really get that fireplace going, and teach Tommy about roasting marshmallows.
I nuzzled into the puppy who had given me a new lease on life. "I owe you the world, kid. And I don't take that lightly. I hope you know that."
In answer, he wiggled from my grasp and ran off to the corner of the yard to chase his tail. Gosh, didn't I know that feeling? The simple fact that it was likely I'd never have to worry about not having enough cash on hand to take care of an ailing dog was incredible.
...But the possibility that we might have to leave the area to save our lives? How would I help the local animals if that happened?
I had to ace this meetup with Lillian. I just.. I had to.
Around four in the afternoon, the guys gave in. There was too much snow and not enough hands on deck to dig through it. What we really needed was-
"Listen to me," Hudson said, picking me up from the stoop. I'd half frozen myself to it throughout the day. He plopped a set of keys in my hands. I'd have recognized that giant H logo anywhere. "Take the Hummer. I know it's a big, stupid car and... kind of douchey, when you get down to it. But it does what it needs to do and it can handle a piddly little snowstorm like this."
I fastened my hand around the keys. It was practically permission, maybe even encouragement, to go try to work this out on my own. "'Piddly little', huh? You're starting to sound like you belong out here in the sticks."
"I grew up in the middle of nowhere, Sadie. And I still prefer it." He leaned down and kissed me, his lips cold against mine. Then he did something I hadn't expected. He hugged me tight and sighed against my ear. "If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'll do."
Every ounce of bravado I had sank to the cold, dark depths inside of me. I pressed my head beneath his chin and tightened my gloved hands on his coat. "I'll be okay. We'll all be okay after this. She said she'd drop the Meet if I'm impressive, and you guys sure seem to think I'm something great."
"You are," he growled, scenting me.
His 5-o’clock shadow brushed over
