The males all nodded, and Wrath couldsee that they were happy about the change.
Brae stood. “We haven’t added a maleto our ranks in years. Not since Creek and River came tous.”
“What about it?” Wrathasked.
“I think we should gohunting for hybrids. Invite them to join us and find protection.We’ve always assumed hybrids would know about us and come find us,but I wonder if there are hybrids living on their own out there,possibly worried for their safety. Hell, we might even find somebeing held against their will in human or vampiresettlements.”
Wrath mulled the thought over for amoment. “So we go from offense to defense, searching out our ownkind and bringing them into the safety of our pack.”
“Exactly,” Brae said. “Itwould be easy enough to infiltrate the settlements and listen forrumors of hybrids. We can scent our own kind, anyway, because ournatural smell is unique.”
Wrath looked around at the males.“What do you think? We’ll have a two-fold purpose goingforward—aboveground homes and finding hybrids.”
Every male agreed.
“Excellent,” Wrath said.“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I miss my mate.”
Cael chuckled. “Sleep well, Alpha.We’ll see you at breakfast.”
Wrath said goodnight to his pack andheaded back to his cavern. Trinity was still sound asleep. Hestripped and climbed into bed, loving the way she snuggled into himas if she’d been unconsciously waiting for him toreturn.
“You’ve changed me for thebetter,” he whispered, brushing a kiss over her shoulder. “Tomorrowwill be a new dawn, when our people will be heading into a newchapter, and that wouldn’t be happening without you.”
Closing his eyes, he pressed one morekiss to her shoulder and then drifted off to sleep. Content. Forthe first time in his life.
Chapter Eleven
Trinity watched Wrath as he used an axto fell a tree. She’d never seen anything quite as amazing as hersexy mate wielding an ax, upper body bare and glistening withsweat, cutting through the thick trees as if they were matchsticks.She sat on a felled tree nearby and sketched a layout for theirhome. While none of the pack were architects or builders by trade,they did have a general understanding of home building. It was hardnot to compare how different this world was from what she’d known.Before, she could’ve gone to a home improvement store and boughtthe supplies she needed, or even ordered a home buildingkit.
Years ago, Wrath and his mom had foundan abandoned shack after she’d been exiled from her kiss for havinghim. When he shifted and found the tunnel leading to the caverns,he’d hoped she might come and live with him underground where hecould make sure of their safety. She’d wanted to return to her ownpeople, even though he’d cautioned her against it. She’d promisedto return to the shack and let him know how the meeting with herkiss had gone. When he’d gone to find her, the shack had beenburned down and he’d found her body turned to ash by the sun. He’dseen the break in her neck and had known she’d been killed by herown people.
He hadn’t lived above ground since.Trinity was thankful he was willing to. She thought living inaboveground homes was a smarter move, making them more easilydefensible than the tunnel which trapped them underground ifsomething were to happen to the entrance. She looked down at thesketch. Wrath had brought her parchment and charcoal and asked herto sketch her vision for their home. The two-bedroom log cabin wassimilar to one she’d seen on a trip to a pioneer village as a teen.There would be a large fireplace, suitable for cooking and also forheat in the winter, a family room, and two bedrooms. The outhousewas a hundred and fifty feet away from the house. It was during theplanning of their new home that she thought a lot about the modernconveniences she was leaving behind by staying with Wrath, indoorplumbing and electricity among them.
But she’d happily take the lack ofmodern conveniences in order to be with her dream man.
Over the last three days, the pack hadworked hard at clearing a section of the woods surrounding thetunnel entrance. While most of the pack were felling trees tocreate the exterior of the cabin, the hunters worked in shifts andbrought home deer, antelope, and rabbits by the armload, tanningthe hides and preserving the meat to take to the human settlementsto trade for building items and other things theyneeded.
One of the first things Trinity hadasked Wrath about was how they seemed to like to steal from thehumans and vampires instead of setting up trades with them. Fromwhat she knew of both groups, the humans were more interested inpeace and living in harmony and were willing to trade with any andall who came through their towns. She wasn’t sure they’d havesimilar luck with the vampires, but it was worth a shot.
She’d been right. At least about thehumans. While the vampires hadn’t wanted to trade with the hybrids,at least not at this time, the humans had been receptive. Rook andBrae had approached a merchant in the nearest human settlement withsome rabbit pelts and antelope roasts, asking to trade for buildingmaterials. The man had been happy to trade, excited for the rabbitfurs and fresh meat. Along with the materials they needed to turnthe felled trees from giant logs into boards for building, Rook hadsecured a bag of peanuts for
