I loved spending time with the other pack members. Wyatt and Ryker teased me relentlessly. Mackenzie had welcomed me into her life, and Cody had taken to doing his schoolwork wherever I was. Aaron always had a ready smile for me. Even Jarren, who was a hard man, found a way to connect with me. Bit by bit he would loosen up by listening to me talk about growing up human with Delilah. He pretended to ignore me while I rattled on, but if I failed to elaborate on some part that included her, he would question me. Eli seemed to be fairing quite a bit the same, and I often wondered about the look of longing in his eyes when he watched the pack laughing and talking over meals.
I tried to imagine what it would be like when I had to leave the little haven that the pack had created. I knew I wouldn’t be one hundred percent for a while, and waitressing with a broken arm and ribs would be an interesting task. I dreaded seeing Delilah and dealing with the fallout of my decision to stay with Alex during my recovery. I had promised Cody drawing lessons, and I knew I couldn’t back out. Not being able to laugh with Tegan all hours of the day seemed impossible.
My biggest reason to want to stay with the pack was Alex. I loved him, and the more time we spent together the more I dreaded going home. I loved watching him lead the pack. He was strong and self-assured. The packed looked at him with a deep kind of respect and love that was hard to fathom. He seemed like a tough guy, but when he snuggled with me or played with Cody, I saw the sweet side of him. He put the pack ahead of everything except for me on few occasions. I had so many reasons to want to be here, and the reasons to leave didn’t seem so important anymore.
I was pulled from my musing when a small grey pup burst from the trees and let rip a magnificent howl that brought answering howls behind him. I laughed and clapped my hands for the happy little winner as he sat down with his tail wagging a mile a minute. Alex burst through the trees and skidded to a stop in front of Cody who was giving him an adorable wolf grin.
Soon the clearing was full of adult wolves all bumping into the small pup playfully. Alex circled Cody and the other wolves sat back in a loose circle around them both. With several yips Alex told them all something that set tails wagging all around, none faster than Cody’s in the center. Cody tipped his little head back and howled again, and this time the pack all harmonized with the little pup, giving him respect for besting them all in the race.
As the song wound down the wolves shifted back to human. Cody stood in the center of all the adults as they congratulated him once more. Alex said something to him, and he skipped towards the house. Alex caught my eye and winked at me as Cody clomped up the stairs to stand in front of me. He ducked his head suddenly shy now that he stood in front of me. I scooted forward as best I could and grabbed his hands in mine.
“That was an amazing race!” I told him excitedly. He looked up at me and grinned from ear to ear. I leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. His eyes got enormous as his little hand went up to rub the spot. I winked at him. “You showed them, huh?”
“Yeah I did, you should have seen how close Alex was, but I put on some speed and blew him away,” Cody was off on a blow by blow explanation of the entire race. He waved his hands around him as he spoke, and his eyes shone brightly with excitement. I knew I wouldn’t leave them. This would be my new home if they would allow it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Alex
As I watched Zee’s easy interaction with Cody my mind oddly thought about how she would be with our children. I snorted at the thought, earning a questioning look from Wyatt. I just shook my head at him, not willing to tell my friend what was going through my head. I walked up the steps as Mackenzie was trying to pry Cody away from Zee with promises of hot chocolate before bedtime. Finally, the little boy ran into the house for his treat. Zee was smiling so happily that I was curious what her thoughts were.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked as I helped her slowly to her feet. She seemed shy to answer. Instead she stood gazing up at the moon for several moments. I didn’t push her, but I did wrap my arms around her and pull her back, so she was flush against my chest. I pressed my nose to her hair and breathed in her scent, loving that I could smell some of my scent on her. She wouldn’t know she smelled like me, but other wolves would.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, and I had to agree. I gazed up at the white disc in the star-studded sea of blackness. Zee tipped her head back on my shoulder and snuggled further into me. “I don’t want to leave here.”
“Don’t worry,” I kissed the exposed side of her neck. “No one’s pushing you out the door.” I expected her to laugh, but instead she turned in my arms and looked up at me.
“I’m serious,” Zee searched my face as she spoke. “Once I’m healed, I still want to stay
