My first stop was the room that Zee had been staying in while she was healing. I knocked but there wasn’t an answer, so I opened the door. It looked like Eli had been hard at work. He’d set up the room to resemble some hybrid form of a hospital room, doctor’s exam room, and bedroom.
Eli wasn’t in the room, so I set to work gathering up the few belongings that Zee had been collecting there. I had hoped that Eli would be around so I could talk to him. He still slept at his own place, but he had been gradually moving in a lot of medical equipment. It had me curious, and a little wary about his intentions.
I took all of Zee’s things to my room and tried to figure out where I should put it all. I assumed I’d make room for it all, but I wanted to wait for her to decide. She might want her own room for now. I stopped to consider that while I listened to the shower running. I really didn’t want her in another room. I wondered how quickly a mating ceremony could be put together.
My phone rang, yanking me back to reality. I glanced at the display and almost groaned when I saw my mother’s name. Tegan must have called her already and I was going to get my head ripped off or interrogated. I hit the button to answer the call.
“Alex!” Her excited voice cut off my chance at a greeting. At least she sounded like she was in a good mood.
“Hi, Mom,” I tried to match her cheerfulness, so hopefully she wouldn’t pick up my nervousness. “I was just about to call you. I have something to talk to you about. Are you alone?”
I hoped she was. I didn’t want the whole pack sitting around hearing my news. “Your father is here,” she replied. “Do you want to say hello?” I heard my dad’s voice rumbling in the background.
“No Mom just tell him hi for me,” I told her.
“Alex says hi, dear,” I heard my mother say away from the phone. My father spoke but I couldn’t catch everything he said. “Oh, Alex, your father wants to know when you planned to tell us about this little female you plan to mate.” With that I felt my hope deflate.
“I swear Tegan can be a real pain,” I grumbled. “I just asked her today Mom. I didn’t know what she’d say. It was all of ten minutes ago when we got home, and I told Tegan.”
“Yes, well, you could have called immediately after she said yes,” my mother persisted.
“We were out on a run, she’s a new wolf and I wanted her to see the territory,” I told her. I waited for the questions to start.
“Tegan told me she’s quite beautiful,” I could hear the excitement in my mother’s voice. “A pure white wolf. I imagine she complements you perfectly. Tegan also mentioned that you changed her. I wonder, if you were planning on turning a human, why you didn’t call your father or me about it first.”
“I don’t’ know Mom,” I replied distractedly. The shower had shut off and I turned to watch the bathroom door. “It was a heat of the moment kind of thing.” Zee walked out wrapped in a towel. Water was still glistening on her exposed skin and I stared at her long enough to cause her to giggle and my mother to yell my name through the phone.
“Sorry Mom,” I apologized quickly while I motioned to Zee where her clothes were. “What were you saying?”
“I asked when you would be bringing her to visit us?” my mother’s voice brooked no arguments. She expected us to come see her. Zee stood in her towel still, watching me. She reached out and ran her hand over my forehead where my brows were scrunched up in thought.
“Umm, I’ll see when we can make it out there,” I trailed off as I watched a lonely drop of water slip down the side of Zee’s neck to the dip in the base of her throat. She waved her hand in front of my face and I met her eyes. She was grinning and pointed at the phone, nodding her head that she would come with me.
“You’ll do more than see,” my mother said, again with the bossy tone. “I’ll have tickets waiting for you to fly in tomorrow evening. Your father is booking them now. We won’t keep you long, Alex. I’m sure Wyatt and Tegan can handle things for a few days.”
I raised my eyebrows at Zee, unsure if she would be willing to go, but she just nodded her head at me. “Well, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow then,” I conceded reluctantly. It didn’t feel like the best time to be leaving the pack alone, but I hoped that the Hunter’s silence meant he was content with what he had done to Zee for a little while.
My mother happily rattled off our flight time and made me promise to call as soon as we landed. She finally let me go and I dropped down on the edge of my bed. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. I hadn’t expected to have to pack and head out to Colorado. I’d been planning on doing something romantic with Zee. Something to make up for the subpar proposal.
I felt her towel brush against my knees and then her little hands were in my hair. She twined her fingers through the strands and pulled my head up, so I was looking at her. Her brown hair looked black when it was wet, and it was falling in wild tangles around her face. I reached up to tug a strand of it and she leaned in to kiss my lips.
I moved my legs apart and pulled her between them. Her
