Tears flooded her eyes and her lips trembled. Relief and regret twisted in a disconcerting cyclone. Jake pulled her fully into his arms and pressed her face into the warmth of his throat. “It’s over, angel. You’re safe and this is finally over.”
“Why don’t you take her to my house for the night,” Erin suggested. “Devon and I will take care of things here.”
Jake nodded and eased her away from his chest. “Want to grab some pants or shorts before we head over?”
Heather glanced down at her bare legs. She had honestly forgotten she was half-naked. After slipping into a pair of jeans, she followed Jake out into the warm summer night. Actually it was early morning, but the dark tranquility felt like a healing balm. Heather sucked in a deep breath, purging her nose of blood’s cloying stench.
Jake laced his fingers through hers and they headed across a grassy meadow. He’d thoughtfully grabbed a flashlight to keep them out of prairie dog holes and he let her set the pace as they strolled along.
“Will your pack accept Landon if he returns as alpha?”
Heather shook her head. “Landon has no interest in leading our father’s pack. When and if Landon forms his own there are a few who will leave Silverthorne and follow him, but most will stay true to whoever wins the challenge and becomes the new alpha.”
“We need to move Lexxie to Aspen.”
“Absolutely. The entire pack will see her as a traitor now.”
“Or she can join Landon’s pack if she’d rather be with wolves. Just let her know she’s welcome in my territory.”
“Don’t you mean in our territory?”
He chuckled. “Yes, in our territory.”
She squeezed his hand and let the starlight soothe her. So much had happened so quickly and the changes had just begun. She still needed to decide which bloodlines she wanted to add to her definition and what role she would play in this new reality. It was wonderful just to have options again.
She sighed and moved closer to her lover, her mate. “When can we go home?”
“We’re not prisoners, sweetheart. We can leave whenever we like.”
“I appreciate all your friends have done for us, but—”
“All our friends have done for us.”
“Fair enough.” She smiled. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful to our friends, but I’m anxious to settle in to our new life.”
“I am too, but we need to see if Serra will open up to you now that you can speak with her directly.”
She nodded, picturing the sad-eyed tigress. “I’ll do whatever I can. I can’t imagine what that poor girl has been through.”
“It might take some time, which means we might need to hang around for a bit longer.”
“Then I’m going to have to buy some new clothes. I am sick to death of your t-shirts and Enya’s jeans.”
“That I can arrange.” Jake laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Speaking of Enya.” Heather hesitated, unsure if she wanted to plunge them back into unhappiness. “How do you think she’ll react to our joining?”
“It will take some time, but once she knows you, she won’t be able to resist you.”
“I hope you’re right.” She gently pulled away and grasped his hand again, not willing to lose contact entirely. “Why does she hate wolves so badly?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s Enya’s story to tell and she’ll likely say no more than, ‘It’s in the past.’”
“But it’s not. If she reacts negatively to every wolf she meets then whatever happened still has a powerful hold over her.”
“I know, but I’m not the one you need to convince. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
“I’ll wait until we know each other better, but I’m going to try to bridge the gap. I know how important she is to you and I want us all to get along.”
He chuckled. “Now you sound like Erin. She’s convinced that honest communication can right all the world’s wrongs.”
“You make her sound naïve.”
“Not naïve, just impractically hopeful.” He paused to help her over a split-railed fence. “Too often life isn’t that cooperative.”
“How much farther is it?” She looked off into the distance and still didn’t see a house.
“Did you honestly just ask, ‘Are we there yet?’” He laughed.
She playfully punched him in the arm. “I’m not being impatient, exactly. I wish we could let our cats run. My tigress has been stir-crazy ever since I woke up.”
“Who says we can’t?” Jake stopped and faced her, smile flashing in the moonlight. “We’re still at least a mile away.”