To Catch His Mate (Crescent Moon Series Book 5) (10 page)

“Can we go back to that ‘I love you’ thing you just said?” she asked, shifting so that she was in front of him, her hands on his waist now.

He looked down at her, his wolf raging in his eyes but when he met her gaze, he blinked and it was just Reece again. “I shouldn’t have told you like that.” His voice was still raspy but she could see he was calmer now as he pulled her close.

“I…love you too. So much.” Saying the words out loud was a little terrifying but she loved him so even if he’d just said that in the heat of the moment she wasn’t going to hold back. Not with something like this.

“Thank God.” He made a sort of growling relieved sound that made her laugh. “I want you to live here with me. Permanently. If you need time to officially mate that’s…not fine, but I’ll deal with it. I know you do a lot for your pack but they’re just going to have to live without you because you’re going to be part of my pack—our pack—now. You belong by my side and I don’t want to be alpha if you’re not my mate.”

She blinked, digesting everything he’d said. “I want to live here too and I want to mate soon. Maybe not tonight, but I—”

His mouth crushed over hers in a brutal, fast claiming that was over way too fast. She sucked in a breath when he pulled back.

“Just needed to do that,” he murmured. “You can continue.”

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I don’t even remember what I was saying.”

“I think you were going to say you’d be moving in here now. For good.”

Her lips curved into a grin as she stepped closer against him, linking her fingers together behind his back. “Oh, is that what I said?” Excitement slid through her at the thought of waking up to him every morning, her earlier fears falling away.

“Yep. And you were also going to get naked in the next sixty seconds. I’m pretty sure that’s where this conversation was headed.”

Laughing, her heart feeling lighter than it ever had, she hugged him closer. “God, I love you.”

“Good because I’m not letting you go.” His dark eyes had that possessive glint to them that made her toes curl.

That was fine with her. Now that she’d found her mate, she wasn’t letting him go either.

Epilogue

Two months later

Alyssa nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the sound of the front door opening. She shouldn’t have been surprised though, not with all the packmates that had been coming in and out all day to steal food before the big Christmas Eve party.

They were shameless. Which was why she, Sybil and Andrew had cooked for an army. Well, she’d mainly baked, the other two had done most of the heavy cooking. That was definitely not her area of expertise.

Reece had told her he had a last minute errand to run before the big party tonight and mostly everyone had cleared out to get ready. Not wanting anyone to see what she’d been looking at, she shoved the pregnancy test into her apron pocket—then smiled when she scented Ember and her dad. It had been a little weirder than she’d expected seeing them together at first, but she was over it now.

Stepping out of the kitchen, she met them in the hallway. “You guys are early!”

Ember, wearing a black T-shirt that said OCD—Obsessive Christmas Disorder—on the front, jeans, boots and fake reindeer ears, made Alyssa burst into laughter as she hurried toward them.

“We brought presents,” Ember said, pulling her into a big hug before her dad did the same.

“And alcohol,” her dad said. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

She didn’t remind him that they lived about an hour away and she’d seen him literally a week ago because the truth was, she missed him too. It had been an adjustment moving away from her pack, but being with Reece cancelled out most of her sadness.

Not to mention she’d been so busy taking over a much needed role—party-planner for the O’Shea pack. Stepping into that position had been perfect for her and she was glad she got to do what she loved.

“I’ve missed you too. Both of you.” She looked between the two of them, not surprised to see that Ember was practically glowing. Every time Alyssa talked to her, she was giddy about being mated. “You want to grab your bags from the car or get a drink? Most of the cooking is done, I’ve just got to get changed for the party.”

“Reece said he’d put us up in one of the guest houses,” Ember said, her cheeks tinging red.

Alyssa snickered. “That’s probably better.” They were staying for a few days and she so did not need to hear what the two of them did in their room. That was the only downside to supernatural hearing.

“We’ve got news,” Ember blurted, fear and elation an odd mixture on her beautiful face.

When Alyssa looked at her dad, she saw the same mix. Her gut twisted because she couldn’t ever remember seeing her dad afraid. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Well, not wrong, it’s just scary and awesome. We’re pregnant.”

Then suddenly she understood the fear from her father. Her mother had died giving birth to Alyssa, and he had to be afraid for Ember’s safety. Ember was probably afraid because she was going to be a new mom.

“That’s fantastic news. Congratulations!” She pulled them into a big hug, wrapping her arms around both their waists. They were both taller than her but they stooped to wrap their arms around her.

Well, Alyssa could totally relate to that. She’d taken a dozen pregnancy tests today and they’d all come back positive. Now she just needed to tell Reece. But she’d think about that later. “Do you know when you’re due, or is it too soon?” she asked, stepping back.

Before they could answer, Reece stepped in the front door. He shoved a square box about the size of his hand into his jacket pocket as he nodded at Alyssa’s dad and Ember. “Hey guys. Glad you made it.” As greetings were exchanged, her hand automatically slid to the pregnancy test in her apron pocket.

It was pretty early since she’d just missed her period, but the multiple tests she’d taken couldn’t all be wrong. When he stepped away from them, the look in his dark eyes as he automatically reached for her was filled with love and adoration. She couldn’t wait until they were alone so she could tell him the good news. “I missed you,” she murmured, wrapping her arm around his waist.

“Me too.” He kissed the top of her head, the action so natural now. She leaned into his embrace, savoring the feel of him surrounding her.

“Guess who’s pregnant?” Ember asked, excitement rolling off her in waves.

Reece’s grip tightened, all the muscles in his body pulling taut as he looked down at Alyssa. “You told them first?” Hurt filtered through his words, even though she knew he was trying to hide it.

But how had he even known? “No… I, no! Ember’s pregnant. How’d you know I am?”

“You’re pregnant too?” Ember went into full on squealing mode as Reece stared down at Alyssa.

“You didn’t tell them?”

“No, I haven’t told anyone. I was going to wait until we were alone.” How the hell had he known?

“I stopped by the house earlier when you were out getting more groceries and found your stash of pregnancy tests.” His expression was unreadable. She hated when he went into that alpha mode.

She was vaguely aware of Ember and her dad watching them, but all her focus was on Reece. “I wanted to wait until we had privacy, but… I’m really happy about this.” They’d talked about having kids, but more in an abstract way. They’d even used condoms when she’d gone into heat, but clearly they hadn’t worked. Now she wondered if it was too soon for their relationship.

His expression softened and he pulled out the box he’d hidden moments before. When he pulled off the lid, she grinned. “A baseball?”

His shoulders lifted in an unapologetic shrug as he pulled her into his arms. “Gotta start early with him.”

She snorted. “It could be a girl. So you’re happy?”

“Having a kid with the woman I love more than anything? Yeah, I’m happy.” His expression was intense as he looked down at her. That was a look she recognized clearly. Even before they’d officially mated, whenever she saw that wicked gleam in his eyes, she knew what was coming.

“I think another congrats is in order,” her father said, pulling her into another hug as Reece did the same with Ember. Then the front door opened and more packmates spilled in.

“I’m going to be a father!” Reece shouted, apparently making the decision on when they’d share with everyone an easy one.

“Oh my God, I’m going to be a mom
and
a sister,” she said, reality crashing over her as packmate after packmate hugged and congratulated her.

She’d never felt more loved in her entire life. When she looked over at her smiling mate she knew without a doubt that she was the luckiest wolf on the planet. And she was so glad he’d come after her when she’d made the mistake of running in the first place.

__________

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To Catch His Mate
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Excerpt from

Heated Mating

by Savannah Stuart

Copyright © 2014 Savannah Stuart

As Linc stared at Saroya’s exposed back, he understood his dead brother’s love of the dark-haired beauty.

The funeral pyre burned before them and the entire clan. The firelight played off the sheer shift Saroya wore. Compared to what most of the females of the clan wore her clothing was more than acceptable but he hated that the material dipped low, exposing most of her back. The arch of her spine was delicate and beautiful. He wanted to trace his fingers up the length then follow with his tongue. Unlike the females of his people, Saroya and the handful of other women they’d rescued from the dying blue planet were smaller, more fragile. Not weak, they’d proven that much. Just different in some ways.

Ever since his brother Gage had returned from that fateful mission with Saroya and ten other foreign females in tow, Linc had cursed the Goddess that he’d busted his knee up the week before and Gage had met her first.

If he hadn’t hurt himself during training he’d have been on that mission. A mission his scholarly brother had only been on to collect data. And Linc would have seen Saroya first. She’d have been his and
only
his. It didn’t matter that his society consisted mainly of male-female-male joinings. And it didn’t matter that Gage and Saroya had tried to welcome him into their bed on more than one occasion. None of that shit mattered because he didn’t share.

He would not share her. With anyone. Not even his own brother. So he’d always declined their invitations. He couldn’t be sure but she seemed to think he preferred the opposite sex. That was fine with him. Let her have her assumptions.

A few wisps of her dark hair had come loose from the clip she’d secured it with. As he watched her, he noted a small tremble race through her. His people didn’t show much emotion but hers were very different as he’d learned over the past six moon cycles. Though he couldn’t see her face, he knew she was crying. Linc wanted to reach out and comfort her but he was a warrior. That wasn’t done.

When she shifted her weight forward, as if she were ready to throw herself off the cliff and onto the burning pile of her lover’s remains, he felt his entire fucking world shift. He nearly lost a century of his life.

Lightning fast, Linc lunged at her and wrapped his arm around her waist in a hard, tight grip. Even if she wanted to leave this life, this planet, he would not let her. Could not. He refused to live in a world where she didn’t exist.

She struggled against him, silently crying until he twisted her around to face him. Barely reaching his chin, she wouldn’t look at him as she beat his chest a couple times with her fists. Her words were incoherent and laced with grief. He was pretty sure she called him a heartless bastard too. He wasn’t sure why, but the words pierced him. Hard. That was his brother slowly turning to ash down there. He was hurting too, even if he couldn’t show it. And he hated himself for wanting his dead brother’s mate so badly.

Just as suddenly, she stopped fighting and molded against him. Her arms wrapped around him and she buried her face against his neck. Shame burned through him as the rest of the clans present tried not to stare at the spectacle they made. No one but Saroya and his brother knew that theirs had not been a true bonding. That only Gage and Saroya had been lovers. That he’d just been a roommate. Now surely everyone knew that she’d preferred his brother over him.

Goddess, he needed a drink. Her wet tears streamed down the back of his neck and onto his shoulder as her slender body pressed to him. To his absolute
fucking
horror he felt his cock growing. With her soft body molded against his it was impossible to control himself. He, a trained warrior of Lumineta, could not rule his body.

Thankfully she seemed oblivious because she just held him tighter. “Get me out of here.” Her voice was shaky and thick with tears against his neck.