Dex pulled off the road and onto a dirt road. He had a vague idea where they'd be safe and he expected there to be a cabin here. This was unclaimed territory. If this didn't work, they'd move on and find something else. He'd keep Emma safe no matter what. "Smooth," Emma said as they bumped along the rutted road."Nothing but the best for you," Dex said. She smiled at him as she held onto the dash of the truck. "You spoil me.""Sadly this is the best I can do right now, Emma.""It's fine, Dex. As long as we're together."As long as his Emma wasn't with Lucien. He didn't know what the future held, but as long as Emma was in it, he'd consider it bright. Finally, the trees opened up and a cabin appeared. The porch looked rickety, but the roof was intact as far as he could see. "Home, sweet, home."Emma climbed out. "We can work with this."He loved her so much. She'd been through fire and brimstone to be with him and he was going to make sure her life was the best it could be. He stood n
Emma looked around at the people passing by her. They stood in the parking lot of a real estate agency hoping they'll find an apartment. She tried not to gape at the humans who passed by. There were so many of them. "It's a little daunting," Dex said, standing beside her. "I miss the woods already. Even Fang City wasn't this, uh, busy.""Humans tend to pack into cities." He put a hand on her back. "Shall we?""Sure. This person will help us find an apartment?""I'm hoping."He didn't sound positive, but she followed him into the squat storefront office. Pictures of houses were posted in the windows on either side of the door. "Money is a big deal here."He looked at the prices, then grimaced. "Yeah. Hopefully, we can get something safe."They were wolves. They'd be safe here. At least she hoped. Humans weren't a threat. They'd probably run away screaming if she or Dex shifted into wolf form. A bell above the door dinged as they opened it. A woman with long blonde hair poked her head
As Dex parked the truck in front of his house, he already had a checklist in his head of what needed to be done. He'd only been gone a few days, and thankfully no one had challenged his authority so he was still Alpha of this pack. If someone wanted to challenge him, they could bring it. He had his Luna and was more powerful than when he left. "I'll unpack. Do you need to check in with Brutus?" Emma asked. Brutus. Dex didn't know what to do with Brutus and he hadn't told Emma that it had been his Beta who had betrayed her. She hadn't asked any direct questions, but if she did he would be honest. He was aware that Lucien had left her in the dark. He wouldn't do that. It served no purpose. "I do. You don't mind taking care of things here?"She kissed him on the cheek. "You have me now, Dex. You don't have to do it all."He smiled down at her. "I'm glad you're here Emma. I'll be back for dinner.""Call me if you'll be late."He left her doing the domestic chores he hated anyway. He sen
Emma knocked on the front door with a casserole in her hand. The she-wolf here just had a cub and Emma was making her first visit as a Luna. Her heart sped up a little, unsure of the reaction she would receive. She suspected not all of Dex's pack would welcome her.The door was opened by a small boy who looked at her with big eyes."Daren, I told you not to open that," a woman yelled. She appeared a minute later, a baby in her arms. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had food stains on her shirt. "Oh, hi. You're Emma right?""Yes. I brought food," she said, then realized how dumb that sounded. Her nerves were getting the best of her. The woman, Carrie, nudged her son out of the way. "Go finish your snack."He left and Carrie opened the door wider. "Come in.""Where can I put this?""If you don't mind, the kitchen would be great."Carrie led Emma that way. "Please excuse the mess," Carrie said. "You've just had a baby. Housekeeping should be a low priority," Emma said, putting
Dex sat at his desk in the Grand Hall. His office overlooked the training field and he had his chair turned so he could see what was going on. Brutus was out there, as was Leyton. "Readying the troops?" Emma said from behind him.He swiveled around in time to see a frown march across her face. "Yes.""I'm sorry that you have to be on high alert."He rose and strode around the desk. He enveloped her in his arms. Would she ever know how happy he was that she was here? Could he ever convey to her the depth of his feelings? He led her tightly. "Please don't dwell on that. No one begrudges you being here."When he loosened his grip, she looked up at him, her brow creased. "Are you sure?""Has anyone said anything to you?""Well, not directly.""If they do, you tell me," Dex said. "I'm the Alpha here. What I say goes." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Besides, all of these wolves have never had a place to go. They will defend this territory readily.""But they didn't have to until I came alo
They didn't make it past the porch on their house before Dex had his lips on her and her body pushed against the door. She thrummed and hummed at his touches. "Dex.""If I could make love to you constantly, I would."Her heart skipped a beat in her chest. How could she have chosen anything less than the look in Dex's eyes? She was the only wolf on the planet. His eyes were gray with passion and she knew that if he touched him the right way, he would explode.That was a lot of power and the universe had only given it to Lunas. Dex could do the same to her. One touch, one look, and she was on fire. Together their passion could burn down their house.She reached behind her and opened the front door. "Let's take this inside."The words came out shaky, not from fear, but from the powerful emotions she felt for Dex. He loosened his grip and they tumbled into the house. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Emma. Will I ever get enough of you?""I certainly hope not."His laugh came out as muc
Dex sat in his office as he often did to begin his mornings. He rarely stayed there for the duration of his day because pack business required him to be everywhere. He wouldn't have it any other way. A wolf stuck inside was a dangerous thing. He'd want to crawl out of his skin if he had to spend all of his time within four walls.Today he had an important meeting with some of his intelligence scouts. He'd sent them out to other packs to gather information about Lucien. He doubted the Alpha would just give up Emma. Not only wouldn't he grant her an easy divorce, but Dex suspected that Lucien would fight to get her back. If Dex thought that Lucien loved Emma he could understand, but doing it for honor was something he could never grasp. Protecting Emma was also protecting the pack.A knock on his door startled him out of his reverie. Brutus stood in the doorway. "The scouts are here. Do you want me to sit in on the meeting?"Dex rubbed his chin. Did he? He still wasn't sure about trus
Dex would have loved to spend his day thinking about the ceremony and the night after with Emma, but he had business to attend to and most likely a war on his doorstep. The intelligence reports he'd been given the day before were not surprising, but they were still troubling. He looked up as Brutus entered his office. "Lugo is here to see you.""From Maverick Woods Pack. Send him in and close the door behind you."Lugo appeared and Brutus left. Dex rose and they shook hands. "What brings you here?""Not good news.""Sit." When they were settled, Dex continued. "I have had a lot of bad news lately.""I'm sorry to bring more.""It's fine, Lugo. I appreciate the courtesy back when my Luna and I were in your territory.""You didn't know you were intruding. I can understand that. We are a newly formed pack. We hadn't even been invited to the Council.""I'm sure it was an oversight.""Maybe, but I refuse to see it as a slight. I have more important things to worry about," Lugo said. "That b