I can feel the shift in the people at the pool. Everyone is looking at me, but no one is giving me mean, cruel looks. They mostly seem curious about how a witch has ended up being under the protection of two packs. Even I didn’t realize I had the protection of Xander’s pack. I thought it was just his father. “What does it mean to have the pack’s protection?” I ask Quinn and Malin. I really like them. They are fun and sweet. “Well,” Quinn says, still eyeing Alpha Emerson, “it means that if something were to happen to you, if someone were to threaten you, every member of the pack would protect you.” “What?” I ask, astonished. “But, they don’t even know me.” “Doesn’t matter. We’re a pack. That’s what makes us strong. We work together, we fight together, we live and die together,” Malin says. I watch as she nudges Quinn, nodding her head at Alpha Emerson and giving her a look. “I can’t go over there,” Quinn says through gritted teeth. “Why?” I ask. Malin turns, facing away from the

I blink. Did he just say ‘done’? “What do you mean, ‘done’?” I ask him. “I mean, I won’t let her touch me again and if she does, I’ll push her away or you can, if you prefer.” “I can?” I ask, not sure I heard him correctly. Have I walked into the twilight zone? “Yes, as my mate, no one would fault you for pushing another she-wolf away from me.” He shrugs. “It’s pretty standard in werewolf packs. Well, when you’re newly mated. After that, people realize quickly that it’s a death wish to touch someone else’s mate.” “And you’d be okay with me telling Cecelia that she can’t touch you ever again?” I ask slowly, making sure I’ve got this this right. “Yep,” he says, smiling at me as if I just gave him the best present in the world by telling him I don’t want another woman touching him. Most men would say I was smothering them or being too clingy. The werewolves are weird. “Do you think that’s Sir Alpha Xander?” I hear someone ask behind me. I turn but I don’t see anyone. When I turn

To say I’m feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement. I’m mated to a werewolf that wants to get married and have kids. Or, mate and have pups, in werewolf language. I’d probably have told him to leave me alone, but he looked so desperate for me to agree to spend time with him, so I agreed to the date. It’s not a hardship, I just don’t know that I can give him what he wants or expects from me. I still have Meadow and Tate to think about, although, I wonder if he was serious about bringing them here. If they fall under the pack’s protection, that’s better than anything I can do for them. “So, you didn’t tell me, where is it that you wanted to go on our date?” he asks as we continue walking toward the packhouse. I don’t know if I want to risk telling him where I want to go. I remember the first time my parents took me to the Ferris wheel downtown. There were lots of couples of all ages riding it. Some were hiding their eyes, some would scream as the wheel looped over the top and c

I’m shocked that Guardian Angel isn’t upset that her son is mated to me, and as I look around, I realize that none of them are surprised. “Do you want to join us for dinner at our place?” Angel asks me. “I’m taking her out,” Xander says. I turn to look at him. “You are?” “I am. I thought I could show you around the pack lands a bit more.” “Where are you taking her?” Quinn asks. He looks at me. “Ethereal.” Both Quinn and Malin begin ohhhing and ahhhing. “Wait, what is she going to wear?” Malin asks. “What kind of restaurant is it? I only have jeans,” I say. “Jeans are fine,” Xander says. Both Malin and Quinn roll their eyes, shaking their head. “Did you make a reservation?” Alpha Liam asks his son. “No, I was hoping since it’s a weekday that we could get a table." "I would call if I were you," Alpha Liam says. “This sounds very fancy, I don’t have any fancy clothes,” I say. “We do!” the twins say together. “We’ll go get something for you to wear and come back. You showe

Xander and I head downstairs to the spell room. When I woke up this morning, my first thought should have been that I was tangled up in bed with a man. A very sexy man that seems to really like me. But no. All I could think about was that these shifters have senses much more heightened than I even realize and what if he can smell my morning breath. Yep, that’s what was running through my head, morning breath. Not the massive hard on that was pressing against me, not the fact that I slept better than I have in years, not even the fact that I desperately didn’t want to get up and leave Xander’s warmth. Morning breath. That’s what my brain latched on to. I practically scrubbed the enamel off my teeth trying to make sure that they were sufficiently clean before I opened the door and there he was, once again looking like he just stepped out of some surfing magazine. I mean seriously, the man is ridiculously gorgeous. When we get to the spell room, I can see that my spell is ready. I wa