Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Tane glared at me and shook his head stubbornly. “She can go stay with Mom and Dad in New York.”
“And what would you do if I decided to up and move away?” I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to stop looking for a way to answer without lying.
Finally, he grunted in frustration and muttered. “Follow your ass and drag you back home.”
I nodded. “Is it really such a bad thing? Not only do you know your daughter won’t spend her life searching for her fated mate, but it’s Talon. Deep down, you know he would never hurt her. He’ll put her first in everything he does, and he’ll love her like you love me.”
“Over my dead-fucking-body will he love her like I love you,” Tane growled.
Kace snickered, and I threw him a glare that made it very clear he was not helping. Honestly, I was flying a little blind here because I had no idea if Talon and Kyla were experiencing the same desperate physical need for each other that Tane and I had when we were first mated. I sent up a fervent prayer that it wasn’t that strong, or my next words would end up being a lie. “I’m sure nothing will happen until they’re adults. Talon respects you, and more importantly, he respects Kyla.”
Tane vibrated with energy, and for a minute, I wondered if I’d failed to calm him and he was about to shift and race off to rip Talon’s throat out. I breathed a sigh of relief when he took several deep breaths and seemed to become a little more in control.
Tane must have been having similar thoughts to mine because Kace spoke up, answering my unasked question. “Talon loves her. He loved her before they knew they were fated mates. But he swears that the sexual”—Tane growled, and Kace threw him a warning look before continuing—“pull isn’t overwhelming like it was for us. Clearly, we are guessing here, but I think that just as our bodies and beasts are aware that we have an eternal mate, they also know when the time is right to seal that connection.”
Kace’s words confirmed one thing, though; Talon was obviously feeling desire for Kyla, even if it was manageable at the moment. Tane picked up on that too because his eyes narrowed, and he pointed at Kace, growling, “If my baby girl ends up pregnant before she’s married, I’ll make it impossible for Talon to have any more kids. He won’t even have the ability to try.”
“Fair enough,” Kace agreed. He watched my mate in silence for another minute, then spoke again. “Talon wanted to be the one to tell you, but I didn’t want you to kill my son before he could explain. He was trying to be a man, to respect you as his mate’s father and his alpha’s third. I convinced him to let me take the brunt of your reaction, but he still wants to talk to you. Can I trust if I send my son over here that you will be reasonable?”
“Of course,” I replied immediately. Tane didn’t respond verbally, but he gave Kace a sharp nod, and I saw one corner of his mouth tick up. We both knew what courage it was taking Talon to come over and face Tane himself. He was an amazing kid and was quickly growing into an amazing man. When it came down to it, I wasn’t upset over the mating, though I would have preferred it happen when they were a little older. And I wasn’t sure how Kace had managed to keep Larissa from rushing over to start planning a wedding and baby showers.
Extra Epilogue
Tane
I grinned as I hung up the phone, and my mate sent me a questioning glance as she shut the door to the refrigerator and set out the ingredients for dinner. Tossing my cell on the kitchen counter, I grabbed Calliope’s hand and twirled her around before bringing her into the circle of my arms. Then I kissed her soundly.
“What’s going on?” she asked breathlessly when I finally released her lips.
“Trinity is going to come and stay with the kids while I take you on an anniversary trip!”
Calliope raised a brow and tipped her head back to stare into my face. “Trinity is coming to wolf territory?”
I understood her skepticism. Trinity had always been a little bitter that I’d chosen to stay in Timber Ridge and become the third to an alpha in a wolf pack rather than come back to New York. She didn’t blame me, though. She blamed the pack. To make matters worse, another person she loved had been “taken away” when her best friend from childhood, Corinna, had mated with a wolf upstate in the Silver Lake Pack.
I shrugged, not sure why Trinity had relented. But I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Mom and Dad have plans, and Tabara is in the middle of production for a new show. So I begged.”