Chapter 38 – BODHI
BODHI
Ican’t stop watching her sleep.
Emma lies curled against my chest, one leg hooked over mine, and her warm breath puffing against my skin.
Her contentment hums beneath my ribs like a second heartbeat. Different from my own emotions, softer somehow. And even unconscious, she radiates a sense of finally belonging that makes my throat thick with emotion.
Mine.
The word loops through my head, my bear’s smug possessiveness not fading one bit. My mate. My woman. And my responsibility now, in ways that go beyond simple protection.
I trace my fingers over her shoulder blade, following the path of her spine. The temptation to wake her, to lose myself in her body again, is strong. After I took her over and over, driven by a hunger that wouldn’t quit, she needs rest.
The bear has gone quiet for the first time in months. No pacing beneath my skin, no constant push for violence. Just satisfied and content with the knowledge that she’s here and she’s safe. The rest will come. Once we’re together, we’ll be okay.
A sharp knock shatters the peace.
Emma jerks awake, her whole body going rigid against mine, her terror floods my system like ice water. Heart hammering and adrenaline spiking, a vice-like tightness of panic now grips her chest.
Fuck.
I pull her tight against me, hand cupping her nape. “Just someone at the door. You’re okay.”
She blinks, focusing on my face, but the fear still pulses between us. Her body stays tense, ready to bolt.
“Sorry.” Her voice shakes. “I didn’t mean to. I was just startled.”
“Stop.” I press my forehead to hers, breathing slowly until she matches my rhythm. “No apologies. Not for this.”
Another knock, but louder. My growl vibrates through both our chests, and Emma’s eyes widen. She can feel my anger through the bond now, that intensity I usually keep hidden.
“Stay here.” I grab my jeans off the floor. “I’ll handle it.”
I wrench the door open, ready to tear into whoever’s interrupted us, until I find Mitch standing on the porch, already backing up at my expression. He takes in my appearance: sleep-messed hair, scratches down my neck, and jeans barely buttoned.
“Bad time?” He winces.
“What do you think?”
His gaze lingers on the nail marks Emma left across my throat. “Right. Newly mated. Got it.” He clears his throat. “The Anderson pack sent a messenger. They want to meet with the new alpha. Figured you’d want to know.”
“Next week.” I start to close the door.
“Bodhi, they seemed eager to…”
“I said next week.” My voice drops to a growl. “I’m newly mated. Anyone who pushes that will deal with a very pissed-off bear. I doubt that’s the version of me they want to meet.”
A grin spreads across Mitch’s face. “Fair enough. Congratulations, by the way.”
I shut the door before he can say more.
Back in the kitchen, I make coffee while the bond pulses with Emma’s lingering anxiety.
She’s embarrassed by the panic attack; I can feel that too.
The brave mask she wore yesterday with Ray, the strength she showed deciding to stay, all of it is real.
But underneath, there still lives the woman who spent days in Kozlov’s hands.
That trauma won’t vanish overnight, no matter how much she wishes it would.
When I bring two mugs back to the bedroom, she’s sitting against the headboard, sheet pulled up to her chest. Through the bond, her emotions swirl: happiness at seeing me, shame at the panic earlier, worry that I’ll think less of her.
“I should hate that you can feel everything now,” she says quietly. “There’s nowhere to hide.”
I settle beside her and pull her against my chest. “You’re not supposed to hide from me. It means I’ll know when you need me. When to hold you or give you space.” I kiss the top of her head. “And when to murder whoever knocks on our door at inconvenient times.”
Her laugh is small but real. She sips her coffee, and I feel her anxiety gradually settle, replaced by something steadier. After a few minutes of quiet, she sets the mug on the nightstand and looks up at me.
“I want to see the town properly. Not just as someone passing through.”
“You sure? We could stay in bed all day. I wouldn’t complain.”
She swats my chest, but she’s smiling. “I need to get out of this cabin before you completely ruin me.”
“Too late for that.” I catch her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “But alright. Let me show you around.”
We dress slowly, smiling and stealing glances at each other as the bond hums with warmth.
She pulls on my flannel again since her clothes are still at Chase’s compound, which is something we’ll need to remedy.
But the sight of her in my shirt does something primal to my chest. She catches the spike of possessiveness through the bond and rolls her eyes, but I see the pleased flush on her cheeks.
The afternoon sun is bright when we step outside, and Emma squints against it before her eyes adjust. I take her hand, threading our fingers together, and feel her pulse jump at the simple contact.
The bond amplifies every touch, every glance, every brush of skin.
It’s going to take some getting used to for both of us.
The clan territory spreads before us, and I watch her take it in with fresh eyes.
Not as a visitor anymore, but as someone considering this place home.
Music drifts from an open garage where someone’s working under a truck.
Two women unload boxes outside the grocery store, arguing good-naturedly about inventory.
The whir of power tools echoes from where new cabins are going up.
“Alpha.” Mason straightens from a motorcycle he’s been working on, giving me a salute, and Emma a genuine smile. “Good to see you both up and about.”
When he steps forward like he might hug Emma, I block him with one arm and a rumble that makes him laugh.
“Not ready to share yet, got it.” He holds his hands up. “Welcome to the clan, Emma. Officially.”
She squeezes my hand, and inside, I sense her amusement at my possessiveness mixed with warmth at being welcomed. But underneath that, a fierce, aching relief.
Belonging. She’s never had this. And hearing it spoken aloud, so casually, like it’s obvious, like it’s no big deal, matters to her more than she’ll ever say.
We continue past the grocery store, the hardware shop. People nod as we pass, some curious, some knowing, all respectful.
“Everyone’s staring,” Emma murmurs.
“They’re staring at the mark.” I brush my thumb over the bite on her neck, feeling her shiver. “They know what it means.”
Possession. Devotion. A lifetime of happiness together.
“What does it mean? To them?”
Emma still hasn’t quite wrapped her head around how treasured fated mates are, and how my leadership role here in the clan now means that by extension, she is too. She still sees herself as separate, like an adopted pet the clan has taken to, not my equal in their eyes.
“That you’re untouchable. That anyone who threatens you will answer to me.” I pull her closer as we walk. “That their Alpha, and fate, has chosen, very wisely I might add, and the choice is final.”
She’s quiet for a moment, processing, turning the idea over, examining it from different angles. Not uncomfortable, just... adjusting.
We pass the demolished foundation of my father’s old house. Workers have already cleared most of the debris, carting away the remnants of his legacy piece by piece.
Emma pauses, watching a truck haul away another load of rubble.
“Your father’s house?”
“What’s left of it.” I don’t hide the satisfaction in my voice. “Nobody wanted it standing. Too many terrible memories.”
She nods slowly. “Good. Some things shouldn’t be preserved.”
I love her more in this moment than I knew was possible.
We continue walking past the main cluster of buildings and toward the edge of the Main Street where the land opens up. Mountain views stretch before us on one side, and trees stand sentinel on the other. Space. Privacy. Possibility.
“Where are we going?” Emma asks.
“I want to show you something.”
The cleared area spreads before us, and I stop, turning her to face the view. Wind catches her hair, sending strands across her face, and she tucks them behind her ear while taking it all in.
“This is where I’ll build our house,” I tell her. “If you want.”
She turns slowly, looking at the land, the mountains, the distance from the main strip. She wasn’t expecting this.
“Our house,” she repeats.
“Four bedrooms. Or five. Big kitchen, since Mitch says you like to cook. Porch that wraps around so you can see the sunset.” I’m rambling now, nervous in a way I haven’t been since I asked her to stay. “Space for whatever we need.”
“Whatever we need, huh?” She gives me some side-eye, a smile tugging at her lips.
I clear my throat and look out toward the treeline.
My mate is well aware of how much I’d like cubs, how much I enjoy the idea of making those cubs, someday.
It makes sense to build with extending our family of two in mind.
Emma’s quiet for a long moment, feeling the weight of imagining a future here. A real future, not just day-to-day living.
“You’ve thought about this,” she says finally.
“I’ve thought about nothing else.” I turn her to face me, settling my hands on her hips. “This clan, the Alpha role, it means nothing if you’re not beside me. I’ll build you whatever you want. A castle. A cottage. Or a fortress with a moat, if that’s what makes you feel safe.”
Her lips curve. “I don’t need a moat. And I already feel safe.”The truth in her words strikes me, her certainty. This is her choice, made freely and completely.
In the distance, the last wall of my father’s house comes crashing down. Workers cheer. Someone starts playing music. I see another barbecue in our immediate future.
The old era has finally come to an end, making way for something new.
“I love you,” I tell her, because I’ll never tire of saying it.
“I love you too.” She turns in my arms to look out at the view that will be ours. “Now, tell me more about this wraparound porch.”
I smile against her hair and start describing every detail I’ve imagined. The house. The life. The future we’ll build together on the bones of everything my father tried to destroy.
She listens, asks questions, and makes suggestions. And for the first time in my life, Black River feels exactly like it always should have.
Home.
“Thank you for staying.” I haul her closer, breathing in her delicious scent that’s like a drug to me.
“Thank you.” She rises on her toes to kiss me, soft and certain, before pulling back with a frown. “But there’s one thing I need.”
Shit. I’ve missed something. “Tell me.”
Taking my hands in hers, she tugs me back with her towards the forest butting up against the rear of the site. Less trees? More trees? She can have whatever she wants.
Emma gives me a playful wink then lounges back against a thick tree and angles her head to the side, exposing her neck. She taps the marking spot I love lavishing with attention and smiles. “My mark. I can’t really call myself the alpha’s mate without one.”