Chapter 12
B inder was having a hard time adjusting to his new form. The Wolf in the Fae realm was just so much more—that was it. He was just more. More vicious, more feral, more animalistic. He felt strange. Wolf was aware, but he was not in touch with his human awareness. No, not that.
Ha, I’m an AwareWolf.
Oh, he saw everything as it happened. The fight. His mate. So beautiful and perfect, and scared. Fuck, he did not like her scared. Why was she scared of him? He felt shame and confusion fogging his brain. There were too many unfamiliar scents and sounds existed in that realm.
His beast was lost. The Wolf did not like Shannon’s fear. It smelled bad, like rotten eggs and white vinegar. He backed away, hoping to ease her fright, but then something worse happened. She grew sad.
His Butterfly’s sadness was the worst thing his Wolf had ever witnessed. If only he could turn back into his human skin once more. But the way was lost. The path was too unclear. And Wolf had no idea how to get back to that place where she was safe and loved. So very loved.
Hanging back was hard, but he tried to give her room. So maybe she would not be frightened. But then she said something that made Wolf remember. Something that made him mad.
“Dammit, Binder, come back to me right now or I’ll let Ollie feel me up again!”
Grrrr. Ollie.
He was that short, puny male who smelled of dirt. The one who had his grimy paws on her magnificent breasts. Those were Wolf’s breasts. Not Ollie’s. And he would tan his mate’s hide if she ever thought of sharing her glorious goodies with anyone else.
Okay, fine, he would never hurt her. But he would remind her who she belonged to. Yes. he could do that. He could fuck her into submission once again. Sex her until she was screaming his name, clawing his back, and begging for his seed. But he needed his skin for that.
Binder raced across the last few feet of forest, giving chase as his mate tried to run from him. Ha! Didn’t she know he was a hunter? Didn’t she know he would always find her?
Binder growled and tackled her from behind just as he found the way back to his skin. He turned their bodies as they pushed through the gelatin like wall that was the veil between worlds and took the brunt of their fall as they landed back in the pine barrens.
“Ooof!”
“Binder?! BINDER!” Shannon shouted, crying, and squeezing him tight to her body.
“Shannon. Mate. Are you alright?” he asked, crushing her to him and holding her while she sobbed.
She shook her head, burying her face in the crook of his neck, and he let her. He was just so damn happy they were back, and safe and whole. And together. Most importantly, they were together.
“Best cover up, you. We brought some weather back with us,” Shannon’s father grunted and then Binder was hit in the head with a pair of sweatpants.
“Thanks, Da,” Shannon replied with a giggle. Geezus, he loved her giggle.
So Adorable. Perfect woman. Perfect mate.
Binder’s heart went crazy. He cupped her cheeks, ignoring the thunder and lightning, and captured her lips in a kiss. Drinking in all her flavors, he moaned and pressed his forehead to hers.
“Fuck, Butterfly. That was too damn close for comfort.”
“Aye. It was. No more going to Fairy,” she said.
“No more,” he agreed.
“We have a lot to talk about, I guess,” she said, biting her lip.
“We can do that in the car. Come on,” he replied, helping her up.
Binder pulled on the sweats her father had tossed at him and walked over to his SUV with his palm pressed against Shannon’s back. They were a little worse for wear, but nothing a bath couldn’t fix. First, they had business to attend.
“Well, get my daughter inside already,” the Leprechaun said.
He closed Shannon’s door, making sure she was buckled up. He went around to the trunk and grabbed a clean towel he kept there for gym days, not wanting her cold. She smiled when he offered it and used it to wipe the rain and mud from her pretty face.
“It’s raining, isn’t it?”
“Aye, Da, it is,” Shannon said to her father.
Binder exhaled and turned to look at the Leprechaun who was, for all intents and purposes, his father-in-law now.
“It’s about to fucking storm, Keegan. You know that, right?” Binder asked once he was settled behind the wheel.
“Aye. Let’s get it over with, boyo. Take me to your Alpha.”
C harley Maccon was an absolute gem of a woman. Shannon worried her lower lip as Binder and her father sat in the Alpha’s office, trying to come up with a plan for repayment and for restitutions since her da did not willingly do any of the things he was supposed to after the first time he’d been discovered encroaching on Macconwood Pack territory.
But at least, thanks to Charley, Shannon was warm and comfortable after showering and donning a fresh sweatsuit. She even had new socks on, and there was nothing better than fuzzy socks. Well, except maybe for the hot toddy she was currently sipping in one of the many sitting rooms inside the Manor with the Alpha fem of the Pack.
“So, you and Binder, huh?”
“Yes. I mean, is that okay? Did he have to get the Alpha’s permission?—”
“Oh sheesh, no I didn’t mean that,” Charley said, grinning. “He just moved to Maccon City from his family home in Brooklyn Heights and I’m glad he found you. So many of our Pack are finding their fated mates these days, but, er, I guess what I really want to know is, is it true?”
“Is what true?” Shannon asked, absolutely clueless.
“You come from another realm,” Charley whispered, eyes wide.
“Oh, that.”
It was Shannon’s turn to bite her lower lip. But, well, her mate was in the Pack, and they’d already agreed to having no secrets. So, she told Charley the truth about the Fae Realm, and the many, many others that existed as far as Shannon knew.
By the time she had finished speaking, they’d been joined by several Pack members, mostly from the Alpha’s Wolf Guard and their mates. Eira and Cannon came, along with four hulking males and an older couple, all of whom resembled Binder. Having already met Eira, Shannon assumed the rest were his brothers and parents. The whole gathering had turned into a sort of impromptu party, and food and drink were being passed around.
“Sorry if this is a lot. When you’re Pack, you’re family,” Charley said and smiled.
“It is so nice to meet you, I’m Moira, and this is my mate, Manan,” the older woman said her accent giving her away as English, and Shannon smirked. Binder had lost most of his, but every now and then she heard it still.
“Hello, Shannon O’Doyle,” she murmured, shy without Binder there.
A few moments later, the Alpha’s door opened, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Her Da looked contrite, but Binder was grinning. Rafe emerged last, his eyes going right to his mate. Charley smiled softly and stood to join her husband, and Shannon hurried to Binder. She stood in the shelter of his body, loving the way he immediately opened his arms to pull her against his warm, hard flesh.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Well, your Da tried to secret away with the casino’s money, thinking he could get away with it since his very trusty daughter has always pulled through before. He was all the way to the Asgard Realm, totally forgot about that old wager until one of the Fae Lord’s missives reached him. Then he came back to check on you, and of course when he arrived at the cabin, the first thing he did was check on his stash,” Binder growled, and she laughed.
“Yeah, it’s a Leprechaun thing. He gets power from his gold,” she said, and sighed. “But what about the casino employees?”
“All have been paid. He’s being fined by the council, and his license to run the casino has been revoked.”
“Oh no. Everyone will lose their jobs,” she said and frowned hard.
“Well, actually, no. No one is losing their job, except your dad.”
“What? How?”
“Well, it comes in handy to have a lawyer for a mate,” he said, brushing a kiss across her lips.
“What does that mean?” Shannon asked.
“It means I have arranged for the Lucky Moon Casino to have a hundred year lease on the property where it sits as long as the owner and manager agrees to a monthly audit by Macconwood Law Associates.”
“But who is the new owner and manager?” Shannon asked.
Binder smiled and handed her a folded piece of paper. Shannon opened it, eyes wide as she read it over twice before looking back at him.
“I’m the new owner and manager?”
“That’s right. You are, if you want it. I mean, you can always sell it or just close it down, but I thought maybe you would?—”
“Thank you!” she shouted, jumping on him and slamming her mouth to his before he could even finish his sentence. Thank goodness she was mated to a Wolf with strong arms and fast reflexes.
“That’s right, Butterfly. I’ll always catch you.”