Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
If someone told me five years ago that one day I’d be living in a state of absolute bliss with a completed pack, bonded and mated, I would have laughed right in their face.
As I sit in Adley’s—no, our living room, and scratch the top of Crooze’s head while he curls up beside me, I’ve never felt so happy and at peace.
Once our pack mated together, things began to flow like water in our lives.
We move around one another effortlessly, we joke and jab like we’ve known each other all our lives.
And Adley has this special glow about her.
Not just physically, but it’s like her spirit radiates happiness and love, and all three of us Alphas are even more drawn to her for it.
Adley giggles as she looks at Crooze and me.
“What?”
She gestures at Crooze. “Don’t stop scratching him and look at his face.”
I do just that, and find one side of his upper lip curled like a dog version of Elvis, and bust out a laugh. “I guess I got the right spot, huh, hound dog?”
Adley’s smile turns serene, her eyes warm.
Jasper comes down the stairs with Odin sprawled over his shoulder like a rag doll, as usual, but this time, Dini is trotting behind him as he walks.
“Guys, check this out.” He crouches down and puts his hand out gently, palm up.
I swear Dini gives him a look of disdain, but she begrudgingly puts her tiny paw on his fingers, and Jasper celebrates like he’s just scored a Super Bowl-winning touchdown.
He reaches in his back pocket and opens up one of those creamy cat treat packets and lets Dini have at it while he holds it for her.
“Very good, you two,” Adley croons, disappears into the kitchen, and comes out with a second creamy treat. She obviously noticed Odin’s nose twitching the way I had.
Jasper carefully sits on his butt on the floor, legs out in a V, and feeds both kitties at the same time.
That’s about when all the dogs begin to gather around Adley, even Crooze, who leaves my scratching in hopes of getting a treat. Adley laughs and disappears again into the kitchen. They all follow close behind. There’s a rustling as treats are doled out to each and every one of them.
Later, Ezra returns from caring for Pie and Gator, and we all sit in the new backyard area.
“I was thinking that we could start growing some honeysuckle vines on the inside of the new fence,” I offer. “We can get an array of colors. It will really make the space vibrant.”
Adley perks up at the idea. “I love that. We could attract some bees, hummingbirds, and little lizards.”
“The dogs may want to make them a snack,” Ezra warns humorously.
Adley gasps in horror. “Not my babies!” She scratches the sides of Nikki’s neck, and the little black dog leans into every scritch, loving it.
Jasper sits up in his lounge chair, phone in hand.
“Oh, shit.” He looks up at us with wide eyes.
“One of my old sponsors from the league wants to donate to the sanctuary and help expand it.” He looks at his phone.
“The CEO is approaching ninety, and he has several horses and dogs.” He looks back up, his expression as shocked as I feel.
“He wants to send a small news crew down to do a tour, maybe feature some pets and talk about our plans, and the app and stuff.”
Adley’s mouth gapes, her eyes blink rapidly. “That’s…” She swallows. “Wow.”
Jasper looks unsure. “We don’t have to say yes, Ads. We can wait until we’ve settled in and you’re sure about what you want to do for the rest of the property.”
Her head shakes before he’s finished speaking. “We can’t miss out on this opportunity.” She looks at Ezra. “Would you be willing to help with the equine expansion and take on more horses if we get more help?”
He gives her that rugged, crooked grin that I kind of envy. “Sure thing, cowgirl. Just keep the news crews away from me when they come out. I’d rather not have my mug on the TV.”
What he says is a bit sobering.
My pack brother doesn’t feel free, and that hurts.
“We’ll keep you hidden, if that’s what you want.”
Ezra looks at Jasper and gives an affirmative nod, which Jasper mirrors in response.
“Okay, so we’re doing this, then.” Jasper stands and starts heading toward the house. “I’ll get on a call with him and make arrangements.”
Remy jumps up onto Ezra’s lap and curls her body comfortably.
Crooze and Bat run around the agility course equipment, just having fun, not following any of the so-called rules.
Odin has Jasper’s chair all to himself—and his little blue fuzzy toy—and Dini has perched herself at the very top of one of the cat trees, on top of the little hidey-hole instead of inside.
A little tap on my knee draws my attention to Danko, who’s looking up at me with big, puppy-dog eyes. He’s sporting a fancy bandanna around his neck today, and I can’t help but grin as I reach down and pick him up. He curls up in my lap pretty quickly, lets out a big sigh, and closes his eyes.
It’s easy to see that all the animals are becoming more comfortable with our living arrangements.
“I’m going to start taking some animal behavior courses. Learn about training and how to spot something before it happens. Especially if we’re going to be bringing in more animals.”
I smile at Adley. “That’s a great idea.”
“I’d like to go with you.” Ezra gently pets Remy in his lap as he speaks. “I want to learn, too. And if there are any courses about the other animals we might bring in, let’s take them.”
“You already know so much about horses.”
“Well, sure, but there’s Gator. I’m sure there’s more I can learn about mini donkeys. And who knows?” A little glimmer sparkles in his eye. “Maybe one day we’ll have more kinds of animals. Like alpacas or goats or something.”
Oh boy. The look of sheer devilish joy in Adley’s eyes tells me that we’re going to have a menagerie soon enough.