Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-nine
KARL
The bed was warm when he woke, the pillow beside him still indented with the weight of Leon’s head.
Karl rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, listening to the hush around him.
He figured he hadn’t been asleep long, but long enough for Leon to vanish like morning mist. Not many people could have managed to avoid waking him.
Maybe no one else, in fact. Said something about how he trusted Leon, that he’d slept so deeply.
Karl dragged a hand through his hair and sat up slowly, tugging on the sweater and jeans that had ended up on the floor.
He padded barefoot to the window and looked out over the yard, familiar and quiet.
The evening air carried the faint sound of voices as Christian and Dave settled the horses for the night, the even fainter sound of Jesse swearing at the chickens, and two very self-satisfied goats meandering over to the house.
That probably meant Tristan and Colby were on the porch.
He watched the goats for a while, because it never boded well when they looked that pleased with themselves.
And then, like a weight being lifted off his shoulders, he realized—it wasn’t his problem to solve.
Or, at least, not his problem alone. He’d been gone for days, and the pack was still safe, nothing broken and everything running as smoothly as it ever did.
He wasn’t sure where it had come from, that proposal to start a security business with Leon.
He’d been thinking about being away from here, about Leon no longer working as Luna’s bodyguard, and wondering what the hell the two of them would do.
Leon had the skills to break into almost anywhere, and Karl could write threat assessments in his sleep.
There had to be something there, he’d thought, and the answer had presented itself.
God knew, he could watch Leon slink past security systems all day long.
He’d follow in his wake, designing solutions for the weaknesses Leon had exploited.
He knew that Leon would do it all with a sense of superiority that would make it look as if the systems he broke had been designed by a wayward toddler.
He huffed a laugh, suddenly wishing he could have seen Leon’s first meeting with Michael.
No wonder he’d believed Leon was a prince.
He pulled on his socks and boots. He didn’t know exactly what their life would be, but he knew he wanted it to be the two of them together.
It might not always be easy—he figured there’d be times when the quirks of cats and wolves rubbed up against each other in unexpected ways, for both of them.
And he’d miss this pack like an ache in his heart, the rest of his days.
But if he didn’t go with Leon, his heart would be torn apart, so…
yeah. Lesser of two evils. And it wasn’t like they couldn’t come back and visit.
Though that was never the same, not really.
Maybe it would be worse, staying in touch, but not being part of it.
Hanging in on the pack’s WhatsApp and seeing references to events and people he didn’t know about.
The new jokes that would need to be explained to him.
So yeah, he’d miss it here, but there wasn’t a flicker of doubt in him about his decision. He’d be building a life with someone who didn’t need his protection but who had chosen his presence anyway. And while he didn’t know how that life would look, he was looking forward to finding out.
LEON
He found them sprawled together in the very last bit of sun, and thoroughly unrepentant about it. A pile of long limbs, idly flicking tails, and languid eyes, reclining like spoiled housecats.
Antoni shifted as Leon approached, reluctance in his every movement. Ava and Joaquim followed suit.
“You smell like wolf,” Antoni said.
“Really?” Leon drawled. “Must be something in the air.”
Ava stretched like a dancer as she reinhabited her human body. “You look like someone who just got thoroughly debauched.”
Leon offered a slow smile. “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
Joaquim sat up and rolled his shoulders. “We figured. You disappeared long enough.” He sounded more approving than irritated, which for Joaquim was practically a love letter.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Leon crouched beside them, suddenly unsure how to begin. “Things are changing. Not just for me, but for all of us.”
Ava yawned. Performative, because her eyes were alert and a little concerned at what Leon was about to say. “We noticed. The wolves aren’t entirely terrible. Still weird, but less growly.”
Leon took a deep breath. Once he said it, it would be true. “I’m not going back with Luna and the rest of you.”
That got them all looking at him intently.
He shrugged, because he didn’t know what else to do under that level of scrutiny. “I’m standing down as Luna’s security head.”
“Why?” Joaquim was bristling, ready to take on whoever had forced Leon’s departure.
“Because…” Bastet help him, how could he possibly say it? And then he thought of Karl and, in an instant, what he was about to say changed from a slightly shameful confession to wanting to announce it to the whole damn world.
“Because Karl’s my mate, and I want to be with him.”
He didn’t think he’d ever seen cats so stunned before.
“But he’s a wolf,” Antoni said at last. “And you’re a cat.”
“He’s not that wolfish,” Leon said. “And he’s Karl.”
Shit. That was more than he’d meant to show them. Seemed as if he hadn’t quite gotten his defenses back in place after being with Karl.
Ava ran a finger across her lips, as close to licking an unconcerned paw as she could get in this form, disguising her uncertainty. “So you’re staying here?”
About to laugh at the ridiculous suggestion, Leon instead paused. Because… he’d be welcome. Karl had made that clear. And this was Karl’s home.
Maybe they could make it work. Matt wasn’t like any other wolf alpha Leon had met—he couldn’t imagine staying here if he were a normal alpha. Karl loved it here. And Leon loved Karl.
But he’d rather backcomb his hair than admit it in those words to the three cats so closely studying him. Antoni was calculating, Ava amused, and Joaquim still on edge, ready to attack someone, just as soon as Leon pointed him in the right direction.
“Yeah,” he said, and it burst through him, a feeling of rightness. “I guess I am.”
Ava bumped her head against his shoulder. “You don’t have to be with us to still be one of us, you know.”
Leon stared at her. He wasn’t one of them.
Never had been. They weren’t from the pride that had bullied him before he was sent away, but he still knew he was different from them.
They were all from prides who were proud of them for being so damn good at what they did that they’d been selected for the queen’s guard.
They belonged, both to their prides, and to the tight unit they’d formed guarding Luna.
And like always, he’d been on the outside, having to lead, having to make decisions, be responsible for them.
Or so he’d thought. Had he really gotten things wrong all this time?
“You want this?” Joaquim asked, threat vibrating through his voice.
Leon nodded, still processing Ava’s words.
And just like that, the hostility melted away. “Damn it,” Joaquim said. “Gonna miss you and your hair flips and your schedules… yeah, actually, maybe it’s not such a shock. It’s not right, how much you like structure. You’ll do okay with the wolves.”
“He’d better treat you like gold, or we’ll eat him,” Antoni said.
Leon’s throat felt suspiciously tight. He’d thought he’d make the announcement, then walk away. He hadn’t expected this revelation that he’d be missed. “Right,” he said, voice a little rough. “Good talk.”
They shifted back to cat form as he turned away, no doubt to exchange meaningful glances about the fact his mate was a wolf.
His throat was still thick as he started toward the house. He’d better tell Luna his decision. Hell, he’d better tell Karl.
He paused when he saw Karl leaning against the porch railing, arms folded, backlit by the warm spill of light from the kitchen. He looked like he’d always belonged here. Which meant, maybe Leon could too. The thought took root somewhere deep in his chest, and it felt good.
Karl straightened when he saw him. He didn’t say anything. Just waited, calm and solid as always.
Leon stopped at the foot of the steps and looked up at him.
“I told my cats,” he said.
Karl raised an eyebrow.
“That I’m staying here. On the ranch, with you.”
And Karl, so often unreadable, looked astounded for an instant, before joy filled his eyes. He stepped down off the porch, closing the distance between them, and with every step, Leon loved him more.
“You sure?”
Leon tilted his chin. “Are you going to argue?”
“Nope.”
“Try to talk me out of it?”
Karl gave a slow grin. “You’re a cat. Like I could.”
Leon smiled, then—real and soft and more than a little stunned at himself.
“I don’t know how I’m going to fit here,” he admitted. “I like city lights and shops and expensive coffee and… not cow shit.”
Karl slid his arms around Leon’s waist. “You don’t have to fit. You just have to be here.”
“And if I need a weekend in Denver now and then?”
“I’ll drive you.” Karl’s smile was warm. “And if you find you need more than a weekend, we’ll figure it out.”
Leon looked at him, something hot and helpless bubbling in his chest. “You’re a menace.”
Karl kissed him, slow and full of quiet joy. “Welcome home.”
KARL
It was more than he’d dared hope for. And now Leon was in his arms—still sharp around the edges, still dangerous with that slow smile and velvet voice—but quiet for once.
Soft, even. Which meant he’d pull away soon enough, needing to reassert his independence.
But for now? For now, Leon was kissing him like he meant it.