Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Chloe
H olden’s soft lips brush against my neck, his breath warm on my skin as he nuzzles me awake. His strong arms encircle me from behind, molding my body against the hard planes of his chest.
With a soft moan, I wiggle my ass against his arousal as desire curls through me, a slow, simmering need fed by each brush of his lips on my skin.
I sigh with contentment and tilt my head, giving him better access. His hand slips under my shirt to splay possessively across my stomach, and tingles ignite under his touch.
“Morning, sugar,” Holden murmurs, his deep voice still rough with sleep. He presses a kiss behind my ear. “Sleep well?”
“Mmmm. Very.” Careful of my cast, I roll over to face him, our noses almost brushing. “I could get used to waking up like this.”
A boyish grin spreads across his face. “That can be arranged.”
He captures my mouth in a tender kiss that curls my toes. My fingers thread through his tousled golden hair, holding him close as our lips move languidly together. Holden’s kisses will never grow old.
As he cradles my face, something on his bookshelf catches my attention. I sit up enough to peer over his shoulder at the display of The Fairy and the Dragonlord books.
I pull back with a teasing smile. “That’s quite the collection of Aurora Storm limited editions you own. Are you a superfan?”
Pink tinges the tips of his pointed ears. “Are you mocking my precious collection?”
Grinning, he rolls me beneath him and attacks my sides with tickles.
Squirming against him, I shriek with laughter. “No! Stop!”
Holden relents, capturing my arms and pinning them above my head. The move reminds me of last night, and I arch up against him, the heat of his skin sending my heart racing.
“You have no idea how much effort it took to keep my cool the first day we met.” His nose traces along my jaw. “When I realized our first renter was the Aurora Storm. I almost combusted on the spot.”
“Hey, you never did show me your fan art,” I accuse, nudging his hip with my thigh.
Holden props himself up on his elbows, smirking down at me. “And you never let me read the fanfiction you wrote about me. Seems we’re even.”
“Oh, is that how it’s going to be?” I glare at him in mock offense. “Holding out on me?”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” He waggles his brows. “Fair is fair, sugar.”
Despite the teasing, the conversation sobers me with the memory of my hacked social account and everything that happened after.
Holden senses the shift in my mood and rolls to the side, pulling me against his chest. “Hey, what is it? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, it’s not you.” I trace patterns on his skin. “Just thinking about the whole mess with my socials. And Grady…”
Holden tucks a finger under my chin, tilting my face up to his. “As soon as you’re feeling up for it, we’ll go visit him. You should be about due for your cast to come off by then, too.”
“That would be a relief.” I bite my lip. “Do you think I have access to my accounts again? Or do you think I missed some important emails and now lost them forever?”
“You have access again.” Pink stains his cheekbones, and I raise my brows in question. “I, uh, may have dug through your computer and emails after you disappeared. I was trying to find any clue that would tell us where you were taken.”
Surprise ripples through me at this revelation.
Holden ducks his head, shame marring his handsome features. “I’m so sorry. It was a huge invasion of your privacy, but I was desperate and?—”
My finger against his lips halts his apology. “It’s okay. You were trying to find me. I can’t fault you for that.”
He searches my face before placing a tender kiss on my fingertip. Relief eases the tension from his shoulders. “I swear I didn’t snoop more than necessary. It was especially hard not to peek in the folder labeled Smut Files . Very covert of you with the labeling.”
“That’s to warn Grady away. He always pokes around my files. Thank you for respecting my privacy.” I drop a kiss onto his lips. “Play your cards right, bribe me with some cake, and maybe I’ll give you access to all the smut.”
Hands slide down my waist as his eyes heat. “Do you have any specific requests?”
“Mmm.” I rock my hips. “Sausage sounds good.”
He snorts. “You did not just say that.”
“Wrapped up in warm pancakes.” I kiss him again. “Dripping with syrup.”
His hands move to my ass. “That can be arranged?—”
The squeak of the door startles us apart, and Holden surges up, moving to place me behind him and shield me with his body as an enormous, furry shape comes bounding into the room.
With an undignified yelp, I duck under the covers behind him as the massive Newfoundland plants his paws on the mattress and licks Holden’s face.
“Sprinkles!” Holden splutters, attempting to fend off the exuberant greeting. “Down, boy!”
My heart pounds as I peek out from beneath the quilts. Sprinkles’s tail wags with so much force his whole body shakes, his tongue lolling out in a doggy grin. Despite his size, there’s nothing threatening about him. Still, I haven’t overcome my fear of dogs, no matter how nice Sprinkles appears.
“Uncle Holden!” a high-pitched voice calls from the doorway.
Blake’s exasperated shout follows close behind. “Quinn, I told you to leave Uncle Holden alone this morning!”
A little girl, no more than six or seven, marches into the room with her hands on her hips. Her dark hair is pulled up in one pigtail, the other half still loose, and she wears a pink nightgown. “But Uncle Holden always makes the pancakes!”
Blake appears in the doorway, his expression harried as he reaches for his niece, a pink hair band around his wrist. “Quinn, we talked about this. Uncle Holden might be tired. I’ll do the pancakes this morning.”
“No!” Quinn darts forward, scrambling up on the bed. “You don’t make them right!”
Then Quinn spots me behind Holden’s back, and she freezes in surprise.
Embarrassed heat burns my cheeks as I give her a little wave. “Hello there.”
She crawls closer. “You look like the princess in my storybook.”
Blake rushes forward to scoop her off the bed. “Sweetie, remember we met Chloe at the book signing? She’s the author who writes Uncle Holden’s favorite series.”
Quinn scrunches her nose skeptically. “No way! The pretty lady at the signing had yellow hair, like sunshine.”
Self-conscious under her scrutiny, I run a hand through my hair, aware of how different I appear from my author photo, where I disguise myself as a Beta. “That’s a costume I wear.”
A little gasp escapes her. “Because you’re in hiding?”
“Something like that. Authors sometimes have different names and appearances in private.” Blake gives me an apologetic look. “This is Chloe, and she’s very special to your uncles.”
“Oh my gosh!” Quinn wiggles her way out of Blake’s hold. “Stay right here, okay? Promise you won’t leave!”
Before I can respond, she zooms out of the room, her little feet pattering down the hallway.
Blake shakes his head fondly and turns to us, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry I didn’t stop her faster.”
“It’s fine, really.” I crawl out of the bed on the far side of the room from Sprinkles. “It’s adorable how excited she is.”
A smile tugs at my lips despite the lingering awkwardness of the situation. There’s something undeniably charming about Quinn’s unbridled enthusiasm.
“I guess this is our cue to get up.” Holden throws back the covers, revealing his pajama bottoms.
He strides to the closet and grabs a T-shirt for himself before tossing a pair of sweats across the bed for me to wear. “Not the pancakes I was hoping for, but it will have to do.”
A giggle escapes me, and I step into the bottoms, pulling them up under my oversized T-shirt. “I’m sure Uncle Holden’s pancakes are delicious.”
Blake’s brow furrows. “What am I missing here?”
We both laugh, and Holden claps him on the shoulder. “You had to be there for it. I’m heading down to start breakfast. Did anyone set the coffeepot to brew?”
“Pretty sure Dom did last night,” Blake calls after him as Holden strides out the door.
Holden whistles, and Sprinkles bounds after him, leaving us alone.
Blake shifts from one foot to the other, his long hair loose around his hunched shoulders, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.
“Chloe, I…” He clears his throat, focusing on my shoulder. “I want to apologize. For how I acted before when Quinn went missing. It was wrong of me to order you to your room.”
My heart clenches at the memory of how hurt and rejected I felt in the moment, dismissed by the Alpha who had just been talking about courting and bonding.
“It’s all right.” I tug on the hem of my T-shirt. “It wasn’t my place. You and your pack needed to focus on finding Quinn.”
In two long strides, Blake crosses the room to stop at my side, his large hand enveloping my uninjured one. Warmth radiates through me at his touch.
“No, Chloe. I want it to be your place, too. Here, with the pack. With me.” His thumb rubs circles on my skin, and tingles travel through me from the contact. “I was ashamed of myself afterward. Of how I treated you. You deserve so much better.”
“Quinn’s safety has to come first,” I protest. “Of course it does. She’s just a little girl.”
“That’s no excuse for being harsh with you.” His pale-brown eyes finally lock onto mine with an intensity that steals my breath. “Never doubt you are my priority, too. I will prove myself a better Alpha.”
My pulse thrums under my skin, drawn to him like a magnet. I want to soothe the furrow between his brows, to run my fingers through his thick mane of chestnut hair, to breathe in the scent of him.
Blake tugs my hand, guiding me toward the bed. He sits on the edge, his broad frame dipping the mattress as he draws me closer. The heat of his body envelops me, and I find myself standing between his muscular thighs, my hands resting on his shoulders for balance.
“Dominic told us a bit about your mother.” His fingers trace slow circles on my hips. “Then we witnessed for ourselves at the hospital how cold she was. How vile…”
He trails off, his brow furrowing as if the memory pains him.
My throat tightens. For years, I knew my mother was a bad person, but realizing the depths of her cruelty after she handed me over to Louie is still a fresh wound.
Blake cups my waist, his hands nearly spanning my ribcage, and tugs me closer. His pheromones surround me, filling my lungs, and my head swims with a heady mix of comfort and desire.
“I should have spent more time talking to you, getting to know you.” His sigh comes warm against my cheek. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I was a fool, but I’ll do better.”
His words wrap around me like a caress, soothing the ache in my chest. I lean into him, my breasts brushing against the solid wall of his chest as I breathe him in. The rasp of his beard against my skin ignites a spark low in my belly, memories of the time we spent tangled together flooding back in vivid detail.
A purr rumbles from Blake’s chest, the sound sending delicious shivers through me. Head tilting, I seek his mouth, craving the taste of him. His lips meet mine, firm yet giving, and I melt into the kiss with a sigh.
The world falls away, narrowing to the slide of his tongue against mine, the nip of his teeth on my bottom lip. I run my fingers through his hair, luxuriating in the silken strands as he deepens the kiss. It’s slow and thorough, a claiming, a promise of more to come.
When we break apart, I gasp for breath, my cheeks flushed and lips tingling.
Blake rests his forehead against mine as he inhales. “Mate.” The word rings with certainty. “My mate.”
The return of tiny footsteps in the hallway jolts us apart. Still dazed by the kiss, I blink down at Blake.
He shoots me a rueful grin, the heat of desire tempered by affection. “Guess I still need to work on not giving in to instinct, huh?”
“You’re not the only one.” I let out a relieved breath, glad we mended the hurt between us.
Quinn barges back into the room, brown hair flying and bubbling with excitement. She clutches a composition notebook to her chest. “Uncle Blake! Chloe!”
Blake scoops the little girl into his arms with a laugh, nuzzling her nose with his. “Hey there, princess. What’ve you got?”
“My story! I wanna tell Chloe all about the stories I’m writing. Can I, Uncle Blake? Pretty please?” She turns the full force of her pleading gaze on her uncle.
“That’s a great idea.” Blake winks at me over Quinn’s head. “Why don’t you tell Chloe all about it over breakfast? If she’s up for it, of course.”
Twin pairs of puppy-dog eyes land on me, making me wonder who taught who that expression and knowing I’ll be in trouble with these two. “I would love to hear all about it.”
As we walk toward the door, I lean closer to Quinn, whispering conspiratorially, “I used to have a notebook just like that at your age. I filled it with all sorts of stories.”
Quinn’s lips form an O of surprise. “Really?”
“Really. How about I grab some coffee, and then you can tell me all about your story?”
She wiggles in Blake’s arms. “Yes, yes, yes! Let’s go!”
Blake sets her down with an indulgent grin, and she grabs my hand, tugging me toward the door that leads out into the guest part of the cabin.
As we head down the stairs, Blake’s fingers brush the small of my back, sending sparks zinging up my spine, and he mouths, Thank you.
But there’s nothing to thank me for. It’s clear Quinn is every bit as much a part of this pack as Holden, Nathaniel, and Dominic are. They come as a package deal.
The rich aroma of coffee rises from below as we descend the stairs, mingling with the mouthwatering scents of sausage and maple syrup. Cheerful chatter and laughter echo from the kitchen, turning the grand cabin into a warm and inviting space.
Quinn releases my hand to skip ahead, but I stay at Blake’s side, enjoying the warmth of this pack.
For a moment, I let myself imagine this is my forever. That I belong here, with them.
And it feels like coming home.