Chapter 26
POV: Kiera?
I should have been terrified—absolutely terrified.
But the truth was…I wasn’t. Somehow I was oddly…comforted?
When his bones cracked and fur was in place of human skin, I should’ve ran. I should’ve ran back to the car and drove away without him. But I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to do so.
Because oddly enough, looking into his wolf’s dark gaze, I felt calm.
Maybe it was the mate thing that he spoke about? The connection of souls? The connection we had?
Who knows, all I knew was that none of this made sense anymore.
I was a mate to an Alpha of a werewolf pack. But that wasn’t even the strangest part. The strangest part of it all was that the baby that was growing inside of me would become a werewolf one day.
That should have unsettled me, too but it didn’t.
Because everything inside me told me to stay calm, that I was protected and I was safe. It’s as if part of my soul was attached to his.
During the entire ride to his ‘packhouse’ or whatever he called it—he held my hand, as if he knew it could ground me. And it did.
The car traveled slowly down a long, winding driveway, the path lined with flickering lanterns. Shadows danced across the gravel as the vehicle moved forward.
At last, the car came to a stop in front of a large, dark stone house. Two stories rose from the foundation, crowned with three sharp roof peaks that pierced the night sky. Surrounding the house, dozens of towering pine trees stretched to the sky. Beyond the trees, a tall mountain framed the house.
My hand shook as I reached for the car door handle, not bringing myself to exit the car just yet.
Cain was at my door in a moment, opening it and squeezing my hand in his. “I’m here, Kiera. I’ll be by your side.”
“Where are they?” I whispered as he took a hold of my hand and then grabbed the suitcases with his other.
“Where are who?” He looked around as if he was expecting to see someone or something that I saw.
“The werewolves,” I whispered, looking towards the woods but it was empty. “Your…pack mates?”
He chuckled as he led me to the large entranceway. “They’re at their own homes.”
“Then whose house is this?” I asked in surprise, looking at the gigantic size of it.
“It’s ours,” he said with a proud smile.
“Ours?” I squeaked out.
“Yes, ours,” he said slowly, guiding me into the home and setting down the bags.
He wrapped me into his embrace and held me against his chest for a moment, neither of us speaking.
“When will I meet them?” I asked quietly.
“I will have my Beta call a pack meeting in an hour. It’ll give you time to settle in and get something to eat.”
“Beta?” I asked, confused.
“My second in command,” he explained.
I nodded, though my chest felt tight—tighter than ever.
I glanced around the house, inspecting every inch of it. A foyer area with black leather couch, tribal artwork along with pelts of fur, deer heads and antlers hung on the walls. A long winding wood staircase. A long hallway that looked like it went towards a kitchen and maybe a living room.
Cain waved his hand towards me, ushering me to walk with him.
We made our way down the hallway and stepped into a living room that took my breath away. Panoramic windows stretched from floor to ceiling, revealing a rolling view of trees and the distant rooftops of houses beyond.
A large black suede sectional sat in the middle of the space, centered around a sleek black glass coffee table. Above, a chandelier of steel and glass hung like a piece of modern artwork. A cream colored area rug was underneath the furniture. Across from us, a marble fireplace stood.
The kitchen, visible just beyond the living area, was equally stunning. White marble countertops, paired with sleek black wood cabinets. Accents of gold shined—handles, fixtures and trim.
“This is..” I began, my words failing.
“Our home,” he said simply, taking out his phone and placing it to his ear. “Hey Xav, yeah, we’re here. “Call a pack meeting in one hour.” Then he tossed the phone onto the couch and walked back towards me, his gaze intently fixated on mine.
“They’re going to take a while…” he paused, his gaze softening. “To come around.”
“To what?”
“To the idea of you,” he said quietly.
My brow furrowed in confusion. “The idea of me? You mean the idea of me pregnant?”
“No, the idea of a human being a mate to an Alpha,” he said quietly, looking down at his feet.
“There’s never been one before?” I asked. My heart, apparently deciding it could no longer be contained, began hammering wildly against my ribs.
Cain shook his head, his gaze dropping down to his feet. “Not that I’ve heard of and definitely not in this pack.”
I shook my head, feeling the weight of everything finally surface. I mean, this was big. This seemed revolutionary in their packs—to their status quo. “Cain…I just—I can’t–”
He grabbed my hand back and squeezed it, reassuring me the best he could, but even he looked skeptical. “You can. You’re strong enough to handle this, Kiera. And I don’t give a shit about what they think. I’m their Alpha. You’re my mate.”
My throat felt like it was going to close. “But won’t it cause a pack uproar?”
“I’m sure…but they’ll get used to it,” he said, but his eyes said something different. He was worried.
The words came out in a rush. “Will they?”
Cain didn’t respond, which was answer enough.
But it didn’t make my fears any less. If anything it made them worse.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it—the idea that an entire group of people could despise me simply because I was human.
This was supposed to be the place I called my home.
But it felt like far from it….
I knew that an uphill battle was just starting and I was the one in the hot seat right now.