Chapter 24 #2
“I had the band changed so it’s elastic,” Sebastian says quickly. “You’ll be able to shift with it, both halfway and fully, and it’ll stay on. I tested it, and it works.”
Carter opens the box and puts the sports watch on, admiring it. “That’s so cool.”
“And it has a satellite tracker so if you ever wander too deep into the forest at work, we’ll be able to find you,” Sebastian adds and grins cheekily.
“As if,” Carter grumbles, but he opens the little instruction booklet immediately and starts reading up on the various features.
I give Sebastian a subtle thumbs-up. It’s the perfect gift for Carter.
Troy receives a beautiful cashmere sweater and a book on woodworking, at which his blue eyes light up happily.
He opens it, then grimaces, gets up, and walks to the entryway to retrieve his jacket.
From the front pocket, he pulls a pair of reading glasses and slides them on his nose before sending me a sheepish smile.
“They suit you very well,” I tell him truthfully. “You look like a hot college professor. I’d totally visit you during office hours every week.”
Sebastian sucks in a sharp breath, and when I glance over at him, he’s staring at Carter, his cheeks pink. Carter shakes his head subtly, but it’s Troy’s reaction that surprises me the most. He grabs my chin and stares down at me, his eyebrows knitting in a frown.
“No hot professors allowed,” he growls.
I giggle. “Okay, okay, I promise, no hot professors.” I lift my hand to touch his cheek. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll only ever want my mates.”
He settles next to me and hums contentedly when I interlace my fingers with his and squeeze his hand. I can’t believe a man like that could ever be jealous—and besides, where would I even find a hot professor, and how could any man ever compare? All I need is my pack.
The guys exchange the rest of their gifts. Sebastian exclaims at the gift certificate for a baking class at the local magical bakery, and it’s the happiest I’ve seen him. I don’t even mind waiting, because their happiness only builds my anticipation higher.
Finally, only that one small box remains under the tree, my name written on the pretty cardboard tag.
I don’t know what they got me, but I’m already sure I’ll love it.
The mere thought of them caring enough to pick a present for me and wrap it overnight has my nose prickling with tears again, so I swallow down the lump in my throat and squeeze my hands in my lap.
Sebastian picks up the present and hands it to me. “Merry Christmas, Emma.”
Carter leans in from my right side and kisses my cheek. “I hope you like it.”
“If you don’t, we’ll get you something else once this weather clears,” Troy rumbles from my left.
“Guys,” I say while trying to undo the wrapping without tearing the paper, “stop. First of all, you didn’t even have to get me anything, and I don’t—”
My words stall out as I open the box and find a Christmas card inside.
It’s a simple winter scene with robins in a snowy holly bush, one you’d find at any paper shop or grocery store at this time of year.
I glance up at Sebastian to find him staring at me, his lips pressed together, his hazel eyes luminous.
He nods at me, indicating I should read the card.
For some reason, my fingers tremble as I pluck it from the box and unfold it.
Dearest Emma,
This is your certificate for any program at the University of Maine.
Merry Christmas, baby.
Their names are signed below, each in their own handwriting, though the rest of the text matches Sebastian’s signature.
I stare at the message for a long moment, my mind whirring with a hundred different thoughts.
Sebastian kneels in front of me, and I meet his gaze, sensing the slight worry in his expression.
“I thought you might want to…” he starts, then stops and clears his throat. “I mean, it’s not— You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Troy doesn’t have a college degree. He never wanted that, but I thought you could…if you wanted to?”
He’s tripping over his words, and I want to say something, anything, but I don’t trust myself to speak.
Carter reaches over and puts his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, stopping his flood of words. Then he turns to me and says, “It’s only a suggestion. An offer you can choose to accept or not. But I liked college, and so did Sebastian, so we thought you might enjoy the experience.”
Troy rubs my back in slow circles. “Or you could use the cash to start a business. Open up a shop in Clearwater or work from home, whatever you want.”
“Guys,” I finally choke out. “Stop. I can’t accept this.”
I’d expected… I don’t even know what I thought they’d give me at such short notice. A coffee mug, maybe? A pair of nice woolen socks for my perpetually cold feet?
Not this, clearly. Not a chance to start my life over and educate myself. Or start a business, like Troy said. My mind takes off, imagining all the possibilities, even as a part of me is screaming that this is too much.
“Is it the fact that you don’t want to go to college?” Carter asks. “Or the amount of money you think we shouldn’t be offering you?”
My lips twitch up in a smile. “The second, I think. I never really thought about going to college because it was never a possibility.”
He sniffs the air, and his admonishing look has me squirming in place.
“The truth, Emma,” he says gently.
I glance down at my lap. “Is this going to be a problem?” I ask, stalling. “You guys always knowing when I’m not telling the truth?”
Troy leans back against the couch but takes my hand and holds it between his warm palms. “No, we’ll never pry. But it is important to know the truth sometimes.”
I get that. And I don’t want to hide things from them.
“I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid,” I admit. “I love animals, and I always thought it would be nice to work with them.”
Sebastian stares at me for a long moment, his eyes round with shock. Then he throws his head back and laughs so hard he loses his balance and lands on his ass, still chuckling. “Oh, man. I volunteer if you ever want to study wolves.”
I roll my eyes good-naturedly, but my smile matches his as I focus on the Christmas card again. Any program. Those words offer me so much freedom, such amazing opportunities, and I’ve never had that in my life.
“Thank you.” I look from one to the other. “This is an incredible gift.”
“If you’re still thinking about the money,” Carter says, studying my face closely, “would it make you feel better to know that we make more than seven figures a year between the three of us?”
I blink, not sure I heard him correctly. “Seven figures?”
He smirks. “Yeah. And now you’re wondering why we live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, right?”
I take a moment to think about it. “Well, not really. It fits you. You need to live remotely so you don’t have to hide who you are, and this place is super cozy. I’d love to live here. It’s a beautiful place to raise a family.”
I can already imagine how our kids will run around these woods someday, playing outside and exploring.
I glance out the window at the snowy forest surrounding us and don’t feel anxious because we’re so far removed from the nearest town.
Instead, I feel the serenity of nature, and I know instinctively that the connection I feel with this place will only grow with time.
When I face my wolves again, they’re all staring at me, their expressions intent.
“What?” I ask.
Troy’s grip on my hand tightens. “You want to raise a family with us?”
Oh. Have I not made that clear when I decided to stay here for the night of the full moon?
“Yes.” I infuse all my decisiveness in that word, then add, “A big one. If we’re blessed enough to have kids, I’d like three at least. Maybe more.”
Sebastian’s hands land on my knees, and he squeezes me, smiling happily. “It’s not unusual for wolf pregnancies to be multiples. I have two sets of twin siblings.”
Some of my enthusiasm evaporates as I consider how much larger the guys are than me. “Er, even if the mother is human?”
“Don’t worry about that now.” Troy shoots a warning glare at Sebastian. “We don’t know if it’ll ever happen.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You just want to get me knocked up, don’t you?”
I took my pill yesterday, feeling strange about it, but I’m not sure if I should continue. It’s a big decision, one that probably shouldn’t be made when affected by all the new-mate-madness hormones.
“Absolutely,” Troy agrees. “I told you about this. I’m only holding back because Sebastian would have cheerfully murdered me if I fucked up his Christmas present ritual.”
The earnest way he says this has me giggling. “You do know you sound mad, don’t you?” I lean toward him and press a quick kiss to his lips. “And that it sometimes takes months or even years for humans to conceive?”
Carter wraps himself around me from behind and nuzzles my neck. “Then we’ll have an incredible time trying. And if it never happens, we’re enough as a pack.”
I glance up at Troy, worrying my lip. It hadn’t really occurred to me—but would he equate my value in the pack with my ability to give them children? He wants babies so badly, so perhaps…
“Don’t even go there,” he growls. “I will love you the same if we have half a dozen kids or none, you have to know that.”
His scowl is so fierce, so sincere, I don’t doubt his words for a second.
“Okay,” I breathe. Then my eyes widen at the realization of what he just said. “You love me?”
Troy’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink, and he suddenly seems embarrassed, his gaze dropping to his lap. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. But you questioning yourself is not something I want to hear, ever again.”
“I love you, too,” I tell him, grinning. “I’m glad you told me.”
A pleased smile twists his lips, and he leans over to kiss me again. It might be strange that I’m kissing one man while being cuddled by another, but it feels right—everything except for the fact that I still haven’t told Carter how I feel about him.
But if I say it now, he might think I’m only repeating it so he’s not left out. From everything he’s done for me, from his every touch and every word, I know he’s falling for me, too. He probably just needs time to sort through his emotions.
Or maybe a little push?
“How long do we have before the full moon hits?” I squint at the kitchen clock.
Carter clears his throat behind me. “More than two hours, technically. But it’s getting stronger already.
I can feel it. We’ll need to fit the bars on the windows, lock the doors, and then we’ll be ready.
” He pauses, then adds, “Not that there’s any chance of us leaving this house tonight.
We’ll all want to be right here with you. ”
I turn around to face him. “Will you need me soon?”
A harsh expression crosses his handsome face. “Yes.” He takes my chin and looks me straight in the eyes. “This is your last chance, Emma. If you take my truck and drive carefully, you can still leave. After this moment, you might not be able to.”
Sebastian sucks in a loud inhale, but Carter quells him with a glare. A part of me, an insecure remnant of my past, is hurt by his words, but I know what he’s really doing. He’s trying to protect me by giving me a chance to leave. He’s trying to be noble, I think.
But I don’t want any of that. I want Carter, as well as Troy and Sebastian, and the only way I’ll ever truly have them is to accept them. Fully and completely.
So I climb into his lap and fit myself to his chest. I take his face between my palms and lean forward until my forehead touches his and he has nowhere to look but at me.
“I don’t want to leave,” I say firmly. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, so stop pretending you want me to go.”
“I’m not—” he starts to say, but I roll right over him.
“I want this. I want you, all of you.” I press a hard kiss to his lips, then stare him down, feeling fierce and determined. “Now, let’s get an early lunch and prep some water for the bedroom. I’m done waiting.”