Chapter 31
The morning after their wolf mating, Lambda stirred awake.
Someone was at their door.
He pressed a kiss against Vallie’s shoulder, tucked the blanket around her, and padded out of the room. He grabbed a pair of his pants as he did and donned them before opening the door.
Beta.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled.
“Good morning to you,” Beta grumbled. “My dad sent me to let you and Vallie know that we’ve decided to end our pact with the dragons. We will treat them as hostile enemies until they cease forced marriages and the imprisonment of human women. Any trade they want to do with us… Their only option is to trade their pets, brides, and servants, and our costs went up exorbitantly.”
“Aren’t you worried they will steal more women to trade?”
“We made a provision for that. Natya and Verona said there were between forty and fifty women left in Balaur. We’ve told Egan that once they’ve given us fifty women, our trading ends with them, until they permanently change their ways. In terms of the other dragon lords, we have some plans.”
“Wow.” Lambda was impressed. After years of skirting the subject, Alpha was taking a stand against the monsters to the north.
“Is your frenzy over?” Beta asked.
“It is.”
“Good. We’ll expect you back at work tomorrow.” Beta turned and jogged down the stairs.
Lambda sighed. As much as he wished he and Vallie could live in a bubble of bliss forever, life called.
He went into the kitchen and made two cups of tea, then brought them up to their room. Vallie was still sleeping, curled up in the blankets. Lambda’s heart thumped hard against his chest.
What a wonderful woman to spend the rest of his life with.
*
“She’s recovering a lot faster than the rest of you have, with the exception of Phaebe,” Dr. Tau said. Vallie and Lambda stood beside her sister’s bed going over her progress. “I’d think she’ll be released in a few weeks.”
“Good!” Vallie exclaimed. “That’s soon! And if you don’t have a mate, you can live with us.”
Verona rolled her eyes. “I’m not a baby, I’m thirty. I’m not going to live with my sister and her mate. No offence, I know the wolves are super open about all this stuff, but I have no interest in going to bed every night listening to the two of you fuck.”
“Neighbors, then?”
“Sure.”
“How’s Natya doing?” Vallie asked.
Verona shrugged. “Ok, I think. Sleeping a lot.”
“She had a very serious wound,” Dr. Tau cut in. “If the two of you hadn’t treated it on the road, I can’t imagine what we’d be dealing with now.”
“Can I visit her?” Vallie asked.
“She’s at physical therapy right now. Maybe tomorrow?” Dr. Tau answered, then went on her way.
“What’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?” Verona asked.
“We’re going to have dinner with a bunch of Lambda’s friends.” She paused. “Our friends,” she corrected.
“Why are you still hanging around?” Verona shooed them away. “Get out of here.” She lifted up the book Vallie had brought. “I have a lot of reading to do tonight.”
“You’re the only person I know who would be excited to crack open Flora Native to Wolf Territory .”
“If I’m going to live here, I want to know the plants. Seriously, though, go to your party. I’ll be here tomorrow.” Verona patted Vallie on the hand. “Go enjoy your dinner.”
Outside the hospital, Lambda wrapped his arm over Vallie’s shoulders.
“You ok?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’m ready for her to be out of the hospital.”
“She will be soon. And then someone will mate her, and she’ll be living down the block from us.”
Vallie raised an eyebrow. “Hadie didn’t get mated when she came.”
“True. But, she’s a bit of a conundrum. I’m sure Verona has a mate. Hey, maybe it’s Iota?”
Vallie laughed. “I think she might eat Iota alive.”
“I thought you might eat me alive when I first met you,” Lambda admitted. “Demanding we go over the wall into dragon territory. Gave me a thousand heart attacks the first day I knew you.”
“Aw, your poor constitution,” she teased and leaned in closer. “We’re well matched though. I keep you wild and you keep me sane.”
He hummed a laugh. “We sure are.”
They walked up to Gamma and Jaine’s house and joined their friends, a mix of wolves and women and children.
“Finally!” Epsilon shouted as they came into the house. He grabbed Tella by the hand and grinned. “We’re having a baby!”
“Holy shit!” Vallie squealed. “Congratulations!” The women all descended on Tella, hugging her and telling her to sit down. Lambda walked over to Epsilon and pulled him into a bear hug.
“Congratulations, brother,” he said. Epsilon clapped him on the shoulder and grinned.
“I’m so happy I could burst,” he admitted.
Lambda looked over at Vallie, her wide smile, her beautiful brown hair, her sparkling eyes. She turned and locked eyes with him, his heart thudding as she did.
“I know exactly what you mean.”