Chapter Sixteen
“Why the home?” Destiny asked, waiting for Dodger to unlock his door.
“What do you mean?” he asked as he pushed the door open and held it for her.
“Nory said the Pack’s old Alpha burned Liam’s last home, and now the new Pack burned Liam’s new home, and destroyed part of Nate and Delta’s cabin. Why is that the move with werewolves?”
“Because it hurts us the worst. They went after the dens that housed our females. Packs circle around females naturally. They are to be coveted. We haven’t ever had females before other than our old Alpha’s mate, but she was terrible.
Building a solid foundation is difficult for werewolves, and they targeted the things we value the most—the homes that keep our females sheltered. ”
It made sense. Also made sense on why the other Pack wasn’t interested in going after this home.
Until now, it had just been him in here.
She looked around his small prefab home, and a smile confiscated her lips.
She hadn’t known what she’d expected. Perhaps a bachelor pad with a mattress on the ground and a single phone charger plugged into the wall, and a small tv on an overturned laundry basket.
This wasn’t that. Not at all.
The medium gray walls matched the siding on the outside, and the thick trim along the bottom of the walls was bright white, giving an attractive contrast. The small wood fireplace was set on a stone paved corner of the living room.
The couch was a light gray that matched a small love seat.
Other than an open beer on the coffee table, the place was immaculate.
“I like simple,” he said softly, eyes on her.
“It’s simple, but also very homey in here. I love it.”
He huffed a sigh and looked around. “This is all still new. I have half of this place paid off already. Someday I’ll own it.
Me. A werewolf. I’ll own a den. That wasn’t an option when we were on government land.
Those houses are temporary. We just pay rent and an insane amount of fees to live there.
Now, I feel like I have bills like a normie. Like a human.”
“Because of what Nory did?”
He nodded. “That Pack went after the dens because our wolves attach to territory. Ruin a home and it’s like taking a loved one from our animal. Take a shelter from our females, and it poisons us.”
A wave of anger washed through her. “I hate the new Pack for what they did to the houses here. You guys aren’t doing anything wrong.”
Dodger shrugged his shoulders up and helped her out of her jacket. “We expected it. We will rebuild.”
“And that’s the plan? To rebuild? Each time they destroy your homes, you just have to eat the cost and rebuild?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, Dodger hung her jacket on a hook beside his coat near the front door.
“Dodger,” she said, unwilling to let him escape answering.
“We will bleed them for what they’ve done,” he growled, turning around to face her. “It’s already in the works.”
Shock stole the words from her throat. He’d talked about fighting them, but it was different now. She had met his Pack. She was investing her heart in these people. Now, she worried they would be hurt. “Will you fight them in their territory?”
He nodded once. “And until the aftermath is finished, you will have to go about your life like I don’t exist in it.”
“Impossible.”
“You’ll pretend. You will be their first target, just like Nory is. They see humans as collateral. You and Nory will be seen as weapons for them. Weapons against us. Damage you and damage your dens and it cuts us deep.”
“When will you go there?”
“Not tonight.”
“Dodger, when?”
“Not. Tonight. We have here and now, Destiny. No one can see us, or judge us, or take this away,” he said, gesturing around the living room.
“Not tonight. Werewolves and humans are different, and we can’t get around that fact.
You can make plans for your future. You can make goals and reach for them.
Tomorrow, our Pack could be in war. The next day, we could be mourning something awful.
The next day, one of us could decide to leave, or the Elders could make new rules, or the police could show up, or we could get fired from our jobs after fighting a human or Change on accident in public and be thrown in shifter prison, or a hundred other things that keep us unsteady.
There is always a disaster to manage for people like us.
You though…because you are human, you can know and understand peace, because you aren’t like us. ”
“My dad knows peace,” she pointed out.
“Because he doesn’t live like a werewolf. He lives like a human.”
She looked around and then sank down onto the soft couch. “You own this.”
He nodded, a confused frown etched into his face.
“And that,” she said, pointing to the kitchen table.
Another nod.
“And you pay human bills as you say, because of what Nory has done in buying this territory for your people.”
“Yes.”
“So, it seems you are reaching for steady and living like a human too. Maybe we aren’t so different after all.”
He stared down his regal nose at her, his eyes the color of ice. A slow, wicked smile stretched his masculine lips. “You’re one of those bright-side-girls, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
He chuckled and made his way to her. His chest rose as he inhaled deeply, and then he knelt at her feet, and began untying her shoes.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Taking care of you.”
Those four words burrowed right into her heart and drew warmth from her inside out.
He took his time and removed her shoes, and socks, then ran his hand down the back of her calf, massaging all the way down to her feet. She relaxed back into the couch cushion as he massaged her foot. “I’ve never done this before,” she murmured.
“Had a foot massage?” he rumbled.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never given one. Never cared to.”
She loved him.
She knew it in this moment, as she watched him work his gentle massage into the arch of her foot. Big, strong, dominant, warrior werewolf was on his knees on the hardwood floors, making sure she felt cared for.
She’d loved him since she’d seen him sitting by himself out in the cold outside of Copper’s.
There was no turning back anymore. Not after meeting his people and feeling accepted.
After he’d met her parents, and her father had even smiled as he’d told Dodger goodbye and shook his hand tonight.
Her mom seemed so happy for her. She already had plans with the females in his Pack for a girls’ night later this week.
She already had plans with Dodger for a lowkey date night after they got off work tomorrow.
He’d invited her into his den and asked her to spend the night with him. He was going to show her his wolf.
She had been in it before, but now? She was in deep.
Destiny didn’t want to go back to her same old life, before she’d known of his existence. That life seemed so far away and dull now.
Here, with him, every moment seemed so in focus, bright, and happy. It was as if she was making memories with him she knew would always be burned into her memory. She loved it.
Her outfit from last week was laid on the kitchen counter, neatly folded. She padded toward it and ran her fingertips across the fabric. He might have been forcing himself away from her, but he’d kept this connection with her. He’d put her scent in his den.
Beside it was a pile of folded T-shirts.
“What are these?” she asked, already pretty sure she knew the answer.
“Your new sleep shirts.”
“Possessive.”
“Damn right,” he rumbled low. “I know what I have.” He reached across her and pulled the t-shirt off the top of the pile. He unfolded it and shook it out, then held it up to her. “Perfect.”
“Want me to try it on?” she asked softly.
The smile faded slightly from his masculine lips, and his glowing blue eyes softened. He nodded once.
She stepped forward and held her hands out at her sides, waiting.
His grin flashed across his face as he settled his T-shirt over his shoulders and pushed her jacket off her shoulders. He draped that across the counter, then unsnapped the suspenders of her ski bibs.
There shouldn’t be anything sexy about removing layers of winter clothing, but Dodger had a talent.
He leaned in and kissed her as he eased the thick snow pants down her thighs.
Next, he lifted her sweater over her hair, and then her thermal underlayer until her upper half was only clad in her push up bra.
He knelt slowly, and she held onto the edge of the counter as he unlaced her snow boots, and pulled them off one by one, then peeled her pants from her legs completely.
As he stood, he dragged his hungry gaze up her body, she fought the urge to cover herself.
She was safe here, with him. Her skin was chilled, and he dragged his fingertips up the gooseflesh on her forearm.
His touch felt so good, the chills got bigger and shivered up her spine.
She huffed a small giggle at her body’s reaction to him.
He squared up to her and leaned in, kissed her lips.
He took his time and kept his hand gentle as he cupped the back of her head.
The slow-motion kiss dredged up warmth from her middle.
She sighed and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
He picked her up and settled her on the counter, then dragged his kisses down to her jawline, then her neck, then trailed kisses along her collarbone.
He unsnapped her bra in the back and pulled it slowly from her arms, let it slip to the floor.
“Do you know how hard it is to put clothes on you right now?” he asked in a rough voice.
She couldn’t stop smiling as he pulled his T-shirt over her head. She gripped the neckline and inhaled deeply. It smelled like his cologne, and the bodywash he used.