joined
in at his brother’s expression. Reese huffed indignantly. “Hey, it was a flipping spider! You can’t be
held accountable for what you say when you see a spider.”
That got everyone laughing, including Alphy’s mate.
He turned to Havana. “Would you mind watching
the cubs … all the cubs?” He gave an exaggerated look toward his brother.
Laughter filled the room as Havana eagerly
nodded, ignoring Reese’s protest, and Alphy led Gale up to his room. He smelt
her nervousness before they even reached his door, so he opened the door but
didn’t go in. He stood in the entryway and held her in his arms. “I’m not going
to force you to do anything you aren’t ready for. I want you to feel
comfortable coming to me about anything. That being said, I also want to be
upfront with you. You’ll be better able to make your choices that are best for
you without guessing what it is I want or expect. Are you ok with that?”
Gale nodded, and he could sense that her
nerves lessened, but were still there. He continued. “I want to move you into
my room, with me.”
Alphy expected he would have to explain more
about how fast shifters accepted their mates. Most humans had beliefs about how
long one should take to move in together and fall in love, but those things
happened fast with shifter mates. However she surprised him by nodding her
head.
“I trust you.”
Alphy closed his eyes tight, and he let out a
relieved breath. Inside, his bear settled a wee bit but not much. Not until
they had their mark on her would he totally be satisfied.
He opened his eyes and placed his forehead
against hers. “Thank you, Honey-bear.”
Alphy felt the skin on her forehead tug on
his as her eyebrows rose up. “Honey-bear? Does that
mean I get to give you a pet name? I was always kind of fond of ‘ poopsy ’.”
Alphy growled then chuckled. “You can call me
anything you want, just maybe keep the poopsies to a
minimum. I am an alpha and would hate to have to maul someone because they
didn’t take me seriously.”
Alphy felt like fireworks would explode out
his chest with his intense feelings for his mate. She may be afraid, but she
trusted him. That alone meant the world to him, and he loved her sense of
humor. He figured once this threat passed, she would be trouble, and he
couldn’t wait to be a part of it. His bear approved immensely when they watched
her start to haul her personal effects into their room and look for places to
put them. He may not have had the room long, but his bear had already claimed
the space. The rest of the morning was spent unloading.
Alphy had only had a brief look at the house
when he locked things up the night before, but he decided he needed to get
acquainted with the whole building and surroundings. He needed to keep his mate
and his pack safe, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know his way around or
wasn’t able to notice anything out of place. So while the others unloaded, he
explored.
He started with the basement that Tom and
Connie had decided to move in to. Taking a load down to the basement, he took a
quick looked around. It was a comfortable space that had three bedrooms and a
kitchen with a closet pantry. The living space was open, much like the main
house upstairs and had a wood stove also. To one side, there was a door that
led outside.
Alphy opened the outside door and looked
around. The porch was overhead, shading the area, but it was clean and neat
with a wooden bench against the wall and hooks and brackets to hang planters
on. However, though standing at the bottom of the cement stairs he could stand
up straight, the further up he went, the more he would have to crouch. Still, the
porch was high enough to allow easy movement, if a little hunched over,
underneath. He overheard Connie and Tom discuss adding shade-friendly plants,
more comfortable seating, and a perhaps a sandbox for the kids. They were
really excited about the space.
Alphy headed up the stairs and
in at his brother’s expression. Reese huffed indignantly. “Hey, it was a flipping spider! You can’t be
held accountable for what you say when you see a spider.”
That got everyone laughing, including Alphy’s mate.
He turned to Havana. “Would you mind watching
the cubs … all the cubs?” He gave an exaggerated look toward his brother.
Laughter filled the room as Havana eagerly
nodded, ignoring Reese’s protest, and Alphy led Gale up to his room. He smelt
her nervousness before they even reached his door, so he opened the door but
didn’t go in. He stood in the entryway and held her in his arms. “I’m not going
to force you to do anything you aren’t ready for. I want you to feel
comfortable coming to me about anything. That being said, I also want to be
upfront with you. You’ll be better able to make your choices that are best for
you without guessing what it is I want or expect. Are you ok with that?”
Gale nodded, and he could sense that her
nerves lessened, but were still there. He continued. “I want to move you into
my room, with me.”
Alphy expected he would have to explain more
about how fast shifters accepted their mates. Most humans had beliefs about how
long one should take to move in together and fall in love, but those things
happened fast with shifter mates. However she surprised him by nodding her
head.
“I trust you.”
Alphy closed his eyes tight, and he let out a
relieved breath. Inside, his bear settled a wee bit but not much. Not until
they had their mark on her would he totally be satisfied.
He opened his eyes and placed his forehead
against hers. “Thank you, Honey-bear.”
Alphy felt the skin on her forehead tug on
his as her eyebrows rose up. “Honey-bear? Does that
mean I get to give you a pet name? I was always kind of fond of ‘ poopsy ’.”
Alphy growled then chuckled. “You can call me
anything you want, just maybe keep the poopsies to a
minimum. I am an alpha and would hate to have to maul someone because they
didn’t take me seriously.”
Alphy felt like fireworks would explode out
his chest with his intense feelings for his mate. She may be afraid, but she
trusted him. That alone meant the world to him, and he loved her sense of
humor. He figured once this threat passed, she would be trouble, and he
couldn’t wait to be a part of it. His bear approved immensely when they watched
her start to haul her personal effects into their room and look for places to
put them. He may not have had the room long, but his bear had already claimed
the space. The rest of the morning was spent unloading.
Alphy had only had a brief look at the house
when he locked things up the night before, but he decided he needed to get
acquainted with the whole building and surroundings. He needed to keep his mate
and his pack safe, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know his way around or
wasn’t able to notice anything out of place. So while the others unloaded, he
explored.
He started with the basement that Tom and
Connie had decided to move in to. Taking a load down to the basement, he took a
quick looked around. It was a comfortable space that had three bedrooms and a
kitchen with a closet pantry. The living space was open, much like the main
house upstairs and had a wood stove also. To one side, there was a door that
led outside.
Alphy opened the outside door and looked
around. The porch was overhead, shading the area, but it was clean and neat
with a wooden bench against the wall and hooks and brackets to hang planters
on. However, though standing at the bottom of the cement stairs he could stand
up straight, the further up he went, the more he would have to crouch. Still, the
porch was high enough to allow easy movement, if a little hunched over,
underneath. He overheard Connie and Tom discuss adding shade-friendly plants,
more comfortable seating, and a perhaps a sandbox for the kids. They were
really excited about the space.
Alphy headed up the stairs and
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