hand on you again, they shoved you to the bottom of the hierarchy and allowed their people to treat you as if you don’t matter.”
“I’ve hated for you to see how I’m treated.” She flushed in embarrassment, and Row shook his head.
“I’ve hated it too, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore, sweetheart. We can take a different path, together.”
Her eyes shone brightly with tears as she looked up at him. “I want to live here. I want to leave the pack and join your sleuth, and raise our kids here.”
Emotion filled him. He knew it couldn’t be easy for Kammie to choose to leave the only people she’d ever known, but she was doing it for him, and he loved her for it.
“If it’s what you want, then it’s what I want.”
She snorted and laughed, brushing at the tears that spilled over her cheeks. “You wanted to take me out of Wilde Creek from day one.”
“True.” He kissed her gently. “You’re mine to cherish, Kammie, to protect and love. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’d be happiest here, with you.”
“Then this is where our life will be. I promise I’ll be the best mate to you, and the best father for our children.”
“You’re already the best mate. You were willing to clean strangers’ homes for me without complaint.”
“My bear was complaining a lot.”
She chuckled and leaned into him, resting her ear over his heart. “I love you even more for that. Thank you for not pushing me. I’m sorry I’m such a mess sometimes.”
“I love everything about you. Wherever you are is home for me, and whatever the next chapter of our life together brings, I know it will be amazing because we’re together.”
“The next chapter of our lives begins tomorrow night in the sacred cave. We’ve got a date with some oil and old furs.”
“And lots of love.”
She smiled up at him, and it was his favorite smile – the one that made him feel warm from the inside out because he could see that she was truly, sincerely happy.
“How about we head home and warm up right?” He swung her up into his arms and carried her the entire way to his house, over the threshold and straight to the bathroom where they warmed up under the hot spray of the shower. His bear rejoiced to know that Kammie wanted to stay with the sleuth. He’d thought it would take a long time to convince her, but it had happened quickly, and he was grateful. Even if she hadn’t realized it, she’d been ready for a change, and a bear stomping through the woods on the full moon was just the sort of change she needed.
Chapter 8
Row wouldn’t let Kammie do anything to get ready for their time in the sacred cave. He said that the males were supposed to do everything for their females, and so she listened to his advice and walked to his mom’s house for a short visit in the afternoon. Alice was a sweet woman who always seemed to have a smile on her face. When Kammie was welcomed into her home, she found a small group of women sitting in the living room with books in their hands.
“I’m sorry, I can come back another time,” Kammie said, realizing she’d interrupted a gathering of some sort.
“Nonsense,” one of the women said, putting a bookmark in her place and closing the book. “We’re just having our weekly read-and-gab. Family is never interrupting, unless the bedroom door is closed.”
Kammie smiled. Alice introduced Kammie to her friends, she-bears from the sleuth who’d been getting together to discuss romance novels – in between sharing laughs about their mates and families – for several years.
Aggie, who wore her silver-streaked hair in long waves, patted the couch next to her, and Kammie sat down. “Now, Alice tells us that you and Row are going to the sacred cave tonight. Do you have any questions about it?”
“He mentioned oil. What is that for?”
Delphi passed a plate of pecan pie bars to Kammie, and she
“I’ve hated for you to see how I’m treated.” She flushed in embarrassment, and Row shook his head.
“I’ve hated it too, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore, sweetheart. We can take a different path, together.”
Her eyes shone brightly with tears as she looked up at him. “I want to live here. I want to leave the pack and join your sleuth, and raise our kids here.”
Emotion filled him. He knew it couldn’t be easy for Kammie to choose to leave the only people she’d ever known, but she was doing it for him, and he loved her for it.
“If it’s what you want, then it’s what I want.”
She snorted and laughed, brushing at the tears that spilled over her cheeks. “You wanted to take me out of Wilde Creek from day one.”
“True.” He kissed her gently. “You’re mine to cherish, Kammie, to protect and love. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’d be happiest here, with you.”
“Then this is where our life will be. I promise I’ll be the best mate to you, and the best father for our children.”
“You’re already the best mate. You were willing to clean strangers’ homes for me without complaint.”
“My bear was complaining a lot.”
She chuckled and leaned into him, resting her ear over his heart. “I love you even more for that. Thank you for not pushing me. I’m sorry I’m such a mess sometimes.”
“I love everything about you. Wherever you are is home for me, and whatever the next chapter of our life together brings, I know it will be amazing because we’re together.”
“The next chapter of our lives begins tomorrow night in the sacred cave. We’ve got a date with some oil and old furs.”
“And lots of love.”
She smiled up at him, and it was his favorite smile – the one that made him feel warm from the inside out because he could see that she was truly, sincerely happy.
“How about we head home and warm up right?” He swung her up into his arms and carried her the entire way to his house, over the threshold and straight to the bathroom where they warmed up under the hot spray of the shower. His bear rejoiced to know that Kammie wanted to stay with the sleuth. He’d thought it would take a long time to convince her, but it had happened quickly, and he was grateful. Even if she hadn’t realized it, she’d been ready for a change, and a bear stomping through the woods on the full moon was just the sort of change she needed.
Chapter 8
Row wouldn’t let Kammie do anything to get ready for their time in the sacred cave. He said that the males were supposed to do everything for their females, and so she listened to his advice and walked to his mom’s house for a short visit in the afternoon. Alice was a sweet woman who always seemed to have a smile on her face. When Kammie was welcomed into her home, she found a small group of women sitting in the living room with books in their hands.
“I’m sorry, I can come back another time,” Kammie said, realizing she’d interrupted a gathering of some sort.
“Nonsense,” one of the women said, putting a bookmark in her place and closing the book. “We’re just having our weekly read-and-gab. Family is never interrupting, unless the bedroom door is closed.”
Kammie smiled. Alice introduced Kammie to her friends, she-bears from the sleuth who’d been getting together to discuss romance novels – in between sharing laughs about their mates and families – for several years.
Aggie, who wore her silver-streaked hair in long waves, patted the couch next to her, and Kammie sat down. “Now, Alice tells us that you and Row are going to the sacred cave tonight. Do you have any questions about it?”
“He mentioned oil. What is that for?”
Delphi passed a plate of pecan pie bars to Kammie, and she
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