enough of his mouth on her body. Afterward, lying together, she on her back and he on his side facing her, they talked.
“Why did you want to fly planes?” he asked, combing his fingers through her hair.
She didn’t have to think to find an answer. “Because when I fly, I’m free. I’m in control of so much power that I feel like nothing can stop me or hurt me.”
His arm tightened around her shoulders. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”
She almost snapped that she didn’t need his protection, but she swallowed it. In this new world, someone to guard her back was welcome. “Thanks.”
For a moment, he was quiet. “I heard that in the Times Before, everybody rode cars to go places. Did everybody fly planes too?”
“No, not very many, and female pilots in the military were even more rare. It takes a certain kind of woman to be a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps.”
His tangled hair spilled forward to tickle her bare shoulder when he leaned up to smile at her. “My mate is special. I knew it. All women are special. You are the ones who give life. Not many men can live without a woman to complete him. But you were always special to me, from the moment I saw you.” He dipped his head to give her a warm, lingering kiss. “You are an amazing woman.”
He made her glad to be a woman.
That sounded wrong. She was proud to be a woman. As a female fighter pilot in the Corps, she had been one of a very small, very elite group. She was proud of that, but a woman didn’t have to be a member of an elite group to be worthy of love and respect. Just being a woman—hell, a human being— was enough to deserve those things. Des seemed to understand that. It made her warm to him in a way that wild declarations of love wouldn’t.
“Faron’s a decent guy,” she said. “But he’s disgustingly patriarchal. Are you going to boss me around and treat me like I don’t have a brain?”
“Like you don’t have a br …?” He stared at her before slumping down beside her to look up at the ceiling. “He means well. He only wants to keep you safe.”
“You’ll be taking his place as the man in charge of security now.” Connie tried to keep her voice mild and steady.
“Yes. I’ll be the Alpha. I’ll ask Hawk to be my beta. I think we’ll have maybe another ten men of the Clan or Pack too.”
“Where do I fit in this hierarchy?”
“At the top, with me. You’re the Lupa, the Alpha female.”
She let out a slow breath. “That’s good.”
“We’ll make decisions together when we can. There will be times when you will have the final word, like when it comes to the women. You know them better than I ever could. But there will be times when I will have final word, like in matters of security. We can discuss it, but once I decide, there will be no argument. And there will be times when we won’t have a chance to discuss issues and I will have to decide without you. Can you accept that?”
Connie thought it over, wanting to be sure her answer would be utterly truthful. “I was in the military for ten years. I’m used to a chain of command, and taking orders. Yeah, I can accept that.”
It was far more than she’d had with Faron in charge. Des seemed like a level-headed guy. She felt sure any decisions he made would be carefully weighed. Relief kicked the breath out of her. This marriage could work. It really could.
“How many werew …” She caught herself. “How many wolves will we have altogether, do you think?”
“Including me and Hawk? A dozen, I think. A couple won’t be wolf-born, but they are well trained. You can trust them to see to the safety of our Pack.”
“Wolf-born? What’s that?”
Des blinked at her, and then smiled. “You still have things to learn about the Wolf Clan. Not all of us are born with wolves. Take Tracker. He is stronger, faster, heals quickly, and has the best sense of smell of any of us, but he doesn’t have a wolf.”
“Really?” Connie
“Why did you want to fly planes?” he asked, combing his fingers through her hair.
She didn’t have to think to find an answer. “Because when I fly, I’m free. I’m in control of so much power that I feel like nothing can stop me or hurt me.”
His arm tightened around her shoulders. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”
She almost snapped that she didn’t need his protection, but she swallowed it. In this new world, someone to guard her back was welcome. “Thanks.”
For a moment, he was quiet. “I heard that in the Times Before, everybody rode cars to go places. Did everybody fly planes too?”
“No, not very many, and female pilots in the military were even more rare. It takes a certain kind of woman to be a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps.”
His tangled hair spilled forward to tickle her bare shoulder when he leaned up to smile at her. “My mate is special. I knew it. All women are special. You are the ones who give life. Not many men can live without a woman to complete him. But you were always special to me, from the moment I saw you.” He dipped his head to give her a warm, lingering kiss. “You are an amazing woman.”
He made her glad to be a woman.
That sounded wrong. She was proud to be a woman. As a female fighter pilot in the Corps, she had been one of a very small, very elite group. She was proud of that, but a woman didn’t have to be a member of an elite group to be worthy of love and respect. Just being a woman—hell, a human being— was enough to deserve those things. Des seemed to understand that. It made her warm to him in a way that wild declarations of love wouldn’t.
“Faron’s a decent guy,” she said. “But he’s disgustingly patriarchal. Are you going to boss me around and treat me like I don’t have a brain?”
“Like you don’t have a br …?” He stared at her before slumping down beside her to look up at the ceiling. “He means well. He only wants to keep you safe.”
“You’ll be taking his place as the man in charge of security now.” Connie tried to keep her voice mild and steady.
“Yes. I’ll be the Alpha. I’ll ask Hawk to be my beta. I think we’ll have maybe another ten men of the Clan or Pack too.”
“Where do I fit in this hierarchy?”
“At the top, with me. You’re the Lupa, the Alpha female.”
She let out a slow breath. “That’s good.”
“We’ll make decisions together when we can. There will be times when you will have the final word, like when it comes to the women. You know them better than I ever could. But there will be times when I will have final word, like in matters of security. We can discuss it, but once I decide, there will be no argument. And there will be times when we won’t have a chance to discuss issues and I will have to decide without you. Can you accept that?”
Connie thought it over, wanting to be sure her answer would be utterly truthful. “I was in the military for ten years. I’m used to a chain of command, and taking orders. Yeah, I can accept that.”
It was far more than she’d had with Faron in charge. Des seemed like a level-headed guy. She felt sure any decisions he made would be carefully weighed. Relief kicked the breath out of her. This marriage could work. It really could.
“How many werew …” She caught herself. “How many wolves will we have altogether, do you think?”
“Including me and Hawk? A dozen, I think. A couple won’t be wolf-born, but they are well trained. You can trust them to see to the safety of our Pack.”
“Wolf-born? What’s that?”
Des blinked at her, and then smiled. “You still have things to learn about the Wolf Clan. Not all of us are born with wolves. Take Tracker. He is stronger, faster, heals quickly, and has the best sense of smell of any of us, but he doesn’t have a wolf.”
“Really?” Connie
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