Chapter 35: Chapter 35

NOAH

Having my girl sleep in my bed last night was the most amazing feeling ever. Or so I thought, until I woke up to her snuggled against me, and I realized that was the best feeling in the world.

I gently kissed her forehead and carefully slipped out from under her, tiptoeing across the room and quietly closing the bathroom door behind me. I turned on the shower and stood under the warm spray, eyes closed, lost in thought.

I was so deep in my musings that I didn’t notice my girl sneak into the shower until her hands were tracing their way up my stomach.

“This could become a habit,” I murmured as she planted a kiss on my cheek.

She giggled against my skin and slipped under my arm so we were face to face. Her lips met mine as her hands ventured into dangerous territory below my waist.

“My little temptress,” I growled. I nuzzled into her neck and sucked on her mark.

We made love in the shower before I helped my girl rinse off.

We were both getting dressed in my closet, but I was making it incredibly hard for her to put on her clothes.

“Noah!” she protested, swatting my hands away as she struggled into a pair of jeans.

I gave her butt a playful smack as she darted away from me. She laughed, pulling a simple, pink shirt over her head and covering her lovely chest.

“I can’t help it, babe, you’re just too damn beautiful,” I told her.

“Then close your eyes,” she retorted, but her lips were curved in a playful smile.

“Someone’s not earning their shopping spree,” I teased, trailing after her out of the closet.

“I think I earned it last night, several times over,” she shot back, a smug look on her face.

She knew she could get anything she wanted from me, anytime she wanted.

“Ready to go?” I chuckled as she shrugged into her favorite leather jacket.

“Mhm,” she hummed, looking up at me through her dark lashes.

I just stared at her, completely captivated by her natural beauty and perfection.

“You’re gonna catch flies, Alpha,” Evie teased.

Snapping out of my daze, I rushed toward her, wrapping my arms around her waist and spinning her around the room. Her laughter filled the air, and I knew I was home.

“Let’s go, love,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to the parking garage where my truck was parked.

I had a feeling I was going to need the truck with the big bed for this trip.

I drove us to the nearest shopping center, which had a large craft store and a Walmart. Evie was practically vibrating with excitement in the passenger seat. She pulled me across the parking lot and into the craft store first.

“Get whatever you want,” I told her as she gazed around the store with wide eyes.

“That’s a dangerous thing to say,” she replied without looking at me.

I laughed. “Well, I mean it,” I said, grabbing the largest cart I could find to prove my point.

Evie led the way through the store. She headed to the furniture section first, picking out a cubical storage unit, a bookshelf, a large art table, and a comfy chair.

Next, we went to the storage supplies. She picked out some stylish bins for the cubical unit and bookshelf, along with some bins specifically for her art supplies.

Evie also chose a table lamp with a dimmable light and a magnifying glass, and a corner lamp to add more light to the room.

We ended up in the art supply aisles. Evie had already asked Mack to get her a bunch of things last weekend, but there were a few more supplies she wanted.

She picked up a bunch of canvases, drawing paper, more paint brushes and paint, easels of different sizes, colored graphite pencils, and some other tools whose names I didn’t know.

By the time we reached the checkout counter, we had two carts full of items. Evie seemed both embarrassed and shocked at the total, and at how easily I paid it.

Money wasn’t how I wanted to show my love for my mate, but I had the means to give her anything she wanted, and I was damn sure going to do just that.

“I don’t think I need anything else,” Evie said after we loaded the truck with our craft store haul.

“What about curtains, a rug—the office is empty right now,” I reminded her.

She gave a slow nod, but I could sense her unease about spending more.

“Let’s head to Walmart and find a few more items to spruce up the room,” I suggested, nudging her toward the truck to make the short drive across the parking lot to the store.

“Either way, I’m buying. Do you really want me choosing a rug?” I teased, raising an eyebrow at her as she playfully pouted in the passenger seat.

She shot me a sideways glance, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

“Not particularly,” she confessed as we pulled into a parking spot.

Hand in hand, we meandered through the aisles of Walmart. She selected a rich maroon rug and matching curtains.

“They go with the rest of the house’s decor,” Evie explained nonchalantly when I questioned her choices.

“Red and black are the pack colors,” I pointed out.

“Then it’s perfect!” she beamed, clearly pleased with herself.

I couldn’t resist pulling her into a deep kiss right there in the home goods aisle.

“Enough,” Evie protested, gently pushing me away. “Let’s head home.”

I watched her push the cart down the aisle, completely captivated by this incredible woman who had come into my life.

I was rooted to the spot when Evie referred to the pack house as home. It felt as though my heart might leap out of my chest and attach itself to Evie. After all, she already owned it.

“Noah!”

Evie’s voice echoed down the aisle, her expression one of disbelief as I hadn’t followed her. I chuckled and jogged down the aisle to catch up.

“Sorry, babe.”

“What were you doing?” she inquired.

“Just thinking about you,” I replied with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes at me.

“You’re such a fool,” she teased.

“Only a fool for you,” I retorted, nudging her shoulder and earning a delightful giggle from my mate.

“That was incredibly cheesy, Noah,” she sighed.

I took over pushing the cart, guiding it toward the checkout.

“Whew, this thing’s on fire today,” I joked, fanning my credit card.

Evie shot me a horrified look.

“I’m kidding!” I laughed.

“That’s not funny, Noah,” she grumbled.

I loaded the rolled-up rug and curtains into the back of my truck and assisted Evie with her door.

“Ready to go, love?” I asked before closing the door.

“I am capable of buckling a seatbelt, Alpha,” she retorted.

“Funny,” I responded, stealing a quick kiss before hopping into the driver’s seat. “You’re going to put me straight to work, aren’t you?” I asked as we began our journey home.

“Absolutely,” she confirmed with a nod. “You have a lot of furniture to assemble.”

“So I’m the one assembling furniture?” I smirked.

“I could do it, but it would involve a lot of cursing and possibly some items being thrown out the window,” Evie replied with an innocent shrug.

I took her hand, holding it in my lap. “I’ve got it covered, babe,” I assured her.

As we approached the pack house, I mind-linked Sawyer, Greyson, and Jack to come help us unload the truck. Evie was taken aback when the three of them were waiting for us.

“How did they know we needed help?” she wondered.

“I told them we were almost home,” I explained, shifting the truck into park.

She gave me a skeptical look. “You did not.”

“Evie?” I asked, puzzled.

“You never took out your phone,” she pointed out, and then it hit me. Evie didn’t know about mind-linking.

“Damn, Evie, I’m sorry. I never explained mind-linking to you,” I admitted, smacking my forehead with my hand.

Evie let out a heavy sigh. “What?” she asked, her tone bordering on boredom.

I chuckled. She was becoming accustomed to the strange and unusual, and I loved her all the more for it. I hopped out of the truck and walked around to her side, opening the door and helping her out. My brothers and Sawyer were already unloading the shopping bags.

“Wolves can communicate with each other mentally,” I explained, my arm wrapped around her waist.

“Of course you can,” she grumbled.

“Does that freak you out?” I asked.

“It explains a few things,” she admitted. “When I found out about you at the bonfire and I was feeling your pain, Sawyer acted like he could talk to you.”

“Yeah, he reached out to me through mind-link then,” I admitted.

“Does it bother you that we can’t do that?” she asked, her eyes narrowing with worry.

“No way, sweetheart. That’s what phones are for,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “But there’s a possibility that once you’re officially luna, you might be able to mind-link too,” I added a bit hesitantly.

Evie had made me swear not to hide anything from her. She wanted to be in the know, prepared for everything. So I was doing my best to keep her informed, even though I was terrified I might say something that would scare her off for good.

She nodded slowly. “Okay” was all she managed to say.

I had learned quickly that when she said ‘okay’ like that, she was processing. It was best not to push her. She would ask more when she was ready.

“Let’s head to your art studio,” I suggested, trying to bring her focus back to the present.

Her face lit up and she grabbed my hand, leading the way to the elevator. By the time we reached the top floor, all our shopping bags were already lined up in the hallway. Sawyer and my brothers were all set to lend a hand, and Evie was more than ready to put them to work.