Chapter 37

When they got back to the compound, Colette was swarmed by the pack members. Mostly the she-wolves. They all hugged her, tears streaming down their faces as they told her how they’d prayed for her safety the night before.

Sorin cleared the crowd as he led her back to his house. But it wasn’t just his house anymore. It was theirs. She was going to share it with him.

Colette went straight upstairs to shower and change. She felt different. Stronger.

Her senses were heightened. She could smell that her own scent had changed. It was a blend of her and Sorin, and he smelled the same. She could smell their bond.

After her shower, she slipped into Sorin’s clothes and headed downstairs. She heard Silviana before she saw her, her scent a mix of dark chocolate and red wine.

“When am I going to see my daughter-in-law, Sorin?” she demanded.

“Mother, she’s taking care of herself right now,” he replied, his tone dry.

Colette rounded the corner to join them. “Hi,” she said, a bit shyly, but before she could say anything else, Silviana enveloped her in a hug.

“Colette,” she sobbed, stroking her hair. “I was ~so~ worried about you.” Her grip was so strong, it would have crushed Colette before her shift. “I finally have a daughter-in-law.”

Suddenly, Silviana paused and took a deep sniff. She pushed Colette’s hair back and sniffed her again, under her arms and around her. “You mated with my son.”

Colette blushed, still feeling the human embarrassment.

Silviana clapped her hands together. “I’m so happy.”

“Mom,” Sorin warned, stepping in to pull Colette into his arms. He’d grown up with wolves, so he was used to the lack of personal space. “Don’t make her uncomfortable.”

“But can I ask when I’m getting grandbabies?” she asked, her nearly black eyes hopeful.

“No,” he replied flatly, causing Colette’s blush to deepen.

“Did you finish—”

“Mom.”

“Inside?”

“Mom.”

“But—”

“Stop.”

“Is she on—”

“Mom.” He made a shushing motion with his free hand, the other one rubbing Colette’s back.

“Fine,” she huffed. “But if she gets pregnant, I’m the first to know, right?” she pleaded.

On the surface, Silviana looked regal and dignified, but in reality...yikes.

“Yes, mother,” he replied, his tone flat.

~Pregnant.~ The thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but they’d had sex multiple times in the woods and she wasn’t on any birth control.

She paled at the thought. What would her mother say? She was in her mid-twenties and Sorin…was he the same age? She’d never asked. He had a beautiful, spacious home to raise children in.

“How old are you?” Colette blurted out.

He blinked, then shook his head, looking down at her. “I’m thirty.”

“Just thirty? Because your mother doesn’t look a day over twenty-five—”

“Don’t ask my age,” Silviana quickly interrupted. “But thank you,” she purred, flipping a black lock over her shoulder.

“I am just thirty. Lycans age until they reach full maturity, which is around twenty-five, so I look twenty-five,” he explained.

“Oh.” She nodded, suddenly worried about how old she looked and how old she would get.

“Relax, my love. We’re mated, so you’ll live as long as I do,” he reassured her, rubbing her arm.

She nodded. “So what do we do now? I passed your alpha’s test.”

“Well, technically, ~our~ alpha’s test. Now that we’re mated,” he corrected her.

~Damn.~ She wasn’t thrilled about that. “How did he become the alpha?”

Silviana paled and checked the door to make sure it was closed and no one could hear them. “It’s dangerous to speak ill of him.”

“In some packs, the strongest fight for the title, even kill for it. In our pack, it’s a bloodline. No one in our pack would kill for the title,” he explained.

“When is Dancescu going to be replaced?” she asked hopefully.

“Not anytime soon, my love. His son is still too young to take over,” he replied, moving to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

She followed him, avoiding Silviana, who was grinning at her like a Cheshire cat. “Not really, Sorin. I’m feeling restless, to be honest. I don’t know why. I don’t know what’s next.”

“What do you mean what’s next?” he asked, coming back to her and taking her hands in his.

“Am I just going to stay here with you…forever?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly. “What more do you need?” He didn’t need anything more than her.

“What do I do with myself? What do I do all day? What do you do all day?” she asked, sounding desperate.

“What did you do before we met? Did you have a job?”

She nodded. “I’m a freelance writer…so I guess I can still do that. As long as I have internet and a computer.”

“We have internet, and I can definitely get you a computer, my love,” he promised.

Colette realized she never really did much all day anyway. She’d just be at Sorin’s, watching TV and working…but with him. Unless she had pack duty.

“My job is to monitor the unclaimed territory for enemy activity. That’s how we found Ylenia as a baby,” he explained.

“Maybe you could consider having babies,” Silviana suggested, a twinkle in her eye.

Colette’s cheeks turned a shade of pink as Sorin quickly moved her to his other side, away from his mother’s teasing.

“Mom, enough. Colette grew up around humans,” he gently reminded her.

Silviana nodded, a knowing smile on her face. “Alright, I’ll stop,” she promised.

“But as for pack duties, I’m pretty sure Alpha Dancescu won’t assign you any,” he added, hoping that his mate would stay home, safe from the other males. He didn’t trust them around his love.

“I guess it’s time for me to leave,” Silviana finally said, after catching her son’s stern glances one too many times. Maybe some alone time would finally get her that grandchild she’d been hoping for.

Colette barely held back a sigh of relief, her fingers tightening around Sorin’s arm.

Once his mother had left, Sorin turned to Colette, lifting her face to his. “What’s on your mind, my love?”

“I…I don’t know. Everything was happening so fast, and now…nothing. Is my life just going to be the same as before, but with a bigger house, nicer things, and a hot boyfriend?” she asked, her words tumbling out in a rush.

He fought back a smile at her compliment. They were more than just boyfriend and girlfriend, more than a married couple even, but he didn’t correct her.

“I understand. I want to give you everything you want, my love. If you want to travel, we will. If you want to do everything on your bucket list, we will. Just tell me,” he pleaded.

“No…I never had a bucket list. I never wanted to leave my house. It’s just…too perfect,” she whispered.

“You’re perfect,” he whispered back, leaning down to plant soft kisses around her mouth, but never on her lips.

He could tell she was getting frustrated by the pout forming on her lips. “I’m serious, Sorin. It all seems too good to be true.”

“Colette.” He pulled back, looking into her eyes. “Let me give you ‘too good to be true’ for the rest of your life, my love.”

“The rest of my life?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Are you sure?” she teased.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you, Colette.”