Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)(118)

“We can live outside,” Alexei rumbled. “My den is set up pretty much the same, but—”

“No.” Memory gripped her fear in an unforgiving fist. “I want to be part of a family, live in a big puppy pile.” A place where small pups might run up to her at any moment expecting a cuddle, and where passing packmates would wave hello.

Like the tall redhead currently heading toward them, her walk fluid and unmistakably feline. “Congratulations,” Mercy said, a wicked glint in her eye. “Guess the wolf food fetish paid off.”

Memory felt a giggle form in her throat. “I’m going to frame that Wild Woman column.”

Mercy winked, her grin wide.

Alexei, meanwhile, was sending the two of them a distinctly suspicious look. “Are you two friends? How did you end up friends with a cat? Have I taught you nothing?”

“I’m a lioness,” she reminded him. “Which means you’re mated to a cat.”

“Dear God.”

Ignoring his aghast words, Mercy kissed him on the cheek, then did the same to Memory. “I can’t wait to dance at your mating ceremony.”

“She smells bad because of her work,” piped up a small voice from beside Memory, while Elodie ran back to stand between Alexei’s booted feet, annoyed at missing out on the fun.

“We’ve all been there,” Mercy said. “One time I walked into the middle of a juvenile battle and ended up drowned in homemade concoctions that smelled like rotten socks and putrid fruit.” She shuddered. “It all wears or washes off.”

And so it continued, with little Ben announcing to everyone who would listen that Memory’s smell was temporary—as if he wanted to ensure no one would judge her for her odd dual-layered scent. Memory wanted to cuddle her small defender to death.

The SnowDancers, her new packmates, made commiserating faces at her and, as with Mercy, shared their own scent disasters . . . and Memory began to understand that to a wolf, a temporary unpleasant scent was just bad luck. “They really don’t care,” she whispered to Alexei after they’d escorted Ben back to class and dropped Elodie at the nursery.

One arm around her shoulders, he raised his eyebrows. “You should listen to me when I tell you these things, lioness.” A snap of his teeth that made her want to kiss him. “Assholes will tease you though—but only because they sense you can take it. I’d tell you to feel free to dish it back, but you don’t need the encouragement.” A scowl. “I found another goddamn rubber chicken in my stuff the other day. Some genius had drawn a wolf face on it.”

Memory’s shoulders shook. “I love you,” she said, throwing her arms around him.

“Grr.”

She went to rise on tiptoe to bite at his stubbled jaw when her nape prickled. Primal power licked the air. Shifting on her heel, she found exactly who she’d expected: Hawke. The alpha wolf’s pale eyes were even more striking today, his hair an extraordinary silver-gold. Holding her gaze, he lifted a hand.

Memory stood motionless, her heart thunder—but she didn’t flinch when he cupped her cheek. A deep sense of acceptance, primal protectiveness, wild affection, it sank into her soul. This was why he was alpha. Because he had the capacity to hold every member of his pack in his heart.

“You’re one of mine now,” he said, brushing back her hair with his other hand before leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Wild, a survivor, a fighter, you do this pack proud.”

Eyes stinging at the unqualified acceptance, Memory hugged him.

Wrapping his own arms around her, his scent familiar to her in a way she couldn’t explain, he said, “For a big wolfy chicken, you did good, Lexie.”

“I’m going to murder you,” Alexei muttered, but a minute later, he accepted his alpha’s back-slapping embrace with a grin.

“Hey! Russian Bridegroom!” yelled an unknown male voice just as Hawke and Alexei separated. “What’s this I hear about you going off the mail-order market?”

Alexei threatened to punch the big, dark-skinned, and shaggy-haired male who dropped a rucksack on the floor and fought him off with a grin. “Out of my way,” the other wolf said. “I’m here to meet the pretty half of this pair.”

When the big man held out his arms, a laughing Memory allowed him to enfold her in them. His friendship with and love for Alexei might as well have been written in neon against the stone walls of the den. “Hello, Matthias,” she said, recognizing him from the description Alexei had given her last night of his childhood best friend.

Then another friend stepped into view, and Matthias released her so Judd could touch his fingers to her cheek. The blonde with him bounced up and down before opening her arms. “Do you hug?”

“I’m an empath.” Contact with people as openly happy to see her as Alexei’s friends and alpha . . . it was like sunlight to her. She flowered under the affectionate attention, and she flowered most of all in the light of Alexei’s love.

Her wolf made no effort to hide his smug pride in having her for a mate. Below that, however, was a screaming tension that refused to snap. Alexei, her beautiful golden wolf, was waiting to go rogue. Was waiting to start hunting her. Was terrified of looking at his claws one day and seeing her blood.





Chapter 56