Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
She nodded. “There are no hard and fast rules, so there’s no sense in us obsessing over the ins and outs of everything. But since being closed off can have a deep impact on the bond, we should also take a long, hard look at …” Trailing off, she cursed. “See what I mean about the innuendos? Just scrap the last few seconds from your mind.”
His shoulders shaking, Eli dipped his head and pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat. “My pack mates are going to be very anxious to meet you.” Especially his siblings. His mother? Kathy might be weird about it, especially since she disliked pretty much all breeds of shifter that weren’t wolves. Which meant it would probably be best if Casey wasn’t there when he first told Kathy about her.
“I have a lot to do tomorrow—including soccer practice and enforcer stuff,” she told him. “But I’ll be done by five.”
“All right. How about I pick you up at six and take you to my territory for dinner?”
“You sure you wouldn’t rather give your pack some time to get used to the idea of you being mated?”
“Fuck, no. I want them to meet you. I want you to meet them. And if I don’t take you, the females of my pack will harass me until I do. Especially Shaya, the Alpha female, since she’s not the most patient of people. You’ll like her, and she’ll definitely like you.”
“Are you close to your family and pack mates?”
“Yes, though I think some people might find it hard to believe that me and my sister are close. We constantly play pranks on each other and take sibling rivalry to a whole other level. We’ve been that way for as long as I can remember. She’s a tomboy with an IQ that would intimidate most people. She’s also an enforcer, and highly dominant.”
Eli paused to trace the tattoo on Casey’s side with his finger. The cluster of red roses was incredibly vivid and detailed. He loved that a sparrow wearing a top hat was nestled among the flowers. His mate had a streak of whimsy in her. “My brother, Nick, is like most Alphas—thinks he’s always right, wants everything to go his way, and is hyper-protective of the people he cares for. He and I get along well. My mother … I’ve got to be honest, I think she might irritate you at first.”
Casey’s brow creased. “Why?”
“Kathy was once a very open, trusting person. But after my dad died when I was just a kid, she changed. Became harder, colder, less accepting of people. She feels threatened by change, and she tends to stick her nose in places where it doesn’t belong.
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good person. She’ll kill or die for those she loves. And people respect her because she didn’t let go after her mate died, didn’t fall into a well of self-pity; she fought to live for Nick, Roni, and me. We’re grateful to her for that. But it doesn’t change that she can be a major pain in the ass when she chooses to be.”
“If she tries sharpening her claws on me, I won’t sit back and take it. You should know that now.”
“Baby, I wouldn’t expect you to take it. Not from her, not from anyone. I just wanted to warn you that she probably won’t make a great first impression on you.” Eli tugged her a little closer. “Tell me about your family.”
Casey inwardly groaned. She didn’t like talking about them, but she couldn’t exactly blow off the question when this was her mate. “My parents, Ira and Gayle, mated when they were eighteen. My dad is human, and my mother is a latent shifter. Honestly, I think Ira might have fought the pull of the mating bond if she hadn’t been latent—he doesn’t like shifters much. He was beaten by a gang of jackals when he was eleven. Beaten bad.”
Eli cursed. “Jackals can be cruel little fuckers.”
She nodded. “Ira didn’t want to live on pack territory, so he convinced Gayle to live as a human. My brother and sister are both latent like her, which means my dad can pretend they don’t possess shifter blood. But with me, he doesn’t have that luxury. I was thirteen when I shifted for the first time. He hit the roof. Threatened to throw me out if I ever shifted again.”
Eli’s eyes flashed wolf. “He what? Tell me your mother spoke up for you.”
“Gayle rarely contradicts her mate. She just told me to never shift near or inside the house, so I spent more and more time at pack territory. Despite that my mom left, the Alpha always considered her, me, and my siblings to be unofficial members, so I was welcome to visit whenever I wanted.”