Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Mila’s mouth curled, and warmth trickled through her and her cat. “You just did.”
“You can pretend I didn’t.” He took her mouth in a soft, slow, deep kiss that—
Knuckles rapped on the door again. “Um, hello,” called Taryn. “You guys ready or what?”
Sighing, Dominic reluctantly drew back. “We’ll continue this later,” he promised Mila. Crossing to the door, he opened it wide to find both his Alphas standing there.
Taryn smiled. “Thanks for finally joining . . .” She trailed off as her eyes dropped to Dominic’s claiming mark. Spotting the matching one on Mila’s neck, the she-wolf lifted her brows. “Well. I have to say, I was not expecting that so soon. I’m doing a happy dance in my head right now.”
Trey didn’t look so surprised by the claiming marks. “It’s about damn time.”
“The bond hasn’t formed yet,” Taryn observed.
“It will.” Dominic took possession of Mila’s hand and said to her, “Now let’s go greet your family.”
“Taryn and I will join you,” Trey stated. “It’s important that Vinnie, as another Alpha, receives an official welcome from the two of us.”
Aware of the dynamics, Dominic gave a curt nod and began a brisk walk through the tunnels. “Where’s the rest of the pack?”
“Some have gone with Riley and the kids to the playroom,” began Trey, keeping pace with him. “Others have retreated to various rooms within the caves. Only Dante and Ryan are in the living area, waiting for us to join them.”
Dominic understood why Trey had sent their other pack mates away. If there were more Phoenix members than Olympus members present in the living room, it might look both confrontational and as if Trey didn’t trust that he could deal with any problems without additional backup.
“How pissed do you think your family will be with Dominic?” Taryn asked Mila.
Her nose wrinkled. “Not much. My parents adore Dominic, and the others like him a lot too. They just won’t be happy that they weren’t with me when I woke up.”
“Understandable,” said Taryn. “If Kye were hurt, and then fell unconscious, I’d want to be one of the first people he saw when he woke.”
Finally reaching the entrance to the dwelling, all four of them stood just outside the door. Dominic kept possession of Mila’s hand, skimming his thumb over her knuckles. Whoever was manning the security shack must have given the Olympus Pride directions to the dwelling, because Vinnie’s vehicle soon came into sight. It followed the rocky trail into the parking lot at the base of the mountain.
Vinnie took the lead as he and the other pride members began to climb the steps of the cliff face, but Valentina pushed past him when they neared the top.
She pulled Mila into her arms and hugged her tight. “You are fine, yes?”
Pulling back to meet her mother’s eyes, Mila smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
James stroked her hair. “Hey, sweetheart.”
As Mila and her parents talked quietly, Trey turned to Vinnie and said, “Welcome to Phoenix Pack territory. You’ve already met my mate, Taryn.”
Vinnie gave her a respectful nod. “Yes, I have. I don’t believe you’ve met Mila’s brother—he wasn’t present at Madisyn and Bracken’s ceremony, or the battle on Mercury Pack territory.”
Alex inclined his head respectfully at the Alphas and then slid his hard gaze to Dominic. “Not impressed that you drove off with my sister, wolf.”
“Don’t care,” Dominic said simply, and nor did his beast.
Vinnie twisted his mouth. “I see that you and Mila have officially claimed each other. But I don’t sense a bond.”
“You will soon enough.” Dominic could feel the promise of it—like a low buzz of static electricity in the air.
Valentina turned to him, her hands on her hips. “You did not take Mila to her home. This does not make me happy.”
“As I told you at the barbershop, Mila’s my priority,” said Dominic. “I needed her to be somewhere safe. This is far safer and more secure than her apartment building.” And he wouldn’t apologize for putting her first, even though he liked Valentina and understood why she was upset.
Valentina’s mouth tightened. “I cannot argue that.”
“But you want to,” James said to her, his lips twitching. Valentina sliced him a look that should have made his balls crawl up into his stomach.
Trey gestured at the door. “Let’s go inside so we can talk.” He and Taryn led the way as they stalked through the tunnels.
Valentina looked around. “It is an unusual home you have, Dominic.”
“My cat loves it,” Mila told her just as they reached the living area where Dante and Ryan were each sprawled on an armchair. When both males stood, Mila introduced them to Alex, who made himself comfortable on the reclining end of the sofa like he’d been a regular visitor for years. Yeah, her brother wasn’t the type to lean against a wall, on guard. He’d lounge around, casual and composed, fully confident that he could eliminate any threat at a moment’s notice. Which he could.