Hope

The next three days flew by in a blur. I rarely saw Connor between me saying good-bye to my pack and him getting training from my father and brother on how to protect me. We always managed to eat dinner together and fell asleep as soon as we hit our pillows. All too quickly, the day came for us to return to Connor’s pack, and for Liz and I to start our new lives with our mates. Draven and Liz were driving her car while Connor and I were driving the one we brought from his pack. We were all out on the lawn to say our final good-bye’s when I walked up to my brother. He picked me up into a bone crushing hug and spun me around.

“I’m going to miss you, little sister.” I felt tears prick my eyes and did my best not to let them fall.

“I’m going to need you to come visit me, Kade. Maybe we can find your mate in our pack.” He smiled down at me as he set me back on my feet.

“You won’t be able to keep me away for long, don’t you worry.” Then he turned to Connor to give him a manly hug, where they slap each other on the back much harder than necessary.

“One last piece of advice, brother. Hope can cry on demand. Don’t let her fool you.” My jaw dropped and I stared at my brother in shock.

“How long have you known?!” I screeched as I heard the raucous laughter of our little party ring out across the lawn.

“Years, Dope. Years. When you actually cry, you fight the tears like you did two minutes ago saying goodbye to me. When you fake it, you let those crocodile tears fall.” Kade’s smirk would normally irritate me, but I just shook my head and hugged my brother again. I had spent nearly all of my free time over the last three years with him, and his absence would leave a hole in my life. One I wasn’t sure anyone could fill, no matter how hard they tried. After a few more tearful goodbyes with my parents, we loaded into our vehicles and started the three-hour drive.

“Are you ready to go home?” Connor asked me quietly. He reached over to hold my hand and I gave him a small smile.

“Home? I like the sound of that.” He lifted my hand to kiss my knuckles as I watched the only home I had ever known fade into the background. Shortly after our trip started, I felt myself drift off to sleep. I slept the entire way until I felt Connor gently nudging me awake.

“We’re here.” He whispered in my ear. I felt him get out of the car and open my door. I groaned and moved my head to the other direction, refusing to open my eyes. Connor chuckled at my antics and reached across me to unbuckle my seatbelt.

“Come on, sweetheart. I have something to show you.” I sighed and looked over at Connor. He had a nervous smile on his face as he picked me up and put me on my feet outside of the car.

“Where’s Liz and Draven?”

“They’re staying at the packhouse so they went straight there.”

“Oh, well where are we staying?” Connor moved out of my line of sight and pointed towards a two-story wood cabin that looked straight out of a fairytale.

“The Alpha’s house. My parents moved out while we were gone. This is all ours now.” My mouth dropped and I glanced between him and the house.

“Do you like it, sweetheart?” He almost whispered. He seemed genuinely nervous.

“I love it!” I ran up to the wrap around porch and sat on the swing with a giddy smile on my face as he unlocked the door. He motioned for me to go inside and, before I could step over the threshold, he scooped me up and carried me inside.

“Welcome home, Hope.” I smiled at him and pulled him down for a gentle kiss, threading my fingers through his hair and tightening my arms around his neck. He put me down gently and I wandered through what was now our house.

The front door opened into a great room. One corner had a modern kitchen with marble countertops, dark wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances. The other side had a huge fireplace with a TV mounted over it, a large grey sectional and a comfy looking recliner. Just off the kitchen there was a rustic wood dining table with benches rather than chairs that looked like it could seat at least twelve. Hanging above the dining room table was an iron chandelier with exposed Edison lights that added to the rustic feel of the home. Towards the back there were French doors that led out onto the wrap around porch. I couldn’t wait to drink my morning coffee, wrapped up in a blanket with Connor out there.

“It’s perfect, Connor.” He grinned and came to wrap his arms around me, resting his chin on top of my head.

“We can change anything you want. We can get new furniture too, I just figured it would be nice to have something when we got here. My parents took all of the decoration type stuff so we could make it our own. I did buy us a new bed though.” I scrunched up my nose as the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Connor’s parents flitted through my mind.

“Good call, babe. Can I see our room?” Connor lifted me again to carry me upstairs. He pushed open one of the doors and set me down carefully inside. The first thing I saw was the giant four poster bed. My cheeks heated up on their own and I tried to distract myself with the rest of the room. The room was painted a soothing tan with one wall being a light blue. I walked from the large dresser, to the walk-in closet. The last door held the most beautiful bathroom I had ever seen. A tub that looked more like a hot tub in one corner. A large shower with two heads, slate grey tile floors with white, flawless walls. I was tired and hungry, but that tub was calling to me.

“Would it be weird to take a bath right now?” I grinned over at Connor.

“Hmmm… You going to let me join you?” His eyes darkened as he stalked over to me, leaning down to ghost his lips over mine. My heart was pounding in my chest and I let go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Absolutely.” I smiled shyly. I was still nervous, but my desire to see Connor naked overwhelmed that concern. I told myself he was my mate. He was the one person I would feel most comfortable with in this world. I wanted to give him my whole self, hoping he would do the same in return. My wolf pranced in my mind, agreeing with my thought process.

“Good. I’ve been waiting for days to get you alone. You’ve been teasing me with those little pajama shorts you wear every night.” I gave him a sly smirk and tried to calm my fluttering heart. I thought back to the shorts that could pass as underwear that I’d been wearing to bed every night. They barely covered my ass cheeks and the look of desire I saw in Connor’s eyes every time I wore them was addicting.

“That was the point, you know.”

“Really? You were torturing me on purpose? Oh, sweet girl you are going to regret that. I think some punishment is in order after that astounding revelation.” He stalked closer to me and I had to lean back to look at him in the eye.

“Punishment? What does that mean?” I tried to sound unaffected, but my voice betrayed me by coming out in a breathless whisper. Connor noticed and smirked. He lowered his voice to a husky rumble and murmured in my ear.

“You’ll find out soon enough, sweetheart. The waiting is half the fun.” He continued walking towards me, forcing me to back up. I let out a startled gasp when my back hit the wall. Connor put both hands on the wall behind me, one on either side of my head and didn’t stop until his body was flush with mine. The warmth he exuded on the front of my body was a harsh contrast to the coolness of the wall. I felt my eyes widen as I looked up into his, nearly black with his wolf. His lips curved into a devious smile and he leaned down to me again, placing a gentle peck on my cheek.

“Come on, mo stóirín. I’m going to take good care of you.” He took my hand and pulled me gently behind him into the bathroom.