Maizy loved it when we had a fire going because she’d never lived in a house with a fireplace before. It was too early in the season, so Austin hadn’t lit one yet. Last winter, Maizy had snuggled next to the fireplace on several occasions. Sometimes her mother was already in bed and Denver would drape a blanket over her and sleep on the sofa to keep watch. I sat with him one evening and he jumped whenever the wood snapped, afraid an ember might land on her clothes and set her on fire. I laughed and told him he was being overprotective, but Denver didn’t see it quite the same way.
“Mr. Austin won’t make one because he always thinks it’s too hot.”
“That’s because lava flows in his veins.”
Her eyes widened. “Nuh-uh!”
I restrained my urge to laugh. Maizy didn’t like people teasing her. “It’s an old saying in my family that an alpha has the resilience and fire of a volcano, and that’s why many seem impervious to the cold.”
“What’s im…impervies?”
“It just means they’re tougher than the rest of us. Like the rocks in your pocket are much stronger than… candy.”
Maizy giggled. “You’re so silly.”
Austin Cole was our Packmaster and a good mate to Lexi. Good fortune had placed me with the Weston pack. My father had wanted to trade me off for a long time, and fate sent Austin to ask him a favor. My father had seized the opportunity and sent me packing. Young women usually left their pack to mate. Those who didn’t find a mate simply switched packs when they were old enough; safety existed in numbers. It was problematic to remain in the same house with your parents and the men you grew up with. Men were also traded when they came of age in order to keep new blood in the pack. Each Packmaster would hand-select personalities that fit with their family. If I had entered Austin’s pack and wanted to leave, I could put in a request for another to take me in. The choice was mine.
But I loved and respected the Weston pack. I couldn’t imagine feeling content anywhere else.
“Well, if Mr. Austin doesn’t light a fire tonight, then he’ll certainly be lighting one before the week’s end.”
“Yay!” She went bounding toward our enormous house in such a hurry that one of her hairclips came loose and fell in the grass.
I followed behind at a slow gait, looking up at our historical home. Lynn, Lexi’s mom, had chosen a light color for the exterior and had the men paint the house earlier that year. A long porch wrapped around the front, and a small attic window on the third floor overlooked the property. Austin kept the small attic space locked since we didn’t have enough personal items or furniture to store up there. Tall grass covered the open land on the right, and a long driveway stretched from the private road up to the left side of the house by the cars. Denver had built a horseshoe pit next to the house that got a fair amount of use. Everything about this secluded life had charm, including the flower gardens Lynn had planted.
When I reached the wooden porch, I sat down on one of the steps and admired a planter overflowing with colorful petunias. Our pack had made plans to eat lunch at a Breed restaurant in a few hours, something Austin arranged every so often. Lynn wouldn’t be able to make it because she had a project to work on for her interior-design class. Lexi had signed up for a course on decorating cupcakes to brush up on her baking skills since her new bakery wouldn’t be ready for several months. The work Lynn had put into this house was breathtaking—something many of us said she should get paid for. She didn’t like her old job, and suddenly this seemed like an opportunity to receive payment for something she loved doing, so Lexi had talked her into pursuing a new profession.
The door swung open and Izzy appeared. Her coppery hair lit up in the sunlight and she took a seat on the step beside me.
I placed my hand on her swollen belly. “How’s the baby this morning?”
She tipped her head to the side and leaned back on her elbows. “I have a feeling this one’s going to be wild like Jericho. It kept me up all night.”
I patted her stomach. “Be nice to your mother,” I said in a playful voice, scolding the baby.
“Jericho’s going to fatten me up if he keeps buying me donuts.”
“Is he still doing that?”
Her eyes sparkled when she looked at me. “If he’s not walking in with a box in his hand, he’s making me breakfast. Not that I mind, but you’ve never had Jericho’s cooking, and I don’t have the heart to tell him he’s just awful at it. He just doesn’t know what to do with himself. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he shifts in his sleep and his wolf guards my belly. I love Jericho’s wolf, but he sheds all over the sheets and keeps me awake with his low howls. I guess it’s the man’s version of nesting or something.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t mention this or he’ll know I’ve been snooping, but I don’t think he’s smoking weed anymore. I haven’t seen any in our room or in the house, and he doesn’t smell like it when he comes home from a show.”
I touched her shoulder. “Parenthood changes people.”
“Hell’s bells, I think he’s more excited than I am. The Relic said it happened the first time we had sex, and I wasn’t even in heat!”