Chapter 24: Ferrin

“We have to make sure it’s safe first,” I said, looking toward Rebekah.

“I think she’ll be okay for some time,” she said with a smile. “I’ll stick around a few more days to see if I can gauge a timeline, but I don’t see it wearing off for a while.”

I squeezed Willa’s thigh, happy we could put all this behind us soon.

“So, how do you suggest we get me out of here?” Willa asked eagerly.

Damen smirked. “That’s the easy part, really. We can get you out the same way we got you in. It’s where you’re going to go afterward. It would be better if you both could disappear for a day or two,” Damen said.

“We can come up with some errand that Ferrin got called off for. But we’ll have to coordinate it because it’ll have to be the public story of how you two met,” Austin said. “So you better make it damn good.”

“We’ll let you two discuss that,” Damen offered as he stood. “But I suggest we move soon. I’d prefer tonight, in the early hours of the morning.”

“We’ll be ready,” I said. “I’ll mind-link you when we make a decision.”

Damen nodded and followed Austin out of the room.

“I guess that’s my queue as well,” Rebekah said. Willa stood from my lap, giving my sister a hug. “I’ll see you soon.”

Her eyes met mine over Willa’s shoulder. ‘We need to talk,’ she mind-linked me.

I nodded. “I’ll walk you out.” I followed Rebekah down to her suite below us. “What’s wrong?”

“I ran Willa’s bloodwork today,” she said with a concerned look. “I was going to talk to her about it, but now I’m not sure I should.”

“What did you find?”

“The suppressant I sensed… It was colloidal silver.”

“Silver?” I repeated loudly.

“Humans take it as a supplement. It’s obviously not meant for lycans or werewolves. But there was more than just a trace in her blood. Honestly, I think you’re right that someone was dosing her.”

A growl rumbled in my chest. Silver was deadly to lycans and werewolves. It was still used to incapacitate a shifter if taken prisoner. My hands tightened into fists as my anger rose.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Ferrin. It’s gone now, and she’s fine. It’s not something to start a war over,” Rebekah said. “Besides, it doesn’t seem like it was ever a high enough dose to do much damage since she’s been able to shift. I’m sure she would have noticed something was up if she wasn’t able to.”

I took a deep breath. The last thing I wanted was to attract more danger to my mate.

“Thank you, Bekah.” I gave her a hug. I turned to head up the stairs when she called after me.

“Big brother,” she said, “I really, really like her. Don’t screw this up.”

“Trust me, sis. I’m trying my damnedest not to.”

I retreated back upstairs to my mate. She was clearing off the table as I shut the door. I watched as she put what she could in the small trash can and gathered playing cards. She had a grace to her movements that captivated me. I wondered what it would be like to dance with her. I would do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

“So, what’s our story going to be?” I asked, removing the beer bottles from her hands and discarding them.

She chewed on her lip a moment, something I had learned she did when she was thinking.

“I think it needs to be as close to the truth as possible. I don’t think I could keep up with anything too different. And I definitely won’t be able to hide my past as a rogue for long.”

I nodded. “There’s a cabin a little farther north from where you crossed the border. We could set you up there while I make an appearance with the border patrol. Set something up that would leave me running the border alone.”

“That could work. We can come up with the specifics later. Although, I may have an idea on that.”

I pulled her toward me, running my hands up and down her arms. “I was also thinking we could slip away and go see your dad?”

Her face lit up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I replied. Once I presented Willa as my mate, I wanted to make us official as soon as she was ready. I wasn’t lying when I told her I was going to mark her the first time we were together. I knew she wouldn’t be okay with that happening before seeing her father. Plus, there were some things I needed to discuss with him myself.

“Are you sure? Do you think we could get across the border?” she asked, practically bouncing on her feet.

“It may be a little tough, but I think I can make it happen.”

She launched herself at me, her arms and legs wrapping around my neck and waist. I laughed as she kissed me, elated that I could make her this happy. I walked us toward the bed, gently laying her down. As I pulled away, I met her gaze, her eyes a rich amber as her wolf was pushing to the surface. Her scent hit me and I nearly lost control. I had to take slow breaths, resting my forehead on hers to keep myself from doing everything I wanted to do to her.

Willa seemed to sense my struggle. She pushed me away gently, putting some distance between us. She sat up on the bed.

“We should probably try to get some sleep. Damen said he wanted to leave early, I’m guessing well before sunrise,” she said.

“That would be ideal,” I said with a grin. “Come on. Let’s get changed.”

While I grabbed a pair of sweats to sleep in, I noticed Willa thinking hard about something.

“What is it?”

“I…” she sighed. “I don’t have anything to pack.”

“What?”

“I didn’t come here with anything. I don’t even know what Miranda did with the clothes I was wearing. If I knew for sure we would be able to get home, I wouldn’t be worried. But if we don’t, I’ll have nothing to wear.”

“Willa,” I stopped her, “everything in here is yours. Pack whatever you want, and Miranda will bring the rest down to our quarters.” I tossed my sweatpants on the bed and moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her. “All of this wasn’t a loan, Willa. What’s mine is yours, sweetheart. I have the means to give you everything you ever wanted. It’s one of the perks of being king.”

“But…”

“No.” I shook my head, holding her tighter. “I know it might take some time, but you better get used to it. Because I’m going to spend the rest of our lives spoiling you.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll definitely need some time to get used to that,” she teased.

“Come on, let’s get to bed. We’ll worry about packing in the morning. We won’t need much.”

We changed and climbed into bed, but neither of us seemed very tired. Willa was tracing the lines of my hand absently, another one of her habits when she had something on her mind. I knew we were both excited and a little anxious about getting her out of here and coming up with a viable story for the council. She would never say it, but I could tell the prospect of being introduced to the council, and the kingdom, really, was daunting. It was a lot of pressure.

I knew she would rise to the occasion. She really was going to make a wonderful Luna. But her nerves got me thinking. She was worried about my people accepting her. But what if hers didn’t accept me? What if her dad didn’t like me? What if he thought I was the bad guy Willa had when we first met?

I started to doubt whether she would return with me if that happened. Why would she? Without the blessing of the most important person in her life, all the challenges that come with being my mate may not be worth it for her.

Willa must have sensed my anxiety because she rolled over to face me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked gently.

I chuckled nervously. “Just worried your dad is going to hate me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“A lycan killed his mate and traumatized his daughter. I’m sure he holds the same grudge against my kind as you did.”

Her brow furrowed. “Actually, he doesn’t. It’s one of the few things that has caused tension between us before. He’s always so accepting of everyone, but I couldn’t let go of my anger. I couldn’t understand how he dismissed things the way he did when it came to Mom’s death and lycans. I guess I just didn’t want to see things like he did.”

“Do you now?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I get it now.”

“So, you think I’ve got a chance?”

“Well, you did kind of kidnap me. And kept me from telling him the truth. And plan on taking me away.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m doomed.”

She laughed, squeezing me tighter. “Nah, I think you could win him over in the end. You can be pretty charming when you want to be.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mhmm.” She nodded.

“Well, I need to be good at something,” I teased, leaning in to kiss her.

There was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep. I suspected Willa felt the same as her hands traveled over my body. I happily repeated the treatment I’d given her the night before, almost coming out of my skin when she cried my name as she climaxed. But I thought I would die a happy lycan when she returned the favor even better than she had that morning, which I hadn’t thought possible.

Thoroughly sated, we fell onto the bed together. I couldn’t imagine how amazing it would be when we finally mated. I’m glad I planned to mark her the first time anyway because I didn’t think I’d have the control to stop myself.

My thoughts drifted back to the scene I had found when I came to see her tonight. I had stood there watching them for longer than they realized. Watching her. All the people I loved most were in this room, and they accepted my mate as one of them. It was everything I could ask for. She was absolutely beautiful. But more than that, she was caring and smart and independent and forgiving and fierce. I couldn’t wait to find out what other surprises she had in store for me.

She had fallen asleep on my chest, her leg thrown over my waist. I kissed her head and closed my eyes, ready to make her the most important part of the rest of my life.