Page 51 of Alpha's Claim
Teddy still hasn’t said a word to Darius yet–the two just glower at each other behind our backs.
I take the shopping bags she thrusts at me and peek inside.
“Come on, I’ll show you what I brought.” Lana guides me toward the bedroom. “We’ll see if the two grumps can bear-hug and make up.”
I flash her a grin. “I see what you did there.”
Her smile back is dazzling. “Bear jokes have to be your jam when your mate’s name is Teddy.”
“Teddy!” I laugh as we enter the bedroom and shut thedoor. “Teddybear. I don’t know why I hadn’t put that together yet!”
“It’s adorbs, right? And all the cabins have thisGoldilocks and the Three Bearsvibe going. I love it, but we built something bigger, so we could start a family.” She puts her hand on her round belly.
“Yes, I heard. Congratulations.” I dump the contents of both shopping bags out on the bed. “How far along are you?”
“Fourteen weeks.” Lana sorts through the clothes, unfolding and holding them up with a narrowed eye like she’s gauging my size. “Thank you. Teddy was already super protective, but now he’s going insane with it. I’m sorry if he made you feel unwelcome.” She tosses a three-pack of panties at me. I rip them open and pull on a pair under the long shirt.
“That’s definitely not the case. I think he was just goading Darius to find out if you’re his fated mate. But now that he knows you are, he’ll protect you like family. Youarefamily.”
Part of me wants to reject all this insta-family stuff. I have a family–Wren. And I have to get to her before Thom does something horrible. But it also feels easy. Comfortable.
So different from being trapped in the gray stone tower of Lockepoint.
Out in the cabin, I hear Darius’ voice, but it sounds like he’s on the phone, rather than working things out with his brother.
Lana thrusts a pair of black stretchy yoga pants with wide legs. “These might work. They can double as dress pants with a pair of heels. Deep pockets. Very versatile. Good for travel.”
“Sold.” I tug them on. They are high-waisted with a wide band that controls and flatters my tummy.
“They look best with a crop top. Here, I think this will fit you.” She hands me a bright melon sports bra with fancy straps that converge in a ring in the center of the back, extending out like spokes. “This is my most comfortable sports bra line, and then you can layer over this midriff jogger.” She gives me a long-sleeved teal crop top with a wide neck and thumb-holes on the sleeves.
Everything fits perfectly and feels like it’s made of the highest-quality fabric and construction.
“I love this, thank you.”
“Oh good. At least you have something to wear until you can shop for yourself. We can head down to my outlet shop in town if you want to look for some other things.”
The sound of the front door opening and heavy boots clomping into the cabin interrupts our conversation.
“That will be…everyone.” Lana flicks her brows at me with a grin. “Now that you’re firmly in the category of fated mate, the whole family is going to want to get to know you.”
“I really can’t stay.” The underlying anxiety about getting to Wren is growing louder. My gut says I’m running out of time. “I need to get back to the East Coast and get my sister.”
Lana’s expression turns to concern. “I understand. Let’s go see if they’ve found anything out about where she is.”
When we emerge from the bedroom, all of Darius’ brothers are present. They’re all so giant, they can’t all fit in the living room. Axel and Bern stick their heads in from the window. A bear–the same one they called their ‘pet’–lurks outside the open front door.
Darius extends an arm to me, and I go to his side. Already we’re a couple. Part of me wants to resist it becauseit seems so fantastical, so impossible, but it also feels exactly right.
He tucks me against him and kisses the top of my head. My resistance melts even more.
“Paloma, you’ve met Matthias, Axel, Canyon, Bern, and Hutch. This asshole is my brother, Theodore. He lifts his chin at Teddy. “You weren’t formally introduced since Teddy was busy making you feel unwelcome.”
“Sorry about that, Paloma.” Teddy speaks in the same deep rumble as Darius. “You are more than welcome. You’re family—marked or not.”
“That’s Everest there.” Darius indicates the bear.
I wave nervously at the giant animal, trying to imagine what he might look like in man-form.