Chapter 147

Ava

I blinked slowly as warm sunlight filtered through the lace curtains, stirring me from a deep sleep. As I stretched languidly, I started to become aware of two things: an aching, yet delicious, soreness permeating my muscles, and a hot flush across my cheeks.

There was no stopping the way that my lips curved into a smile as the memories came flooding back. Chris’s hands roaming over my bare skin, our limbs tangling together beneath the rumpled sheets, our shared gasps and groans filling the air…

After making love in the office, Chris had carried me to his Packhouse apartment. There, we had made love again and again, drinking wine and reveling together well into the early hours of the morning and well after the festivities in the square died down.

Even then, after all that, I still felt greedy for him—as if the few weeks we had spent apart had been an eternity. I couldn’t help but sigh contentedly as I rolled onto my back, my hand fluttering beneath the blanket to brush across my bare lower belly.

A low chuckle suddenly sounded from beside me. “Enjoying reminiscing, are we?”

My face burned hotly and I ripped my eyes open to find Chris lying on his side, his head propped up on one hand as he drank in my nude body. His hair was tousled, his green eyes catching the early morning sunlight in a way that made my heart momentarily stop in my chest.

“Maybe,” I purred, rolling to face him and draping one leg over his hips. “I was just wondering if my body could handle another round.”

Chris rolled his eyes and laughed, his fingers trailing lazily across the bare skin of my waist. “I’m not sure if my body can handle another round, you fiend.” He paused and leaned closer to plant a gentle kiss on my shoulder. “Although, I wouldn’t mind keeping you in this bed forever.”

His touch made me smile, but I also couldn’t help but grimace a bit afterwards. Chris shot me a confused look, muttering, “What’s wrong?”

I swallowed and sat up. I ran my fingers through my hair, which had gotten tangled on the pillow overnight. “It’s nothing,” I lied.

Chris eyed me suspiciously, seeing straight through me. Sighing, I finally admitted, “I’m worried about the Elders. Elise in particular definitely isn’t happy about your little announcement yesterday.”

My words seemed to put a damper on Chris’s expression. He frowned, his green gaze growing pensive. “Let me worry about the Elders,” he stated firmly, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’m done hiding how I feel about you, Ava. We’ll find a way to make this work, I promise.”

I felt my face flush a bit at the sight of his slight morning wood as he stood and stretched. “You know they’ll never willingly bless a marriage between us,” I murmured. “Not with me being…” I trailed off, swallowing hard.

Chris’s frown deepened as he pulled a fresh pair of briefs out of his dresser and tugged them on, then walked over to the nearby bathroom door. “I don’t give a damn about their antiquated rules,” he said as he stepped into the bathroom. “If the Alpha can take a mate first, there’s no reason the Luna can’t. It’s misogynistic and hypocritical.”

Hearing the conviction in his voice soothed my worries somewhat, but it wasn’t enough to fully block out the image of Elise’s irate face—nor her threat at the ball—from my mind.

“Let’s not forget what Elise said to me,” I said, standing. I bit my lower lip, searching around for a minute, before I grabbed Chris’s white button-down off the floor and shrugged it on. “About… getting rid of those who are in the way. Whatever that means.”

I heard a soft growl from the bathroom. A moment later, I heard the sink run, and then Chris emerged with a frown tugging at his lips.

“Elise would never hurt you,” he assured me, crossing the room to meet me. “She was probably just trying to scare you—she’s panicking over the blight. She doesn’t want to cause any more trouble for the pack.”

“You’re probably right.” I tilted my head, allowing him to plant a kiss on my cheek, then followed him to the kitchen. The space already smelled like coffee, making me smile a bit; it was times like this that I was glad for the occasional human invention, such as a timed coffee machine that could brew while you were still sleeping.

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. Chris got to work making toast and bacon, cheesy mushroom omelets cooking in the pan.

I was just hopping up to perch on the counter and pour myself a cup of coffee when he sidled up behind me, his broad palms settling on my waist. His nose nudged aside the collar of my shirt—or rather, his shirt.

“You know…” he murmured against my skin, “at some point, I’d like an actual house. Not just this little Packhouse apartment.”

I hummed contemplatively around the rim of my mug. “It’s tradition for the Alpha to live here,” I said, which was true; Ethan spent most of his time here as well. “But if you want a house, no one will stop you.”

Chris pursed his lips for a moment as he pulled away and flipped the bacon. “I already have a house in mind,” he said, shooting me a meaningful look.

My eyes widened. “You mean…”

“I like your cottage,” he said. “I can’t think of another place where I’d want to be.”

I blinked at him in surprise for a few moments—although, I couldn’t be that shocked. I had expected this from the start. “But it could get cramped, you know,” I said. “It’s a small cottage. Almost a bungalow.”

He let out an amused huff. Then, in a shockingly casual tone, he remarked, “You’re right. When we have kids, we’ll need more space.”

I nearly choked on my coffee, heat instantly flooding my cheeks. We hadn’t really broached that particular subject yet in the handful of weeks we had been officially together, and I was in my mid-thirties. Sometimes, I thought it was getting to be too late for me to have kids.

Once I had regained my composure, I narrowed my eyes at him over the rim of my mug. “Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” I asked, although there was no real heat in my words.

But Chris was as nonchalant as ever, flashing me that lopsided grin of his. “What?” he asked. “I’m just being practical. We’ll want plenty of room for the kids to run around and play…”

There was that rush of warmth through my veins again. My mind, against my will, conjured up images of rambunctious children—our children—with sandy curls and emerald eyes, running around my garden and getting their tiny fingers into my strawberries.

I worried my bottom lip between my teeth, considering. “Well… I’ve actually been considering building an addition onto the cottage,” I said slowly.

Before Chris could reply, a sharp knock at the apartment door made me start, nearly sloshing coffee everywhere. I instinctively clutched at the collar of my borrowed shirt, glancing around wildly.

Chris, damn him, simply rolled his eyes and strolled over to yank open the door without preamble. I tensed on the counter, ready to make a run for it if it was one of the Elders on the other side.

Much to my relief, it was only a servant who stood in the doorway. His eyes widened almost comically upon taking in my disheveled appearance and state of undress. I didn’t miss the way his gaze roved briefly over my bare legs crossed beneath Chris’s button-down before he snapped his eyes to his feet.

Clearing his throat nervously, the boy muttered, “Alpha Chris, the Alpha from Moonshine pack is about to arrive.”