And she is for us, his wolf insisted.
Jett knew that was true. And he wasn’t going to fight it anymore. He was still absolutely terrified that he would find a way to hurt her. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do. She meant too much to him already. He would have rather died than hurt his mate. Both his wolf and he knew that was the truth.
I won’t let that happen, the animal said in his mind. I’ll help you keep our mate.
Jett had to wonder if other shifters also took love advice from their animals, or if it was just him. He had a feeling it was because he was so clumsy with emotions that he had to rely so heavily on his animal instincts. Literally, he had to take his cues from a wild creature. He shook his head, hoping the wolf knew what he was doing.
Along with the rest of the pack who had come out to clean up the mess left by the witch hunters, Selene scrubbed at the paint. She hauled off chunks of wood, all working in tandem with the wolves.
Now that he was watching Selene interact with his pack, it did something to him. How was it possible that she seemed to fit in more than he did? Selene really was a wonderfully caring person. They were all seeing it—how amazing she was.
“Hand me that, would you?” she said as she grabbed the huge yellow sponge from his hands. “If I could do magic, I would spell the water to be even more purifying.”
Some of the paint was stubbornly refusing to come off the brick. It would most likely need to be painted over.
“I would almost say that it’s no use not doing magic,” Jett said as he scrubbed at the dripping red letters. “I mean, the witch hunters already know you’re here. What would a small spell do?”
“Deplete my magic and make it so I can’t protect myself if they attack me?” she offered.
“Fuck, you’re one hundred percent right.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re bright, Selene.”
She smiled at him as if to say duh. It made him laugh.
He was very aware the elders were watching him carefully as he interacted with Selene. He had to wonder if they were passing judgment on him, on her, on them as a couple.
“Thank you for helping, Selene,” an elder said, coming toward them. “It’s so nice to see you here with us.” The elder’s eyes slid to Jett. For once, he didn’t see judgment there, but mild curiosity. It made Jett wonder if he had been so locked up in the pain of the past that he had been seeing condemnation and anger where there was none.
Ding, ding, ding, his wolf chanted.
Well, shit. It was starting to look like his wolf was a much smarter human than he was. How did that happen?
When you lock yourself out of the world, and I have to do all the work, his animal responded.
“It’s my pleasure, really,” Selene said to the elder. “How could I not help? I’m sorry for this.”
“No need to apologize,” Samson said with a smile. “You’re not the bigot who did that.”
“But I am the reason it was done,” she whispered.
“No, not really,” Samson assured her. “They were always going to come after us. The second they knew we existed, we figured they would come. It’s what these people do. I’m just sorry that you witches always take the brunt of it. It’s nice we can do something to stop history from repeating itself.”
Jett didn’t miss the look Samson gave him. It was poignant. Jett knew that before Selene, he would have taken in that comment very negatively. Now, he understood what Samson meant. He was just saying he was happy to see Jett getting settled.
He scanned his surroundings with new eyes. The entire pack, the people he had thought were against him for the sins of his parents, had come together for the good of the community. How could he have expected the worst from these caring people?
He had it wrong all those years.
And all it had taken for him to realize it was finding Selene.
Chapter Nineteen
Jett
Hours later, once all of the mess had been cleared away and the brick painted over, Jett and Selene walked back to his house, hand in hand. Though the sun was about ready to rise, Jett felt invigorated. He was used to the late nights and no sleep. That came as part of the job of pack enforcer and bar worker. Usually, he would go about his day with a lot more grumbling and complaining. It didn’t seem so bad now that Selene was by his side.
“How you doing there?” he asked he as she yawned deeply.
“Oh, you know me. I’m a late night party animal.” She giggled, the opposite being true.
“You’re exhausted. As soon as we get back to the house, you’re heading to bed.” He spoke the order with care, but he had to wonder if his tone had been too bossy.
“No, please don’t make me go to bed on an empty stomach.” She rubbed the curve of her belly. “Between all of the sex and the cleaning, I am so hungry, I feel about ready to pass out.”
Jett blanched. Shit. He knew she was prone to losing consciousness because of her low-blood sugar condition. How could he have forgotten that?
“I am so sorry, Selene. It slipped my mind. Are you okay? Do you want me to carry you to the house?”
She laughed and squeezed his hand. “Yikes, Jett. Don’t be so dramatic. I’m fine.”
“No drama here,” he responded. “But I’ve seen you pass out, remember? I believe you were moments away from getting a Danish.”
“I’ll be fine. Though I do have to eat soon. Thank god your house is stocked full of all kinds of things. We won’t be lacking for choice of breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” he echoed.
“Well, yeah. The sun is coming up. Might as well just have breakfast and start the day.”
Jett looked out at the horizon. The sun was actually rising. It had been such a crazy last couple of days, he wasn’t too sure what day of the week it was.
“I’d love to shower,” Selene said as they climbed up the porch steps.
“Good idea.” He unlocked the door and motioned for her to step inside.
“Would you like to join me?” she asked with that mischief back in her eyes.
He had a hard time swallowing or forming any kind of words. Say yes, his wolf howled.
“Oh. Of course. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than to shower with you.”
Selene giggled, because they both knew that was a new need. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t a desperately strong one. Jett followed Selene into the bathroom, and they quickly stripped to step under the shower’s spray.
It wasn’t until they had emptied the hot water tank and that Selene was looking a bit woozy that they dried off. Both completely sexually satiated, it was time to take care of other needs.
“I know you’re about halfway to passing out,” Jett said as he walked to the kitchen. He took an apple out of the fridge and handed it to her after giving it a good washing. “Eat this. I’m taking you out on our very first date.”
“You are?” she asked, her cheeks reddening in the most alluring way.
Droplets of water were falling from her damp hair. It was much curlier than he had thought, but he liked it. The wildness was very much on brand for Selene.
“Yup. I’m taking you to a diner. You’re going to love it.”