Chapter 183
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Walking home from the pack house felt like walking through mud. My legs were heavy. My arms were tired. Even though I used magic to fight Annabelle and not my muscles, using that much mental power was exhausting.
I also tried to help out as much I could at the pack house after that.
I just wanted a hot bath and a soft bed and to close my eyes and forget about the crazy drama of
the pack for a few hours.
I unlocked the front door of my house and stepped inside. I expected the house to be quiet and empty until the kids came back from the pack house.
But the tv was playing quietly in the living room. I walked into the room and stopped. Astor was sitting on the sofa. He had his shoes off and his feet up on the coffee table. He looked relaxed.
I frowned. I thought he was supposed to be the “Cold Alpha.” He was supposed to be pretending that he didn’t care about me.
“You’re here early,” I said.
Astor looked up from the TV. He didn’t smile.
“I live here, Faith,” he said simply.
“I know,” I said, walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water. “But for somebody who wants us to be pretending like we don’t like each other anymore, you are coming around a lot more often.”
I leaned against the counter and drank the water. I looked at him over the rim of the glass.
“People are going to talk,” I teased him.
Astor rolled his eyes. He stood up and walked into the kitchen. The relaxed look was gone. Now, he looked serious.
“Nobody would suspect me for coming to spend time with my children,” he said. “A father is allowed to see his kids, Faith. It’s the perfect cover
“The kids aren’t even here yet,” I pointed out. “They are still at the playgroup.”
Astor stopped a few feet away from me. He crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles bulged under his shirt.
“You are right,” he admitted. “That’s not the reason why I am here right now.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked.
“Because you have been looking for trouble,” he said. His voice was low and stern.
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I sighed. “Oh, here we go.”
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“I heard what happened at the training grounds,” Astor said. “Everyone is talking about it. You
humiliated Annabelle.”
“She deserved it,” I said, shrugging. “She was acting like she owned the place. She needed to be
taken down a notch.”
“Faith, I told you to stay away from her!” Astor snapped. He looked angry now. “I told you I have a plan. I told you to trust me. But instead, you went and picked a fight with her in front of the whole
pack.”
I slammed my glass down on the counter.
“I am not a child to be reprimanded, Astor!” I shouted back. “I’m your mate. I don’t take orders like a
soldier.”
“I am trying to protect you!” he argued.
“I don’t need protection!” I yelled. “I was just having fun with her. I didn’t even shift. I barely used ten percent of my power. It was a game.”
Astor stepped closer. He invaded my personal space. He smelled so good that I just wanted to jump on him because my wolf misses the physical aspect of our relationship.
“Don’t provoke her” he warned me. “You don’t know what her family is capable of. You are poking a sleeping bear.”
“I am not afraid of Annabelle,” I said, looking up into his eyes. “I am stronger than her. I am stronger than her whole family. I am a White Wolf, Astor. Why don’t you trust me?”
“It is not about strength!” he groaned. “It’s about strategy! Why can’t you just listen?”
“Why can’t you just tell me what is going on?” I countered. “Tell me the secret. Tell me why we are afraid of a weak girl like her.”
“I can’t!”
“Then I won’t stop!”
We were standing chest to chest, glaring at each other. The air was hot with tension but suddenly, the front door flew open.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
The tension in the room broke like a glass window. We both jumped back from each other.
Our kids ran into the kitchen, their faces dirty and happy. They didn’t see the anger. They didn’t see the secrets. They just seen their parents.
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Astor’s face changed instantly. The anger melted away. A soft, loving smile replaced the scowl.
“Hey, guys!” he said, scooping up Isabella. “Did you have fun?”
“Yes! We played tag!” she squealed.
For the next two hours, the war was paused. We cooked dinner together. Astor chopped the vegetables, and I made the sauce. We sat at the table and ate.
It was perfect. We laughed at the kids‘ silly jokes. Astor stole food off my plate when I wasn’t looking, and I kicked him under the table. For a little while, we were just a normal, happy family. It felt so good that it almost hurt.
After dinner, we bathed the kids and put them to bed. Astor read them a story, and I kissed them
goodnight.
When we closed the bedroom door, the house went quiet again.
Astor and I stood in the hallway. The happy family mask fell away, but the anger didn’t come back.
Instead, there was something else.
Astor looked at me. His eyes were redish and intense. “You are stubborn,” he whispered. “You are
the most stubborn woman I have ever met.”
He reached out and grabbed my waist. He pulled me against him hard. He crashed his lips onto
mine.
I didn’t fight him. I melted. My arms went around his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair.
He swept me up into his arms, lifting me off the floor like I weighed nothing. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me into our bedroom and kicked the door shut behind us.
He threw me onto the bed. The mattress bounced. Before I could catch my breath, he was on top
of me.
“You drive me crazy, Faith,” he growled against my neck.
He kissed my throat, finding my sensitive spot. A shiver went down my spine.
“Show me,” I breathed.
He didn’t need to be told twice. His hands were everywhere. He pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it onto the floor. I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, ripping it open to touch his warm
skin.
When our skin finally touched, it was electric. The mate bond flared to life, bright and hot. It felt like fire running through my veins.
He kissed me deeply, his tongue exploring my mouth. It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate. It was a mix of anger, fear, and deep, consuming love. We’ve been apart for six months. Our bodies were
Chapter 183
starving for each other.
“Mine,” he growled, his voice sounding like his wolf
“Yours,” I answered,
We moved together in a rhythm that we both knew perfectly. Every touch was a promise.
Every kiss was an apology.
The room got hot. The sheets got tangled around our legs. I dug my nails into his back, grounding
him to me. I wanted to be so close to him that we became one person.
“I missed you,” he whispered against my lips, his guard finally dropping completely. “I missed this. I
missed us.”
“I’m here,” I promised him, looking into his eyes. “I am not going anywhere.”
