“Can I tell you a secret?” she asked, her lips against his.

“Yes. Especially if it’s dirty.”

“The whole big guy thing you do? All strong and stuff? It really, really does it for me.”

He laughed and she swallowed the sound greedily. “Good. Now, you don’t need to feel guilty about forgetting. You’ve had a few more things on your mind than the Joining ceremony.”

She put her arms around his neck as he walked them out. Dave kept his eyes averted but Grace did see his smile.

Cade had woken up without her there, without her warmth, her smell still on his skin. He’d seen the note she’d left on her pillow and smiled. She had things to do and he wasn’t going to be able to stop her.

He’d read her precise, neat, uniform writing as she detailed her day for him and smiled. Minx. She’d closed with her wish for him to sleep as long as possible so he could rest up and her worry he wasn’t getting enough down time. And after that, she’d even given him one little x and one little o. Disarming.

Still, he’d given her the space to do her job and as soon as he’d headed into the main house he’d been barraged by one thing after the other until he looked at the clock and realized it was already after five and he went to get his woman himself.

She sat, body pressed against his the whole ride home and didn’t complain about the Hummer once. He knew how much she hated the giant vehicle so she must have accepted the fact that it was necessary for her safety.

“I will say my dress arrived the day before I left for Chicago.”

He looked down at her. “Dress?”

“For the Joining?”

“Ah! Okay. Security is going to be insanely tight tomorrow and it won’t be the full ceremony you deserve but Ben and Tegan can’t be here because of the war. Apparently Tegan is pretty pissed about that. When this is over, and yeah, I’m sure you’re as sick of hearing it as I am of saying it, we’ll do something that befits you.”

She sighed and looked up at him. “Do you really think that sort of thing matters to me? I’m already yours. This ceremony is about the Pack and your family really. So fine. But it doesn’t change what already is.”

Dave laughed from the front seat as they drove through the various checkpoints at the house. Cade hated living in an armed camp but with the increasing levels of violence he had little choice.

She followed him out of the car, even letting him pick her up to help get her to the ground but when she caught wind of the din coming from the house she stiffened.

“Are you still having problems with Nina? I thought you two had become fast friends.” He pulled her to the side and motioned for the guards to give them some space. Lex went to the stairs leading to the house and took point, eyes scanning the horizon.

“No, everything is fine between us. I can’t say I’m totally comfortable knowing the depth of her feelings for you, but now that I’ve got Jack as my anchor I can understand it and I know she loves Lex. Why do you ask?”

“You just got very tense.”

“We can talk about it later. Let’s go inside.” She averted her eyes.

He stopped her, tipping her chin so he could see her face. “Honey, tell me now. Don’t you remember last night?”

That sweet mouth of hers curved into a sly smile and he laughed. “Not that part, well, okay I’m glad you remember that part. The fight part.”

“I just like quiet. And solitude. Not a whole lot here. I’ve lived on my own for many years and I just never feel alone here. I’ll get used to it, I’m sure. I like your family. I just don’t want to be with fifteen other people every moment of the day.”

“Part of it is…”

“I hate to break this up but people heard the cars pulling up, some are moving this way,” Lex called out.

Her spine slumped a bit and he sighed. “Thanks, Lex.” Looking back down into a face he’d already fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with, he smiled. “I’m sorry. Can we talk about this later?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

The smile she wore didn’t light up her eyes the way he’d seen her in unguarded moments but she walked in and embraced her position without hesitation. His family responded to her, he realized. Responded to her natural sense of order and calm. Whereas the Wardens in general were raucous and loud, when she was around he noticed they tended to be more affectionate. His grandmother told him earlier that day when she’d brought their rings by, that a good Alpha match was like theirs. Two halves of a whole that complemented the other.

Chapter Fifteen

Even mid-summer in the northwest could be chilly, and the morning of the Joining ceremony, a bite hung in the air, fighting with the growing influence of growth and fecundity. Grace had sat, watching the sun rise as Tracy had wound flowers through her hair. They’d fall away when she transformed into a wolf, but until then, they’d be very pretty.

“This dress is so lovely.” Megan motioned her head at Grace. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

“Thank you. It was a huge splurge. There’s this vintage clothing shop, near the hospital I used to work at. I knew they got stuff like this in from time to time and I checked their website. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I can’t believe it fits me so well.”

Splurge was a minor word compared to how much she’d spent on the 1950s’ era Mainbocher dress. Pale pink silk, close-fitting bodice and trailing down to her ankles. She felt like a goddess in the dress and hoped Cade saw it that way as well.