Page 24 of Darrin: The Wolves

“You were channeling your inner alpha,” Juliette said. “Well done.”

“Thanks.” She reached for her glass and her hands were shaking. “Shit that was terrifying.”

“Dare wouldn’t let anyone touch you,” Juliette said. “And neither would Sigh or Trick. They all have our backs because they’re badass wolves, and we’ve got each other’s backs too.”

“Because we’re badass bitches,” Cass said.

She took a sip of the drink Dare had made for her – sweet tea and lemonade – and set the glass on the table. Her heart was still racing, her mind replaying the scene in the hallway on repeat.

She hoped she never saw that bitch again.

Glancing at the bar, she saw that Dare was still staring at her and she smiled at him. Damn, she loved him.

It hadn’t even been a week yet! But she did. And that confrontation in the hall had cemented her feelings for the sexy wolf. She hadn’t just wanted to defend Dare, because she knew he could kick anyone’s ass, she’d wanted to defend the future she wanted with him. She didn’t care he was alpha, she cared that he liked her and wanted to be with her.

He’d chosen her. Not because someone else told him to.

She ignored the rest of the fries on her plate because they were cold and she’d lost her appetite. Sipping on her half-and-half, she listened as her new friends talked about the deck and the grand opening the next weekend, and the first band that would play Friday and Saturday night.

But all Audrey could think about was that she wanted to be with Dare.

And she wanted to make things permanent between them.

Pushing back in the chair during a lull in the conversation, she said, “I’m going to get my man and take him home.”

“Woohoo, girl,” Juliette said, grinning.

“Go get ‘em,” Cassidy said.

She smiled at them with a chuckle and walked to the bar.

His eyes lit up when she stopped in front of the bar. “What’s up, sweetheart?”

“I want to go home.”

“Your place?” he asked.

“No.”

She heard his wolf’s growl. Dare looked at Trick. “Can you cover for me?”

“You got it,” Trick said.

Dare opened the pass and Audrey met him. They walked, hand in hand, down the hall and out the back door.

They’d talked about her moving in with him, but they hadn’t made any official plans. She hadn’t even seen him in his shift yet.

But she didn’t want to let another moment go by without telling him how much he meant to her, and how much she wanted to belong to him entirely.

He opened the door for her and closed it behind them.

The house was dark and quiet.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She tilted her head up, seeing his face covered in shadows from the moonlight streaming in the windows. “I am. I realizedthat a part of me wondered all along about whether I actually fit in with you, because I’m human and you’re a wolf. I think it’s different with you because you’re the alpha than it is with your brothers and their mates. You need someone by your side who can kick ass and lead. I wasn’t sure that was me.”

He stepped a little closer, and she picked up the scent of his wolf, all warm spices and moonlight. “And now?”