Smoky heat danced in her mate’s eyes as he leaned down and gave her a slow lingering kiss. “How does me licking every inch of your delectable skin before I slide deep inside you and ride you hard until you scream my name in bliss sound?”
“Dayton!” Liquid heat immediately flooded her body at his husky words, images of the way he’d done just that the night before coming sharply to the fore. “You are so going to pay for that, wolf,” she growled pushing away and facing forward as he laughed and heading out of the compound after his brother.
Dayton couldn’t help feeling happy as he headed towards the Hanlon compound. He was so damned proud of Freya and the way she was working hard to accept his family. He knew she was making this huge effort for him and he adored her for it.
His earlier disquiet about facing his parents and remaining siblings was now just a small bubble of unease rather than the full on panic it had been earlier. He was starting to feel confident that it wasn’t going to be as bad as he’d imagined. Even if it was he had his vampire beside him and he could face anything as long as he had her at his side.
He stole glances at Freya as they drove in a companionable silence. She worried at her bottom lip from time to time and then she straightened her shoulders as if mentally talking to herself, convincing herself that she could do this. He knew she could, he had complete faith in her.
One day she would have that same belief in herself and the Alexander family were going to teach her that in the only way they knew how. They were going to bully her into submission with all the love they had inside them.
He was so lost in his internal musing that they were pulling into the Hanlon compound before he realised they’d covered the distance between the two packs. There was such a feeling of familiarity about being back. This was where he had lived with Faith, where he had grown up with his family and friends.
There was a sense of coming home to a certain degree because it had been such an integral part of his life but it didn’t feel like home any more, not like the Armand-Hanlon pack did.
Connor pulled up outside the Alpha’s house and Dayton came to a stop behind him. He’d parked level with a beautiful bronze statue of a wolf reaching for the moon and a sense of loss quickly flooded through him. He knew this was Brody’s work, recognised the love and attention to detail of his brother’s technique. He also knew this was the memorial that had been raised for the pack members lost all those years ago when the vampires had attacked.
Silently he climbed out of the Jeep, barely aware of Freya automatically coming to his side as he stared at the wolf with its head raised to the sky. This was where David had died, where a whole family, bar one fragile young girl, had perished on a night so long ago when he had been continents away. This was where he had lost his second family, when he had been so lost himself, incapable of mourning what had once been so precious to him.
His hand shook as he reached out and touched the wolf, silent tears falling down his face as he connected with the bronze. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, grief shuddering through his body. “Forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” Jared Hanlon said quietly coming to stand on the other side of the man he had fought so hard to save half a century before. “Your presence here would not have changed a single thing, Dayton. They gave their lives to protect the pack and they did it with honour and bravery. Not one of them would ever want you to blame yourself for something that was out of your control.”
Dayton let the Alpha’s word bring him some level of comfort but he knew that it would take some time to fully believe him. He wiped at his tears as he turned to face the man he held so much respect for. He met blue eyes that were a shade darker than his own. They were full of respect and relief and he felt a sense of closure wash over him as he regarded his old Alpha. This man had done so much for him over his life that he would never be able to fully repay him.
“Thank you, Jared.”
Jared smiled widely reaching out to give him a huge bear hug and pound his back hard. “It’s so good to have you back, Dayton. I could string Rafe up for stealing you from me but something tells me you fit better there than you would here now.”
He glanced at Freya and gave her a nod. He was used to the vampire being standoffish with him so didn’t expect much from her by way of greeting. She tended to be rather curt when they met at the other compound. Still, he smiled at her because she was the godsend that had come along and brought Dayton back to them. She would always have his respect and gratitude for that.
“Welcome to the Hanlon compound, Freya. I believe this is your first visit here. You have free passage to come and go as you please and our gratitude for sticking around for a few days just in case we have any unwelcome visitors.”
Freya slipped into Dayton’s arms as the Alpha realised him from his bear hug. She had been at a loss at what to do as her mate had shed tears for those he had lost from this pack. She had hesitated to hold him in case it was the wrong thing to do with so many wolves in her peripheral vision. Jared Hanlon had known what to do, what to say to ease her mate’s hurt and she was thankful for that.
She nodded her head in his direction. “Thank you, Jared. I will try not to abuse your hospitality too much. No vampire will harm a Were in this compound while I am here.”
Her words came out sounding slightly stiff and formal but the look of outright shock which crossed the Alpha’s face was instantly gratifying. Freya’s lips quirked slightly as she took in his stunned expression at her civility. Maybe being ‘nice’ wasn’t so bad after all. She could have just as much fun keeping the wolves on their toes by being reasonable than she could by snarling at them.
A light pat on her backside had her attention turning to her mate who had raised an eyebrow in her direction.