Page 103 of Protected By Her Mate

Charlie loves her job and as much as it stresses my wolf out, I know she won’t be happy unless she’s investigating fires. She went back to work a few weeks ago and seems happier than ever.

After closing the Boulder-Wolf murder case, I handed in my resignation. Captain Charlamagne tried to convince me to stay, thought I would eventually regret leaving police work behind. He’s wrong. I’ve devoted most of my life in the service of law enforcement and I’m more than ready for retirement.

Unfortunately, I have no hobbies to fall back on and domesticity has been a trial. Annalisa and Maria drop by the apartment periodically, trying to teach me how to shop, cook and clean. I’m not entirely helpless, but the two of them are exacting women with exacting standards.

Charlie laughed at my horror after her mother suggested I try coupon clipping to fill my time. “You need something else in your life. You’re a protector, Lennox. You won’t be happy unless you’re doing something to make the world around us a better place.”

“Making your life perfect is accomplishment enough for me,” I argued.

“How is my life improved if you get us a deal on peanut butter? Are you sure you don’t want to work with your brother in a diplomatic role? Lots of people work long-distance nowadays.”

“I’ll think about it.” But there’s an idea that’s been brewing in my head for a while. Charlie knows it, having read my mind, but she hasn’t pushed me to talk about it. She supports me but doesn’t try to sway me in any particular direction.

Luke’s shout drags me back into the moment and I look around for him underneath the twinkling fairy lights. Using instinct, I’m able to spot him playing with his cousins and the Wolven-North children around the dessert table, small hands shooting out to snatch the odd cupcake or square. No matter where he is, I’ll always be able to find him.

“Enjoying the life of a parent?” Lock asks as he joins me, his gaze following mine.

“It’s unexpectedly fulfilling,” I reply.

“Sure, until one of the little monsters hides a frog in your bed,” Rush grumbles from next to Lock.

Keenan approaches us. “No kids for me. At least not yet, but I’ll treasure my role as the cool uncle.”

“You’re not the cool uncle,” Rush says. “I am.”

We laugh at the idea that my grumpiest, short-tempered brother could be the cool uncle.

“I think the kids get to choose,” Charlie says, slipping in beside me and linking her fingers with mine, “And I think they’re partial to the guy with the crown, the private jet, and the ears of the most powerful people on the planet.”

My brothers laugh and talk amongst themselves as Charlie says to me through our private link,you should take your brothers for a run through the city. They’ve probably never done anything like it before.

I shake my head.I’m not leaving you on our wedding night.

Not for long, you’re not.But when will the four of you get this opportunity again? You need to take advantage. Go on a wolf run or whatever you call it. Howl at the moon. Go be a wolf pack and then come back to your human pack. We’ll be here waiting.

I turn her in my arms and kiss her, ignoring my brothers’ chuckles.

“Come with me,” I say to them, releasing my bride.

Walking through the party guests, I lead my brothers to a spot on the roof that’ll give us more privacy. “Let’s go for a run.”

Lock looks around. “Where? Here?”

I grin, yanking my bowtie off. “Where else would we run?”

He gazes across the rooftops, a slow smile splitting his bearded face. “Could be fun. It’s been years since we ran together.”

More like centuries, but I don’t say it out loud. We’ve grown closer as a family since our mates started showing up and changing our lives.

As we undress, I warn them not to look down or they might lose their footing. “Use the windowsills, fire escapes and ledges. Going high draws less attention so aim for the rooftops.”

Now I’m worried. I fell several times in my first years in New York, trying to scale buildings and leaping across gaps. We’re not invulnerable. Though a fall isn’t likely to kill us, it’ll cause a fair amount of bodily damage, the healing process excruciating.

Listening in to my thoughts, Keenan nudges me with his shoulder. “If you can do it, we can do it. We’ll follow your lead and place our paws carefully. Show us what it is that draws you to this place.”

I finish undressing and shift into my wolf, the rose-scented air washing over me, making my sensitive nose tingle. I scent Charlie through all the other smells. Once my brothers have shifted, the four of us climb onto the ledge. Tipping my head back, I howl, the joy of the evening and the excitement of our upcoming run invigorating me. My brothers follow suit, howling with me.

Party guests rush to the ledge to watch as I leap, aiming for the building next to Charlie’s, the roof only a few feet lower. My brothers follow and soon we’re racing through the night, the cheers and gasps of the wedding guests fading behind us.

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