Page 49 of Targeted By Fate

“Are we going to be able to read all these to them before they’re in college?” Boaz asked, clearly amused.

“We’re going to read to them all the time. And probably this one—” I held up a book that had been my favorite as a child, “you’ll have memorized pretty early on. Let’s check these out, and then come back for the rest.”

I used pretty much the entire gift card in that one corner of the bookstore, and when I started looking for books for myself, I was much more cautious—until my mate realized what I was doing.

“You know that’s not the only money we have, right?” He stood in front of me, holding my eyes.

“I know.”

“Books. Buy books. Lots of books, or I’m going to buy them for you. And you know I have bad taste.” He didn’t. I might not want to read the kind of books he’d pick out for himself, but he paid attention to detail. I’d have been surprised if they weren’t 100% to my taste.

“You spoil me.”

“Kitten.” He nipped my ear. “That’s my job. So maybe let me do it.”

“Only if you let me do my job. Later.” I ran my finger down his chest.

“Oh? And what job is that?”

My hand slid straight down his body, then back up again. “To see if I can make my mate purr.”

23

BOAZ

Even though I'd been Alpha for months, we hadn’t had time for an official ceremony. Keane harped on about it, saying the pack should get together to celebrate, but I explained that wasn’t our way. Or it hadn’t been Alpha’s… former Alpha’s way.

“But you’re Alpha now. You can start your own traditions.”

I thought about it, and while Alpha had never drawn attention to himself, as mafia we did enjoy ceremony, so perhaps it was time to mesh the two customs.

“You should stamp your personality on the pack.” That was Maynard’s offhand remark as he was on his way out to “a job.”

“Do we call you Alpha all the time?” Riggs asked. “Even when you’re at home?”

“Yes.” Lake grinned. “Or he’ll kick your ass.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Only call our brother Alpha if he’s pissed with you.” Ezra chuckled.

I sighed. My brothers would never stop jerking me around, but if I needed them, they’d be beside, in front, and behind me.

But I’d been busy, weighed down with paperwork, but also I’d refused to be desk bound, so I spent hours each day visiting pack families whether they lived in a tiny apartment or a mansion.

The pack owned a lot of businesses, and while I hadn’t visited each one, I had contacted the managers and gone over the spreadsheets. My brothers told me I had underlings for that and the pack needed an Alpha who didn’t appear haggard with bags under his eyes and his clothes hanging loose on his thinner-than-usual frame.

If I were to have a formal introduction to the pack, I hoped we could pair it with the opening of the daycare at headquarters, but we were still waiting for planning permission. Keane insisted we weren’t allowed to bribe anyone at City Hall to speed the process, because we couldn’t cut corners with regards to children’s safety.

“Fine, I give up.”

We were having a family dinner at my brothers’ home, where I had lived before mating. They’d put together a meal which Maynard said was passable, and the rest of us tossed crudités at his head. None of them hit him because he had super speedy shifter reflexes. Maynard and Rhodes’s dog, Momo, turned his nose up at the vegetables on the floor.

“Give up on what?” Riggs sipped a glass of wine. “Being a nice person?”

Everyone laughed and banged the table with their fists. My family was so tiresome.

“We’ll celebrate.” Keane’s due date was a few weeks away, and while I would have preferred to wait until after the baby was born, Rhodes suggested getting it done before.

“You’ll be exhausted in those first few weeks post-birth.”

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