Bella stared at herself in a long mirror, wearing clothes borrowed from London’s closet in their parents’ home in the Fae Realm. The long, flowy dress was made of layers of gauzy purple fabric with delicate embroidery along the hem and bodice. It was casual and dressy at the same time.

As a girl who generally wore either leggings or jeans with the occasional skirt, she liked the traditional clothes of the Fae Realm. They were very dreamy and romantic.

“You look amazing,” Kash said.

He was wearing his own clothes from his parents’ home that they’d brought for him along with clothes for her while she’d been passed out. Kash had nearly died and woken up hours before her. She hadn’t even been hurt, but apparently the spell that saved his life had drained her energy to the point she had to sleep for nearly eight hours in order to heal fully.

“The bad guys are all dead, right?”

“Yep. Three of the males died in the original fight with the packs, but your dad saved Carver from being killed so he could find out where Chris and I were, since he didn’t know if we were in the barn or not. But Carver tried to take out your dad’s windpipe with his claws, so your dad killed him.”

She bet it was an epic battle with two alphas leading the fight.

“No more bad guys, it was just those four?”

“Yes.” He joined her and she turned to face him, laying her hands on his broad shoulders.

“Good. I’m ready to see my parents. And Chris. I might punch him in the face for what he did to you.”

“Hey!” Chris called from the other room.

She grinned.

“I said might,” she pointed out.

“I’m ready when you are,” Kash said.

They were in the Fae Realm at a healer’s home. The healer was a short, balding male with a handlebar mustache and bright blue eyes. He’d given her a tonic when she woke that made the last bit of exhaustion leave her body and filled her with energy. She and Kash had taken turns in a small shower stall and then dressed. She knew her parents were waiting to see her, she imagined it was hard for her mom to stay away.

“I want to stay in Allen,” she said, looking up at her mate. “I know that you’re not welcome at my pack, but even if you were, I’d still want to be in Allen.”

“I’d go wherever you wanted to go, but I’m glad you want to be in Allen.”

She smiled up at him, lost in his gray eyes for a long moment.

Because her brother made a series of bad decisions, she’d nearly lost the most important male in her life.

Before anything else happened, she needed him to know a few things.

“I felt you warn me away,” she said, tears springing to her eyes. She blinked them away. “I knew you were in danger, but I didn’t want to just let it happen. I know we’ve only been together for a few days, but you’re my truemate and I feel like I’ve known you forever. And I love you, Kash.”

He smiled down at her, his eyes turning stormy.

“I love you too, Bella. When I was dying, that was the other thought I had besides telling you to stay away: that I didn’t tell you I loved you because I thought I had time.”

“Your mom said if I’d stayed in Allen, you would have died, because the spell she and Rena cast needed our truemate bond to work.”

“Just this once I’ll say thank you for not listening to me.”

She laughed. Then she went onto her toes and kissed him.

The whole world dropped away when their lips connected. Her wolf let out a happy howl in her head.

She could have lost him, but she didn’t. She was going to focus on that.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Bells,” Chris said with a choked sob as he hugged her tightly. “I understand if you hate me, but please don’t fucking hate me.”

“Language,” her mom said with a sigh.

Bella hugged her brother. “I still kind of want to punch you.”

“I deserve it.”

She leaned back and smiled at her younger brother. “Maybe later.”

He rolled his eyes and smiled. Her mom stepped up for another hug.

She very much wanted to talk to her mom about how she’d finally stood up to her dad, but with him right in the room, it seemed like a bad time.

“I’m glad you’re both okay, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom. Thanks for shifting and standing with me.”

Her mom cupped her face and smiled at her with eyes shining with unshed tears. “For you, anything.”

When she’d hugged her mom again, she turned to her dad. It was only the briefest of moments and then he was crushing her in a hug that made her wolf growl happily.

“Ow, Dad,” she said with a chuckle.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I am. Thank you for being with me when Kash was in danger.”

“I’m sorry I nearly let the past keep you from finding him.”

“It’s all good now,” she promised. “I forgive you, and I forgive Chris too. Are you really okay? With everything?”

He looked over his shoulder at his dad. Grandpa Jake smiled from where he was talking to Logan.

“I am,” he said. “I mean, I’m not ready to be best pals with Jason, but I’m not going to try to get between you and Kash or disown you.”

“You were going to disown me?”

“Isabelle Renee,” he said sternly, “let me remind you that you left town on the full moon without telling a soul where you were going, then just wanted me and your mom to accept that you had a mate who wasn’t even a wolf.”

It was her turn to feel sheepish. “I’m sorry about that. At least as far as lying and going against you, but I’m not sorry that I met Kash. Going to Allen changed my life for the better.”

“We’re happy for you, honey,” her mom said. “And we can all move on, together. Your dad and I have some things to work out, but we’re mated and it’s going to stay that way. And your brother is still going to be alpha someday, but he’s going to start working more closely with your grandpa to learn how to be a decisive leader.”

“When I’m alpha, I’ll change the laws and let non-wolves in,” Chris said.

“You could do that,” Grandpa Jake said loudly.

Her dad snorted. “I don’t need any armchair alphas right now. But I’ll consider it.”

“You can come visit anytime you want,” her mom added. “Both of you. Just because he can’t join the pack doesn’t mean he’s not in the family.”

“Agreed,” her dad said.

She hugged her parents and her brother, then hugged her grandpa.

“Kash and I are going to stay here in the Fae Realm like we planned,” she said. “I’ll check in with you once we’re back in Allen so I can get my things.”

“I’ll pack up for you,” her mom said. “Your brother will help.”

“Ah, crap.”

Jenna opened a portal for her family into the yard of their home. Bella and Kash said goodbye, waving as the portal slowly closed.

“Love you,” Bella called.

“Love you too sweet girl,” her mom said.

“That’s our cue,” Jenna said. She hugged Bella and Kash. “We’re going to stop at my parents for a few minutes then head back to Allen.”

“We have to go to Allen and grab our stuff, then we’ll be back to town Saturday,” Kash said. “It’s what we planned originally. Oh crap, wasn’t I supposed to bring candy for Grandpa?”

“I grabbed it on one of my trips back to Allen today, but your dad and I also picked up your bags from your house and took them to ours, so you don’t have to go to Allen unless you want to.”

“That’s awesome, thank you,” Bella said.

They said goodbye to his parents, thanked Benoir for his help, then headed to his parents’ home. The Fae Realm wasn’t really like the human realm where Bella was from. The main differences were that there was no electricity and no vehicles. No cars or trucks, no towers for cell phones or thick power lines crossing over the landscape. It was quieter in the Fae Realm, peaceful in a way she hadn’t expected.

“It’s nice here,” she said as they walked along a cobblestone pathway away from the healer’s home.

“We could get a house here like my parents have and use it for weekends and vacations.”

“Really? That would be cool.”

“There’s space between my parents and grandparents’ homes, we could build something for us there.”

“Oh, like a cute cottage covered with ivy that looks like a little gnome lives in it?”

He laughed. “Whatever you want, baby.”

She put her arm around his waist and grinned. “I just want you.”

“Well, you’ve got me. I’m well and truly yours.”

“I’m yours too.”

He kissed the top of her head. “We can talk to my folks about it when we get back to Allen. In the meantime, I wanted you to know that I did talk to your dad while you were passed out.”

“About what?”

“I asked him for permission to mate you properly. I know that it was important to you that he was okay with us mating.”

“And?”

“He is. He told me that he respected me asking him, but would have understood if we’d gone ahead and mated each other regardless. You’ll have dual membership in both packs, in Allen as my truemate and as the daughter of the alpha in Rhone. I won’t have membership in the Garra pack because I’m not a wolf, but I’ll be welcome to come with you whenever you want to visit, even on the full moon.”

She hummed. It would be pretty cool to get to hunt with her parents. It was something she’d always wanted. Maybe Chris could hang out with them too, and Grandpa Jake.

They approached his parents’ home, which was a two-story house nestled among towering trees and large flowering shrubs. “I love it,” she said. “It’s like out of a fairy tale or something, with the white brick and trees covering everything.”

“My dad built it for my mom before I was born.”

He waved his hand toward the door and the lock clicked and the door swung open.

Then he lifted her into his arms.

“Oh my,” she said, letting out a girly giggle. “My knight in shining armor.”

“You’re definitely no damsel in distress my fierce mate, but I’m going to treat you like a queen.” He stepped over the threshold and kicked the door shut. “Again and again.”

She put her arms around his neck and nuzzled his jaw. “I’m ready to be yours in truth. So long as you don’t mind me biting you too.”

“Hell no, I’ve been waiting for it.”

He looked down at her, his eyes glowing molten silver. She could feel his fae power humming under his skin, but she could also feel the part of him that was a wolf, excited by the prospect of being fully mated.

“Take me to bed, Kash. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”