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Damn, even I felt that warning. She made me want to rescind the offer just in case.

“I promise, I’ll behave,” Marley says.

“I will say you’re going to disappoint Miko. He was looking forward to your stay.”

Marley’s eyes soften. “Can you ask Chayton if Miko can stay with us? Anya and I would love the company?”

I reach out to Chayton to run the idea by him. His response is immediate.

“Hell yeah,”Chayton replies.“You mean to tell me I get a night alone with my mate? How soon can I bring him over?”

I chuckle at his response. “I’ll send Marley and Anya over to get him.”

“Okay. Let me tell Elizabeth.”

Tuning back into the women with me, I say, “Chayton says it’s fine. Go get Anya and then stop and get Miko.”

Marley rushes out of the house without saying goodbye.

“You’re getting good at this big brother parenting thing.”

Michaela walks down the hall toward the bedroom. I follow behind her.

“It’s easy,” I say, kicking off my shoes and placing them in the closet. “I just try to find the middle ground between you two.”

She sits on the side of the bed. Pulling off her slippers, she grabs her socks from behind her and places them on her feet.

“You won’t always be able to do that,” she says. “The older she gets, the more she will test boundaries. Eventually, there won’t be a middle ground.”

I glance at her before heading into the bathroom. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes.” I say. “Until then, I’ll set up a rotation for the scouts to check on her.”

Turning to look at the doorway, I find a smiling Michaela leaning against the frame. “Thank you,” she says.

I wink at her before heading to the toilet to take a leak. For the next few hours, this will be the last time I get to use indoor plumbing.

An hour later, I’m setting up the tent while Michaela starts a fire behind me. I knew my mate wouldn’t be in favor of roughing it too much. I grabbed one of the newer, more modern tents the pack owns.

“Alright,” I say, standing up straight and admiring the six-person expanded dome tent. “Your hotel is ready.”

Turning to face her, I notice the fire is roaring behind me. She has folding chairs set up by the flames.

“Look at you,” I tease, walking over to her. I grab her by the waist and pull her into me. The constant urge to have her as close to me as possible is undeniable. “You got this fire going quick.”

She chuckles as she accepts the kiss I plant on her lips.

“Well, I was born before electricity. Starting and keeping a fire going is easy for me.”

I laugh. “Damn, I always forget I’m mated to an older woman.”

I step out of the way from her attempt to hit me.

“Come sit with me,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her over to one of the folding chairs. I take a seat and then place her down in my lap. I have to readjust her in my lap because my dick is already hard.

We sat for a moment; her snuggled into my chest, the view of the setting sun above us, the silence around us, and the heat of the fire in front of us. This was everything I wanted it to be.

“I owe you an apology,” she says without turning to me.

I place a kiss on her neck. “Oh really. For what?”