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“I’ll get right on it—as soon as you bring me a picture to put there.”

While they talked, the sun sank fast below the mountains, bringing with it the chill. Jarrad lit a fire while Tabitha and Luna made dinner, Ryan tapping away at his computer with an intense frown on his face. The man was doing his thing to keep the girls safe, so Jarrad left him to it. Even when he had to ignore the mutters of ‘stupid werewolf’ and ‘couldn’t keep a sea monkey alive’ that came at various intervals.

Eventually Tabitha had them all seated and served dinner. The food wasn’t on plates long enough to cool. Somehow, she’d scrounged enough vegetables to eat with the steak that was a staple of his fridge. And she’d done something with them to make the vegies appetising.

When she’d seen his threadbare vegie crisper, she’d glared her disapproval. Tomorrow he’d make a trip to the supermarket. Tabitha better write a list though, because he’d no idea what they might like to eat. What was wrong with a good steak and the occasional potato?

“There’s WIFI in the granny flat, right?” Ryan asked abruptly.

“Yeah,” Jarrad replied.

“I’ve got some more leads to follow, and some calls to make. I’ll see you both all in the morning if nothing strikes me as an emergency.” Ryan turned to Tabitha. “Keep that bag packed. I want you ready to go at a moment’s notice if I find something I think we can’t deal with here.”

Jarrad’s wolf rumbled. He could protect his mate fromanything.

A final glare passed between the two men as Ryan swept outside. He didn’t know if he’d ever grow to like Tabitha’s brother, but at least he could respect him. He obviously loved the girls.

“Mummy, I’m tired.”

“Come on then, pumpkin,” Tabitha said. “Take me to this room you’ve chosen and I’ll tuck you in.”

“Tomorrow, can Jarrad do it?”

How could five little words steal your heart? Tabitha arched an eyebrow at him in silent query. He cleared his suddenly tight throat. “Of course. I’d love to.” The sleepy smile he got in return warmed him.

“Night, Jarrad,” Luna mumbled as her mother ushered her upstairs.

“Night, Luna.”

Jarrad settled himself in the lounge room and made some calls to his new sentries, checking on things after the watch change. When Tabitha came downstairs, she didn’t hesitate, settling herself next to him on the sofa.

“So… how does this work? The whole mate thing?” Tabitha asked. “I mean, I’ve heard about it, and what I feel is certainly intense, particularly physically,” she blushed a deep pink, “but—”

“You want to know what to expect?”

“Yes,” she breathed a sigh of relief when she realised he understood. “I can’t walk into anything blind. This is moving more quickly than I’m comfortable with, but it feels right. So I’m trying to go with the flow and not be suspicious of everything.”

“But you’ve got to think of Luna,” Jarrad said.

She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Okay, Matehood 101 then. Ask your questions and I’ll answer as best I can.”

She jumped straight in. “What does it mean to be mates? What are they to each other? Is it just like finding the optimal person to have babies with, or is there something… more… to it?”

He grinned at the onslaught of questions. Like mother, like daughter.

“In a sense you’re right, your mate is your best possible chance at procreating, but that’s not all it’s about.” He took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn’t find what he had to say next too scary. “Your mate is the one person in existence created for you, the other half to your soul. They make you stronger, faster and infinitely more rational when the bond is sealed. I don’t know how it works with an inter-species mate, but unmated wolves are a little on the wild side. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but being mated settles them. Makes them more rational, rather than impulsive.”

“You seem pretty rational to me,” Tabitha observed.

“Perks of being Alpha. I have a bond with each person in the pack. That includes mated pairs. I’m lucky enough that they share some of their calm. To a lesser extent, it’s the same for my Beta, Kyle.”

“So, mates complete each other?” A little frown creased her forehead.

“That about sums it up.”

“And Luna? What about her? How does the mate bond affect her?”