Page 21 of Hayes
She slid her hands along his shoulders. “You’re so calm about this.”
“I told you, you’re not the first mate in recent months or years to have odd powers. Yours is not even close to being the weirdest.”
“You’ll tell me about the others?”
“Yes. After you sleep for a long time. You have to be exhausted. But first, tell me what other animals you could scent.” This part was important. Probably the most important.
“The usual ones like squirrels and rabbits…” Her eyes went wide. “Why on Earth would I know what squirrels and rabbits smell like?”
He grinned. “I have no idea, Little one. I suspect it’s innate.”
“Doyouknow what they smell like?”
“Nope.” He did not. But he wasn’t surprised she did. “Was that it? Squirrels and rabbits? You thought they were on the porch, and they scared you?” He knew that wasn’t the case. “Maybe other Alpha Protectors? Could you scent them?”
“Yes. Four of them are close. I assume those are the ones you said are protecting us tonight. And I’m betting the reason they’re surrounding us is to make sure the bears don’t get too close.”
Hayes swallowed. Bingo. This is what he was fishing for. His mate could scent the bears. And that was from a great distance. “You’re correct, Baby girl.”
“I’ve never seen a bear before. Are there a lot of them in the area? Is that why the Alpha Protectors exist?”
“The Alpha Protectors’ job is to guard the valley fromanythreat that might occur. One of those threats is other wolf packs in surrounding valleys. Though we live in harmony most of the time, over the centuries there have occasionally been rivalries that required negotiation. Usually diplomatic and not requiring a physical fight. You’ll learn the scent of everyone living in this area who is a member of our pack’s Alpha Protectors and theirmates. That way you’ll know when you scent a wolf that doesn’t belong.”
“And the bears? Are they dangerous, too?”
“Bears can be dangerous. The bears you’re able to scent are new to the area. They moved here recently. And Rylee… They are shifters.”
She gasped. “Bear shifters?”
“Yes. We’ve had several interactions with them. Most of them are kind and have been helpful. A few are rogue. We have greatly increased our patrolling to stay on top of them, which stretches us thin. However, with more and more of our new mates having unforeseen powers, we can relax our patrols some.”
She frowned, cocking her head to one side. “Why’s that, Daddy?”
He gave her hips a squeeze. “Because shifters like you can simply tell us when the bears are approaching.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh.” She grinned. “I never thought about my existence being of any particular importance within the pack. Do the new mates patrol with their Alphas?”
“Not yet, Little one, but they are diligent about paying attention to their surroundings. Several of them have different powers. I’ll explain it to you better after you’ve slept.”
She yawned as if the reminder made her feel suddenly more tired. “Maybe I could sleep here on the couch?”
He shook his head. “Not a chance. The only place you’ll ever sleep for the rest of your life will be in my arms.” He rose, cupping her bottom, and turned to settle her on the sofa where he’d been sitting. He guided her to lie on her side and covered her with a throw blanket before kissing her temple. “What you can do is rest here while I change the sheets on our bed and clean up a bit so the scent doesn’t continue to overpower you. I’ll come get you when I’m done.”
She grabbed his wrist and tugged.
He bent to kiss her again.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she murmured, already drifting off.
Hayes stared at her for long moments, taking in her beauty and his good fortune. He had no idea what the coming days would look like or what her strong sense of smell meant for the future, but all that could wait. For now, they needed sleep.
Chapter Ten
Rylee blinked her eyes open, confused about where she was for a second before she inhaled deeply and smiled. She was in her mate’s arms. He was spooning her from behind, so she couldn’t see his face yet, but she didn’t need to see him to know he was wrapped all around her.
His embrace was weighing her down and making her too warm, but she didn’t want to complain because she’d never felt so alive in her life. She’d slept harder than ever. Perhaps because she’d been exhausted from her transition and shift. Perhaps because he’d made her feel so safe.
The blinds weren’t closed, so she could see the sun was high in the sky. She suspected she’d been asleep for eight hours. For a moment, she thought she would wiggle free of him and make her way to the bathroom, but when she adjusted her weight, she realized she wasn’t as naked as she’d thought. Nothing was covering her chest except his arms, but she was diapered.