Page 49 of Hayes

“It’s a good idea,” Daddy said. “The good news for Molly and Rylee is that they don’t have to remain diligent at all times. It’s okay to block sounds and scents from the outside. As much as I hate that for Felix, the truth is Khloe has no control over her visions. Nothing blocks them. At least not as far as Felix has been able to discern so far. When something happens, Felix can alert us so that Molly and Rylee can open up a door and step outside.”

“That should work,” Rylee agreed. “And the eucalyptus is so amazing. Thank you for making that for me. Death isn’t the only nasty scent in the world. I can also boil the powerful potpourri when Isaac makes yucky foods for my friend Amber.”

Everyone chuckled.

“I bet you can’t wait for Amber to arrive,” Molly said.

“Yeah. She’s going to be so happy to find out we mated brothers. We worried our entire lives that we wouldn’t see each other again after we mated.”

Rylee smiled as she leaned heavily into her Daddy. She had a good friend in Molly, the amazing scent of eucalyptus, and the excitement about Amber arriving soon. All things to smile about.

They were right. Drow’s actions were not her responsibility. She needed to remind herself of that often. More days like todaywould come in the future. Some would be worse than others. Rylee would get used to taking the good with the bad. She had to. She was the mate of an Alpha Protector.

Chapter Twenty

Seven weeks later…

Rylee rose onto her tiptoes to hang a butterfly decal on the wall of the room that would soon be Amber’s nursery. She was so excited about the fact that her best friend in the world would be here in a few days.

Not as excited as Isaac, of course, but a close second.

Isaac had apparently not invested much time preparing for his mate as Hayes had over the years. Until a few weeks ago, he hadn’t started on Amber’s nursery.

One day he’d shown up at the house, wringing his hands together and asking Rylee for help.

She’d been delighted and had since spent a lot of time at Isaac’s house, helping him prepare for her friend while also answering a thousand questions.

Hayes spent a lot of time laughing about the nervous state of his older brother and making fun of him for acting like he wasn’t interested and not being prepared.

Rylee understood Isaac’s way of thinking, though. It made sense. Some Alphas, like Hayes, needed to prepare and fret formonths or years. Other Alphas would drive themselves batty doing so and survived the waiting by ignoring their impending mating ceremony until the last minute.

There was no doubt Isaac was all in now that the day was fast approaching. He’d gone above and beyond to get this room ready. He also had the house stocked with Amber’s favorite foods, toys Rylee was certain she would enjoy, and the prettiest butterfly room in a rainbow of colors.

Isaac took a deep breath and turned in a slow circle as if making sure everything in the room was perfect. “I guess I should be prepared for exceptional vision. I wonder what that even means in terms of wolf shifters. We already have great vision.”

Hayes swooped Rylee off the floor and settled her on his hip—her favorite place to be. He chuckled. “First of all, just because Rylee says Amber has always had great vision doesn’t mean she’s going to see through mountains. Second of all, keep in mind, we all have extraordinary senses—including smell and hearing. And yet, Molly and Rylee excel at those two in mindboggling ways. If Amber has amazing vision, it wouldn’t surprise me if she could indeed see through mountains.”

Isaac visibly shuddered. “I’m going to need CPR on the regular if Amber gives me as many heart attacks as Rylee gives you.”

Hayes chuckled. “You’ll survive. I promise. Now, we’re going home. Rylee needs a nap. Take it easy and get lots of sleep. Bringing home a mate is a lot of work. Don’t expect to get much rest in the next few weeks.”

“Hey!” Rylee shouted, glaring at her Daddy.

Daddy kissed her soundly. “Just stating the facts, Baby girl. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. You’re my life.”

Rylee hugged her Daddy as they headed out of the house. Her heart was full as she shifted next to him and trotted alongside him back to their own home.

When they arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Daddy shut the front door. They hadn’t had to insulate the entire house the way Gavin had done, but Hayes had added thick weather stripping around the doors and windows. It helped block scents anytime she needed a break.

“Will you boil some of the peppermint oils, Daddy?” she asked as soon as he lowered her to the floor.

“Yes, Little one.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Good. The bears are having a pig roast I think. Whatever it is, it’s outside and smelly.”

Daddy chuckled. “Anything else out there I should know about?”

She shook her head. She knew what he was referring to. There had been no more signs of lions after that weird day when twelve lions had terrorized some of the bear females, and then one had circled Hayes and Rylee’s home.

Even though there was now a joint task force in effect that patrolled together for a few hours every day at all different times, still nothing. Not even a hint.

The Alpha Protectors had agreed to let Olivia, Molly, Khloe, and Rylee patrol with the men, but only one at a time. They had also increased their self-defense classes and reluctantly included lessons on gun safety and usage. No one had let the women actually fire a weapon yet, but Rylee knew they would eventually break down and admit it was necessary for safety reasons.

As soon as the peppermint scent filled the house, Daddy fixed a bottle and guided Rylee to her nursery. She didn’t argue about diapers and naptime. She actually liked these hours every day. Special time with Daddy that he devoted to helping her into ayounger age space and then rocked her until she fell asleep in his arms.

Rylee had a lot to be thankful for. So much that her heart was overflowing.