Page 19 of Love Bites Hard (Mated to the King #2)

nineteen

PORTER

We barely slept at all, but both of us were grinning as we made our way down the hall to breakfast, our fingers intertwined and our shoulders pressed together.

Izzy’s smile faded slightly when we stepped into the cafeteria and received a large number of shocked stares, so I leaned over and murmured, “They’re staring because you’re covered in glitter, not because you’re holding my hand.”

“Maybe they’re staring because you’re covered in glitter,” she whispered back, her grin returning. She’d tried to scrub the sparkles off both of us, but they hadn’t budged. I had far less than her, though all the time we spent naked together had ensured that I did, in fact, sparkle.

“Let them.” I squeezed her hand lightly, and she bumped my shoulder. I looked out at the pack—or the part of it that was in the cafeteria at the moment, and announced aloud and through the pack’s bond, “My mate and I are going for a run tonight. Anyone who wants to come is welcome.”

I felt the immediate change in energy, and my grin widened.

It felt good to be back.

I’d always miss my family—but they would’ve wanted me to live. And to make sure the pack was doing the same.

So that was what I’d do, for the rest of my life.