Page 24 of Love Bites Hard (Mated to the King #2)

twenty-four

PORTER

Thanksgiving with the pack went smoothly.

Evan said his goodbyes to Kim, and I ended her life without ceremony. It may have been cruel to do so, but I couldn’t allow someone who would poison and abduct my mate to live.

He buried himself in pack work and paperwork, and I left him be. He was going to need time to heal. A lot of time. But I wouldn’t let him sink into the darkness of the place I’d been.

There were no remaining threats to my mate, so I could finally breathe a little easier. I’d never stop watching, after what happened to my family, but I wouldn’t let myself obsess over it.

We headed over to Vamp Manor on the actual holiday, and Izzy held my hand tighter than she usually did.

“I used to think I wouldn’t like holding someone’s hand,” she admitted to me, as we made our way through the vampires’ security checkpoint.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess it seemed silly. Now I hold your hand all the time.” She shrugged.

I could tell she was nervous, and trying to distract herself.

“What are you worrying about?” I asked, pulling her a little closer.

She sighed. “Without Clem there, everything will be different. Blair’s sort of the leader, and I’m like, the sarcastic, independent one, but Clementine holds us together. We were all quiet and sad when she was stuck in Vamp Manor before the rest of us were allowed in. I’m worried it will be like that again.”

“We’ll try to make the best of it,” I said, squeezing her hand.

“And if it’s awkward?”

“Then we feign being tired from the pack’s holiday, and call it a night early.”

She smiled, though she still looked worried. “I guess that’s as good a plan as any.”

“It’ll be fine, baby.” I kissed her as the elevator closed behind us.

We met everyone else in a large meeting room close to Hale’s office. Though Zora still looked angry and was keeping to herself, everyone else was chatting. We greeted Hale’s sister and her mate, along with a few other vampires I vaguely recognized as people who were close with Hale. One of them was a doctor. Kara, maybe?

Despite Izzy’s worries, she settled into a conversation about the pack easily enough.

When the doors flew open a few minutes later, all of us turned our heads.

Izzy sucked in a breath beside me when an irritated-looking Clementine strode into the room with a blond fae man behind her.

“Tell me she didn’t mate with the fae king,” Avery whispered to Zora, behind us.

“I don’t think I can,” Zora groaned.

Something told me there was a pretty good story behind that—and I looked forward to hearing it.

Tucking my mate against my side, I flashed Kai a small grin. “Welcome to the family.”