Page 68 of Same Difference

Nathan nodded back but didn’t say anything. There was still tension there, but Delta didn’t know how to fix it. The boys were going to have to work that out in time.

She raced Nathan up the front steps and to the door and knocked first.

Bridger opened the door, to her surprise. “Whoa, what are you doing here? I thought you were still out of town for work?”

“I got back today,” the giant werewolf said in a growly voice. “I’m just here for a few more minutes and then I’m headed back to the hotel.”

“Oh. You can crash on our couch if you want to,” Delta offered. “What’s one more?” Maybe he would keep Vic and Tabian in line.

“I would rather lick a toilet seat,” Bridger deadpanned, and made his way to the fridge to grab a beer. Geez, there was absolute truth in his voice. Rude.

Right. She pulled a face at Nathan, but he wore a disgusted frown and was staring at Bridger’s back.

“Hey you!” Nory greeted from the dining table, where she was sorting bills, it looked like.

Delta grinned and waited for Nathan to pass. Liam was coming from the hallway, toweling off his wet hair after a shower, Bridger was leaning on the kitchen counter looking at his phone. Nory was chattering happily to Nathan, who leaned down to hug her hello, and across the clearing, she could hear Vic and Tabian arguing about whose room was bigger. Dodger was making another run at unloading his truck outside and everyone was here, in the same territory again.

The Pack was just existing here on this human-owned land that the Elders couldn’t take from them.

Three houses were already on the property, with another three being delivered soon, and this was it.

This was the beginning of the build-up.

This was the real beginning of the Rogue Pack.

Nathan was watching her with a soft smile on his face. “Happy?” he asked.

Delta nodded. “Really happy.”

Sure, they had stuff to iron out. This wasn’t some happy ending, but it was a happy beginning to something that felt so important.

Work was good for both her and Nathan. Her best friend lived nearby, and she laughed a dozen times a day at the dumb stuff the boys did and said.

And Nathan, her Nathan, was here in every moment with her, appreciating right alongside her. He never made fun of her for having mushy moments or getting all choked up.

She didn’t know why she was so emotional about the Rogue Pack, but it felt like she was living in the very beginning of an epic legacy.

Whatever came for them—human justice, the Elders, the rival Pack that would be moving into their old territory soon, fights among themselves—they were in it together, no matter what. They had all chosen this life.

It was the first time they’d ever felt like a real Pack to her.

Nathan came to stand beside her, kissed the top of her head, and hugged her tightly to his side.

“We’re really doing this,” she said through a grin.

He chuckled and picked her up, settled her onto his shoulder, and smacked her ass. “Biggest mistake any of us will probably ever make, but we’re doing this.”

She was giggling by the time he settled her in the chair next to Nory. The guys were chattering in the kitchen now, and Nory was stacking papers while Delta told her about the matching hamsters that were now living in her and Nathan’s den.

Everything was right in her world.

Would it stay like this forever? Maybe not, but Delta had learned to appreciate the moments of peace. No matter what tomorrow brought, today was a good day, and her wolf was happy.

Nathan was in the kitchen with his arms locked on the counter, watching her. Always watching her. She grinned at him and made a little heart shape with her fingers.

He offered her a wink and went back to talking to Bridger and Liam.

He’d said this would probably be the worst decision they ever made, but that was just a joke.

She knew it was the opposite.

She and Nathan were both right where they belonged.