Page 72 of The Mating Need

Aiden palmed his phone. “Judy… Tristan told me Perry was on the verge of turning her soul over to the Dark Lord as well. Tristan wiped out her memory as well and she’s gone back to her family inIndiana.”

Jenny was almost afraid to ask. “How does Professor Chance think Perrydied?”

Aiden’s expression remained guarded. “Leave it to Tristan. He was killed in a helicopter crash…. While trying to shoot at the Timberline pack from the air. There won’t be an autopsy. The family’s decided to have a quiet funeral. Seems his own father sensed something had changed with his son, and disinherited him some timeago.”

She nodded, but her focus remained on Snake, who stood by the fireplace, staring into the flames. So much heartache andlove.

Troy went to him, clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Snake. I’m sorry for what happened toher.”

Snake turned his hat over, thumbing the brim. “Knew Zoe was fighting something, but she refused to tell me. It was that bastard Ellison all along. He’s the reason she ran away. She was flirting with him and he went too far and raped her. She was too ashamed to come to me or her parents, or Aiden. Too scared. Figured everyone would blame her. I told her different. She’s with her parents now, resting. They’re horrified that this happened to her and they were blind toit.”

Jenny’s throat closed. “Everyone was blind to it. Tristan told us it takes extraordinary powers to detect these kind of demons. They’re clever at disguising themselves as normal Lupines orOtherWorlders.”

Troy fisted his hands. “He’s dead, Snake. He’ll never hurt her again. Jenny saw toit.”

Not just me. It was teamwork. She took Troy’s hand. “I would have stopped, if you weren’t there, encouraging me to continue. We make a great team. Let’s make a great team for alleternity.”

The alpha looked at the clock hanging over the fireplace mantle. “I have a pack meeting with Caderyn and the other wizards. It’s going to take the rest of the day to go through each pack member to determine their true nature. But before we go, I want to settle some things with both ofyou.”

Jenny held her breath. Would the alpha kick them out now? Aftereverything?

“Need to know where you want to live after you’re mated. I can give you the cabin where you’ve been staying.” Aidengrinned.

“Oh no, first you’re going to be properly mated.” Nia beamed. “A wedding. I love weddings and I’ll help you planit.”

“I will as well,” Samoffered.

“A wedding would be a fine thing,” Darius mused. “Help the pack understand as well, that you’re not a threat except to those who embraceevil.”

“The wedding, yes, that would be nice,” she ventured. “But staying here to livepermanently…”

Jenny glanced at Troy, who shook hishead.

“I reckon we’ll be hitting the road again after we get mated,” Troy said quietly. “This evil is gathering, and we need to flush it out and hunt itdown.”

But she knew what it cost him to say that, because Troy truly did want to belong to a pack again. Needed to have a place to callhome.

“Maybe we can compromise,” she told him. “Stay here once in awhile.”

She turned toAiden.

“Your pack will never fully accept me, Aiden. Not all the time. But Troy is right. Lupines need pack. I feel Troy and I were given our unique magick, our gifts, for a reason. We were meant to be together. We could have both a life on the road, seeking and destroying dark magick, but the ranch to call home when we need torest.”

She glanced at Troy. “Is that okay withyou?”

He smiled. “Anywhere I’m with you is fine with me, sweetheart. As long as we’re together, I’ll behome.”

As he kissed her, she closed her eyes, remembering they were once two lost souls longing for something deeper and richer. Longing forhome.

They finally found a place to belong… with eachother.