Listen to me 174

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By that evening, Marrok had nearly healed me completely, enough so that the doctor is willing to release me if I promise not to overextend myself.

“By overextend myself, you mean …?” I ask.

“Let’s wait another day before you shift. Alpha Marrok will know when you’re healed. Oh, and let’s give it another day before you and Alpha Sloane mark and mate each other. Go see your pack, let them know you’re alive and well, and then tomorrow, the two of you can complete your bond if you’re both ready,” he says.

“Oh, we’re ready,” Sloane says from behind him, making me grin.

“I’m glad it’s finally ‘we‘ and not ‘me,” I say.

“Come on. I’ll walk back over to your pack with you,” she says.

“Will you stay the night?” I ask softly.

“Someone has to look after you,” she says, grinning.

It feels good to shower and step outside in the fresh air. I take a couple of deep breaths, realizing that the ache in my throat. is almost completely gone.

‘I’ll have you healed completely by morning. We’ll be able to shift by then,‘ Marrok says.

I follow Sloane back to her packhouse, letting her check in with her pack and with Scarlet, before taking our time walking back to my pack.

“Let’s swing by that area again,” I say.

“Which area?” she asks.

“The one where we want to build a new packhouse.”

We stop, looking around and I begin to outline where I think our packhouse should sit. She adds to it, including a pool for pack parties, a training area for our warriors, and a pup play area.

I smile at her.

“What?” she asks.

“We work really well together. We make a good team.”

“We better if we’re going to lead a pack together.”

“If we have time tonight, let’s start talking about finances. My pack’s finances are good, but we need to think about combining the two together. I have no idea what type of financial situation Alpha Waylon left you in …”

“It’s good. I don’t know what to compare it to, but the pack is self–sufficient.”

“That’s good. Then between both our packs, we should be able to start building our new packhouse soon. We’ll need to get an architect to draw up the plans and we’ll need to make sure that we have enough space to accommodate everyone …” I begin, thinking it through.

“Why? Maybe not everyone wants to live in the packhouse. Maybe some of the younger families would rather have their

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own homes,” she says, looking around and shrugging. “Think outside the box, right? We could create a little community for people to have houses nearby, giving them more privacy than the packhouse provides, and a place where they can raise their pups more quietly.”

I pull her against me. “You are so brilliant, do you know that?”

“Well, I WAS co–Valedictorian of my class,” she says, grinning.

“Don’t I know it. That was the second hardest I’ve ever had to work for something in my life.”

“What was the first?” she asks. I’m not surprised she doesn’t know.

“Getting you to agree to be my mate,” I say, kissing her nose.

“You didn’t have to work that hard to do it.”

I scoff. “Are you kidding me? Do you remember how hard you tried to push me away in the beginning?”

She grins. “No, but I do remember you following me around like a lost little puppy.”

I laugh hard enough to feel the muscles in my neck twinge. But it’s worth it to have Sloane teasing me.

“Oh, my little mate. Once I’m healed and Marrok can shift again, I won’t be following you, I’ll be hunting you,” I growl.

When the scent of her arousal spikes around us, I tug her against me, wrapping my arm around her waist.

When I kiss her, I understand why the doctor told me to take it easy tonight. Moving my neck to try to deepen the kiss makes me flinch, just enough that she pulls away and looks at me with concern.

“No overdoing it, remember?”

“Kissing shouldn’t qualify as overdoing it,” I growl, but release her, then take her hand and begin walking again.

“Benedict, you’re lucky any part of your neck or throat survived that attack. Felix and Milo, they …”

I stop, cupping her cheek when her words hitch. “I’m right here,” I say softly.

She nods, leaning forward and putting her forehead against mine. “I’m so glad you are,” she whispers.

“Me too.”

When we pass into my pack lands, I let Sloane howl our approach. The patrols run up to see her and when they see me, they begin yipping excitedly. By the time we reach the packhouse, news has spread that I’m returning home.

Bethany comes rushing out of the packhouse, slamming into me. “You’re back!”

“Hey, little sis,” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

“I was so worried about you,” she whispers.

“I know, but I’m here now and Marrok says I’ll be completely healed by morning.”

She looks up at me. “That’s great news!”

I spend the evening talking to my pack, catching up on what I’ve missed, letting them see that I’m alive and well, but mostly talking about what happened with my mother.

Almost as soon as I begin to feel tired, Sloane is there beside me.

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“You’re Alpha hasn’t completely healed yet. He needs another good night’s sleep before he’s back to himself,” she says.

“Yes, Alpha,” the pack says to her. I can feel the change in them since I’ve been down. Their respect for Sloane has increased significantly. They’re already accepting her role as Alpha and I have a feeling that when I announce that we’re going to combine our packs and become co–Alphas, they won’t even fuss about it. Hell, they might even be happy about it.

As we walk out of the dining room toward the stairs, I watch my mate interact with my pack.

‘She’s magnificent, Marrok purrs in my head.

She really is. For someone who was so stuck on not having a white wolf, she’s still one of the strongest, most confident Alphas I’ve ever met.

“Mine!” Marrok growls out loud.

She looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “What is that about, Marrok?”

“We’re both feeling very possessive of you at the moment,” I say.

She swings her finger in front of my face. “None of that tonight. Doctor’s orders.”

“But tomorrow night …” I say, grinning as her cheeks turn pink.

“Are you sure you’re ready for tomorrow night?” she asks, only partly teasing.

“I’ve been sure that I wanted you in my life, for the rest of my life, from the moment I turned eighteen. You walked into my party, and it was like my entire world tilted on its axis, Sloane. So yes, waiting another day is necessary, because I want to take my time and enjoy our marking and mating all night. But every day that I have to wait to have you in my life permanently, to see my mark on your neck, is a day too long, especially after someone tried to force their mark on you.”

“Yeah, Will told me word is getting around about my battle. I’m not saying I want your mark as a barrier to other Alphas trying to force their mark on me …” she begins, making Marrok snarl.

We stop outside my bedroom door and she takes my face in her hands. “But it will make it impossible for anyone to take me from you. So yes, every day we have to wait is a day too long. So let’s get some sleep so tomorrow can arrive more quickly. Plus, I have two traitors to kill tomorrow,” she says.

Cedella

Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.