The Imperial Wolf Series Books 1-3
Chapter 29

Erick POV

Funny, she fell asleep so quickly after I made love to her. She passed out in my arms, smiling up at me. Her eyes were heavy, and I am sure her mind is racing in so many different directions. My love for her in such a short period of time is unreal.

I let my hand wander her body and then cover her with a blanket as she sleeps. I hope the night is peaceful for her. I want her to sleep without the wolves coming tonight to interrupt her. Kate says that maybe she should not learn about her past, but I know it would be a mistake. I cannot imagine what is going on in her sweet head right now.

The wolves, a father that is a vampire, and a brother that is a pack alpha plus a new husband, how can one person take on so much at once? Not to mention having screaming wolves in her head. I would like to know what the imperials want with her. I do not trust Macon or Alexander, so I asked Lester to stay until the morning. I hope that Lester will be the one to set everything straight. He has no dog in this race and therefore has no reason to lie to Kate. I want Lester to be the first person she talks to in the morning. Kate opens her eyes and looks into mine. "Why did you let me fall asleep?" Kate asks. I touch her face softly and kiss her lips. "Because my sweet Luna, you are exhausted. I want you to rest," I say to her. "Seriously, it is our wedding night," Kate says, yawning. "Yes, it is, and we have a lifetime to be together. You are more important to me than anything in this world," I say. "I need to wake up and spend this night with you," Kate says. Her eyes are heavy, and she begins to close her eyes. She is too tired to fight the sleep. I reach around her waist and pull her a little closer to me. I do not think I can be close enough to her. I only want to shelter her from everything and everyone. I know she is strong, but she is my wife and my life. I feel like it is up to me to take care of her in every way.

Her hand touches my hand, and she smiles. She rolls over further onto her side, her back to me. I kiss her shoulder and then her neck. "I thought you wanted me to sleep," Kate says. "I do, sleep my love," I say to her. I lay my head down on the pillow holding her. I worry for her and her eventual transition. That weighs heavy on my mind. I will have to tell the pack that their new Luna is a wolf hybrid. I know there will be some questions, but we will deal with them when the time comes. We have a long time. She will not transition until she has a child. The pack elders love her. I know they will stand by her even as a hybrid. It is a lot to take on, but we can make it work.

"Go to sleep. You are making me nervous," Kate says. She is right. I need sleep too. I cannot protect her if I am exhausted. I know Andrew and Cassie are close by tonight, keeping watch over the house. I close my eyes and drift into sleep beside my beautiful wife. I wake up, and Kate is still asleep. The house is quiet. I don't want to leave her, but I have a few things I need to do before she wakes up. I get out of the bed and slip into some clothes. I cover Kate up and kiss her softly on the forehead. "Sleep, my love," I say softly to her. She smiles, pulls the covers tighter around herself, and drifts back into a deep slumber.

I go down the stairs to the smell of bacon cooking. When I go into the kitchen, Angie and Cassie are cooking. Andrew is supervising. "Is Kate sleeping in this morning?" Angie asks. "She is exhausted but rested peacefully through the night," I say. "I bet she did," Angie

says.

I grab a cup from the cabinet and pour a cup of coffee. I sit down at the table with Andrew to help him supervise. "How are our guests this morning?" I ask Andrew.

Andrew rolls his eye at the question. "Well, they did not kill each other last night and not from the lack of trying, but we all survived the night," Andrew says. "Good, I am happy to hear it was not too eventful," I say.

"Oh, it was eventful. Cassie had Macon in a headlock. I think the two of them are in love now," Angie says.

"Fuck Macon. He pissed me off talking all that crazy shit. I told him to shut the fuck up or else," Cassie says.

"So you put a guest of the pack, your Luna's brother, in a headlock?" I ask Cassie.

"Oh, ask what happened after?" Angie teases.

Cassie shakes her head. "There really are no secrets in this damn pack, are there?" Cassie asks.

"So, Cassie, what happened with you and Macon? You were supposed to be keeping him company, not kicking his ass," I say, teasing her.

"It was not that big a deal. You guys are acting like I tried to kill him. I only let him know I was stronger than him," Cassie says.

"You do realize he could have hurt you. He let you win that round. He must like what he sees," Andrew says.

"Is it pick on Cassie day?" Cassie asks.

"Tell him about after you kicked his ass," Angie says.

"Ugh! We kissed and had a drink. It was regrettable, trust me," Cassie says.

"Well, at least you did not sleep with him," I say. The three of them go silent. "Cassie, tell me you didn't?" I ask her.

Cassie looks at Andrew and Angie, mad as hell. "Thanks a lot, guys," Cassie says. She walks out of the kitchen, angry and maybe embarrassed.

"WOW!" I say. "Yeah, I know. I guess we shouldn't have been teasing her," Angie says.

"She will be fine. It is not that big of a deal. We are all adults here. If things go bad between Macon and Kate, I need everyone to remember Kate is the priority and not Macon," I say.

"She knows that. Trust me like she said it was regrettable," Angie says.

"Andrew, she is under you; you should go talk to her. Let her know I am not upset, and shit happens when there are high emotions and alcohol," I say.

Andrew grabs some bacon and goes out of the kitchen to talk to Cassie. I look at Angie and cannot help but laugh. It feels good to laugh after everything that has happened. Maybe we should not be laughing, but it feels good to release some tension in the house. Kate comes down the stairs looking beautiful and well-rested. "Good morning, my love," I say to her. Kate sits in my lap. "Angie is cooking for all of us, well, not Cassie. She is not talking to us," I say with a snicker.

"Why? What is wrong? Is she okay?" Kate asks.

"Oh, she is fine; we really shouldn't gossip," Angie says.

Kate looks at me; her eyebrows wrinkled with a significant misunderstanding of the situation. "It is fine; Cassie got a little drunk last night and had her own fun with someone. We were just giving her a hard time, that is all," I say to Kate, leaving out the part that it was her brother Macon.

"You two are awful," Kate says.

She looks unbelievable this morning. She slept well. She is happy and beaming. I hope she is like this all day. I hope our three guests do not destroy her sweet mood. She deserves a beautiful day of peace.

Angie brings Kate a plate of bacon and eggs. "Angie, you do not have to wait on me. I can get up and get my own food," Kate says as Angie sets her plate down. Angie fixes her a plate and sits down at the table. I look at her and Kate eating. "Well, I guess the Alpha is on his own," I say to Angie jokingly.

Kate hops out of my lap. "No, I made it clear you were not to be waited on ever by the house staff," Kate says.

"Oh, you did," I say. "Only by me, and I mean that," Kate says. She goes to the stove and brings me a plate of food. She kisses me on the cheek. "What if you are not around?" I ask her. "Then you will have to do it yourself," Kate says. "I love you," I say to her.