“You okay, little one?”
Her body wasn’t okay. It was more than okay, happy and content.
Her mind wasn’t okay either but it was better than it had been since Callum stormed into her life and turned it on its head.
She understood him and his duty and she knew her place.
It was okay as it was ever going to be.
She decided to nod.
“Good,” he murmured, his hands moved gently away and he righted her clothing but his arms wrapped around her and he held her where she was. “One more thing, baby doll.” He was still murmuring but there was steel veining through his tone and she held her breath for what was to come next. “Never again ask me to give back my ring. No matter how pissed you are, never do that again.” His arms tightened around her and he growled, “I can’t wear it into battle for reasons you’ll eventually understand. I gave it to Regan for safekeeping. From now on, if I need to, I’ll give it to you. But it means something to me. I can’t f**king imagine why you’d say it doesn’t but get that out of your head right now. Am I understood?”
Her breath caught in her lungs, the steel in his tone piercing that guard around her heart. Even though she wasn’t entirely certain she understood or believed what he was saying, Sonia could do nothing but nod.
Satisfied with her response, he kissed her neck, gave her a squeeze and then pulled them out of the bed, walked them out of the room and took her to his mother, leaving her in the cozy, warm knitting room with its blazing file and her mother-in-law smiling happily at them as he kissed her thoroughly and left.
Likely to write more letters.
She stared after him long after he’d gone.
Then Sonia Arlington sighed, finally accepting her fate, and she turned with a smile to Regan.
Chapter Seventeen
Betrayal
Walking down the hall toward the kitchen, Callum heard the three women’s voices filled with laughter just as he smelled the three distinct scents.
Two wolves.
One Sonia.
As he turned the corner to enter the room, Sonia, no longer hiding her gifts, was already looking toward the door expectantly, a small smile on her face.
Callum smiled back.
She was sitting at a stool at the counter, a mug of coffee cupped in both hands. She had her long hair pulled back from her face with a wide, pale pink band and she was wearing the cashmere robe he bought her for Christmas as well a pair of thick, pale pink socks. Her face was free of makeup and he thought she’d never looked lovelier, not simply because she was but because, since their blowout fight that afternoon a week and a half before, she’d changed.
As he walked into the room, Callum nodded to Mara and Callista but he went directly to his mate, getting close and when he did she tipped her head back to look at him.
“Hey,” she said softly, her eyes warm on him and that single word made his c**k jerk.
He threaded his fingers in her thick, soft hair and bent his mouth to hers.
“Hey,” he replied against her lips before he kissed her lightly.
When he lifted his head, her cheeks were pink but her eyes showed her disappointment.
Satisfied with her reaction, Callum grinned.
Her gaze dropped down to his grin and she emitted a delicate, fluttering sigh.
Loving that sound, Callum’s hand twisted reflexively but gently in her hair.
“Do you want coffee?” she asked.
No. He didn’t want coffee.
He wanted to order Mara and Callista out of the room and he wanted to lift Sonia up on the kitchen counter and do things to his queen that, just from the memories, would make certain that pink stayed in her cheeks any time she was having coffee with her new friends in this room.
“Yes,” he answered.
His fingers glided through her hair as she put her mug down, got up, her body brushing his, but she didn’t go to the coffeepot immediately. She stopped, went up on the tips of her toes, kissed the underside of his jaw and then she went to the coffeepot.
“Big day tomorrow,” Mara commented as Callum leaned a hip against the counter and watched Sonia make him a mug of coffee.
“Mm,” Callum replied, his mind on his mate.
“I can’t wait,” Callista remarked. “My house is full. Every room, every couch. Even some in sleeping bags on the floors. The whole town is buzzing with excitement.”
“I know!” Mara exclaimed. “The place is heaving. Last night, Drogan and I took the pups up to our roof just so we could look all around at the campfires dotting the hills in the dark.” She clasped her hands together and breathed, “It was so beautiful, it was like a dream.”
Sonia returned and handed Callum his coffee after which she slid an arm around his waist and rested her weight into his side. When she did, he pulled her closer with his arm around her shoulders.
Sonia looked to the women and stated, “It’s seriously crazy. Every day for days, more and more fires. I can’t believe so many people are out in this snow and cold in tents.”
Callista grinned at her. “Our people don’t mind the cold.”
“They’d have to not,” Sonia replied. “It was below freezing last night. Even in the castle, Callum kept the fire going all night in our room to fight back the chill.”
“I’ll bet he did,” Mara muttered with comically wide eyes to Callista and Callum watched Sonia’s cheeks go pink again for Mara was right. Callum kept the fire going in the fireplace but he kept Sonia warm under the hides in other ways.
Callista noticed Sonia’s blush and she teased, “Mara, you forget our dainty queen is a respectable human. They don’t talk over coffee about all the best ways to fight back a chill.”
“Maybe not but I’m going to have words with Drogan. It’s been ages since he’s been able to go all night fighting back the chill.”
Callista and Mara burst into hysterical laughter and Callum glanced down to see Sonia, not in the least offended, smiling at them.
She must have felt his eyes for she tipped her head back to look at him and announced cheerfully, “Mara and Callie think I’m a prude.”
“You are a prude, Sonny!” Mara shrieked and then her gaze moved to Callum. “Still, after all this time, no one knows her claiming story! It should be illegal.”
“I agree,” Callista nodded mock soberly, “illegal.”
Sonia calmly grabbed her coffee cup, brought it to her mouth and mumbled into it, “Lucky for me, my husband’s king.”
That was when Callum burst out laughing, curling his wife into his front. She dropped her mug and tipped her head back to grin at him.