Chapter 8. We're Home

Selene sits on the couch while Connor takes a shower before their trip. They are already at the hotel, and Jackson has picked up Connor's belongings. They are only waiting for him to be ready so they can leave for North America.

Just as she gets up to look out the window, the imposing figure of Connor emerges from the bathroom, filling her view as he dries his mouth. He's wearing only a towel around his waist, revealing almost his entire body—well-defined muscles, creamy skin, and the chest hair that forms a trail disappearing into his V-line. Yes, for a few seconds, she wants to reach out and trace that trail with her finger to the limit.

He walks past her, and she can’t help but turn to look at him. Her cousin was right; Connor is definitely the wet dream of quite a few girls, and that will end up being a problem.

“If you don’t close your mouth, you’ll drool on the floor,” Connor teases with a mischievous smile. Even he is surprised at himself for joking and playing with her, as it’s not typical of him to joke with anyone. “Have you never seen a male body? Or have you never seen one like mine?”

“What do you mean?” She tries to hide the fact that she was staring. “Is there something to see? I wasn’t looking at anything.”

“You can look all you want, my little rebel. After all, this is all yours.” Connor removes the towel from his waist, standing completely naked in front of her while he dries his hair. “We’re mates; it’s only logical that we know everything about each other.”

Selene feels so embarrassed that her face turns as red as a ripe tomato, and she has no idea what to do with her now very sweaty hands. Of course, she had never seen a naked male body before, since she and Dexter never had the chance to mate. This scares her a bit, considering she’s still a virgin and Connor is huge. How can he be so... big?

“We just met, and we haven’t marked each other yet,” Selene lowers her gaze and bites her lip, though internally there’s a fierce struggle about whether to keep looking or not.

“That’s up to you, my little one,” Connor approaches and plants a kiss on Selene’s forehead, catching her by surprise. “When we get home, I’ll ask Clarisse to help organize our wedding.”

“Who’s Clarisse?” she asks, still dazed by the kiss, which, though she’ll never admit it, she liked.

“My sister. She’s in charge of all the pack’s events. She’ll also help you with the Luna ceremony once we’ve marked each other. You’ll meet her when we arrive.”

Selene nods, watching Connor dress again in a brown suit, though slightly darker than the previous one. Shortly after, he’s ready, and they leave the room together, heading to the parking lot.

Both Jackson and Beltran are already waiting for them in the car. Connor opens the back door for her and waits for her to settle in before sitting beside her.

The drive to the airport isn’t very long, but it is in complete silence. Several times, Selene notices Connor’s eyes becoming glassy, indicating that he’s in communication with his wolf or one of the two accompanying them.

What is it that they don't want her to hear? Selene rolls her eyes, settles into her seat, and closes her eyes with the intention of ignoring them, just as they are ignoring her, but shortly after, she falls into a deep sleep. It's not until she feels her body being lifted that she opens her eyes and realizes that Connor is carrying her.

"Are we at the airport?" she asks, groggy and with a bit of a headache.

"We're in California now, little one." Selene lifts her head and looks around in amazement. Indeed, they are getting off the plane, and the sun is rising on the horizon. "You slept through the whole flight. Now we're heading to the pack."

Did she sleep that long?

Connor sets her down, and she feels dizzy for a few seconds. Mechanically, she touches her chest where her necklace rests and calms down when she feels it still in place.

They get into one of the four black SUVs parked there, with Connor now in the driver's seat. Selene can no longer see Jackson or Beltran but can imagine they got into the other SUVs.

"Who are they?" she asks curiously, looking at the SUVs, with two in front and one behind them.

"They are pack guardians, responsible for our safety."

Selene nods, somewhat intrigued. Of course, her mother, father, and brother Ethan are always guarded, but this seems a bit excessive. What are they so afraid of?

"Is it far to get there?"

"We'll be there in two hours."

After that, no one speaks. Gradually, the city fades away, giving way to a long dirt road with green fields. The air feels fresh, and the sky is now clear.

Several minutes later, a large forest of giant redwood trees appears before her eyes. The path becomes narrower as they progress, and Selene can't comprehend the height or width of these trees. They are immense, gigantic, and imposing, as if each one contains ten more trees within it, reminding her a lot of Connor and the other two. There is no doubt that this is their territory, although she still cannot smell any other members of the pack.

The road continues for a long stretch. Selene seems lost in another world at this moment. This place is as beautiful as it is terrifying. Anyone unfamiliar with these lands could get lost in no time. She doesn't even know if they're heading west or east. Her sense of direction seems affected by these trees, and Saya watches everything attentively through her eyes.

"We're almost there," says Connor just as Selene opens her mouth to ask something. Ahead, about a hundred meters away, is a high stone wall guarded by... female wolves?

Selene frowns as they reach the metal gate and sees that the guards are all female wolves. It's not that she doubts their capability, because her pack also has female warriors, but guarding the border is usually a task for males, who are stronger and faster in case of an attack.

All the SUVs enter through the wide gate, which is immediately closed again. The journey continues for a couple of kilometers more along what seems to be the main road of a small town. Selene can see few people wandering the streets; in fact, she can only distinguish women, both older and younger, and some children running around. All are excited to see the alpha's SUV pass by.

Finally, they stop in front of a gigantic Victorian-style mansion. Everything looks very beautiful.

"We're home, little one," Connor plants a kiss on her forehead before getting out of the SUV and opening the door for her.

Selene is about to step out when a commotion catches her attention.

"Connor, you're back!" A young redhead runs out of the mansion, and to Selene's surprise, she throws herself into Connor's arms, and he holds her while she plants a quick kiss on his lips. What the hell was that?