Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,65

feel safe.”

She nearly lost herself in his pale blue eyes. This was too good to be true!

Constantine looked over her shoulder at her father. “If you will have us, Chieftain Thunderfoot.”

She turned to her father, who was already nodding.

“Without question,” he said.

Tatiana’s heart soared. She was moving back to Alaska! Female Amaroki always followed their men to their homeland. That had been the Amaroki way for hundreds of years. This move was unprecedented. It was time the Amaroki left their sexist traditions behind.

Boris turned to Constantine. “We can handle the Albescus,” he said through gritted teeth. “Don’t let them drive you away from your family.”

Constantine grinned. “We aren’t running from them. We have family in Alaska, too, Father. This place holds too many bad memories for our mate and brother. We feel a fresh start would be best.”

“Hang on,” Tatiana said, tugging at Constantine’s sleeve. “We need to talk.” Ignoring the scowls from Atan’s family, she pulled Constantine and his brothers out into the open air, hard snow crunching under their boots. She was terrified of being outside, but this needed to be said. She leveled each of them a stern expression. “Is this really what you want?”

They circled her, making her feel safer nestled in their cocoon, their feathery soft kisses soothing her skin, their roving hands branding her and making her wish the bonding ceremony was tonight.

“Above all else,” Constantine said. “What we want is for you to be happy.”

“I’ll be happy with you anywhere we are together,” she lied, dropping her eyes. An owl hooted and she jumped, then berated herself for her cowardice.

“Not here,” Dimitri said. “Don’t deny it. I see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice.” He took her trembling hand. “And I feel it when we touch. Don’t be ashamed.” His gaze softened as he rubbed her palm with the pad of his thumb. “I feel it, too.”

“But you want to leave your farm? Your new house?” They’d put so much work into it, too, making sure it was perfect for her.

“We couldn’t care less about farming, and we can build another house,” Constantine said. “We want to live where our brother and mate can breathe easy.”

Dimitri flashed a sheepish grin. “I’m not going to deny I’d love to be able to shift and run through the forest whenever I want.”

“I want to be an Army tracker,” Andrei said.

“You do?” His confession had surprised her.

“Da!” He nodded eagerly. “The Alaskan wolves had some serious moves in the battle. I want them to teach me.”

She’d never known this about him. Then again, she hadn’t had a chance to get close to him. She resolved to get better acquainted with all of her mates. They’d have plenty of time together in Alaska during the long winters. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Were they truly willing to leave Romania?

Then she remembered all the times Amara had battled depression when Luc went away. Was that the kind of life she wanted for them? Yes, if that’s what Andrei wanted. “You’ll be called to duty all the time,” she warned.

He beamed. “Living the life I was meant to live.”

She suddenly realized how hard it must be for Romanian betas. They didn’t have the same sense of purpose American wolves had. Luc was a decorated war hero, who brought honor to the family by helping capture terrorists. American trackers also made hazardous duty pay and were the reason the Amaroki got so many perks from the American government. She wanted that for Andrei, too.

“Okay,” she relented. “If that’s what you want.” She looked at her other mates. “What will you do?”

Constantine shrugged. “I’m hoping Hakon can help me get a job with him. If not, I’ll find one myself.”

“My job will be keeping you safe.” Dimitri grinned wryly. “And satisfied.”

She blushed. He’d already proven he could do both.

“And you?” she asked Dejan.

He looked at her with large, sweet eyes. “I want to be wherever you and our children are.”

“Constantine is right,” Dimitri added. “We need a change.”

She was filled with joy. She’d been dreading living the rest of her life in Romania, unable to shift without fear, and truth be told, missing American food and conveniences. She was a spoiled wolf.

“Okay, then it’s settled,” she said, unable to contain her smile. “Let’s go back to Alaska.”

When they returned to the meeting barn, Tatiana was not surprised to find her family in a stare-down with Atan and his family.

“It’s been decided, Grandfather,” Constantine proudly declared,