in the eggs. He glanced over and our eyes met. Then he smiled so sweetly, pulling his gaze away from me and back to the meal he was making.
"I could get used to this," he said, and I knew that was meant for me.
Pax chuckled before helping me back to the floor. "Yeah, me too."
Then Ian kicked at the cabinet under the sink, bouncing the door open to reveal a small garbage can. "Toss that shit and wash your hands. Both of you. Lane, set the table."
"Not standing," Lane called back.
Seth pushed himself to his feet, proving he was awake - although I had no idea how he could've slept through that. "I got it."
And there I was, standing in my afterglow, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this could be my new normal. This was what they were offering. This, sharing my life with all five of them without judgment, was heaven. I just had to figure out how to explain this crazy mess to my daughter.
Because I wasn't ready for this to end. I might never be.
CHAPTER 42
I made sure the rest of the day was the kind of lazy Elena needed. We laughed, we talked, and she didn't bother getting dressed until she finally headed home around dark. The guys told her she was welcome to stay again, but she declined. Probably because she wasn't quite as fine as she wanted us to believe.
We weren't stupid about women's bodies. Considering how long it had been since she'd had a lover, and then had four of them in one day? Yeah, she had to be feeling it. I'd made sure to get the extra lubricated condoms, just to help minimize that, but she probably ached a bit, if we hadn't actually fucked her raw. The thought made me feel guilty enough that I suggested we spend the evening pampering her.
That was why the five of us followed her home. Seth and Lane made dinner. Trent and Pax quietly picked up a few things and did some laundry. Me? I ran her a bath and then talked her into soaking until dinner was ready. Alone.
What I couldn't tell her was that we weren't just being nice. Oh, this wasn't much different from how we were normally, but this weekend was a very old, very respected tradition. At least for us. That was the only reason I hadn't had her myself... yet. Everything had been scripted from the moment she arrived last night. From my betas offering her pleasure to me as tribute, to me allowing them to have her before I did. I'd even chosen Lane to be first because he was the strongest - and fated to be with her - thus cementing his status among them.
Now, they had to prove they could provide for her, hence the meals and cleaning. Until they'd all been accepted by her - fucked - I couldn't take my turn. When I did, I'd have to be extra gentle with her, but I would have her. Tonight, I would claim her as my official mate, making her the second most powerful person in our pack.
And I couldn't say a damned thing about it.
Granted, a mate wasn't a wife. Being my mate gave a woman status with wolves and little else - like citizenship, but without the infection part the rest of us had to go through. Claiming Elena gave her my protection, it made her a part of the pack in her own way, and it legitimized her offspring - even though Gabby wasn't mine - as a member of this community. To the pack, it told the rest that this woman's decisions were to be respected, that she had the power to direct my betas as if they were her own soldiers, and most importantly, it made it clear that I was interested in no one else.
There were no magical pheromones to be smelled or invisible marks that only our kind could see. This weekend was nothing more than a ritual, the same as a baptism. The difference was that she didn't have to agree, because I was asking for no commitments from her. I was simply giving her mine and the status that came along with it. When this was done, the guys would make sure to tell others, subtly calling her our mate, and that would spread. It wouldn't take long before the other bitches heard, and they'd have to leave her alone - because if