“What about the mate bond?” I hated to ask, but I needed to know. If Kaden was only going to say he wanted me now to reject me later, I didn’t think I could take it again. If this was going to work, I needed him to be okay with us being together, even with the mate bond intact.
“Fuck the mate bond," he said. "It’s obviously bullshit.”
Relief washed through me, and the last of the tension I’d been holding in my body eased away. He was finally admitting what we had was real, and that the mate bond didn't matter. I knew that had to be difficult for him, after what he'd been through with his ex.
I took his face in my hands. “I choose you.” I swallowed, my throat tight with emotion. “Even if Jordan wasn’t my brother, I’d still choose you.”
Kaden’s next inhale was a bit ragged. He tried not to show it, but I could see in his eyes that the words meant a lot to him. He lowered his head and kissed me, the kind of long, deep kiss that you feel all the way in your soul.
When it was done, he sat up and played with my hair idly. “Come on. As much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all day, we should eat something and get on the road.”
I groaned and rolled over, still limp from the orgasm he'd just given me. Kaden slipped out of bed and went over to the desk, flashing me his naked ass and his broad, smooth back. He’d left his phone there to charge overnight, and now he frowned down at the screen. I watched him for a few moments, reveling in the fact that he was mine just as much as I was his. I wanted to wake up to Kaden every morning for the rest of my life.
Finally, I shook myself and slid out of bed, making my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. We did still have a mission to complete, and no amount of lazing around in bed would make the Leos stop coming after us.
I changed into a fresh set of clothes, the last ones I had, and ran a little travel brush through my hair. Kaden went for the shower next, and I pulled out my phone. Thankfully, it had survived the crash, and I smiled as I read the messages from Mira. She’d made it the Pisces pack safely, and the Ophiuchus warriors had taken down all the Leos hanging out there. Best of all, her mate was all right.
When Kaden joined me, we went downstairs for breakfast. The friendly woman, looking just as spry as she had in the middle of the night, eyed us knowingly, and I remembered how loud I’d been last night. Had she heard? I found myself blushing, even though it hadn’t mattered to me in the moment, and yanked my shirt up to cover the bite mark on my neck.
I loaded up a plate with eggs, bacon, and pastries, and chowed down. My appetite was ravenous again after what we'd done last night, and Kaden ate even more than I did.
“It looks like we’re only a few hours away from the Cancer village," Kaden said. "We'll need to cross the border into Canada as wolves to avoid having to deal with the human authorities."
I nodded and took a swig of coffee. That was how most shifters crossed the border without notice. The Cancer pack had done it all the time. “Hopefully we’ll be able to find the survivors tonight."
Kaden made a noise of affirmation and then typed something out on his phone. I smiled at him as I finished eating. This would be sweet, if we weren’t so focused on the fact that I was trying to find my ex-pack while being hunted by enemy shifters. I could imagine a future for us like this. Waking up with Kaden, eating at the kitchen island with him and Stella… All of that could be a reality if we managed to stop the Leos and the Sun Witches.
When we were done, we went back to our room and gathered our things. I was almost sad to say goodbye to the room of a thousand pink pillows. It had been a haven for us, a place where we finally let go of our inhibitions, but I knew we couldn’t hide forever. We needed to get back on the road so we could reach the Cancer pack lands.
The woman was cleaning up the breakfast area when we came back down. “Did you sleep well?” she asked, a knowing twinkle in her eye.
“Yes, your bed was very soft, thank you,” I said with a grin, my cheeks warming.
“We appreciate your hospitality," Kaden added.
“Of course, I’m glad I was able to provide you with a room to your liking. Good luck on your journey." She waved the broom she was holding at us. “I hope your marriage is a long and fruitful one.”
I opened my mouth to tell her we weren’t married, but what would be the point? We’d accepted her room with only one bed, and saying that nothing was going on between us would be a lie at this point. I just inclined my head and gave her one last smile.