“I do not want to buy a new door today,” she tells me, waddling back to her chair.

“Good catch,” I laugh. When X finally catches my scent, he won’t be knocking. He’ll probably just go right through the door like the Tasmanian Devil. I should just open it, but the December cold is seeping into the air.

“And yeah, the training is yours if you really think you can swing it.”

“Just to train them?” I push a little, wondering if I’m out of a job when I’m done with the training. From the way Xavier talked, I won’t need to work. He has a plan to fill me with babies, but until I have a pile running around at my feet, I don’t want to sit at home. Xavier said he has family money in the bank, and he talked about building more houses. I knew when he was giving me this information, it was his way of telling me to keep my ass parked at home because I wasn’t needed by the pack anymore. I’m his pack now.

This might be something that can’t be fully followed. Xavier just wants it to be him and me, but he’ll soon see that the pack would be good for our family. Not only for our children, but for us. Only time will show him that, and I think he’s still so scared of losing me. I gave him his time during our mating, but it’s time to start pressing back.

As much as I enjoy being locked away in our home together, I’m a social person. I always have been and probably always will be. I like helping the women in the pack, because it makes me feel good. The need to lead and to help others comes from my alpha blood. It’s something I knew made us perfect for each other. I can draw him out and, sometimes, he can pull me in.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love how overbearing he can be. It makes me feel cherished, but I also want him to be confident in me. Secure. I don’t like the idea of him worrying that I won’t come back to him, or that I wouldn’t fight to be with him if someone tried to pull us apart. I showed him my response when my brother tried, and I hope that eases some of his fears. After that incident, Stone has been oddly absent in the past few weeks.

“For whatever you want to give, Gwen. I think we’re both on the path to babies, and together we can run this place if we train the right people.”

“Oh my God, what if our babies are mates?” The thought pops into my head, and I can’t stop myself from squealing. The plans for running the bakery leave my mind completely.

“I should’ve known your mind would go right there,” she laughs, and I can’t seem to stop bouncing on my feet at the idea. We’re both going to have little ones running around together. I was so happy when Ruby moved to town and Dom found his mate, but part of me was jealous. I wanted that, too, and now everything is sliding into place better than I could’ve imagined.

“As much as I would love to talk about all of our babies mating, my feet feel like they might explode. I’m going to head out when Dom gets back. He’s just popping into the police station to drop some stuff off, so he’ll be here any moment.” She rises to her feet, pulling off her apron and tossing it onto the prep table next to my purse. “Who are the new hires?”

“Winnie and her stepsisters.” I knew I had to hire within the pack, or Dom would have had a major issues about it.

I have to fight a growl at my own words. When I called to ask Winnie if she wanted to train at the bakery, I somehow got roped into having her stepsisters there, too. They aren’t really Winnie’s stepsisters—they’re wolves and she’s a bear—but she grew up in the same house as them for the past few years, so I guess they’re almost like stepsisters. Those two are bitches in every sense of the word. I’ve been noticing a lot how they treat Winnie lately. But maybe this could work. I can keep a better eye on them if they’re here.

I smell him before I see him. Turning, I see X standing in the back doorway of the bakery. A look I can’t quite make out is on his face. His hair is wild like he’s been running, and he seems a little out of breath. He isn’t charging in, picking me up, and throwing me over his shoulder. I also catch Dom’s scent, who I now notice is behind my mate.

“So we’re out of here.” Ruby chirps, breaking the odd silence coats the room. X moves out of her way, letting her out the back door. She goes to Dom, and he gives me a half-smile before he pulls Ruby into his arms, mumbling something about her feet.

X continues to stand there, and I wonder if that’s his plan. Just to come to work with me every day. It’s something that seems pointless if I’m busy. I’d tell him he probably has better things to be doing, but I know that would be a waste of breath. He’d argue there isn’t anything he’d rather be doing.

“Good morning,” I say in the sweetest voice that just earns me a grunt. I give him the stink eye and try again. “You don’t think it’s a good morning?”

“A good morning would’ve been me waking to the same breakfast I’ve been having for the past few weeks.” His words are laced with bitterness, and we both know the breakfast he’s talking about isn’t bacon and eggs. No, it’s me. I’d missed that too when I’d silently slid from our warm bed this morning.

“My room is upstairs, and I have—”

He’s on me before I can finish. He easily throws me over his shoulder, something he does more often than not. He gives me the response I thought he would the moment he found me. Seems someone is finally learning a little patience. ‘Little’ being the key word.