Page 14 of Slade's Feisty Mate
Elbowing Slade and making his purr stutter and then stop, she encouraged Slade to tell them about his family. After a little while, her mom and grandma took her into the kitchen for some girl talk and left her dad and Slade to get better acquainted.
“You look so happy,” her mom said, tucking a lock of hair behind Gretchen’s ear.
“I am. I didn’t know finding my truemate would feel like this. We’re still getting to know each other, but part of me feels like we’re old souls.”
“I felt that way with your grandpa. We used to call it getting struck by love lightning.”
Gretchen chuckled. “That sounds like something Grandpa would have said.”
Her mother’s smile slid away. “What will you do on the full moon?”
“Aubrey just texted me and said that Caleb agreed to let us use some neutral territory on the full moons. Slade is going to hunt with me, of course. Aubrey also said that Alaric wanted to hunt as well, and so did his brother and sister, but not on the full moon. They don’t want to intrude on our first time hunting together.”
“They’re the last sabers, right?” her mom asked.
Nodding, Gretchen said, “He said at one time there were other kinds of sabers—wolves, lions, bears—but that they’re all gone now. I wonder if there are others out there in small family groups like Slade, just under the radar and not known.”
“It’s possible. I didn’t know sabers even existed anymore. It’s no wonder their kind were dying out since they have to wait for mating dreams in age-order. I’m thankful our wolves just know each other on sight and naturally gravitate toward one another,” her grandma said.
On the way home, Slade took her hand and rested it on his thigh. “Your family’s great.”
“Thanks. I’m glad we were able to meet with them, even if the alpha did act like a bit of a jackass about it.”
“I think we got off easy. One of the packs that fight with the NWFA had a former alpha who made wolves intent on leaving the pack fight their way out.”
She grimaced. “I’m glad my pack wasn’t that way.”
“Former pack. Your new pack is never letting you leave, period.”
Leaning against his shoulder, she said, “I have no intention of going anywhere, except to bed.”
“Are you tired, baby?” His voice sounded low and soft, the way it did when he switched from sexy, teasing mode to taking care of her.
“Not remotely.”
He purred. She loved how they always seemed to be on the same wavelength. It was just one of the things she loved about him. She was head over heels for him. Their lives together were getting off to an amazing start.
Chapter Six
Slade stood in the fourteenth-floor hallway and watched as his mate pulled a plastic keycard from her purse.
“Why can’t you use your thumb?” he asked as she swiped the card over the first keycard panel next to the door. Each room had a rectangular panel for the keycard and a smaller thumbprint ID panel next to it.
“Thumbprints are only for permanent residents. Guests and staff are given keycards,” she said as she pushed open the door. “Once we choose a suite for our residence, we can have the thumbprint scanners set up for us.”
The room was quite large, with a full kitchen and living room, one door on the right side of the living room that led to the master bedroom and bathroom, and a short hallway on the left that led to two more bedrooms and bathrooms.
“The rooms on this floor are pretty much identical. They all have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, full kitchen, and living room. The difference is how they’re decorated. They’re all decorated a little differently.”
“I don’t want to be so close to the elevator. In an emergency, it would be shut down, and it would be better to be close to the emergency stairs.”
“Are you expecting to have an emergency?” she asked, arching a brow.
“Of course not, but I want to keep you safe, and I’m mentally planning for any issues.”
“Like locked elevators?”
He nodded.