On the north side of the room was another large cabinet that bore a dozen bottles of liquor. Above were shelves containing glasses.
It all made sense. As an alpha, he would entertain members of his pack. She could almost hear the past gatherings, the conversations, the laughter, the occasional howls.
Tall, French doors flanked either side of the fireplace and led to a large, private garden. She moved to the doors on the left to take in the view. There was an extensive paved patio and firepit, more seating. The tall stone walls that surrounded the yard had a protective wrought iron section at the top with spear-like corbels every few feet. The landscaping included huge rocks and dozens of junipers. Three full-grown pines filled the back part of the yard.
“Again, this is amazing.”
He drew close and from behind her wrapped his arms around her waist. She covered his arms with her own, her heart full. She was more content than she’d been in a long time.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said.
She turned in his arms and met his gaze. His emerald eyes glinted in the dim light of the room. He was so handsome. His scars had smoothed out and his left eye was now fully open. She stroked the side of his head where the tattoos showed more clearly.
“What happened tonight was a miracle,” she said.
“I agree.” He eased his fingers through her hair, then cupped the back of her neck. He leaned close and settled his lips on hers.
She drew in a long, slow breath as she parted her lips. He eased his tongue inside and began a seductive thrust. Her knees turned to a liquid state and desire played over her sex.
When he drew back, he thumbed her cheek. “How about a hot shower to close out the night?”
She looked up at him and tears bit her eyes. “I’d like nothing better.” She could get used to this. Warren saw her and sensed what she needed.
He led her to the hallway near the bar. The space opened onto a formal dining area with a large wooden table and big upholstered chairs to seat twelve.
When she paused in her steps and glanced at a wide swinging door, he asked, “Do you want to see the kitchen? Though it’s more practical than anything else.”
“Sure.”
He held the door wide, but she remained on the threshold as she glanced around. The kitchen was as he’d said and looked similar to her set-up at the refuge with lots of stainless steel work surfaces.
She stepped back into the dining area and glanced up at him. “I take it you entertain a lot.”
“I do. It isn’t every alpha’s choice. But for the highest-ranking pack members, I wanted to be able to bring them here, less formally than in my office or war room, to talk about the pack and the future of Savage. I also invite other pack alphas over at least once a quarter. We’re all working to get Federal lands in the White Mountains assigned to alter wolves. We’ll never be free of the drug trade without enough space for our people.”
Kiara couldn’t agree more. She’d worked with plenty of wolves over the past year or so. Most suffered from a level of depression that had to do with the limited space in their territory and not enough miles to really get in a good run.
“I know both Mary and Fergus are working hard with the U.S. government to petition for the land. I understand they’re in the process of getting Donaldson and his Federal counterparts to approve their limited passports.” Leaving Five Bridges was rarely allowed for any of the alter species.
“They are.”
She needed to keep in mind that there were many alter people, of the different five species, who were working on improving the future of their world.
When he took her back to the hall, she joined him as he headed in a northerly direction. They passed an impressive library on his right then came to an arched doorway.
Because the doors were open, she had a complete view of his bedroom, also decorated in the same warm shades as the rest of his apartment. His bed was huge which gave her all kinds of ideas.
Since he had hold of her hand, he gave a tug. She followed him to the doors on the left and what turned out be an equally impressive bathroom.
He had a large soaking tub and beyond that a sizable shower.
She drew near the latter and pulled her t-shirt out of her jeans then tugged it up and over her head. She turned toward him as she began to unzip her jeans.
His gaze fell to her full breasts and his eyes widened.
As she stepped out of her pants, she saw he hadn’t started undressing and that he was waiting respectfully by the doorway. She realized he thought she would want to shower by herself. Though it was very considerate, she wasn’t in the mood for some alone time. “You can join me, if you want.”
His eyes lit up and she smiled.