Nature is not a place to visit 35

Chapter 35
*“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”*
*Andy Bernard*
Two days after Ambrose and I’s rendezvous in the woods, all we shared had been heated looks and a few makeout
sessions. Sometimes, I’d catch him looking at me like he had that day in the woods – like a starving wolf. But then he’d
school his features into that same blank expression, leaving me to wonder if I’d only imagined it.
At night, when he curled up next to me and pulled me close, I wondered what it would be like to taste *him.* What kind
of sounds would he make? How big would he be?
Not that we had much time for anyone to be tasting anyone again. The pack was busier than ever. When I wasn’t making
out with Ambrose in the camper, I was usually stuck in pack meetings or treating minor injuries in the infirmary. I rarely
saw Rae – her punishment kept her the busiest out of all of us. Hudson was running her ragged with supply runs and
extra border patrols. Part of me wanted to help, but I also knew I couldn’t take her punishment for her.
She had to do this herself.
“How was the meeting?”
And it was after another pack meeting that I found Ambrose leaning against the pack house, that same hungry flashing
through his eyes. As I approached, the look disappeared.
*Is he doing this on purpose or am I just going crazy with desire?*
In my head, my wolf begged for him to mark me for real and consummate the mate bond. She was even more desperate
for a piece of Ambrose than I was.
His lips quirked up into a small smile when I greeted him with a hug. He was wearing one of Hudson’s shirts, but he was
noticeably taller and broader, so the material was stretched tightly across his chest. If anything, it only accentuated his
muscled abdomen and chest.
*As if I need a reminder that he’s all muscle.*
While I’d been shoveling appetizers in my mouth during Hudson’s droning lecture, Ambrose had gone to help out in the
infirmary. The pack was still in awe of his healing abilities.
“Hudson made a decision,” I said.
Over the past few days, Hudson had been mulling over what to do with the Blood Moon territory. Technically, those lands
belonged to our pack now.
“Oh?” Ambrose raised an eyebrow as we began walking toward the camper.
“The pack was split on it but Hudson decided we should move to the Blood Moon territory,” I explained, “Their lands are
bigger, they’ve got more resources than we do. It’d be a major step-up. Not everyone had the same opinion, of course.”
“And what’s your opinion?” he asked.
I took a deep breath.
“Honestly, the thought of living on the land of the people who killed my parents makes me sick,” I said. It was the truth.
I’d already gotten my revenge when Ambrose wiped out the Blood Moons, but the memories were still there.
That land was soaked with blood.
“But it doesn’t matter,” I continued, “Hudson is the Alpha, so there’s no other option.” Part of me wanted to do what I
usually did when Hudson made a decision I disagreed with – fight him on it. I could talk to him privately, and try to get
him to change his mind.
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And like usual, it probably wouldn’t do any good.
Ambrose looked speculative like he was mulling over something in his mind.
Finally, he said, “What if there was another option?”
This time, I was the one to raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“What if you didn’t have to live on the lands of those who wronged you?”
“If you’re telling me that you can talk to Hudson, don’t bother,” I shrugged, “I know deity probably overrules Alpha, but
he’s still my brother and…”
“No,” Ambrose cut me off, stopping suddenly. The look in his eyes was intense. “I want you to come live with me. In my
home.”
Whatever I’d been expecting Ambrose to say, it hadn’t been that.
“Your home?” I echoed, “You were asleep for a thousand years, I kind of just figured –”
“That I didn’t have a home,” he cut me off. “Yes, I can see why you might think that.” He stared at the tree line behind,
and I could see anger spark behind his eyes. “Before I was *detained*, I did. I built it, and it’s where I ruled over werewolves. A palace or castle, of sorts. Those who needed my counsel or help could find me there.”
It was times like these where I was reminded how very little I knew of Ambrose or what he’d been like before his – as he
put it – detainment.
As I tried to process this new information, he continued. “Now that we’ve saved your pack and you’ve reunited with your
family, I’ve wondered if it’s not time to move on.”
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Panic seized my chest in an iron grip.
Move on? Was Ambrose planning to leave me?
My wolf howled in my head – our mate couldn’t leave us. Mates weren’t supposed to leave you.
“You can’t leave, you can’t leave me,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth in a frenzy. Without thinking, I grabbed
his arm. As if I could keep him here with physical force.
His eyes widened in confusion, but a second later, I could see the understanding dawn on him.
Instantly, he pulled me close, cradling my head into his chest.
“No, little wolf,” he said soothingly, “I don’t plan to leave you. You misunderstood me.”
I craned my neck to look up at him.
His gaze softened, a small smile spreading across his lips.
“I simply meant that I thought it might be time for us to move on. I want you to come with me, little wolf.”
“To your home?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “I told you I plan to take back this world, and that starts by taking back my home – seeing what’s left
of it. I may need to rebuild, but…I want you by my side. As my mate. As the person who will rule beside me.”
His lips were on me before I could open my mouth. His kiss swallowed every thought in my head, but I had a feeling I
already knew what my answer would be.
And I had a feeling he knew to