Hestia House Book One

Chapter Seven

[[Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! We had a family emergency and I needed to focus on that. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!]]

~One Year Since Explosion~

~Arynn’s POV~

My head hit the mat hard as Diego swept my legs out from under me. He knelt next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He chuckled and then helped me to my feet again.

“You really should watch your right side better. You left yourself open again, which I keep reminding you during each of our sessions. We will break you of it soon enough.” His smile was infectious, and I was laughing at my own mistakes soon enough.

Diego Rodriguez was a rogue wolf who had been passing by a few months back. We had met when he stopped by the bakery to pick up some things for his travels. When I met him, I offered to let him crash at my place for a few days for a reprieve. A few days turned into a few months, and Diego took to training me in every way I could protect myself, even in wolf form. And I was increasing in strength, stamina, and self-confidence.

I had also moved up in position at the Bakery to Assistant Manager. Sue Ann had handed off all recipe approval to me after I had been working there six months. Business had increased dramatically, and we were even shipping to nearby cities. The pay raise included with my new responsibilities, plus what was left from my parents, had allowed me to put a small down payment on a small piece of land on the edge of town. The house on it needed a daunting amount of work, but Diego had been a handyman for his pack before they exiled him. So we set to work repairing the house, and created a home for outcasts.

Somehow, word got out that rogues had a safe haven, and they came. Our little non-pack was small, but everyone contributed to our house. Weirdly, even though we all weighed in on decisions, they all deferred to me when there was a split. It helped my managerial skills, and being assistant manager helped me coordinate my growing household. My nightmares had grown fewer and farther apart, as had my anxiety about being discovered. My heart occasionally ached for Leo, but I was content being my own person. Life was going well, and I was satisfied.

~October~

Fall themed baked goods were flying off the shelves, and I couldn’t be happier. I was coordinating up to three baking sessions each day, and product was almost flying out the doors. I had just named my little house of rogues, House Hidden Claw. We weren’t really a pack, so I wasn’t calling us a pack, but we were starting to become a family. We were twelve members strong now, including Diego and myself, and even though the town had noticed our strange aura, they still accepted the new family members once I introduced them. One of our more recent family members was even working at the bakery with me, and he is the one who alerted me to someone potentially looking for me.

My first instinct was to panic and flee, but Diego helped me recenter myself. Then he asked for my story. We made a plan to cover my escape if needed, and also protect our house. So for the next week I was on edge, and then he walked in.

My back was to the door as I was transferring pastries from a baking sheet to a display tray when I smelled him. I hadn't noticed before, but he smelled like home to me- petrichor, chocolate chip cookies, and coffee. Turning, I met his amazing blue eyes that I hadn't seen for over a year. Ash nearly took over as we took in the sight of our mate, but I managed enough control to not drop the baking tray and vault over the counter. Instead, I quietly set the tray down, removed my apron as I walked around the counter, and guided him to an unoccupied conference room after grabbing his hand. The simple touch was electrifying, and my entire being yearned to be held by him.

Once we were ensconced in the conference room with all blinds closed he opened his arms and I went into them. Strength and safety flowed through me to be with Leo again, the small part of me that yearned to be swaddled in safety and seclusion sated by him being here. After a luxurious moment of hugging me, he took my face into his hands searching my eyes for signs of… Fear? Hunger? Anger? I wasn't sure, but after a long moment he leaned in, stopping just short of my lips to ask if he could kiss me. Ash broke through my control then and pulled his mouth to mine.

The kiss was everything I could have imagined, and so much more. Firm, yet deliciously soft, I moved my lips against his while running my hands into his hair at the back of his head to keep him close. It startled me when his tongue swept against my lips, but the shock was short lived as impulse drove me to do the same. Leo moved a hand to the nape of my neck, caressing my hairline, while the other slide under the edge of my shirt and resting at the small of my back as he pulled me ever closer. I could feel the passion burning brighter by the second, ready to explode as we kept exploring like we hadn't had the chance to before. And just as I was almost ready to start removing anything that kept us even a fraction apart, an aggravated, unmistakably loud knock rattled the conference room door.