The Snow Leopard's Mate: BBW Snow Leopard Shifter Paranormal Romance (14 page)

Grey’s arms tightened around her.

“Then after we broke up, I thought love was a con. That people only ever said that they loved each other to get something. That was when I was dating so much. Because I thought there was nothing more than that.”

He kissed her temple.

“Then, as I got older, I thought that there might be something more out there…but I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t think I’d ever get it.”

Ali pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. “I love you,” she said. “And it’s like a rock under my feet, it’s like a fire to warm myself at, it’s like a roof over my head. It’s the best thing I have ever felt. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

His eyes kindled into silver flame as he kissed her again. “I love you. And I can’t wait either.”

Epilogue

Alethia had never been anywhere as beautiful as Glacier National Park.

Grey was talking to his friend Cal, but Alethia wasn’t listening to a word they said—she was too busy admiring the mountains stretching up into the distance.

She could live here for the rest of her life and that view would still take her breath away.

Grey and Cal’s voices got louder as they neared her. “I want you to meet my mate,” Grey was saying.

Alethia tore her eyes away from the scenery and shook Cal’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alethia Parker.”

She was getting used to using her full name again. It was a little strange to think of herself as
Alethia
again inside her own head, but it no longer felt weird for other people to call her by her full name.

It helped that her snow leopard was definitely
Alethia
. What she liked most of all, apart from her mate, was having that that true form inside her.

“Soon-to-be Alethia Landin,” Grey added.

And she couldn’t
wait
to get away from being a Parker. A whole new her.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Cal had a quiet smile on his face, and he was giving Grey a knowing look. “I used to think that Grey Landin would never settle down. It’s nice to see him proving me wrong. You must be some woman to have him looking at you like that.”

Alethia raised her eyebrows at Grey, curious. He gave her a look that said,
Later
. “She is. And now that I’m settling down, you’ve got no excuses, yourself.”

Cal laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m a confirmed bachelor. Married to my job.”

“It seems like a great job to be married to,” Alethia offered. “This place is beautiful.”

Cal nodded. “The most beautiful place in the world. And I’ve been over every mile of it. I could never leave.”

The intensity of his feeling came through in his voice, even as quiet as it was. Alethia glanced over at Grey. “I think we might end up feeling the same way.”

Grey’s smile intensified. “I know we will.”

“Well, let me point you at your new house, then,” Cal said. “You’re welcome to get a place in town, if you want, but the family housing for rangers is pretty good.”

Family housing
. Alethia thought about what that might mean, in the future.

Cal gave them directions, and they said their goodbyes and went back to the truck. Grey lifted her up easily into the cab, and they drove off.

Alethia looked at Grey once they were moving. “What did Cal mean? All that stuff about you being hard to pin down. You’ve been full-speed-ahead since we first laid eyes on each other.”

Grey glanced at her, a warm look in his eyes. “Can you blame me?”

Alethia refused to be distracted. “Don’t change the subject.”

He glanced away for a second, then back. “All right. I already told you that I was kind of wild when I was younger.”

“I remember.” Although to be truthful, Alethia had a hard time picturing Grey being
wild
. He was one of the most grounded men she’d ever met.

“Getting into fights, doing stupid, dangerous stunts. Shifting where people might see. And also trying my luck with any girl who looked like she might be willing.”

“Oh. Well, we’ve both had to work hard to get ahead of our pasts, haven’t we?”

He nodded. “When my friend Ben died, I realized that I wasn’t doing anything with my life but screwing it up. I turned right around, I worked hard to qualify as a ranger, I got a job and I did good work.”

“I know you did,” Alethia said softly. “When you put your mind to something, it gets done.”

He looked over at her. “That’s a trait we share.”

She blushed, and he went on, “I was working hard, but I still got with girls sometimes. I never tried to find anything long-term. I thought I wanted to be alone.”

Grey shook his head. “I’d already changed before I got to Colorado. I knew I didn’t want any trouble, that I was tired of one-night stands. But meeting you…” He looked over at her again, and this time he smiled. “It showed me what I wanted instead.”

The truck came around a curve, and suddenly they were in a little residential area just outside the official border of the park. Grey glanced at the piece of paper Cal had given him and pulled up to a house.

Alethia stared at it. “Is this
ours
?”

It wasn’t huge, but it was a lot bigger than Paul and Molly’s tiny little place. And it was…nice. Well-kept, a nice little yard, a big bay window…

“Comes with the job,” Grey told her. “Do you want to check it out?”

Alethia nodded.

Grey had the keys, and they went inside. “There’s even furniture!” Alethia exclaimed.

Grey nodded. “The man who lived here retired. He’s touring the country in his RV. He didn’t want all the furniture.”

The house was open and airy-feeling, not cluttered at all. It had light wood floors and a cream-colored couch.

Grey caught her hand as she was looking around. “I want to give you something.”

“A beautiful home isn’t enough?” she asked, already feeling dazed with happiness.

“That’s for both of us. I wanted to get a present just for you.” He reached into his pocket and took out a box. It was long, thin, and velvet-covered.

Alethia felt her eyes go wide. She took the box from him and opened it slowly. Inside was a delicately beautiful silver necklace with a sapphire pendant.

She touched it, speechless. No one had ever given her anything like this before.

“Do you like it?” Grey was watching her closely.

“Of course I like it! It’s so beautiful. Thank you, thank you so much.” She leaned up into his kiss. “I love it.”

He cupped her face. “I don’t know much about things like jewelry and perfume, but I’m going to learn. I want to be able to give you nice things.”

Alethia felt warmed all over. Not by the necklace itself, even though it was gorgeous and she couldn’t wait to wear it, but by Grey’s words. He wanted to give her things that she loved.

“I’m so happy,” she sighed. She took the necklace out of the box and held it out to him. “Will you put it on me?”

He smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”

She turned around and bent her head, pulling her hair to the side. Grey’s fingers tickled the back of her neck as he fiddled with the clasp. When he finished, he pressed a kiss just above where it rested at her nape.

She touched the pendant and turned back around to kiss him again. He wrapped her up in his arms and held her tight.

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear. “I can’t wait to share my life with you.”

“In our house.” Alethia still couldn’t believe it. A mate who loved her, a house to share with him, beautiful country all around, a future stretching before them…

“The house has three bedrooms,” she murmured.

“Family housing.” Grey’s voice was teasing.

She pulled back to raise her eyebrows at him. “Were you thinking of having a family?”

Grey’s eyes were warm and bright. “I always thought I didn’t want one. I was such trouble as a kid. But now that I’m with you, we can handle some trouble. And that’s the kind of trouble I
do
want.”

Alethia wrapped her arms around him again. “Me, too.”

He kissed her. She leaned into his embrace and felt the future unfolding in front of them.

The End

A note from Zoe Chant

Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please
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Please click on the title to write a review of
The Snow Leopard’s Mate
. I love hearing what my readers think! It helps me decide what to write next.

Page down to read a special sneak preview of
Alpha Bear Detective,
by Zoe Chant.

The cover of
The Snow Leopard’s Mate
was designed by Belle Arden.

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Special Sneak Preview

Levi had screeched the car to a halt in front of the Capitol building as Danny called in
shots fired
, and they’d leapt out and taken opposite routes into the darkened grounds, trying to cover as much territory as possible.

Levi had been the one to find the shooter…just in time.

As he helped the intended victim to her feet, she met his eyes, and he couldn't help but stare.

She was absolutely gorgeous. Long, curling black hair, full mouth, dark eyes surrounded by long lashes, and
very
generous curves. Her chest was heaving, which really showed off her—

Levi forced his eyes away, surprised at himself. Here the poor woman was running for her life, hyperventilating out of panic, and Levi was such an asshole caveman that all he could think about was her hot body? He was usually a better man than that.

He met her eyes instead. Trying to ignore how beautiful they were, he asked if she was all right.

“I’m fine,” she said.

But Levi wasn’t so sure. She was still breathing in quick, panicky bursts, and—there was a spreading dark stain on her left sleeve. “You’re bleeding.” Unable to help himself, he brushed his fingers over her arm just above where she was hurt.

That was definitely
not
procedure. Hurrying to cover how unprofessional he was being, he told her, “You need a doctor.”

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be upset—or paying attention anymore. Instead, she was scanning the area.

Which was what
he
should’ve been doing, instead of ogling the victim.

“Laura!” she called. “Laura?”

“Is someone else out here?” He looked around them, taking the woman’s unhurt arm and backing them up toward the car. They needed to get to a safer location.

“The senator!” She resisted his pull, her eyes tracking around and…up?

He was prevented from asking her to explain what had happened, exactly, by Danny’s arrival. “No sign of anyone,” his partner reported.

“Shooter ran,” Levi explained briefly. “She says there’s another civilian out here.”

“Senator Davis!” The woman was definitely scanning the trees. “She shifted, and now I don’t know where she is.”

“State Senator Laura Davis is out here?” Levi looked at Danny. “We’re going to need some more backup.”

“Screw backup!” The woman’s exclamation brought Levi’s eyes right back to her. Her eyes were bright with determination. “I need to find Laura! I don’t know if she’s all right!”

She started to turn, as though she were actually going to go looking for Senator Davis in the dark, unsecured Capitol grounds. Levi had to admire her courage even as he stopped her.

“Whoa!” He took her arm again. “It’s not safe out here. Let’s go back—” He took his hand away, and sucked in a breath. “You really need to see a doctor.”

The palm of Levi’s hand was a solid red—he’d accidentally taken hold of her injured side. The woman looked at it, then twisted her arm around to look at that. “The bullet,” she said.

“You were hit?” Levi leaned in to look at her arm.

“Just barely,” she said impatiently. “I think it grazed me. It’s not bad. Don’t worry about me, we need to find Laura!”

Levi turned to Danny. “Okay. You take her back to the car, and cover me while I go out looking for the senator. Don’t let her come after me.” He wouldn’t put it past her after the way she’d almost headed out by herself.

“I’m not an idiot.” She sounded calmer now, though, like she was just stating a fact. “Someone needs to find her. You’re better qualified than me.”

But Levi found it surprisingly hard to leave her behind.

Click here to keep reading
Alpha Bear Detective.