A bright, cheery pop song jolted Lee out of the best sleep of his life. Groaning, he rolled over and blindly slapped at his nightstand, fingers coming into contact with the alarm clock. The volume shot up.

"Fuck," Lee swore, sitting upright. Blearily, he located the correct button and shut that infernal noise off. "Goddammit," he muttered, pushing hair away from his forehead. The red numbers on the clock boldly proclaimed it to be 6:00 AM. "Fuck."

"Huh?" a groggy female voice replied.

Lee twisted in the rumpled bedsheets and looked down at the gorgeous blonde beside him. Kelsi lifted her face from the pillow and looked up. "Is it 6 already?" she asked, blinking to clear her eyes.

The last vestiges of sleep evaporated, leaving cold, hard reality in its place. Instead of enjoying a lengthy stay in bed with his new wife, he had to pack up the remains of his old life, shove it into a trailer, and drive several hours to Nevada.

"No," he said, sliding down beneath the sheets and pulling Kelsi into his arms. The floral scent of her shampoo still lingered nearly twenty-four hours later and he buried his nose in her curls, inhaling deeply.

"Liar," she countered, reaching up to rub at her eyes. "I can see the time over your shoulder."

"Should've smashed it," he muttered with a sigh.

"I know," Kelsi said, touching his face gently. "But the movers will be here at 7:30. We have a long drive ahead."

She was right, of course. He was trying to delay the inevitable. All he wanted was one more second, one more minute of normalcy before he had to give himself to a town that didn't want him.

Grumbling softly, Lee kissed the top of Kelsi's head, sat up, and stretched, joints popping. He flipped the covers aside and hopped out of bed. His eyes roamed the floor, noting their scattered clothes from the night before, triggering vivid, erotic memories. "Care to join me in the shower?"

Kelsi rose, the sheets spilling from her shoulders. She rested on one hand, head tilted as her eyes swept up and down his body. Lee straightened, thrilled that she was admiring him so openly. A lazy smile played on her lips as amusement tinged with desire swept through their bond. "We'll be late if I do."

"I'll be quick," he countered, flexing.

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Right."

Lee grinned. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was ensuring his wife was well-satisfied—no matter how long it took. He walked over to a pile of folded clothes on a box on the floor: his last clean set. Everything else was in the pod on the front lawn. He took his clothes, went to the bathroom, and stepped into the shower. Standing beneath the hot spray, he tried not to think of the trip and what sort of chaos awaited them in Silver Rush. As a security guard for the Stillwater Casino, he was good at conflict resolution, but he was also skilled at tossing people out on their asses.

Sometimes literally.

But he couldn't toss these humans out of their town. They didn't choose to have a werewolf come and take everything over. He just hoped that, despite the angry online commentary, they could work towards a favorable solution.

Of course, he didn't trust them either, so he also ordered a dozen wards to be placed around their immediate property as a precaution.

"Lee?"

He turned around and, through the frosted glass, saw the bathroom door open a crack. "Yeah?"

Kelsi's nose poked around the door. "Your mom called. She said they'll be here in half an hour."

"Okay."

His wife retreated. Lee tilted his head up and closed his eyes as the spray hit him in the face. Time to man up, he thought. He shut off the shower and stepped out; after drying off, he wrapped the towel around his hips and brushed his teeth. A clear plastic tub sat on top of the toilet and he threw all of his toiletries in there, leaving the shampoo and soap for Kelsi.

After getting dressed, he found Kelsi doing a load of laundry wearing his shirt from the night before. His groin tightened as he watched her bend over to shove bedsheets into the washing machine, the hem rising high enough to showcase her ass.

"Goddess, you're horny," she exclaimed, straightening.

"Can you blame me?" he replied, closing the distance between them and taking her in his arms.

Kelsi tossed her hair back and tilted her chin up, eyes dancing with amusement. Her lips parted, only to be covered with his own in a deep kiss. A jolt of surprise shot through their bond, swiftly replaced by passion. Her arms lifted to wrap around his neck, fingers winding through his damp hair.

"I want to fuck you against this washing machine," he growled against her mouth, one hand on the back of her neck, the other cupping her ass.

"Maybe you should," she replied, breasts pressing against his chest. She swept her tongue along his lower lip and bit down gently.

Goddess, she was his undoing. Lee dropped one hand and began pulling at the buttons and zipper of his jeans. His erection pressed against the fabric of his boxers, eager to be buried in her warm depths.

A sharp knock at the cabin's front door caused them to spring apart. "Lee?" his father's voice called out.

"Fuck," Lee groaned, face heating up with embarrassment. Cock-blocked by his parents. "One minute!" he shouted back.

Kelsi laughed, cheeks flushed. "I'm going to take a shower," she said, slipping around him.

He watched her grab the duffle bag from the kitchen counter, and then disappear into the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, he fixed himself and zipped up. His cock throbbed, irritated at being denied its pleasure, but he forced himself to think of the move instead. Anything to dull the fire in his blood.

Lee unlocked the front door. "Hey—" Oh, shit. Not only were his father and sister here, but his new in-laws, too.

Oh, and there was Riley.

"Did we interrupt anything?" Dad asked, raising an eyebrow. He took a step to the side, effectively blocking the entrance. Lee sent a quick prayer of thanks to the goddess for his father's perceptiveness.

"You have no idea," Lee grumbled quietly, glancing over his shoulder.

Dad chuckled and turned him around as he entered the cottage. "Let's get that bed taken apart first, hm?"

"Where's Mom?"

"She's with your grandparents, dealing with the movers," Dad replied.

A gentle tug on his hand made Lee pause. He looked down and saw Riley standing by his side. "Where's Mommy?"

"Oh, uh ... in the bathroom." He pointed.

"Mommy!" Riley called out, bolting into the other room. Without a pause, she yanked the door open and darted inside.

A bottle dropped, rattling around in the shower stall. "Oh!" Kelsi exclaimed.

"What can we help you with, Alph—er, Lee?" Kelsi's father asked.

"We brought donuts and coffee," his mother-in-law chimed in, holding up two trays with a box of donuts balanced between them.

"Uhm ..." Lee glanced down at his crotch and breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened and confidently faced his in-laws. "You can put those on the counter." He looked around his barren quarters. There wasn't much left to pack, except the bedframe, mattress, sheets, pillows, and nightstand ... Lee rattled the items off and handed Mark the keys to the rental trailer.

By the time Kelsi and Riley emerged from the bathroom, Lee and his father had the bed dismantled. In between munching on donuts and guzzling coffee (or hot chocolate in Riley's case), they loaded the items into the small rental trailer attached to the new red Silverado Lee bought for the move. While he wasn't getting rid of the Challenger, having a pick-up truck seemed more practical where they were headed.

Not to mention more practical when he had to drive over all those shrub-choked acres.

At last, everything was loaded and Lee's bachelor cottage was empty. Both families gathered by the Silverado to say their goodbyes.

"I should've come home sooner," Sawyer whispered into his collar as he hugged his sister. "Now you're leaving ..."

Lee sighed and pressed his head against hers. "It's okay, Sav," he murmured. Neither one of them could change the past, nor alter the future. "It's not like I can't ever come back to visit."

There was one slight hitch to those plans. Once he left and claimed his territory, he had to request Uncle Ryan's permission to enter Hecate City. Not that he ever expected Uncle Ryan to refuse, it was just a courtesy alphas afforded each other. To ignore those courtesies was to court trouble.

"Yeah," Sawyer mumbled. She leaned back and wiped her eyes. "You're right." Pulling a wry face, she punched him in the shoulder. "Love you, bro."

A lump formed in Lee's throat and he swallowed hard. "Love you too, sis."

She stepped back and let their grandparents hug him. Nana pressed a check into his hand and Poppa slapped him on the shoulder. "Drive safe, Lee," Poppa said gruffly as Nana quietly cried.

Goddess, it was getting hard to control his emotions. Nodding stiffly, Lee pocketed the check and turned toward his parents. Mom was openly sobbing and even Dad had tears in his eyes. They enveloped him in a hug and he drew on their strength.

"You'll be a great alpha," Mom whispered in his ear.

"If you ever need anything—anything at all—you call us," Dad added, gripping his upper arm tightly. "You have the numbers of the lawyers I recommended—"

"Yup," Lee managed to say around the emotion crushing his throat.

"We love you," Mom said, kissing his cheek. "Call us at every pit stop."

Lee coughed, clearing his throat. "I will. Love you, too."

Taking a deep breath, he pushed hair back from his forehead and walked over to Kelsi and her family. His luna squatted in the grass, arms wrapped around Riley. Lee hovered, unwilling to break up this moment between mother and daughter. Instead, he extended his hand to her parents and sister.

"I promise, I'll take care of her," he told them.

Mark nodded perfunctorily. "I know you will."

Battling the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, Lee dropped down next to Kelsi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have to go, Kels," he murmured in her ear.

She lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. "I know," she replied thickly, turning to wipe her nose on her shoulder. "Now," she said, pushing hair out of Riley's face, "you be a good girl for your grandparents and Auntie Toria, okay? I'll call you at every stop and we'll FaceTime once we get to Silver Rush. Okay?"

"Mm-hm," Riley whimpered, thin shoulders shaking.

Lee shoved everything down, put on a brave face, and touched the child's arm. "I'll keep Mommy safe, okay, kiddo? We'll see each other soon."

Riley lifted her head, lower lip trembling. "P-promise?"

"Promise," he said, placing a hand over his heart.

"Okay," she whispered.

Kelsi reached out and hugged Riley tightly. "Mommy loves you so much," she said into the girl's hair. "We'll talk soon."

"Love you too," Riley sobbed as her grandparents slipped up behind them and helped her to her feet.

Lee reached down and pulled Kelsi up. "Bye, guys," she said to her family. "Let's go before I have a breakdown," she hissed to Lee, tears falling down her face.

He nodded and helped her into the cab of the Silverado. He took one final glance at his family, waved, and climbed into the driver's seat. Looking over at Kelsi, he saw that she was clutching her hands tightly together.

"We've got this," he said, placing a hand over hers.

Mutely, she looked up, eyes shining with tears, and nodded.

Pulling on his seatbelt, Lee started the truck, put it in gear, and pulled out of the driveway.

It was on to Nevada.