Free Grayslake: More than Mated: A Bite of Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Ally Summers

this one online and installed it yesterday.
    I took a sip of my coffee.
    It had been a week since Donovan’s last report on the Litchfields. Noah, Eli, and Ronan were all working with him closely. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it under my skin.
    The birds chirped in the forest. Sitting here in the remote stillness you’d never know there was a war brewing. But there was. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The Litchfields were going to try to take the Charleston territory soon.
    I pulled the phone from my back pocket and called Noah.
    “Case,” he answered on the first ring.
    “I haven’t heard from Donovan. What’s going on down there?”
    “He doesn’t want us to update you until things are confirmed.”
    I shook my head and tossed the coffee off the railing and walked inside to rinse out the china cup. “That’s not his call.”
    “He is regent.”
    “Fuck, Noah. I’m the king.”
    “Sorry.”
    Noah was one of the few members of the Tribe who treated me as a best friend and not a ruler.
    “So what’s happening? What’s the Litchfield count?”
    I sat at the kitchen table. Everything in this room was completely new. Refinished hardwoods. Reclaimed countertops. Open cabinets that displayed my grandmother’s china.
    “Donovan won’t say more than the three we confirmed last week, but I say twelve,” he grumbled.
    “Twelve? What the hell?” I growled. The activity had ramped up. So much for them taking their time to infiltrate.
    “Caroline thinks she has identified six on the outskirts of town and Eli and Ronan picked up two. I found one.”
    I ran my hand through my hair. “I’m coming down there.”
    “No. We’ve got it, Case.”
    “Like hell you do. There are twelve members of the Litchfield clan there.”
    I didn’t know if I could assemble more of the Tribe quickly enough. Josh and Drew could be there by tonight. They were in driving distance.
    “Not confirmed,” he reminded me.
    “I don’t give a shit if Donovan confirmed them or not. I’m driving down.”
    “All right. You’re the king.”
    “It is my territory. Apparently I need to keep an eye on it myself.”
    “Come on, he’s doing a good job. He’s trying to keep you out of the details. What if you get here and there are still only three Litchfields?”
    “Then I’ll enjoy my time at the beach,” I snapped back.
    “I’ll buy you a drink.”
    “That I can agree to.” It had been too long since the Tribe had been together. After the war we had all taken time to lick our wounds. Four months later and we needed to get our shit together.
    “See you tonight, your majesty.” Noah liked to mock my title. He was the only one who could get away with it.
    “I don’t know what time I’m leaving. Don’t tell Donovan. I want it to be a surprise.”
    “You sure? He’s going to want to know.”
    “I’m sure. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll text on the way.”
    Noah paused. “It’s good to hear you like this.”
    “What?”
    “You’re back aren’t you?”
    For an instant I was angry. Angry he was calling me out for ever being anything but myself. However, this time he was right. I had been gone a long time. Searching for peace. Needing shadows. Craving light. I was a jumbled wreck of hope and despair. A heart that stopped beating. A leader that stopped caring.
    “Shut up, Noah.” I said it with a grin.
    He laughed. “Glad to hear it. See you later.”
    I hung up. It didn’t happen all at once. I didn’t flip the switch and cure the pain. It had been months of mistakes. Months of torturing myself. Months of wanting something to be different than it ever was going to be. Months of running from the truth.
    But not anymore. When I wasn’t looking, it had lifted. The pain was gone. The misery had been replaced by certain calm.
    I walked to my room to pack the bag I had brought with me. I had moved my room to the top floor a couple weeks ago. I liked the view out of the back windows. I could see the creek