Chapter 124: Heart to Heart
"Well, Lucas must not like you all that much," I mused with a smile. I was surprised that Mathew was still living if he could be that much of a threat to the Head.
"No, he really doesn't. But after a few decades of trying to kill me off, he has come to realize that I am not going anywhere," shrugged Mathew as if it wasn't that big of a deal, but I could practically feel the heartbreak coming off of him. There was nothing worse for a wolf than not being accepted by their pack.
"We can be your pack now," I said with a smile.
"I'll be holding you to that," smirked Mathew as he pulled into a long, tree-covered driveway. "But I do have a pack of my own, so that helps when my wolf needs to run."
"I know. They've been hanging out in my forest for the past little while," I answered with a raised eyebrow. "Want to explain that?" I continued, finally asking the question I probably should have asked a while ago.
"What can I say? They are misfits, unwelcomed by the ever-welcoming Lucas." He chuckled at his own joke, and we finally reached the front door of the villa I had rented.
I would have to admit that the pictures online did not do this place justice. We pulled up to what looked to be a single-story bungalow, its tan exterior blending well with the trees around Hollywood Hills West.
"Crap, this place must have been expensive," whistled Greyson as he got out of the SUV.
"It has five king-sized beds and five bathrooms," I answered with a shrug. Dementyev was the first one to get out of the back seat, and he turned around to offer me his hand for support as I slid across the seat.
"Awe, and here was me hoping for only four bedrooms so you can I could double up on one," smirked Mathew, shutting the driver's door behind him and making his way to the trunk to grab the bags.
"Just because there are five beds doesn't mean that we have to use them all," pointed out Levi, causing me to drop my jaw in shock. I really didn't see that coming from him. Chuckling, I shook my head and left the guys to their own devices.
Walking up to the front door, I punched in the code to open the door and walked into one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. Just off to the left was a good-sized living room with a brown leather sectional across from two white leather chairs done in the same style.
However, as nice as the furniture was, it was nothing compared to the view in front of me. The floor-to-ceiling windows gave a birds-eye view of downtown Los Angeles. I walked toward the windows and saw an infinity pool with a hot tub and a circular bar on the other side of the glass. Yeah, I could learn to really like it here.
"Did you know that this place came with its own chef service, butler, bartender, waitstaff, spa, and a driver?" demanded Greyson as he approached me with a binder in his hand. "I don't think I am ever going to be willing to leave here."
I laughed and leaned against his chest as I continued to look out the window. "I suppose I could always buy this place so you can come and go as you want. But I don't know about the bases and military stuff here in LA," I said with a sigh. This would have been an ideal house if it wasn't in Los Angeles. I would miss the fall colors and snow of the north. Christmas just wasn't Christmas without snow.
"Military stuff?" he chuckled, throwing the binder onto a chair beside him and wrapping his arms around me.
"I have no idea what it is called," I whined, too tired for my brain to work properly. "Transfers, what you would actually be doing, that sort of thing. But if you want this place, I can have Stephanie look into it."
"I don't think I noticed it until now, but you are loaded, aren't you?" he joked, but I could hear a slight strain in his joy.
"After living for a couple of centuries, you tend to gather wealth like some people gather dust bunnies. You don't really think about it; it just happens," I shrugged. I never fixated on money after I turned. After all, living out in the elements or no food was not going to kill me. However, that didn't mean that working for 200-some-odd years didn't leave me with a good-sized nest egg. I just didn't have anything to spend the money on before.
"I make a decent amount of money, but there is no way I could ever hope to buy a place like this on my government salary," Greyson said, and I could feel his chest rise and fall with a sigh.
I chuckled and shook my head. "I don't need you to buy a place like this. And now that your life is tied to mine, just wait and see how much money you will amass over 200 years. But seriously, you have nothing to worry about."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused, and I could hear the rest of the guys moving around the house, giving us a private moment together.
"Have you ever considered how I feel about the age difference?" I asked with a half-hearted smile.
"I know I am a lot older than you, but I didn't really think that you cared about things like that. Was I wrong?" he replied.
"I might look perpetually like I am in my 20s, but I am old enough to have known your great-great-great grandfather. If anyone is robbing the cradle here, it is me. I don't want you to find someone closer to your age and decide that is the way you want to go," I explained. It wasn't the same with Mathew or Dem. They had a few centuries under their belts. But when it came to the age gap between me and Greyson, well, that was more than a few years.
"Huh, I never thought about it that way," smirked Greyson, causing me to smile in return. "Does that make you my sugar mommy?"
"Never say that again," I replied with a shudder. "Please, I am begging you."
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