Thank you for reading!
Finley"They're here," I announce as the convoy of vehicles approaches the compound, though everyone can probably hear the engines from half a mile away. Through our bond, I feel both Dane and Liam's nervous excitement mixing with my own—family meetings are always complicated, but family meetings involving mating arrangements take it to a whole new level."Breathe," Liam reminds me, his hand squeezing mine with the kind of casual affection that's become second nature over the past weeks. "My parents adore you. They've been hoping we'd figure our shit out since we were kids. This is going to be the least surprising news they've ever received.""It's not your family I'm worried about," I admit, watching as the lead vehicle—a sleek black SUV that screams Mountain Ridge formality—pulls up to the main entrance. "Your parents already think of me as family. But Dane's father...""Will adjust or deal with the consequences," Dane states with the kind of calm certainty that doesn't quite hide h
Liam"You're not seriously thinking of ignoring this," I say, knowing her well enough to recognize the stubborn set of her jaw as she pushes out from between us. That expression means she's planning to soldier forward regardless of personal risk."I'm thinking of not letting cowards dictate my choices," she corrects firmly. "If Ward wants to threaten me anonymously instead of challenging me openly, that says more about his character than mine.""It also says he's getting desperate," Dane observes with a tactical assessment that makes his enforcer training evident, tinged with his wolf’s desperation to keep our mate safe. "Anonymous threats suggest he's running out of legitimate options, resorting to intimidation because political maneuvering has failed.""Which makes him more dangerous, not less," I point out, unwilling to let them downplay the potential seriousness of direct threats. "Desperate people do desperate things, especially when they feel cornered.""Then we make sure he stay
Liam"I can't believe we're actually doing this," I say, grinning as I watch Finley pore over ceremony logistics with the kind of intense focus she usually reserves for tactical planning. "Two weeks ago you were convinced you didn't deserve happiness, and now you're planning the most elaborate mating ceremony in pack history.""It's not elaborate," she protests, though the stack of planning documents on her desk suggests otherwise. "It's... thorough. There's a difference.""Babe," Dane says from his position behind her chair, his hands resting on her shoulders in a casual gesture that would have been impossible weeks ago, "you have color-coordinated seating charts for seven different packs. That's elaborate.""Those seating charts prevent political incidents," she argues, but she's smiling as she says it, the happiness radiating through our bond making Storm practically purr with satisfaction. "Do you want Alpha Morrison sitting next to Alpha Chen after their territory dispute last yea
Dane"Perhaps," Rodriguez suggests diplomatically, "we should focus on how to best support effective leadership rather than continuing to question its legitimacy. The dimensional crisis demonstrated capabilities that benefit the entire pack—shouldn't we be discussing how to maximize those advantages?""Agreed," Morrison confirms. "The question isn't whether Alpha candidate Bennett possesses the necessary leadership capabilities—today proved she does. The question is how to formalize a leadership structure that integrates their triad capabilities with the traditional pack hierarchy Forest Trails has always operated under."The shift in discussion from challenging Finley's authority to optimizing her effectiveness represents exactly the kind of political victory I learned to recognize during my diplomatic training. Not just defending against attack, but transforming the battlefield to favor our position."If I may," I interject, recognizing an opportunity to go in for the kill before War
DaneThe council chamber falls into stunned silence as Rhett enters, his appearance shocking everyone present. He's lost weight since Brynlee's death, his clothes hanging loose on a frame that grief has hollowed out, but there's something in his posture that suggests inner strength rather than defeat. Not the broken wolf we've seen in the medical wing, but someone who's found purpose despite his devastating loss.Through our bond, I feel Finley's immediate emotional response—relief that her brother is upright and functional, concern about what could motivate his first public appearance since the tragedy, and underneath it all, love so profound it makes my chest ache in sympathy."Councilors," Rhett addresses the assembly with formal courtesy that masks whatever emotion is driving his unexpected appearance. "Thank you for convening on short notice. I realize my... absence from pack affairs has been noted, but I’ve come to realize that recent events require clarification that only I can
Finley“Don’t think you’re done,” Dane murmurs, shifting up to lift me bodily, my thighs still trembling, and spin me until I’m on his lap.My whole body is slack, useless, but Dane wants me to feel how much he’s shaking, how badly he needs me—his cock hard against my thigh, his eyes wild with it.Liam kisses the sweat from the back of my neck, murmuring nonsense syllables that could be comfort, could be worship, could be the spell that keeps me tethered to him. The world has narrowed to velvet moss and rough bark and the weight of Dane’s hands as he guides me over him, impaling me slowly so I feel every thick inch, every quiver. I am raw and open and the sensation is almost too much—a kind of pleasure that is indistinguishable from pain, that makes me moan loud enough to shake the trees.“Easy, angel,” Dane grits, “fuck—you’re so tight, I can’t—” He bucks up, breath hitching, hands digging into my ass to hold me in place as he thrusts shallow and urgent, the whole world distilled down