LOGINNicole pov I obeyed. I squeezed my breast, rolling the nipple between finger and thumb until it stung in the best way. The vibrator stayed pressed to my clit, the constant buzz making my thighs tremble. Another soft moan slipped out.“That’s it,” he rasped, eyes dark and fixed on every movement. “My baby girl. Spreading your legs wide so I can watch you get yourself off. You look so fucking good like this.”I shifted the angle, dragging the rounded head up and down over my clit in slow strokes. The wet sound of it was soft and filthy. My free hand switched to the other breast, squeezing, pinching, lifting the soft weight so he could see.“I know you wish it was your mouth,” I whispered, holding his gaze. “Wish you could suck on these while you rubbed my clit yourself. Don’t you, Tate? Wish you could taste how wet I am instead of just watching?”He licked his lips again, slower this time. A low sound rumbled in his chest.“More than anything, baby girl,” he said, voice rough. “I’d suc
Nicole pov I smiled against his mouth, slow and deliberate, then slid off the counter. My bare feet touched the cool kitchen tile. I kept my eyes on his face as I sank to my knees in front of him.Tate’s breath left him in a short, sharp rush. His hands hovered at his sides like he didn’t trust himself to touch me yet.I reached for the button of his trousers. The metal was warm from his body heat. I worked it free, then eased the zipper down with deliberate care. The soft rasp of metal filled the quiet kitchen. His cock sprang free, already thick and hard, the head flushed dark. A bead of pre-come glistened at the tip.I wrapped my fingers around the base. He was hot against my palm, the skin silky and tight. I stroked once, slowly, from root to tip, spreading that wetness as his hips twitched.“Nicole” My name came out rough.“Quiet,” I murmured, looking up through my lashes. “You asked if this was real. Let me show you.”I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his shaft
Nicole's POVSomething had been off with Tate for three days, and by the fourth, I ran out of patience to pretend otherwise.It wasn't anything dramatic, just small, uncharacteristic distractions. He forgot his tea on the counter twice, left sentences hanging halfway through, and watched me across the kitchen with a look I couldn't quite read—somewhere between nervous and determined. At first, I assumed it was the ongoing political fallout. I figured it was just a fresh complication from the council or the alliance oversight board, the kind of trouble he usually talked about only after working through it in private.By the fourth evening, the twins were finally asleep. Tate stood at the counter, staring down into a mug of tea he clearly wasn't going to drink, and I decided I was done waiting for eventually."Okay," I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the counter across from him. "What's going on?"He blinked, pulling his hand back from the mug. "Nothing's""Don't," I said, k
Tate's POVI balled up the paper in my hand, held it over the metal bin beside my desk, and dropped it. It hit the bottom with a quiet thud, joining the two crumpled sheets I had already thrown away. I leaned back in my chair, rubbed the back of my neck, and looked at the clean page sitting on the wood in front of me.Three drafts, and every single one of them was wrong.The first draft included the entire South River council chamber, formal robes, and a public declaration before half the pack. It was the grand spectacle expected of an Alpha claiming his mate, backed by generations of rigid tradition.I stared at the draft for a long time before I realized what it really was. This was Caesar's idea of love, disguised as mine. It was a performance for an audience, not a personal gesture for the one I cared about.The second version was smaller, but not enough. The third cut back even more, yet it still felt like someone else's life.My chest felt tight. I stood up, pushed back my chair
Diana's POVThe card game had been my mother's, decades ago. She taught me on a porch in North Maple with hands so much like my own."You have to let the cards touch the ground once before you deal," I told Rosy, watching her small face pull into fierce concentration. "That's the rule. Bad luck otherwise.""Is that a real rule?" Rosy asked, holding the worn deck carefully in her tiny hands."It's the rule my mother gave me," I said. "That makes it real enough."Rosy considered this for a moment. She leaned down, pressed the edge of the deck against the cool grass, and then began dealing the cards one by one."Four for you," she counted out loud, laying them face down. "Four for me. Four for the middle.""That is perfect dealing," I said, picking up my hand. "Do you know what game this is?""The matching game," Rosy said, peering over the top of her cards. "Mommy said you know how to win every time.""Not every time," I laughed softly, laying down a seven of hearts. "Your great grandmo
Nicole's POVThe alliance-wide rollout plan sat open on my monitor for most of the morning. I scrolled through page after page of implementation timelines and training schedules. These were for institutes I had never visited and patients I had never met, but each page carried some piece of the wound I had spent years learning how to close.I clicked on the final section, checking the last chart. A few years ago, I was just one woman with a dormant wolf, trying to understand my own broken bond well enough to survive it. Now, this document was going to change care standards across the entire alliance.I picked up my office phone and dialed Dr. Parkville’s direct line. The line rang three times before he picked up."Dr. Carter," he said. Warmth was threaded through his voice. "Or should I say, Dr. Carter, architect of the alliance's newest standard of care."I smiled, leaning back against my leather chair. "You should say whatever makes you laugh. How are you feeling today?""Better ever
Nicole's POV I stared at the test with two lines. I had read enough books to know what they meant, I was pregnant. I was carrying Tate’s child. At first I felt shocked, I couldn’t think straight. I just stared at the test, lost. Then I calmed down as small hope grew inside me, he had always said h
Nicole's POVI don't sleep. I sit at the kitchen table for a long time after I get home, still in my work clothes, my hands wrapped around a mug of tea that goes cold before I drink any of it. The apartment is quiet after the twins go down. Usually, that silence settles me. Tonight, it just gives
Nichole pov "Shit, shit, shit." I was already ten minutes behind and the parliament office was a fifteen minute walk, Tate's suit still in the garment bag over my arm and my shoes not properly fastened because I hadn't had time to sit down and do them right. I had overslept, which never happen
Nicole's POV "Move aside!" Maid Mara stepped directly into my path as I rounded the corner, her shoulder cutting across mine hard enough to make me catch myself against the wall. "Luna," she said, then added under her breath, "or trash." I pretended not to hear. Straightened up and started to w







