“Tell me you want me.” He growls into my ear and nips at my neck. His breath is heavy as he grabs my ass tighter. “It’s been too long.”“I want you, Bronx.” The desire in his voice makes butterflies flutter in my belly, but something feels off. I let my hands slide to the back of his neck and extend my claws to scrape him while leaning my cheek against his.Why isn’t our mate bond stronger? It has to be my imagination. I’m getting in my own head. Right? No. I need to trust my instincts. Something isn’t right.Bronx whisks me to the bed and lays me down.“I, oh-” He pauses, then slowly works his way down my body, letting his nose take in my scent while dragging his claws lightly down my sides. His kisses feel rushed and desperate. I feel so confused. Why doesn’t this feel right? This is Bronx. This is my mate. We’ve been together countless times. When he reaches my abdomen, he pauses and grips my waist tighter. I look down and see him rest his forehead just below my belly button and

A soft chime cuts through the silence. I’m pretty sure it’s part of a dream, but it grows louder and sounds like Delilah’s laugh. Bronx stirs and pulls me tighter against his naked body.“Mon ami!” Delilah’s disembodied voice fills the air. “It’s time.”I open my eyes and push my bangs back so I can look around. We’re still in the apartment. There are no clocks here, so I don’t know how long it’s been, but it feels like hours. Maybe even all night. The light emanating from the window is dim, barely illuminating the room. Is it sunset or sunrise?“That must be our ride home.” Bronx murmurs into my hair. “Mmm.” I nestle myself further into his embrace. “Very Delilah to send a warning shot so we can get dressed. Leticia would have transported us to the dining room in the middle of breakfast.”“Yeah, that’s our girl. I’m glad Delilah is involved.” He kisses my temple and untangles his legs from mine. “You stay here. I’ll see what I can find to wear in the closet.” The space next to me m

“Luna, Tyree has the truck ready for you. Mrs. Khan and Mr. Rawls excused the twins and Andy from class. Marco is taking them downstairs and Diane is helping to get them all in their booster seats.” Marybeth comes into my office with a bright smile. “Clash and Ghost are going to run alongside the truck so the kids can sit in the back and you can sit in the front. The Alpha already shifted. Saint’s probably halfway up the mountain by now.”“Okay. Thank you for helping organize everything, Marybeth.” I give her a tired smile and rest my hand on my swollen belly. “You hear that, baby girl? We get to see Papa Saint today.”A hard kick makes me grimace and groan. Tavi has been so active in the past couple of weeks. Her favorite pastime is jumping on my bladder. Only two more weeks to go and she’ll finally be here. I can’t wait to meet her.At the end of September, I had to stop scrimmaging and switched to cardio and light weights to stay in shape. In October, they reduced me to light cardi

I hear myself scream. My fingers and lips turn numb. My vision turns dark on the edges. I lean back and grip my stomach tighter. I don’t know how much longer I can bear the pain.“Mama!” A little voice squeaks. It doesn’t sound like Maya or Dre.I squeeze my eyes shut and try to focus. “Octavia?”“Kas, focus!” Lex whimpers. “Tavi needs you to stay awake.”When I open my eyes, I’m on my hands and knees. Saint is in front of me. He lies down and licks my face. I grip his fur and bury my face in his chest. “Our baby! Saint, Tavi needs help!”Saint whimpers and barks. Other wolf noses press against me. When I look up, I see Lena and Jennie’s wolves, Rhapsody and Serenity, trying to soothe me.My mother doesn’t seem to notice. Her shoulders drop and looks helplessly at the spot where Aphrodite was standing. Her fingers graze the ground, picking up a dove feather. She stands up, inspecting the white remnant, and taps her staff to the ground, bringing daylight back to its correct status.Whe

“Alpha?” Carly peeks into my office.“Yeah, Carly. Come in.” I wave to her. “I’m more… just… hiding out.”“I understand. Um, still no word on Marco or Andy.” She comes in and sits in the guest chair across from my desk. “The Luna’s flight is in the air. She and Tyree be landing in nine hours. Lady Camille says they secured Tavi in the coven’s manor home and the Menae are all ready to leave as soon as they get the word. Oh, and Sondi asked me to tell you again, thank you for letting her stay in the packhouse while Tyree has been away.”“Okay, well, that’s very sweet of her. Uh, from my end, Delilah confirmed she and Pan are ready to go, too. Psyche, Arrow, Hedone, and the Erotes have their marching orders too. Heph just needs to make sure Lex fits into the harness he made for her.” I rub my hands over my face. “Milo and Reggie are following protocol. So, I have no fucking clue if they are ready to go or not.”“May I speak candidly, Alpha?” Carly looks at me sympathetically. “Of course