Chapter 31

Ranger is gone by the time I wake up, but I'm sandwiched between Tanner and Locke, so that's still a winning morning in my book.

Locke gives me a lazy kiss, patting my hip. "I've got to run down and check my phone."

"Don't forget to clean the breakfast table." Tanner chuckles behind me, and his warm breath fans over my neck, making me shiver. "Ranger's nonstop ranting woke me out of a dead sleep. I thought he was going to pop a blood vessel."

"He's still adjusting to pack life," I say on autopilot.

"It's very cute that you, of all people, defend him." Tanner kisses my temple. "The man is more than capable of sticking up for himself."

"I will work on cleaning the table," Locke says, scooting closer to my front. "Also check to see if there's anything to cook for breakfast. Have you had any morning sickness?"

"No, not yet."

Locke pecks a kiss on my lips. "Good."

I follow his mouth as he pulls back, and he gives me a much deeper goodbye kiss with extra tongue.

He gets up to leave the nest, and I roll over to face Tanner.

"I'm a little shocked Ranger bonded you. If it was going to be one of the two last night…" He laughs. "My money was on Chicago Guy. That was a hell of a public declaration. Not many people would risk going to war with Ranger."

"So, as it turns out, there's a good possibility that, if I am pregnant, the baby is actually Locke's. I didn't mean to lie to you about our relationship, but I guess that I took my anxiety meds with wine and…" My hand flies to cover my face. "I forgot I had sex with him."

I'm not expecting the hearty belly laugh that comes from Tanner, but I pull my hand down, studying his perfect teeth as he grins.

"Damn, woman, that had to be awful for his self-esteem. I know it would sting if that was me."

"Yeah, I need to put some real effort into growing up."

"You're twenty-one. I was a fucking disaster in my early twenties. We've been over this before, but you've got to start giving yourself more grace." He kisses my nose. "Now, let's take a shower and figure out what the plan is for today."

There's pure chaos in the living room as we pass.

Locke stands near the front door, having a heated conversation with his cousin, Bless, and the other woman who seemed to be in charge during the whole thing that happened on the way home yesterday.

Tanner shrugs, tightening his arm around my shoulders and leading me toward the kitchen.

"Listen to me, Ranger," Annika says. I recognize Ranger"s sister"s voice, even before we step into the kitchen. "You can't just marry anyone you damn well please. You also can't keep her trapped here until she develops Stockholm syndrome and stops fighting to go back to her old life."

Vale nods, bouncing baby Aurora in her arms. "You've got to at least let her call her family."

Ranger growls, pointing at Vale. "I listened to two-hundred-and-ten seconds of this from you last night. Once my brain hears something, it's stored for eternity. Repeating yourself is tedious and unnecessary. I already spoke to the facility Lyra is housed in. They're making a onetime exception, but she won't be able to call until six this evening." He turns to his sister. "And I don't need any advice from you, either."

Tanner releases me with a shove on the rump as I race toward my obviously crabby alpha.

Ranger catches sight of me and startles as I chuck myself at him. It's nice always knowing he'll catch me.

"I can talk to my sister tonight?" I ask, cradling his jaw with my hands as he wraps me around his front.

He nods. "Yes, but the call will be monitored by one of the staff, so try to keep the illegal details to a minimum."

I freaking squeal, pushing my lips to his.

"Aww, damn. Stockholm got her so hard," Annika says, laughing.

"I think it's sweet," Vale says as I devour my alpha in a tantalizing kiss.

"Hey, can I hold your baby?" Tanner asks.

"Are your hands clean?" Vale asks as I pull back, smiling at Ranger.

"I just got out of the shower, so probably," Tanner says.

It makes me chuckle.

"I've held her many times. I feel confident I have at least a basic level of proficiency with handling a newborn." Ranger nods, like he's quite pleased to tell me that tidbit of information.

Annika's face pops up at our side. She sniffs her brother, then moves to my hair, or I guess, maybe she's trying to scent my neck. "Holy shit! The two of you bonded." She moves until she can see my face. "Was that by choice or…"

Ranger moves his palm to her face and gives her a brotherly shove. "Of course it was consensual."

Annika snorts, prying Ranger's hand off her face. "I'm impressed. You work fast."

I laugh.

It might be my newly formed bond with Ranger, but I'm much less annoyed by her than I was the last time we saw each other. It's entirely possible his fondness for her is spilling into me. Or maybe it's the distance I now feel from the kidnapping. Either way, we're family now, and I intend to do my best to get along. Hopefully, we can even form our own friendship somewhere down the line.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," I say. "I heard what you said when Tanner and I were coming in."

"No worries." She smiles brightly. "My brother has a big personality. It's a relief to see you can hold your own."

I nod. "He's actually very sweet and attentive."

Annika rolls her lips together, and it seems like she might be trying to hold back a laugh. "I'm trying so hard to be polite right now. I'll just say, I'm glad you see a side the rest of us don't."

My brow furrows. I really am overly sensitive when it comes to protecting Ranger, but I can also realize they share a sibling bond, and that comes with casual teasing.

Instead, I smile. "I really do. He's great."

"You got so damn lucky," Annika says to Ranger. "Seriously, she's like a million times out of your league. Also, can we all just agree that your run as the next Mafia Matchmaker should be over at three? You don't want to ruin your perfect streak."

"That is true." Ranger nods. "I enjoy being able to tout perfect statistics."

Vale squeaks. "I swear there's just something about a hot guy holding a baby that makes my ovaries weep. How about you, Annika? Are you ready to go home and tackle your alphas?"

"Um, yeah," Annika agrees. "Damn, Beefcake with a baby, over here making all the women swoon."

I spin around in Ranger's hold, and Tanner has Aurora tucked in one giant forearm as he coos at her. She smiles a toothless grin and…

Yep, my ovaries are in real trouble.

Vale and Annika leave while Ranger corrals Tanner and me toward the door.

"We can't leave without Locke." I drag my feet as Ranger gently pushes me toward the exit to the kitchen. "Also, there's something I told Tanner that I haven't had the chance to mention to you, since you were gone from bed by the time I woke up."

Ranger comes to a stop, leaning back a bit, like he's physically trying to distance himself from my words. It makes the bottom of his long-sleeve T-shirt pull up, showing several inches of his flat lower stomach and abs.

I lick my lips like a total sex fiend and try to keep myself from pouncing.

"Don't leave me in suspense," he growls, swiping his veiny hand through his messy curls.

No other alpha could pull off the shaggy hairstyle and look even half as sexy.

"Wife," he growls, and I swear my vagina stands up and waves.

"Husband," I say, trying to keep myself focused. "There's some mild controversy on who actually contributed DNA if I am pregnant." My eyes snap to his as I try to feel him out in the bond.

"I'm sorry?" Ranger frowns, his brow wrinkling.

"The two of you are terrible communicators, but only with each other." Tanner laughs, wrapping his arm around my lower back. "Which is kinda wild, considering you're supposedly a soul match."

I twist my head to check his face for clues that indicate the thought upsets him.

I don't even know how he heard about that conversation, unless Ranger told him.

Tanner kisses my temple, and his amusement pulses in the bond. "She and Locke fucked a few months ago. There was alcohol involved, and Laken forgot about the whole thing."

Ranger growls. "Consent is dubious when?—"

"No, stop," I snap, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Look at it this way. I no longer have any concern regarding what you do with Will. Do your worst."

"Really?" His head tilts as his interest in all the new possibilities he just gained access to hits the bond.

"He's such a psycho. He just went from angry to intrigued in two seconds flat." Tanner chuckles. "God, it's weird when his emotions spill over to me in the bond."

"We need to collect your other alpha from his family meeting and leave immediately if we intend to make your doctor's appointment," Ranger says, nodding toward the door.

"How are you doing with that new piece of information?" I try to feel him out in the bond, but after his excitement fades, it's basically impossible to pick out what he's thinking or feeling.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" His forehead wrinkles, and he glances between me and Tanner.

"Okay, good." I step out of Tanner's hold to reassure my stoic alpha. I wrap my arm around Ranger's middle, and we walk into the living room.

"We need to talk," Bless says as soon as we make it three steps inside the room.

"No," Ranger says, shaking his head. "Laken has an appointment that she can't miss." He looks at Locke. "If you're coming, I recommend following us out to the car."

"Yeah, I'm not missing that." His dark eyes sparkle as they meet mine.

"Fine," Bless concedes. "Fill them in, and we can speak when you get back."

Ranger looks at the two women like they're insane. He finally sighs, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Maverick and Gunner will keep you company while we're gone."

Tanner drives, Locke ends up in the passenger seat, and Ranger and I are in the middle row of the SUV.

"What's the issue?" Ranger asks, glaring at the side of Locke's head.

"Bless plays friendly with the family, but she hates them at least as much as I do," Locke says. "It's all part of her long-game strategy. Apparently, my family has begun battening down the hatches. They're pulling everyone in and attempting to take stock of what the hell is happening. It just so happens that Braxton was Will's contact in the Barrett family. Now that both Will and Braxton are missing…"

"They believe you took them out," Ranger says. "You've disappeared from Chicago, so they can wonder and make assumptions, but it's unlikely they'll tie you to us."

"I guess that's the best we can hope for, under the circumstances," Locke says.

"And what does your cousin want to discuss?" Ranger asks.

"She wants assistance helping some woman escape my middle brother," Locke says, glancing out his window. "I think it's unwise. It would lead to Avan having a literal shit fit."

"Why?" Ranger probes.

"They have a kid together, which I didn't know until Bless passed that piece of information on. They aren't together, from my understanding, but she's stuck in his realm. She was giving Bless inside information, but with everyone on high alert, my cousin hasn't been able to verify that she's okay."

My chest gets tight.

That sounds terrible. Hopefully, she's safe from any of the awful stuff Locke's family is involved in.

If she and Locke's brother have a child together…

That means he wouldn't hurt her, right? But even being in the vicinity of that family puts her in danger on some level.

It's really hard to hear about how awful these people are and how much power they wield.

"We'll discuss this more later," Ranger says firmly. "It's causing Laken distress, and she should be calm for her upcoming appointment."

I almost snort.

I don't think he realizes how absolutely impossible that would be.