26. Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

F ury

The Wolven Warriors' HQ is a raucous mix of laughter, clinking glasses, and good-natured ribbing as we gather around the battered dining table on the main floor, a mismatched feast spread before us. Tally's chair is scooted as close as possible to mine, her body tight with worry as she takes in the motley crew I call family. My pack.

"So, Tally," Stealth leans forward, a wicked grin on his face. "Has Fury shown you his party trick yet? The one with the shot glass and the lighter fluid?"

I groan, burying my face in Tally's hair. "Dude, come on. That was one time ."

Tally's grin is pure mischief as she pats my thigh. "No, he hasn't shown me! But now I'm intrigued. I'm dying to see it."

As Stealth launches into the sordid tale, complete with wild gestures and explosive sound effects, I let my gaze wander around the room. Lash is deep in conversation with Fang, their heads bent together over some schematic. Dare's playfully wrestling with Shaddai, the pup's tail wagging a mile a minute .

This is my pack. My family. And seeing Tally here, in the midst of it all, laughing and trading barbs like she's always belonged… it does something funny to my chest. A warm, bright feeling I'm almost afraid to name.

Shaddai chooses this moment to come barreling over, his oversized paws skidding on the linoleum. He crashes into Tally's legs, tongue lolling in a dopey grin, his new bandana askew.

"Well, look at you!" Tally coos, ruffling his ears. "Aren't you just the handsomest little warrior?"

"He's going to be insufferable now," I mutter, but I can't hide my smile as I watch them together. "His head's already too big for his body."

"Like Alpha, like pup," Bold calls from across the room, earning a round of guffaws.

I flip him off good-naturedly, but my attention's drawn back to Tally as she raises her voice loud enough to catch the attention of the entire room.

"So, let me get this straight, Fury burned one of his eyebrows off in that trick and not a single one of you took a picture?"

My head whips around, pinning Stealth with a glare. Why did he bring that up in the first place?

"Oh, pics were taken, Tally." Lash's voice is rueful. "That male of yours is one sneaky SOB. One by one, he got us in weak moments, grabbed our phones, and deleted all the evidence."

Tally looks at me with a say-it-ain't-so question in her glance.

"Totally true. I admit. Took me the better part of a year, but all the evidence has been obliterated."

Bold stands, shaking his head. "‘Fraid not, bro."

Before I can stop him, he's squatting shoulder to shoulder with Tally, his phone in her face. He evidently has more than one picture of me in all my near-eyebrow-less glory, because he's swiping .

Tally's peals of laughter can probably be heard all the way to the Zone's front gates.

"Fuck! Bold. Did you have to show her that? Her first night in the Zone?"

I watch, helpless, as Bold sends her the evidence. When it arrives with a ping, Tally waggles her phone at me.

"With this in hand, I think I'll be able to win every future argument by threatening to blackmail you."

"Very funny, sur'nam , but how can you threaten to expose me when everyone's already seen the evidence?"

Her smile doesn't even fade as she playfully sits down in a huff.

Bold's mate, Jasmine, and Courage's mate, Candy, stroll in and make a beeline to Tally. Introductions are made after both women scold their males about not telling them a new human woman was invited to dinner.

"I thought the whole Fury-had-a-girlfriend thing was complete bullshit." Candy shakes her head in disbelief, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And she looks… nice!" Jazz exclaims. "How did grumpy Guss manage that?"

With all the getting-to-know-you questions, I shouldn't be surprised when the issue of my missing eyebrow gets brought up yet again.

It's a testament to my improved attitude that I laugh good-naturedly instead of growling at the endless ribbing.

The night wears on in a blur of food and drink and increasingly ridiculous tales. Tally gives as good as she gets, trading quips and teasing jabs like she was born to it. And with every passing minute, the knot in my chest loosens. The last remnants of my worry about her acceptance are replaced by a bone-deep certainty that she already belongs .

She fits. Like the final note in a chord I didn't know was incomplete until now.

As the others drift off to their rooms, sleepy and sated, I tug Tally closer, nuzzling into her hair. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

She hums, a contented little sound, and burrows deeper into my side. "Once or twice. But feel free to put it on perma-repeat. You won't hear any complaints from me."

"I mean it, though." Pulling back far enough to meet her eyes, I pour every ounce of wonder, of gratitude, into my gaze. "Seeing you here, with the people who matter most to me… it's everything, Tally."

Her hand comes up to cup my jaw, her thumb sweeping over the arch of my cheekbone. "They're wonderful, Fury. All of them. This place, this family you've built…" She shakes her head, at a loss for words. "I'm just so damn grateful to be a part of it."

This. This right here is what I dreamed of—when I allowed myself to dream. This imperfect, glorious tangle of hearts and hopes, bound together by something stronger than blood.

And at the center of it all, the brightest light in the constellation… Tally.