11. Kye

Chapter 11

Kye

M y body is a ball of pain as I relax my spine against the metal behind me. I push through it, ignoring every ache, and focus on the fact that my world is sitting in front of me, alive and whole. There were a few times when that didn't seem likely. I wasn't sure we'd make it out.

The racing of my pulse is only just slowing, and my breath draws in a little easier as the van races along whatever road we're hurtling down. I can't see anything but bodies pressed together in this small space, though a strip of light from the windows at the front casts long shadows where it doesn't reach.

I hold Apryle tighter against me, listening to her deep, soft snores as she sleeps off the effects of whatever she was given. Seeing her strapped to that table took ten years off my life. I've never felt fear like it. Even with my insides held together with stitches, I would have torn that place apart brick by brick to get her out of there, or died trying. In the end, she'd been the one to save me.

And the little girl curled up against her.

I don't know how Apryle found Savannah or what her story is, but the way her white dress clings to her protruding bones tells me enough. Her filthy skin and lank, dirty hair has my jaw flexing. Those assholes don't see us as living beings. We're just some fucked-up magic experiment to them, and as long as they view us as nothing, they'll always treat us like dirt.

Savannah's eyes open, and even in the darkened light, I can't miss the trauma dancing behind them. I can't even imagine what they did to a little girl to give her that look, but it makes me wish I'd killed them slower than I did. They deserve a special kind of hell for this, and it makes me more determined than ever to obliterate any threat to Apryle, to Savannah, to the rest of their kind—and mine.

"You good?" Beck asks.

He's sitting opposite me, his back against the side panel of the van, and I have to bite back that increasingly familiar possessive jealousy I feel around him. Apryle doesn't want him, not like that, and yet the fact Apryle shared things with him before me has me seeing red every time he opens his mouth.

"You took your time finding us," I bite out instead of what I should be saying, which would be a thank you for risking his ass to save us.

Beck's eyes harden even as someone snickers to the side of us—Ayden, I think.

"We did what we could."

"We were ambushed," Archie says, defending his brother as I would expect. "They hit us hard and fast. By the time we were able to overpower them, you guys were already gone."

"It wasn't easy to find you," Beck adds, his expression granite. I deserve his anger. I'm not playing fair here. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but that place was kind of off the grid."

That is an understatement. It was in the ass end of nowhere. I got the feeling it wasn't their main center of operations. There weren't enough guards there for a start.

"Who is the girl?" This question comes from Talia, who is running her hands over the barrel of her gun.

I watch as Savannah shrinks against Apryle, seeking protection even though my mate is still snoring.

"She's not to be touched." The growl in my voice surprises the others but mostly myself. I thought my protectiveness only spanned to Apryle, but she cares about this pup, and while she's unable to keep Savannah safe, I will.

"I wasn't going to lay a finger on her," Talia says.

"You need to take up meditation or something because you have some breathtakingly uncontrolled anger issues." This comes from Ayden.

He's right, but all the incense sticks and calm breathing aren't going to help. "I'm just making it clear," I say.

"She's tau." Beck is stating the obvious. It's unnecessary, because we can all tell what she is. Her scent is clear.

"She's a scared little kid."

"What tricks do you know?" Ayden asks her, and she scrunches her brow as she looks at me.

"Leave the girl alone, Ayden," I mutter, wrapping my arms tighter around her and Apryle.

"Hey, I'm just thinking she may be able to do something awesome."

She probably can. All the tau I've come across have a unique strength in one or two areas of magic.

I stare at Ayden, who sinks back against the panel, muttering under his breath.

For the rest of the journey, I sit silently, just waiting for Apryle to wake again.

It seems like it takes forever to reach the compound, and by the time the van eventually stops, whatever medication they gave me to stop the pain has worn off. There's a nonstop throbbing in my side that is making it hard for me to focus.

I don't move as the others around me do, and when the back door of the van is torn open, I squint against the bright sunshine.

Everyone else climbs out of the back while we're surrounded by Apryle's friends. Two of the girls, whose names I know are Roux and Tessa, are suddenly in our space, and it takes all my patience not to push them back.

"What happened?" Roux demands.

As her fingers cup Apryle's face, her head wobbles as if she has no ability to support herself.

"She's been drugged."

Roux turns to the open back of the van to where her mate, Sawyer, is standing with their alpha, Cade. "Can you help me get her inside?"

Before he can move, I bare my teeth, letting out a low, feral growl. My wolf agrees, urging me to do whatever it takes to keep everyone away from our mate.

"Down, boy!" Sawyer smirks. "No one is going to hurt your mate, and believe me, she's more than capable of defending herself. Your female has claws she's not afraid to use."

Roux rolls her eyes, as if she's used to this crap from him.

"Enough. Sawyer, play nice."

"This is far more fun," he pouts.

I'm contemplating all the ways to kill him without upsetting Apryle when Roux says to me, "We need to get her inside, so she can be taken care of."

She means inside their building, away from me. That's not happening. Apryle is not leaving me ever again.

I shake my head. "No."

Roux's brows climb up her forehead, but it's Tessa who speaks. "You can't stay in the van forever."

"She's staying with me."

The girls exchange looks. "She's part of our coven, Kye."

"And she's my mate."

Tessa, who seems like the peacekeeper of their groups, says, "I understand that you feel protective of her, but you're not exactly Apryle's favorite person, Kye. We don't want her to wake up in a strange place and be upset that we didn't try to keep her safe, so I think it's best we take her to her own room."

Rationally, I know she's right, but I'm not thinking rationally right now. I nearly lost her back there, and we came to some kind of understanding in that place. Apryle isn't looking at me like I'm her enemy anymore. Of course, her friends don't know that. The last time they saw us in the same room, she was spitting daggers at me.

But I don't have the patience to explain it to them, and right now these two women are standing between me and what I want.

"She comes with me," I repeat, this time with a lot more force in my words.

"It's fine," Apryle murmurs, her eyes fluttering a little before she opens them.

My heart thumps savagely in my chest and relief floods through me. She's awake and she's not agreeing with her friends.

"Apryle, you don't have to do anything you don't want to," Roux tells her while keeping her gaze locked on me.

"He tore out someone's throat to save me." Apryle's lips kick up at the corners, a goofy look in her dazed eyes. "I think that means he might love me. I'm not sure I deserve his love, but I don't know if I can fight it anymore."

Her words fade as her head nods forward again, and rather than being pleased she's comfortable enough to be around me, I'm more concerned.

"She's really out of it," Roux says, concern lacing her voice.

"They injected her with something," I explain. "She was fighting it initially, but she's been like this since we got in the van." I meet Roux's gaze. "I'm not a threat to her," I add. "But she's mine to protect. Don't get in my way."

Roux doesn't even flinch at that, even if Sawyer growls low at me for talking to his mate that way.

"You care about her."

Care about her? Apryle is the blood pumping through my veins. She's the air in my lungs and the energy in every cell of my body. Our bond grows stronger with every moment that passes, and I still want more.

"She's my everything," I say.

She pauses before speaking again. "If you need us?—"

"I know where to find you."

Despite the pain gnawing at my body, I climb out of the van and scoop Apryle to my chest. It's a little awkward with my injuries, but I refuse to show weakness in front of Sawyer and Cade.

I glance over my shoulder toward Savannah and tell her, "You're coming with us."

The little girl glances around all the grownups, her eyes wide before she rushes to my side. Apryle will want her with us, and whatever Apryle wants, I intend to give her.

"Who is this?" Tessa asks, her voice so gentle and filled with warmth it chokes me up.

"Her name's Savannah," I reply when the little girl doesn't answer. "Apryle found her."

Roux's gaze meets mine and I see a hundred questions in her eyes. "She was being held captive?"

"Later," I say. Savannah has been through enough, and I'm starting to fade.

My vision is blurry by the time we reach the front door of my building and Savannah slips in front of me to open it, so we can step inside.

It's only two bedrooms and I have the place to myself. I used to share with my cousin before the Order took him, and Callum's never assigned anyone else to the spare room.

Besides the bedrooms, there is a small communal area and a tiny kitchen barely big enough to grab a cup of coffee or make toast. It never bothered me before. I had most of my meals at the main hall, but suddenly my space seems inadequate for the small family I have collected.

I carry Apryle over to the couch, gently laying her down and trying not to pass out as the pain spreads through my chest. As soon as she is safe, I sink down next to her, sucking in a breath myself. Savannah hovers close by, as if she is too scared to move.

"You need a healer," Roux's voice penetrates through my increasingly foggy thoughts.

I didn't realize that Apryle's friends followed us, but when I glance up, I see she's with Sawyer and one of the other females, Halle.

Don't bare your teeth at them.

I want to, but I heed that voice, knowing these people care about my mate and want to help her. They won't hurt her or Savannah.

They have enough sense to keep a little distance at first, but then Halle inches forward. "I can help if you'll let me. I can reverse the effects of the drugs in her system, and maybe I can look at you too. You don't seem like you're doing very well."

I want to be affronted by that, but she's not wrong. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I nod my head, indicating that she can approach.

Halle steps up to me, shooting a wary look in my direction before she drops onto her knees in front of Apryle. She places her outstretched hands just over her body and closes her eyes. I hear the murmuring of her words as she draws upon the power that resides inside her. Then the smell. The burning scent of magic swirls through my nose.

I should feel safe here. This has been my home for a while now, but I am on edge—my wolf too. Having Apryle taken from me has rattled me in more ways than I can explain. I will never allow that to happen again. Even if I have to tie her to me.

After a moment, Halle sinks back onto her heels, and Apryle's lashes flutter before her eyes open. She's disoriented and I feel her surge of confusion through the bond as she tries to gain her bearings. She only relaxes when she spots me and that chips away at some of the ice around my heart.

"What… What happened?"

"You okay?" I demand, scanning every inch of her beautiful face.

"I think so," she says, lifting a hand to rub her temple. I follow the movement, unable to take my eyes off the bracelets on both wrists, the cuffs that prevent her from using her magic. I grind my teeth together. "My head still feels a little fuzzy, but I'm okay."

"It may feel like that for a little while," Halle informs her. "Removing drugs from someone's system isn't as simple as healing a wound. There are a lot of chemical reactions to undo."

"Can you take these things off?" I ask Halle, indicating the cuffs.

Her brows come together before she glances at Roux. "Maybe with our combined magic."

"They stop my power," Apryle grumbles, sitting up slowly and wincing. "Painfully."

"I'll go grab some bolt cutters," Sawyer says. "We don't always need to think outside the box."

I skim my fingers over her wrists above where the bracelets sit. The skin underneath doesn't look harmed, but I hate what these things represent. Shackles that stop Apryle from being who she is. Her gaze meets mine, and there's so much softness there that I can't resist leaning into her and running my nose down the curve of her jaw.

"We made it," she whispers.

I'm not sure "made it" is the right way to put it. That was too close for comfort.

"No more missions," I blurt out, my anxiety making my words sharp.

She pulls back from me, and my body instantly craves her lost touch even as her brows arch. "I'm sorry. I missed the part where you get to tell me what to do."

Halle and Roux exchange glance, but I am only focused on my mate. "We were captured. I was shot. You were drugged."

Her scowl makes her nose wrinkle. "I'm aware. You know, since I was there and all." She tries to stand, and I can tell she's dizzy the moment she moves. I reach for her, but she bats my hand away, and my chest feels like it's caving in at her rejection.

"You're not allowed to touch me until you stop being an asshole."

I lean forward, collaring the back of her neck in a possessive grip. She lets out a squeal of surprise, but I don't loosen my hold on her. We were making headway, and I'm not about to go back to where we were before.

"Since I can't stop from being an asshole, I can't agree to your terms, but know this, Apryle, there is no force on earth that will keep me from you," I tell her. "I will always be at your side, cutting down anyone who tries to hurt you."

"Well, that was hot," Halle breathes the words, but I ignore her.

Apryle's gaze is locked with mine, as if she can't pull her eyes away, so I get the satisfaction of watching the heat climb up her throat and into her cheeks. My mate really is beautiful, and her lack of awareness about just how pretty she is makes her even more attractive to me.

"Bonding over our near-death experience doesn't change anything between us," she says, but the look in her eyes tells me she's lying. She called me her mate, and I can feel her soften toward me through our bond.

"If I hadn't gone with you on that mission, Callum and the others would have come home to tell me my mate had been captured. How can I protect you if you won't let me?"

"I don't need your protection."

"No, you don't," I agree. "You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, Apryle, but I can't stand by and watch while you get hurt. You're asking me to be someone I'm not, and I can't do that."

Her bottom lip slides between her teeth. "Well… I wouldn't want you to be someone you're not."

I need to be alone with her to work through her thoughts before this gets blown out of proportion. I glance at Roux. "Can you take Savannah to the mess hall? She needs feeding, bathing, and a clean change of clothes."

I can tell Roux doesn't want to leave me and Apryle alone, but surprisingly Halle agrees. "Absolutely we can. Kids love me." She holds her hand out to Savannah, who looks at her as if she is a wild animal. "I'm pretty sure they have burgers and pizza today. Do you want some?"

Savannah's eyes light up. I wonder how long it's been since she last ate, but despite how hungry she must be the little girl still glances up at Apryle, as if asking permission. "It's okay, sweetie. These guys are my friends, my coven. They'll take care of you."

Her gaze slides toward Roux and Halle, as if weighing them up. "We don't bite," Halle assures her.

Roux holds her hand out and I feel the surge of magic before a small white teddy appears in her palm. She offers it to Savannah who takes it after a moment and holds it to her chest. "Thank you."

"Why don't you think of a name for it while we grab food?" Roux suggests.

"Don't let her eat too fast or too much," Apryle says.

"We'll take care of her," Halle promises. "Do you want me to heal you before I go?" She directs this question to me.

I want them out of here so I can talk to my mate, but I'm also light-headed again. "Yes."

She orders me to sit back on the couch and then hovers her hands over my stomach. I smell the magic, feel it swirling through my body. It's like warm heat that spreads through every cell inside me, drawing the bad things out.

A flare of something goes through the bond and I lift my gaze to seek out Apryle. Her eyes are narrowed on Halle, her mouth pulled into a tight line.

It's jealousy I'm feeling from her.

Fuck, she's jealous of her friend being close to me. I try not to smirk as Halle finishes her healing and when she withdraws, I feel cold as the magic leaves my body.

"You should be fine now." Halle's voice is laced with exhaustion.

"Thank you," I say, my gaze seeking out Apryle. She was jealous, and that awakens something inside me. Her eyes lock to mine and for the first time since I found her there isn't fear in hers. There's something else, something… needy. "Tell Sawyer to leave the bolt cutters at the door."

"You don't want us to stick around?—"

"Please leave." It takes all my strength not to snap the words.

"Oh, okay." Halle grabs Roux's arm. "Time to go. They're going to… they need alone time."

"You know where to find us if you need us," Roux says.

As soon as the door clicks shut, I pounce into action. My hand wraps around Apryle's nape as I crush my mouth to hers in a desperate, needy kiss. She melts into my touch, rolling her tongue over mine and the soft whimpers she makes spur me on, urging me to claim her fully. She has denied me for so long, and I'm desperate to have her. The way she responds tells me she feels the same.

I press her back onto the couch, coming down on top of her. My body covers her far smaller one, and I'm suddenly aware of how big I am compared to her. She seems so fragile beneath me, so breakable, and it scares me to think that I could have lost her today.

She also seems to have the same realization. Her hands press against my chest and I stop as her apprehension flashes through our bond.

"Can we just… take a breath?"

I pull back immediately, leaning on my hands as I hover over her, trying to gauge what she's feeling. Her lips look swollen from our kissing, but her eyes are wild and a little dazed. I don't like the feeling coming from her.

Are you scared of me?

She doesn't answer through the bond, choosing to speak out loud instead. "No, Kye. I'm not. Maybe I was in the beginning, but I've gotten to know you now, and you won't hurt me—not like that."

I rock back so that I'm on my knees, sitting astride her legs. There's something in the way she said it that makes all my senses alert. "Not like what?"

Apryle is trying to mask her emotions, but through the bond, I'm hit with a number of different feelings from her. Fear, shame, and other things that I can't quite place.

I climb off her, giving her what she asked for, and she slowly comes into a sitting position.

I grab her hand in mine, wrapping my huge fingers around hers. She seems so dainty against me, and again I am reminded of the fact that my mate is mine to protect.

"You know you can talk to me," I urge, unable to stop the ripple of pain from sounding in my words. I don't like knowing she suffered something that I may not be able to fix.

She chews her bottom lip again, and I wonder if that is a nervous tic. "It's not you. It's never you. I'm fucked up, Kye."

Those last words are spoken on a whisper.

"You're not fucked up." Tears brim in her eyes and panic wraps itself around my chest. My strong mate doesn't cry. "Apryle?"

She doesn't meet my gaze and it sets all my warning lights flashing. "I was in a pack at the time of my first moon ceremony. I was excited to meet my wolf, to finally become an adult. Well, you know how that goes with tau. I didn't shift. In fact, my wolf didn't even try to come forward. My pack knew instantly what I was, and they were not happy. They… They did things to me."

Her voice breaks, and I watch in agony as she crumbles in front of me. The sob that erupts from her chest hits me like a wrecking ball. I feel it down to my bones.

I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight in my embrace. I expect her to fight me, to push me away, but instead she nuzzles her nose into the crook of my neck, holding me as if she is terrified to let go.

"What did they do?" I try to keep the anger from bleeding into my words, but I fail. I'm hit with the overwhelming urge to hunt down every single member of her former pack and hurt them.

"They cut me, and they bled me. For hours sometimes. They said I was unclean."

I have to swallow down the growl that wants to escape my mouth. If her pack lives, they are on borrowed time.

"Nothing about you is unclean," I rasp the words as she burrows deeper into me.

Apryle's memories flood my mind as she opens the bond between us, letting me into her most private places. Snapshots of her being chased are truly terrifying before it melts into a new vision of males holding her down while disturbing faces laugh over her.

Pain spreads through my body as sharp wounds are cut into the flesh. Apryle screams in my mind and the smell of blood is so real it chokes me.

Fuck, this is torture. They hurt her in ways I couldn't have conjured in my worst nightmares. A turntable of violence blinks through my mind before hands are forced between her legs. And a scream wrenches the air.

My head pounds as it all disappears and I'm back in the room, sucking back a breath. Her pounding heart beats in time with mine as the memory fades into nothing.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs, and I can't smell blood now, but magic. The burning scent of it fills my nose. "It was easier to show you than tell you."

I hear the hint of shame in her words, but it's not hers to bear. She didn't do anything to warrant what those animals tried to do to her.

They were between her legs…

My breath catches in my throat, razor blades making it impossible to swallow as my wolf snarls.

What happened after that? Is that why she was terrified of me? I meet her gaze, a hundred emotions rippling through me.

"Did they… force themselves on you?" Acid coats my tongue as I speak those foul words.

She shakes her head, closing her eyes and still clinging to me. That she trusts me in this moment to comfort her gives me so much hope for us.

Her fingers skim over her skin and I follow the motion. I hadn't noticed the small scars covering her hips and thighs when I was between her legs, but now they are like beacons, drawing my gaze. I feel an ugly emotion spread through her that fills me with deep anguish.

"Did they do this to you?" I growl immediately, lifting my head to look at her. My wolf is just as pissed seeing her skin marked like that.

"Shifters don't like hybrids, Kye." The pain in her voice is a pickaxe to my chest. She turns her head toward me, and the torment in her eyes gores me. I want to burn the world down for her. Rage swirls through my belly, and my wolf bares his teeth like the rabid beast he is. "They've been conditioned to despise our kind. My pack was devout to the Order. Many of the adolescent wolves joined their cause as they came of age. It was just… normal. I had no idea I was tau. I grew up thinking I was like everyone else around me."

Her smile is sad as her fingers thread together nervously. From the shape and size of the scars, I'm guessing they were done by thin blades, almost like a hundred papercuts.

"The pain was unbearable," she continues. "It felt like my skin was on fire the longer it went on. I wanted to die." The dark tone of her words has me seeing red. She grabs my hand, as if she can sense my rage is about to explode and my anger calms a fraction. "I found my power at that moment. I was so scared and angry that it rushed out of me before I could stop it. I didn't understand what was happening, but I just kept blasting them."

She shudders and I want to burn the world to ashes. Her pain is mine, and I'll take as much of it for her as I can, but I can't undo the wounds of her past.

No one should have to suffer the things she has because of something she can't control.

Apryle clings to me, burying her head into my chest as she allows me to see her vulnerability.

"I'm sorry that happened to you and I'm fucking grateful you felt enough trust in me to tell me that."

"You saved my life, Kye. That binds us together forever."

I press my forehead to hers. "Forever," I repeat. "What happened after you blasted them?"

"I ran. I didn't know where I was going. Nowhere felt safe anymore, so I hid among humans, passing as one of them. I stayed under the radar for about six months, and then an Order hunter walked into a bar I worked at." My stomach knots at how scared she must have been. "It was shitty luck, but he instantly knew what I was." She lets out a tremulous breath. "Hester saved me."

"Hester?"

"She's tau, like us. We were with her before we came here at a place called the Sanctuary, though it just a cage we couldn't leave. She taught us so much about controlling our magic and she created our coven, but Hester was a liar like everyone else." Apryle swallows hard, and I also add Hester to the list of people I'm going to end for daring to cause pain to my mate. "I don't mean to push you away, Kye, or hurt you, but it's hard for me to trust anyone. When you were on top of me?—"

"You don't have to explain," I assure her, grabbing her hand. "And just so you know I will kill every single person who tries to hurt you. Don't doubt it. You're mine to keep safe, and I take that very seriously, Apryle."

Her fingers skim over my cheek, her eyes scanning every inch of my face.

"I know you do. I'm scared of trusting you, but I feel safe with you, and that terrifies me. Putting my faith in others never ends well for me."

"You are safe with me. Trust that instinct."

"I want to. Believe me, it would be easier to give in to the way I feel for you than to fight it, but you're going to leave me when you know the truth."

She pulls back from me, both physically, but also mentally. "What are you talking about?"

"The woman in that place today... She took my blood, Kye. She said it was special, that she'd been looking for someone like me for a long time. "She gazes at me through wet lashes. "I think there's something in my blood—something bad that they need—and being different never leads to anything good."

I grab her face between my hands and I hate the ways she flinches. "I don't care if your blood can end the fucking world, Apryle. I'm not going anywhere but by your side."

I see the hope dance in her eyes for just a split second. "You say that now, but it'll change. It always does."

She tries to stand, but I move with her, crushing her to my chest, alarmed that she might walk away from me for good to protect herself from something she doesn't need protecting from. "I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment she's stiff in my arms then she relaxes as I open my emotions to her through our bond. I want her to feel the sincerity of my words.

"You mean it?"

"I do. What else did that bitch say?" I demand, my jaw tight.

"Other than we potentially have another enemy out there?"

Cold spreads through me. It's bad enough that we have to deal with the Order, but knowing there could be other factions trying to hurt my mate sends waves of panic through me. How am I supposed to keep her safe from everyone?

"We'll deal with whatever is coming our way together ."

"Please don't promise that if you're not going to keep it. I can't let you in, only for you to abandon me down the line."

I want to bury my cock inside her sweetness and show her with my body what she doesn't believe with her head, but she needs my compassion, my understanding and more importantly my words.

"I will never abandon you. Not ever. You and I are entwined in a way that cannot be undone. If you run from me, I will find you. If you block me out, I will spend a lifetime trying to break through whatever walls you put between us. I will be yours in every way you need and want me to be. So I can promise that because I'm never letting you go."

Her breath catches in her throat and her eyes close. I press my forehead to hers, seeking whatever she will give me in this moment. I soak in her and everything she is, just letting her feel me through the bond.

I don't know how long we stand there for, entwined like two vines, but eventually she pulls back to peer up at me. "I'm putting my trust in you, Kye."

"I know."

"Please don't let me down."

"I won't."

Her lips kick up at the corners. "Just so you know, if you ever betray me, I'll castrate you like a Labrador."

The joke breaks through the tension, and I smirk at the threat. It's pointless, because I will never betray her, but even if I did, the woman is a fraction of my size.

I must think that through the bond, because she adds, "I don't need strength. I have magic. Remember that."

"Apryle, I will never betray you or hurt you. I don't have to make it a promise because I have no intention of breaking my word, but I will say whatever words you need to hear. I'm fucking so sorry for what was done to you and now I understand why you want to fight this so hard. None of these assholes are going to get away with what they've done and that is a promise."

"I'm tired of being scared, and of pushing the only good thing to happen to me away because of that fear," she admits. "More than anything, I'm tired of being alone. I want you, Kye."

My heart swells as she gives me the words I've wanted to hear from the moment I caught her scent in the main hall. "You'll never be alone again."

I don't know if it's the right moment, but I risk it anyway. I can't resist her a moment longer. I need her to know what I've been telling her all this time—that she's mine and I'm hers.

So I pull her face to mine, and when I crush my lips to hers, she weaves her fingers through my hair and tugs me closer.

My wolf bays his approval.

She's ours, and we're going to make sure everyone—including her—knows it.