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They loved me. The entire pack. Alejandro scooted us over to West, and we cuddled together.

My pack. Ember grinned at me over West’s shoulder. She was so pleased, relaxed, and relieved. I blew her a kiss and snuggled against Alejandro.

I patted West’s shoulder. “I love you.”

He gave me a sleepy smile. “I love you too. Especially when you’re all high on hormones.” He seemed smug, but I’d felt his frantic energy when he fucked me and then Ember. He wasn’t ready yet, but that was okay. He could take his time. Bonded now or ten years later, he was still my pack.

“Not that I really care,” I said, feeling heavy with sleep. “But whose last name are we taking?”

Ember let out an amused gasp. “Oh, damn.”

West shrugged, his eyes half-closed. “I don’t care. Keep Sullivan or take O’Shea.”

I thought about changing my name, and I didn’t hate it. Besides, if Ember changed to O’Shea, then West would be left out.

I reached over and touched Ben’s shoulder. “I think we should take your last name, Ember and West.”

“Yes,” Ben said, understanding lighting up in our bond. “I love that idea.”

“You’re sure?” Ember looked between me and Ben. “I don’t mind changing my name.”

“It’s fine if you want to,” West said.

Ember cocked her head at him and gave him a manic grin. “Let them join our crazy family.”

“I have no pony in this race,” Alejandro said sleepily.

I laughed, giving him a shove. “Good, then. I’ll be Rian Sullivan.”

A thrill went through me at the idea of changing my name to match Ember and West, the same joy I felt coming from Ember, Alejandro, and Ben. Judging from West’s pleased smile, I made the right choice.

I fell asleep curled around my pack, a snippet of a song playing over and over in my head. Instead of trying to snatch it out of the air like a fish in the water, I just let it be. It was fine if it would never be a song.

Music was part of my life; my pack had shown me that. Some things just took time.

Chapter 48

Ember

Iwas in bliss. Ben and Alejandro took turns licking their bondmarks on me and Rian, which turned me on, which meant sex. It was a cycle of spicy times, over and over, and I didn’t see how people managed to leave the house after bonding.

Instead of seeming left out, West seemed more content than ever, seeking out hot alpha sex more than he usually did. Which also turned me and Rian on, so really, bonding turned into days of fucking.

We finally calmed down enough to lounge on the couch and watch my favorite cooking show. The bond was still new, but Rian was distracted. He didn’t comment on the chefs forgetting to boil their potatoes for mashed potatoes, nor did he worry about the chef who decided to bake a cake for a twenty-minute challenge.

I poked his side. “What are you thinking about?”

“That bit of song.” He waved his hand. His hair was back in a little ponytail today. “It’s been stuck in my head.”

“Why don’t you go down to the studio?” Ben said, not looking away from the TV. Through our bond, I didn’t feel anything like pressure from Ben. Just curiosity. “We’re fine up here.”

A spark of interest from Rian in the bond, before he squashed it.

“It’s fine,” he said.

“It’s not fine,” West said. He gave our omega the stink eye. “Just go play around. No one is expecting you to come up with a new album. Get the bits of song down so it will leave you alone.”

“Go burn some steak,” Alejandro said with a grin.