Page 168 of Pack Plus One

Time stills.

For a moment, something within me, my heart possibly, swells so much my chest hurts.

I don’t realize I’m crying till Liam reaches forward and wipes a tear from my cheek. I’m vaguely aware that other diners are watching, that several servers have paused in their duties, that the chef has emerged from the kitchen to witness this moment.

For a heartbeat, I think about everything that brought me here—the chance encounter with these men I…Iloveso so much, the heat that threw us together, the rivalry with Eric, the long days of work and nights of slowly lowering my walls.

“Yes,” I say, the word emerging before I’ve decided to speak. More tears come. “Yes!”

The restaurant erupts in applause as Caleb takes the ring from its velvet nest. With gentle reverence, he slides it onto my finger. It fits perfectly—of course it does, they’ve thought of everything.

I stare at the ring sparkling on my hand, momentarily speechless at its beauty and what it represents. Before I can find my voice again, Caleb is pulling me to my feet and into a kiss that silences the room once more. When he finally releases me, the others take their turns—Jude’s kiss playful but deep, Liam’s tender and thorough, Mason’s quietly passionate.

Brushing another tear from my cheek, Caleb turns his attention to the pendants. He carefully lifts the first chain and moves behind me. His fingers brush the nape of my neck as he fastens the clasp, his breath warm against my skin. The pendant settles against my collarbone, cool at first but quickly warming to my body temperature.

One by one, the others join him, each adding their pendant to the collection until all four rest against my skin.

“Perfect.” Jude’s voice is almost a whisper. I look up at him and his eyes look a bit glassy. Filled with emotion. This beautiful ridiculous man. I love him so much. I almost choke on another happy sob.

I reach up to touch the pendants, then glance down at the ring now sparkling on my finger. “I…” I manage. What can I say? I look at each of them in turn. “They’re beautiful.”

“You’rebeautiful,” Caleb corrects, his voice rough with something that makes my insides twist.

For a moment, we’re suspended in a bubble of intimacy. The crowded restaurant disappears. Caleb’s gaze holds mine, conveying depths of emotion that words could never adequately express. Around us, the others form a protective circle, their presence both supportive and possessive. Liam’s hand rests lightly on my shoulder, Mason’s fingers intertwined with mine, Jude leans close enough that his citrus scent mingles with the aroma of the wine around us.

I see my future in their faces—mornings in the bakery with flour-covered hands, evenings in the nest with tangled limbs, holidays and celebrations and quiet moments that make up a life together. The magnitude of what we’ve just committed to washes over me, and I wait for the wave of panic.

It doesn’t come.

The moment is interrupted by our server, who appears with a bottle of champagne. “Compliments of the chef,” he announces, expertly popping the cork without spillage.

As the bubbling liquid is poured into flutes, a strange sensation spreads through my body—a warmth that seems to originate from my core and radiate outward. I shift in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable in a way that has nothing to do with theformality of the restaurant or the fact that these four beautiful men have just asked me to be with them forever.

I sit, closing my eyes for a moment to steady myself. It feels like all the nerves in my core are waking up one by one.

Mason’s eyes narrow slightly as he watches me, his nostrils flaring subtly. “Leah?” he questions, concern evident in his tone.

“I’m okay. It’s all right,” I assure him, though I’m becoming less certain of that with each passing moment. The room feels impossibly warm now, and there’s an ache building low in my abdomen that I recognize with dawning horror.

No. Not here. Not now.

But my biology has never been particularly concerned with convenience, and the symptoms are unmistakable. The flush creeping up my neck. The increasing sensitivity of my skin. The way scents suddenly seem sharper, more intense.

I can’t be going into heat. Again. By surprise.

It’s weeks early, in the middle of the most exclusive restaurant in the city, surrounded by my pack, the men I love, but also by strangers who will definitely notice the moment my scent changes.

“We need to go,” I say abruptly, pushing back from the table. “Now.”

Caleb is instantly alert, his posture shifting from relaxed to protective in the span of a heartbeat. “Leah? What’s wrong?”

I lean closer, lowering my voice to avoid being overheard. “I think I’m... it’s starting.”

He frowns, gaze travelling over my form before his nostrils flare. Understanding dawns on his face, followed immediately by concern. “Your heat? Now?”

I nod miserably. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be happening. It’s early—probably all the stress and excitement?—”

“Don’t apologize,” he interrupts, already signaling for the check. “Mason, get the car. Jude, create a distraction if necessary. Liam?—”