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“It’s like she trained me to be all closed-off, keep my feelings to myself. Every time I tried to connect with her, she always pushed me away.”

“If you never share how you feel, you can never be hurt, right?”

“I guess that’s the logic when you’re a kid,” I said. This was making my head hurt. “If I don’t care about this person, it won’t hurt when they leave.”

“Uh-huh.” Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “And is that logic showing up in any other parts of your life?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” I teased. “Leading the witness.”

“Seriously, though,” Cassidy said. “What about you and Ace? You’re not running from him, are you?”

I rubbed my neck without thinking, then realized I was massaging the spot where my neck and shoulder joined. The exact spot where a claiming bite would go.WasI running from him? I was scared of the bond, of giving myself over to him socompletely. I was terrified he might betray me and hurt me, even though he never really had. I had thought the worst of him so many times, and yet he was still at my side, ready to do anything to keep me and our son safe.

The idea of a bond was scary, but was it scarier than being alone?

“Just think about it,” Cassidy said. She took a pointed sip of her wine. “That’s all.”

Soon, the clubhouse began to fill with clan members and humans. Hawk showed up to pick up Zoey and offered to take Dylan home, too. Dylan, thrilled at the idea of dinner and playtime with his baby cousin, was more than happy to agree. Hawk squeezed my shoulder before he left. “Relax a little,” he said. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks, Hawk. Really.”

Soon afterward, Steph finally arrived. It’d only been a few hours since lunch, but I’d missed him in that short time. He’d cleaned up after work and looked devastatingly handsome in his plain white T-shirt and leather jacket. He approached the bar and pulled me into a kiss, smiling into it when the clan members whooped and wolf-whistled their approval. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hi.” I smiled up at him. “How was work?”

“Spent the whole time missing you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be corny.”

“I’m serious.”

“Ace, you want a drink?” Tammy called over the noise. The bar was already getting a little crowded, but she was managing it like a pro.

“Seltzer for me. Thanks, Tammy.”

“Not indulging tonight?” I asked.

“No. I’m not giving Sean a chance to catch me off-guard.”

I pulled him into a hug and pressed my cheek to his chest, just for a moment, so I could hear the steady beat of his heart.“Thanks,” I murmured. After my encounter with my mother, I was grateful for the reassurance that Steph could have a night with the clan without any of the booze.

“Dude.” Cassidy knocked her foot against mine. “Are you seeing this? It’s like something from a horror movie.”

“What?” I pulled away from Steph a little and laced my fingers through his.

Cassidy gestured over toward the pool tables. I looked over and immediately snorted. Striker was standing by the pool tables, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t even pretending to play the game. He didn’t have a pool cue next to him or anything. Other clan members were playing around him, laughing, leaning over the table, making shots, and drinking their beers. Striker was just lurking there, staring across the bar right at Cassidy.

“He’s so normal when he talks to me, but then whenever I’m in a group, he gets all creepy,” she said. “What the fuck is going on?”

Striker blinked hard, like he was coming out of a fugue state, then uncrossed his arms and turned his attention to the pool table.

“Oh, shit. Do you think he heard me?” Cassidy asked.

I laughed. “Girl, almost definitely.”

“Ugh! Freaking dragons!”

“You get used to it,” I said.