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As much affection as I had for Prudence, she was not someone I dared to think of naked. No naked thoughts.

None.

A smile bloomed on Dakota’s face, open and pleasant and so relaxed. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him this relaxed before.

Well, not outside of those moments in my bed, when he settled against my side, tucked into the crook beneath my arm with a belly full of pizza.

So much for keeping my thoughts office appropriate.

“Yeah,” he said. “Plus no floating staplers in days.”

I couldn’t help returning his smile. “I honestly can’t imagine how hard it’s been, having to learn all this so fast. Good work. I’m proud of you.”

For the briefest moment, Dakota shrank into his seat, but when I held his eye, he shifted. Sat a little taller. I watched as confidence wrapped around him like a wool coat, keeping him safe and warm. His chin tipped up, and even when the color in his cheeks deepened, his voice didn’t waver. “Thanks. And thanks for connecting me with her. She’s helping a ton.”

“Of course.” It was so much less than he deserved.

“Is that what you wanted to talk about? Just... checking in on magic stuff?”

I sighed, dropping my gaze to my hands folded on my desk. For the moment, at least, they were well behaved.

“No. I wanted to talk about us.”

“Us?” The hopeful note in his voice pulled at my vocal cords. Stole my own voice while I could only nod at him.

“Yes. You’re still... interested in continuing”—I waved my hand between us—“this?”

Dakota’s laugh escaped in a single snort. “Yeah. Yes. Definitely. And, ah, you are?”

Already, my wolf was prancing around like we’d won something and weren’t damning Dakota with our selfishness. “I do, but there’s—before we continue, I need to tell you something.”

Dakota edged toward the front of his chair, eager and attentive and, fuck. If he weren’t a mage, everything about him would be just perfect.

A perfect mate. A partner who was honest and steadfast, keen and curious.

My wolf wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anyone, and that alone was a punch to the gut.

We weren’tsafe.

“I’ve been upfront with you about the risks of our relationship damaging your reputation in your own community, but I’ve been—” I trailed off, grimacing. My wolf was whining in my skull, trapped there. He didn’t want me admitting to any wrongdoing or putting Dakota off the idea of being around us.

He wasours—ours to protect and keep and feed. We’d bring him back to our den and?—

And be honest with him. About everything.

I was putting my foot down. I might be alpha of my pack, and that meant having to make decisions that affected everyone without always asking permission or informing them of my way of thinking, but I’d seen firsthand what happened when an alpha presumed themselves to be without fault. I wasn’t always right.

Fuck, I wasn’t sure I even got in the ballpark of “right” half the time.

But if I was going to keep this going—and clearly I was, if I wouldn’t even humor the idea of paying off the rest of Dakota’s contract and sending him away—I had to be honest.

Completely honest.

Dakota deserved to know what he was getting himself into with me. He deserved to know what he risked each time he fell into my bed.

“I’ve been hesitant to admit that I’m a liability to you as well,” I admitted. I didn’t like it; hated the idea of hurting him.

Dakota’s nose flared and he seemed just on the edge of rolling his eyes at me. Instead, he wrinkled his nose, and my chest clenched at the sight of his chagrinned smile. “You’ve actually been pretty adamant about this being a bad idea.”