Page 35

EMME

W e lined up at the start of the track with Hunter, Kellan, Finley and me behind the wheel of the Porsches, our cars white and shiny against the darker tarmac.

Slade was in his green SVJ and Warrick in a bright red McLaren Senna—I’d never seen one of those in real life before and I was giddy at getting to observe it on track.

Cora rode shotgun with him, and she smiled and waved when she caught my eye from two cars away.

All of us were pumped. I could only liken the adrenaline coursing through me to how it felt when my alphas touched me. Like my soul was about to leave my damn body.

Kellan’s laughter rang out as he revved his engine, and I barely resisted laughing with him. We’d already done two warmup laps to get heat into the tires, and now we all sat and watched the light. It was red, and I swear the anticipation of it turning green was next freaking level.

Hunter had shown me how to activate launch control, and while I’d never raced a car like this before, I’d been impressed at the way it handled in the warmup laps.

I turned to find Hunter, on my right, smirking and looking sexy as fuck in a car that rightfully shouldn’t fit his huge frame.

On my left was Kellan, and I chuckled as he bounced in his chair and shouted out that Finley was going down .

The bear was on his other side, and I couldn’t see his reaction, but I’d bet he was rolling his eyes.

When Kellan focused on me, he briefly calmed and smiled in his golden boy way. “Love you, Shortcake!”

I blew him a kiss, and then focused back on the track, feeling the change in the air as we got ready to race.

My left foot was hard on the brake, and right pressed all the way down on the gas.

The revs sat between six and seven thousand RPM, and I was desperate to feel the sensation of its launch.

My breath caught as the light flashed on the red, and then dropped to the yellow, and then when it hit green I jerked my foot off the brake.

I’d expected to have to really handle the wheel to keep my launch straight, but it was so smooth that all I felt were the g-forces as we took off.

Hunter, Kellan, Finley and I were side by side on the initial straight, with Slade’s car pulling ahead so quickly I was trying to figure out if he had cheated.

It was only when I remembered he had a V12, and we were in aspirated 4.

0L six cylinders that it made sense why he had us on the straight.

The McLaren was the same, pulling away in the straight with its V8 twin turbo.

Though Warrick didn’t have a chance of catching Slade, who was eating up the track.

The first corner didn’t shift the order too much, though Kellan pulled ahead of the Porsches as he swung around it like a shifter with a death wish.

Cora had told me he was a menace on the track, a daredevil with no regard for life, and I loved that about him. Even if it was slightly terrifying too.

Alphas were hard to kill, but a bad enough crash could definitely end their lives.

The first lap was over in a flash, and on the second I started to push harder, hitting corners with more speed, trusting in the impeccable handling of these purpose-built racecars.

By the third lap, the more powerful cars had hit their top limits, while the Porsches were just getting started.

Kellan and Hunter closed the gap, but Finley stayed with me, at the back of the pack.

I was determined that one day I’d be able to win one of these races, but for now I was satisfied by the experience of racing at all.

By the time we hit the final lap in our six-lap race, Kellan was out in front, with Slade close to his ass, and Hunter bringing in third.

Warrick finished out the top four, leaving me and Finley to battle it out for last.

At first, I thought he was going to ease off and let me win, which would have pissed me off, but when we closed in on the final turn, he met my gaze and I saw the glint of competitiveness in his. He might have stuck with me until now, but he wanted us to give our all for this final section.

Bring it on.

Pressing my foot harder, I clutched the wheel, hoping I didn’t lose control and embarrass myself. Thankfully it was hard to do with a car this responsive, and as I lurched around the corner with my heart in my throat, I managed to come out of it alive, unscathed, and out in fucking front .

Almost as if I could hear thousands of cheers from the nonexistent crowd, I pushed my car all the way to the checkered flag, screaming in excitement as I lifted my foot from the gas pedal to allow it to naturally slow and drop down gears.

When I closed in on the other cars, doors opening as everyone jumped out, I pressed the brakes to bring my car to a final stop.

When I jumped out of the car on shaky legs, I threw myself at the closest alpha, who, fittingly, was Finley.

“That was incredible,” I cried as his strong hands wrapped in under my arms and he lifted me up and spun me around like we were starring in a movie about princes and princesses and happily-ever-afters.

“You fucking killed it on that last turn, Ice,” he bellowed, his bear rising to the surface. “You can really drive.”

I was fully amped up on adrenaline as I focused on the bright hue of amber in his eyes and the dimples framing his exuberant smile.

It was in that moment, for the first real time, I saw a chance for me and Finley.

He must have caught a glimpse of the hope in my gaze, and his expression sobered as he lowered me to my feet but didn’t let go.

It was only the shouts of our pack and friends that brought us out of the bubble. Finley bopped me gently on the nose. “Nice work, birthday girl. Now you better go and address your adoring fans.”

I was reluctant to leave when we were mending chasms and filling canyons, but I couldn’t forget that this was still early days. It would be foolish to let the ache in my heart, and the magic of a scent match, push either of us before we were ready.

“Thanks, Grouchy Bear,” I whispered, and for once the name didn’t trigger him into a snarky rage. Just like with Ice Queen , the tone made all the difference, and mine was filled with slivers of hope.

I turned away in time to get swept up by Kellan. “You did so good, baby,” he crooned, planting kisses across my cheeks and over my nose. The last kiss landed on my lips, and damn was I starting to get the hype about birthdays.

“You won,” I sang back, trying to catch my breath. “You’re a fucking daredevil with a death wish, Golden. I think you took ten years off my life with some of those turns.”

His face was lit up with adrenaline and lust, all of which he focused on me, resulting in one breathless omega. “I was never not in control, pretty mate. Never. I wouldn’t risk what we have, not even for the thrill of a win.”

He tilted his head over his shoulder and shouted. “Though win I fucking did. Come on over, losers. You can all get the next birthday hug.”

Hunter was there in a heartbeat, his rumbles reminding us all that he was more deadly to Kellan’s health than a racecar. “You’ll be wearing your car around your fucking head in a minute,” he warned as he reached for me.

Kellan reluctantly released me, and I wrapped my arms around Hunter’s chest. “Nice driving, Hurricane,” I murmured against his suit. “You’re almost as scary behind the wheel as Kel.”

He leaned down and buried his face in my neck, breathing me in. “That was nothing, little omega.”

“You should see him on a dirt bike,” Slade offered from somewhere to my right, which had my head jerking back to see Hunter’s face.

“You ride dirt bikes?”

He shrugged, his expression neutral. “I used to compete when I was younger, but then I traded moto gear for suits. Now I stick with road bikes.”

Slade on his Ducati was a core memory for me. Now I wanted to add Hunter to the imagery. “I’d like to see that,” I said, thinking dirty thoughts.

Hunter’s grin was lascivious. “Want to backpack for me one day, little omega?”

My insides tightened and there was a steady throb between my thighs. “Yes. Yes, I would very much enjoy that, Alpha.”

Odds were between the bike and male between my legs, I wouldn’t make it through an entire ride unscathed. Goddess willing.

Once Hunter released me, Cora wiggled her way through the alphas and threw her arms around me, careful not to touch Slade, who stood close to my left side.

“I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life watching you take on the boys like that,” she breathed against my ear, and I heard Warrick groan in the background as he muttered.

“Fucking great. Not only did I lose to these bastards again, but now I have an erection while standing in the middle of the Reeves pack.”

Cora threw her head back and laughed. “Don’t worry, mate. I’ll take care of that soon.”

She barely got the sentence finished before she was snatched out of my arms and thrown over Warrick’s shoulder. “Carry on without us,” he said, as he stormed off. “I need to have a little chat with my mate.”

Over his shoulder, Cora waggled her eyebrows at me, and I covered my mouth to hide my laughter. I couldn’t believe I’d ever thought she was prim and proper. Sure, on the outside she held an air of refinement, but beneath that calm facade she was all fire.

“Have fun, kids,” Kellan called, and then he grasped my hand, tugging on it gently. “Let’s do presents while they’re gone.”

I planted my feet and shook my head. “This is more than enough present for me. I’ve never had a better day, and… anything more would be overkil?—”

Finley caught my eye, and while his expression remained neutral, I couldn’t help but recall what he’d said earlier. While parts of today would be too much for me, it made my pack happy.

And making them happy was one of my goals in life.

No one pushed me, and I found myself saying, “Thank you for one of the best days of my life. Let’s do presents.”

Hunter’s hand wrapped around the back of my neck in a possessive squeeze. “Good girl,” he rasped in a low voice near my ear. “You’ll be rewarded for that later.”

Okay, then. Presents were now the second-best way to end this day.