Page 72

EMME

L eaning against Kellan in the shower, I struggled to fully comprehend everything that had happened out in the street. Fletcher is dead .

It took at least fifteen minutes for my body to stop shuddering, as I finally accepted that I was safe, and so were my pack. My alphas had gone through a traumatic experience, with at least three of them having to deal with the death of a parent. Or the closest thing they had to one.

For me, all I felt was relief.

Fletcher had been out there causing death and mayhem for years, all to be the supreme ruler. The money and power weren’t enough for him, and he didn’t care who he hurt on his climb to supremacy.

I still didn’t really understand why he spent so many years experimenting on shifters, and maybe it didn’t matter anymore since he was gone. His death was a huge win for the shifter world.

Most of us would sleep easier at night, even those who’d had no idea there was a devil waiting in the darkness.

“You okay, Shortcake,” Kellan asked, his voice low as he stroked his hands up and down my spine. “You don’t have to act strong in front of any of us. That was a fucking lot. I’m here if you need to fall apart.”

Aw, my sweet alpha. “I’m weirdly okay,” I said, snuggling into his chest. “I mean, I’m not okay about what happened to Cora’s pack, and that our guys had to destroy the only father they’d known, but other than that, we got out of it easy.”

Kellan tucked his head on top of my shoulder, a comfortable position with our five-inch height difference. “Almost too easy,” he murmured.

“Well, Blaine and Jewels are still out there,” I offered, knowing it wouldn’t completely be over until those two were destroyed.

Kellan pressed his lips to my shoulder, and I closed my eyes to enjoy his touch. “Yeah, they are. Jewels, the fucking snake in the grass, will be an issue, but Blaine’s not powerful enough to do anything now his pack and father are dead.”

“We need to find the compound,” I decided, unease growing at the thought of what we might discover there. “Talon can show us, and then we can ensure no shifters are being held prisoner.”

Kellan’s touch stilled. “Maybe we’ll figure out what Fletcher was trying to achieve with his experiments and secret plans.”

I wondered if we were better off not knowing. “At least we’re aware now that Jewels is our enemy,” I said, my wolf rumbling with need to kill the witch. “If she shows up again, we’ll be alerted. Plus, we have a super dragon in our pack.”

When he pressed his lips to my shoulder again, I shuddered under his touch, and this time his tongue swiped through the water beading on my skin.

“Let’s worry about that tomorrow,” he murmured.

“Today we’re alive and whole. We have everything, and with Slade and Talon, the pack feels stronger. Can you feel it through the bonds?”

I nodded, comforted by how strong it felt. “I wonder what will happen when I complete the bond with the entire pack. Will I be able to freely share power? Will you all grow more powerful? Could I lose my wolf?”

Kellan growled and his chest rumbled. “Not a fucking chance, Emmeline Anders. Your wolf is sacred to all of us, and we’d die to protect you both. There’s no amount of power in the world that would be worth hurting you for. You never have to fear us.”

“I don’t,” I assured him, having no doubts. “I promise. But if I needed to share my essence to keep one of you alive, I’d do it without question. If you refused, I’d force you. Never think this is your choice alone. I get to die for you all too.”

His hold tightened until it was almost painful, and I was fucked up enough to enjoy the sensation of his strength against me.

“Stop it. Just fucking stop it. That’s never going to happen, and I refuse to let you put those words into the universe.

Don’t make me gag you, Shortcake. I’ll fucking do it. ”

My laughter was muffled against his body, as he clung to me with desperation. “And what exactly are you gagging me with? I might enjoy that.”

His groan was a low, dragged-out echo of suffering. “Oh, baby. You’re the most perfect form of torture known to shifters.” His hand slid down to cup my ass. “But we don’t have time for fun. The guys are already in the house, waiting for us.”

He shut off the water and dried me thoroughly, before patting my ass. “Go and get into comfy clothes.”

We were in my room, so it was easy enough to duck into my wardrobe and grab soft black pajama pants and a matching tank.

When I emerged, Kellan waited for me wearing sports shorts and a navy hoodie.

He held a similar hoodie in his hands, and I laughed as he draped it over my head.

“You need to live in my clothes now,” he declared as he stepped back to take me in. “I love seeing you in them.”

Rubbing my hands down the soft fall of the material, I enjoyed the wafts of his scent that came with each stroke.

“You might have to take turns with the other alphas,” I warned him.

“If the amount of their clothes in my wardrobe is any indication, you’re not the only one who wants to cover me in their scent. ”

Kellan’s smile broadened. “But I was the first one to get you in my clothes, and no fucker can take that from me.”

Golden had been the first to throw himself all-in and not care about the consequences.

Which almost got him killed. More than once.

“I love you, mate,” I said, as he took my hand. “I don’t say this enough, but thank you for taking such good care of me from the first time I saw you in the forest. You changed my life, Golden.”

His grip tightened and he yanked me into his arms, his lips surprisingly gentle against mine. As we kissed, his hands cradled my face, holding on like I was precious.

“I love you too,” he said, pressing more kisses to my lips, and then up over my nose to my freckles. “You changed my whole damn existence, baby.”

Our kisses ended when we had to head downstairs to find the rest of our pack. Kellan held my hand all the way, only releasing it when we reached the living room. The alphas were all clean, and smelled like themselves and not battle.

When Talon approached me, I noticed he was dressed in Slade’s clothing—all black of course—looking younger and less violent than usual, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“No more containment room,” I said, staring into dark eyes with a lot more green intersecting them now. I sighed when he cupped the back of my head, pressing his lips to my cheek. “No more prison at all. You’re finally free, Talon.”

“When you were with me, sweetness, it never felt like prison. It felt like having a family for the first time in my life.”

My chest ached at that sad, fucked-up statement. “Always,” I repeated for him. “You will always have a family.” The other alphas didn’t argue, and there was a real sense of pack in the room today.

When Talon released me, he took a seat beside Slade, and Hunter led me to the large sectional. He sat and pulled me down until my head was in his lap and I was horizontal. “You need to rest,” he said as way of explanation.

Kellan dove in under my feet, dragging them onto his thick thighs, and Finley shrugged and dropped right in front of me on the floor, leaning back and stretching out his long legs.

Even though Christmas was long passed by now, the tree and lights remained up, as Hunter had promised. With the fire roaring beside it, everything just felt peaceful.

Hunter played with my hair, tracing it through his fingers, while I watched the lights twinkle against the shadowy wall. Red, green, silver. Festive in a way I’d never understood until I’d been part of a real Christmas.

“We don’t usually decorate for Christmas,” Hunter said, digging his fingers a little harder into my scalp, which dragged a soft groan from me. “But we never want you to miss out on anything, baby girl. Whatever you want or need, we’re here.”

I laughed softly. “I haven’t missed out on one thing since you all dragged me into this world, and aptly demonstrated how stupid I’d been to run in the first place. It’s like Christmas every damn day.”

As if proving my point, Kellan started to rub my feet, and Finley leaned back so I could run my hands through his thick hair. With Slade and Talon watching over us like giant dragon sentinels, it was kind of perfect.

“Tell us what happened when you bonded,” Hunter said, staring at them.

My eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, but I really wanted to hear this story, so I forced them open.

Slade stared into the crackling fire, his expression pensive. “As I’ve said before, I’ve always felt like there was a part of me missing. There was a rift between me and my beast, and while I blamed my upbringing, I now know it was much more than that.”

My chest rumbled. “Fletcher still didn’t suffer enough,” I bit out.

Slade leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “He didn’t, but in the end, his death was justified, and the world is better off without him.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Kellan hollered.

Ignoring him, Slade continued: “When I first saw Talon, there was a new surge of energy from my beast. It was strong, and made it harder for me to retain my usual control. Everything was off kilter, which resulted in me screwing up more than usual. Which was unacceptable when I needed to protect our pack. I kept missing information, getting taken by surprise, losing my edge.”

“You aren’t the sole one responsible for this pack,” Hunter reminded him, but there was no bite in his tone. He wasn’t pulling entitled alpha rank, just pointing out that we were a pack, and we protected each other.

Slade met Hunter’s gaze. “Yeah, I know that, Hunt. I know, but my instincts to protect are deeply ingrained.”

Talon rumbled his agreement, shifting forward on the chair. When they sat side by side like this, they were so similar. Beautiful shifters, carved by the gods themselves.

“With Talon, there’s a sense of peace,” Slade said. “Of completion.”

“Yes,” Talon agreed, dropping his hand on his twin’s shoulder—Slade didn’t even flinch, which almost had me shooting up straight.

“I felt the same. It was like… coming home. Between Slade and Emme, I found the pack I’d been searching for.

I put my energy into Fletcher for years, and gave him my loyalty and respect, but he wasn’t my family. He was my captor.”

It was a hard-fought realization from Talon, but one that essentially saved all of us.

“And the rest of us?” Finley asked. “How do you feel about the rest of the pack you’ve found yourself in?” There was no anger in the bear’s tone, and I was proud of Finley for asking so calmly, with rejection a huge trigger for him.

“You’re pack and family too,” Talon said, as blunt and honest as his twin.

Finley relaxed under my hands. “Thanks, brother. We feel the same about you.”

Kellan, who was still rubbing his thumb into the arch of my foot—the boy knew how to massage—groaned. “As much as I love all this pack bonding, and I can’t wait until our quintet is complete, is anyone else really fucking hungry? I could kill Jewels just for screwing up our barbeque.”

Finley laughed, dropping his head all the way back. “Might be time to give up the family days, Hunter,” he said. “We haven’t been able to complete one since Emme came into our lives.”

My chuckle was cut off by a huge yawn, and I shook my head to clear the daze. “If you’re all hungry, I can cook for you.”

Florence and Gerry had a day off today, and I was thankful they’d missed all the danger and drama.

“Em, you don’t have to cook for us,” Finley said, turning to face me. “We’re more than capable of feeding you and ourselves.”

Forcing myself up into a seated position, I dropped my legs down on either side of his shoulders. “What if we do it together,” I offered. “A proper, family pack meal, where we all contribute. What do you guys know how to cook?”

When Talon’s laughter filled the room, I wondered if I’d ever heard him sound so free.

“I’ve never cooked a meal in my life,” he told us all.

“I was mostly only allowed to eat in my dragon form, while hunting the grounds. I’m not sure I’ll be any help.

” He shuffled his ass forward on the couch and turned a pleading stare on me.

“But can you please make the cookies and honey cake? Or any of your sweets. They’re the best thing I’ve ever eaten. ”

That set Kellan off groaning about starving to death again as he got to his feet. “You have the best surprise coming your way, brother. Shortcake’s cookies are second to her actual cook?—”

I smacked him in the gut and he let out an oomph, which didn’t halt his amusement.

As Slade and Talon turned their penetrating gazes on me, I couldn’t ignore the shiver that raced down my spine at the thought of twin dragons.

I’d been unsure if I could handle one of them in a true bond, and now it was two…

Goddess give me strength.