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EMME

I woke aching and needy, and it wasn’t until I felt the warm chest under my cheek that I remembered what had happened last night. Finley was sound asleep, his breaths even, and he looked relaxed in a way that was rarely visible on his face.

As if it was only in sleep his demons left him alone.

There was one body part that was far from relaxed though, and it was buried deep inside me, throbbing as if he’d been rock hard and teasing my inner walls all night.

A surge of pre-cum seeped from me, and I wasn’t surprised to find that I was really fucking turned on by sleeping with him inside me. When he mentioned it last night, I’d almost come again just from the thought alone.

Finley and I bonded.

A month ago I’d never have believed it, but our beasts were curled up together, and I could feel his essence pulsing through the newest bite on my shoulder.

A sense of completeness followed, and with each member of my pack I bonded, my essence and energy strengthened.

Sex with Finley had been so fucking good, and I could still feel the way he touched and tasted every inch of my skin.

Unable to resist, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his, the beard scratching nicely across my cheek. He didn’t open his eyes, but his lips curved into a smile. His hand crept up to the back of my head, and he deepened the kiss as he rumbled, “Good morning, darlin’.”

My core clenched around him, which drew a groan from the bear. “A very good morning.”

Finley’s eyes opened; the whiskey depths darker to match the need in his expression. He thrust deeper inside me, right when a loud knock echoed through the room.

“Fuck off,” Finley growled, his gaze locking me in place.

He flexed his hips again, moving slower this time, and I really had been edged all night, because I could have come instantly.

If the dilation of Finley’s pupils were any indication, he wasn’t far behind.

He moved faster, his hands tightening on my ass to lift me higher for a better angle to slam up into me.

There was another knock, a much heavier one. “You need to get downstairs,” Slade growled, sounding pissed off.

“Dragon or not,” Finley snarled back, veins prominent on both sides of his neck as he drove into my body, “I’ll beat the fuck out of you.”

“Holy goddess of orgasms,” I choked out, trying not to scream. It was impossible to stay quiet when this felt so damn good.

At this angle, Finley hit a spot that sent fireworks through my body.

“It’s an emergency,” Slade finally said with a sigh. “Two minutes or I’m coming in there to haul you both down myself. I don’t care if you’re naked and mid-fuck.”

Finley didn’t slow, choosing instead to reach between us and rub his thumb over my clit until I was hurled into an intense orgasm, finding the release I’d been chasing all night.

“Mate,” Finley rumbled, drawing out the pleasure with long, slow thrusts. He closed his eyes as he came too, and when I collapsed against him I could hear our hearts pounding, loudly and in sync.

As I caught my breath, I had to ask: “Have you ever done that before? Slept inside a female?”

Why I asked when the very thought had me wanting to descend into a rage blackout, I’d never know.

But ask I did. “Never, baby,” he assured me, probably feeling my sudden rage through our new bond.

“I’ve never even slept beside a female before, and in all honesty, I’m fairly sure we were both virgins before last night.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s been no one for either of us. ”

My anger faded under my amusement. “Well, Hunter and Finley might argue the virgin thing, but I agree. There has never been anyone I cared to remember before you guys, and you’re definitely the first to be inside me all night.” I swallowed roughly. “Which I liked… a lot.”

He closed his eyes briefly, and our bond was filled with his desire. “I fucking loved it,” he growled. “We might need to keep testing the theory though. Just for like… every night for the rest of eternity.”

This time I laughed. “Well, Kellan likes to sleep with his hand on my ass, and Hunter claims my thigh or throat, so maybe sleeping inside me will be your thing.”

The satisfaction on his face was undeniable—he liked that idea.

It wasn’t that we’d forgotten about Slade, but it did take a crack of magic against the house to haul me out of bed. I frantically searched through my bonds to ensure everyone was okay.

“Fuck, I guess that was what Slade was carrying on about?” Finley rumbled as he grabbed shorts and slipped them on. He handed me his shirt and I quickly buttoned up the flannel lengths.

“We need to move fast,” I said, racing for the door with Finley right on my heels.

Before I hit the stairs, he wrapped his hands around my biceps and hauled me off my feet. “Me first,” he growled, his bear rising.

There was no time to argue, so I stayed on his heels all the way down to where our pack stood in the entrance hall, blocking the door. I didn’t notice the stranger in our midst until Hunter stepped aside and I found myself staring at a familiar face.

Well, if seeing a photo counted as familiar. It was the male from the grainy security footage Slade had showed me weeks ago. The shifter who stood outside my place of birth.

“You,” I said, wrinkling my brow as I tried to figure out what was happening.

“Hello, daughter,” he replied, his eyes meeting mine. His icy blue eyes.

Even as I froze, there was a part of me that accepted this information, as if I’d known all along.

“Excuse me,” Slade growled, edging in front of me protectively. “Are you saying Emme is your biological daughter?”

The shifter nodded, crossing his arms over the plain linen shirt. His feet were bare, and his hair was long and unkept, as if he’d been living rough for a while, but there was a dominant wolf in his stare. He was an alpha.

A powerful one.

“Yes. She’s my daughter,” he continued, his voice harder as his impatience spilled out. “I have spent decades trying to keep her safe, but unfortunately the time for hiding or concealing powers has expired.”

My head spun, and I couldn’t quite figure out what he meant. “I don’t understand,” I finally murmured, peering around Slade to meet his disconcerting stare. “Why are you here? Why did you bring magic to our door?” I had no doubt that the surge I’d felt before was from him.

“My name is Constantine,” he said, and I blinked at the name Talon had revealed to me. “I’m half shifter and half witch, and I’m going to need your help to save the world.”

Slade snarled. “Shifters and witches can’t breed. You lie.”

Constantine shook his head. “Ah, if only that were true. We can breed, and we can wield magic. Just like your mate will be able to.”

Your mate . He was talking about me. “Why would you need my help?” I asked, my anger rising toward this male who’d left me alone with my mother. “And why the hell would I help you after twenty-six years of absence?”

He never looked away, and I hated how much of myself I saw in his features.

Even his hair was light blond with a hint of strawberry.

“The witch you know as Jewels has enacted a curse. She’s been planning this for years and was just waiting for the right time.

A time where she could steal the energy of the alpha her family bonded decades ago, on the night of a blood moon.

” He paused, and I was reminded of the eerie glint to the sky last night.

“Fletcher anticipated this of course, and he had her bound not to harm him. But that didn’t stop others from striking the killing blow. Now we’re all in danger.”

All my worries and fears from yesterday raged to the forefront, and I knew this was the other side of the coin. We’d felt like we got off too easily, and clearly that had been for a reason.

“Danger from what?” Hunter asked, his wolf rising as his patience ran out. “What does this curse do?”

Constantine released a slow breath, still staring at me like he’d seen a ghost. “If we can’t stop her by the strike of the next full moon, she will lock our beasts inside us and they’ll be hers to control.

We will never shift freely again. Even worse, all witches will be able to control the packs.

For all intents and purposes, they will be the supreme alphas. ”

The silence was heavy as we processed this, and I knew that most shifters would die before submitting to a witch in such a way. We couldn’t let this happen.

“You’re a witch,” I said, wishing my voice wasn’t trembling. Hopefully he sensed it was ninety percent from anger. “Why should we trust you?”

He didn’t hide from me in any way, his expression open. “You’re also a witch, Emme. Which side of yourself do you feel most loyalty to?”

I didn’t even have to think about it—the fact that there was any magic in my veins had me wanting to slice them open and bleed out. “My wolf. Always.”

Constantine’s smile held hints of fatigue. “Same, daughter. I have always felt the same, and I have a lot more to explain to you. Not that we have much time to waste.”

With my pack closing in around me, I knew this was a pivotal turning point for the shifter cities. The point where we were once again at war, and this time we stood to lose autonomy over ourselves and our beasts.

As I stared into eyes that were mirrors of mine, I did the only thing I could and stepped back.

“Well, Father , it appears we have a common enemy. We accept your advice and help, and we will figure out how to take them down together.”

Alpha energy raged around me, but no one countered my statement.

If what Constantine said was true, we had one chance to save ourselves and our packs. But it would require me to trust another parent. One who’d already let me down for most of my life.

Goddess help us all.

You can read the conclusion to the Shifter City Fated Mates in A Bond of Trust , coming in January 2026 Link .