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5

DANTE

I stayed awake long after Ryder and Tate fell asleep. I watched them both like a damn stalker, taking in the way Tate’s dark lashes fanned across her olive toned skin and how Ryder let out soft little sighs of contentment.

Tate’s brow wrinkled, and I reached out to smooth it away without thought. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting mine in the dark room.

I saw everything in her eyes that I felt in my heart. Love, trust, loss, and grief.

Swallowing roughly, I trailed my fingers down her jaw. “I’m sorry, princess.”

Her lips parted.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save him,” I whispered, closing my eyes against the memory of how Remy and I had found Luke. At how still his body had been, his larger than life persona crushed and vulnerable. “I’m sorry I gave up the pack—”

“I’m not,” she murmured.

My gaze snapped open.

She glanced over at Ryd, a soft smile curling her full lips. “You two are my world, D. You have been since Dad brought me home and you both came over to play on the driveway with me.”

She’d been so beautifully fragile back then. Ryder and I had been playing at my house when we looked outside and spotted the dark haired girl on Luke’s driveway, staring at a doll in her lap like she had no idea what to do with it.

And she hadn’t. Her shitstains for parents had shuttled her around the country, trying to score the best deal for her little body.

My hand clenched at my side, thinking about how the people who’d given my girl life had tried to sell her off to the highest bidder.

Ryd and I had gone over and tried to get her to play with us, but all she’d done was watch us with those big hazel eyes, countless shades of green and gold swirling together. It took a week for us to get her to speak to us. Two for her to abandon the pristine doll and start playing with us. We’d built forts and climbed trees, ran around with abandon as we became best friends.

I’d always been protective of Ryder; he was my best friend, and even as a kid, I’d been guarded about how close I let people get to me. Ryd was the exception. We’d been born within weeks of each other and our parents, along with the Davises, had been best friends. Ryd was all I needed in a friend until the little girl next door.

Tate fit in with us in a way no one else ever had or ever would. My mom used to say our heartbeats were on the same rhythm. That there was something magic about the three of us, and lying in bed with them both, I knew she’d been right. In the morning, I was sure she’d be the first one here in the morning for Tate, but tonight, my parents and Ryder’s had given us time to get our girl back.

My parents and Ryder’s loved Tate like she was the daughter they’d never been gifted, and I knew that they accepted our relationship without judgment. With Luke gone, Tate would need us all to rally around her.

“I don’t blame you,” Tate told me, turning on her side a bit to face me more. Ryd rolled with her, his face buried against her back as he wrapped a tattooed arm around her waist, his hand curled over her tit like it was a stuffed animal or some shit. I reached out and traced the letters across his knuckles.

TDR.

He’d gotten our initials inked there over a year ago, and I secretly wanted one of my own even if I didn’t get why he loved the ink so much. But Tate and I sure as shit had fun connecting all the colorful dots of his body with our tongues and fingers.

“You made the right choice,” she went on. “Our pack isn’t strong enough for the war that’s coming. Dad would have known that, too.” Her voice cracked.

I leaned in, closing the distance between us and kissing her slowly, gently. “I hope so.”

She sniffled a little. “Tell me the truth; are you good with not being Alpha?”

I glanced past her to Ryd. “Yeah. I’d give up every pack in the world as long as it meant I got to be with you both the way you deserve.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” she said. “You, me, and Ryder. That’s all I need.”

I nodded, the knot of barbed wire that had been wrapped around my heart for weeks starting to loosen.

“You two are all I need,” I confessed, the rightness of those words sinking into my blood. “We’ll figure out the rest as we go, princess.”

She nodded and tucked her head against my shoulder, her small hand curling on my chest as she snuggled against me.

Ryder let out a soft noise. “Love you two, too,” he mumbled, almost sounding annoyed that he’d been woken up to reaffirm his love for us. My boy loved his sleep.

Tate smiled against my skin before pressing a kiss to me as she drifted off again, crushed between us right where she belonged.

I finally closed my eyes, breathing in the mixed scents of the three of us. My wolf rumbled his approval, and I knew I’d made the right call, not just for my pack, but for my family.