Page 28

The wooden platform circling the second floor of the safe house leads to a set of stairs, descending to the main floor’s outdoor area, then further down into what Luca jokingly calls Sherwood Forest—after all, they’re merry men.

Dense, with just the right amount of vegetation to conceal someone bent on stealth—it is why Grayson now finds himself creeping carefully through it.

While Rowan has been obsessed with feeding Nix and ensuring his omega is well-fed (yes, Grayson’s noticed), Grayson’s fixation has been on Nix’s safety.

It’s not that he doubts the others’ care; they do their best.

If any real threat arose, Gideon and Jay would be the first to step in, ready to defend the pack, but this feels different. It’s personal. A quiet, restless energy that lingers, refusing to leave him. His mind won’t fully settle unless he knows, without question, that Nix is safe.

Once he’d gotten the wolf settled with the knowledge of their daughter tucked up tight against his heart, Grayson had figured out quickly that his own wolf’s penchant for being an asshole extended to this particular aspect of caring for his angel.

Perhaps the overwhelming urge to protect is born of their soul bond.

Whatever the reason, Grayson wakes in the earliest hours of the morning, on the edges of a vivid dream which is always different but familiar. The feelings refuse to fade until he’s checked the area around where Nix is sleeping soundly.

The wolf had been experiencing peak agitation this past week: oscillating between joy at the news of his pup and fear about whatever had Gideon and Jay worked up to the point of subterfuge in Nashville.

Add to it the car chase and Carnell showing his hand mere minutes after landing in Clearwater…well, the wolf has ramped up Grayson’s morning vigilance with mid-afternoon and evening jaunts, too.

He feels the cool dirt of the forest floor beneath his feet, only now realizing he’s once again left without his shoes.

Just last week, he’d stood in the yard with Tsuki at 5:00 a.m., toes buried in the snow, startled to find the ice melting around him.

The thought of turning back now to fetch his shoes feels…

unsettling, as if breaking the quiet spell would unravel something he isn’t ready to face.

Unlike Gideon, Grayson doesn’t care about the weather.

It’s not that he likes to sweat or freeze his balls off; he just hasn’t ever cared much about something he can’t change.

Coats or T-shirts—it makes no difference to him.

He usually remembers his umbrella or to leave extra time for travel in the winter, but for his comfort? It really makes no difference.

Lately, though, Grayson has been hot—and not the sexy kind.

New but not uncomfortable, his base temperature has increased to a steady 102°F, up from the usual Were physiology of 100°F.

After his bouts with BBS, Finn had insisted he track any changes in his physiology, and this had been consistent enough that he’d mentioned it to Finn before Christmas. They’d run a few tests out of curiosity. Nothing to alarm anyone—they discovered he was fine.

Better than fine.

So, just to ease Finn’s mind, he continues to take his temperature every day and logs it on his phone. Since they’d been on the run, however, Grayson hasn’t bothered.

But this morning, when he’d woken from another strange dream, Nix and Leo had been curled into him. They had thrown off the blankets they’d pulled up when they’d gone to sleep, but Leo had a soft, glowing sheen of sweat covering his broad back, and he’d been cool to Grayson’s touch.

Nix had felt the same as always, so maybe Leo was unwell.

Was there a condition that made your temperature drop and still made you sweaty? Grayson would normally Google the shit out of that (like he does everything else), but he hadn’t been awarded one of the four burner phones.

Gideon, Jay, and Leo had called dibs, and one was reserved for Finn when his rut settled, in case he needed to provide medical support. Still, he’ll talk to Leo about how he’s feeling when he gets back.

Grayson hadn’t been too put out about the phones, though; he wasn’t going anywhere the others wouldn’t be, and the internet was off-limits anyway.

Made sense to be cautious when no one knew the full extent of Carnell’s reach.

The fact that he’d managed to clone Finn’s phone in such a short time and plant a tracker with its own power source spoke volumes about his connections and resources.

Anger skitters down his spine at Carnell’s audacity.

Yes, anger. Grayson is surprised, too.

Normally, he wouldn’t waste his energy thinking about Carnell, because Goddess knows Jay and Gideon do that enough for everyone. But since Carnell had sent someone into Grayson’s territory and threatened his mates, well, Grayson is making time in his schedule to think about killing him.

Was he sharing this with his mates? Hell no. After all, the queue formed to the right for the opportunity to end the bastard, and there was no way he was going to get even a piece of what was left over—not if Gideon had anything to say about it.

Sure, it pissed the wolf off, but he understood Gideon and Jay had rights to it.

Pushing back a branch, Grayson chuckles at the thought.

How did he end up here? Thinking about murder so casually, when even a year ago, that would have made him stop in his tracks with discomfort.

Now, it’s on his birthday wish list.

He’d long ago said goodbye to his pacifist ways and general eschewing of aggression.

Guess he can add his own weird behavior to the list of changes.

Grayson turns southeast and heads toward a small glade with oak and cypress trees. Sitting below the house, he can just see the edge of it with the morning light reflecting on the windows.

Nix is awake and happy for the moment, broadcasting it along the bond frequencies.

Probably eating something Gideon has cooked and being spoon-fed by Rowan.

In yet another weird turn of events, he’s no longer jealous of the attention Rowan receives from Nix, and he doesn’t mind admitting that the absence of it is a relief.

He’s glad he can love Rowan as he’s always done, even if it is a bit of a “tables turned” thing sexually. In the past, Rowan had never minded it when Grayson put him in his place. It’s just new to Grayson the extent to which his wolf wants only that.

And not just with Rowan.

Grayson has had to push down his new urges to “top” Jay or the rutting Finn, who has had similar issues this week.

A true switch, Finn is equally excited by the idea of giving as receiving; and if Grayson’s honest, he always has been, too. Even during his earliest illicit sexual experiences before meeting the pack, he had always chosen partners who were as interested in both, just as he was.

But now? He has to push the wolf back, keep him from insisting on dominating when he never used to think about him at all.

Maybe Leo had been right in the truck earlier in the week: Nix is a catalyst; the impetus for an evolution.

Turning toward the house, Grayson sees something yellow and pink on the path ahead, and when he gets close enough, he sees that it’s an orchid.

Grayson doesn’t know a lot about flowers, despite his love of how beautiful they look. This single bloom is a harmonious blend of soft pink and yellow and looks like it has the sunrise reflected on its petals.

It’s lying on the path, and when Grayson checks the underbrush, there aren’t any more patches of pale yellow and pink anywhere. Each petal is adorned with intricate markings, as though painted by the lightest touch of an artist’s brush.

It’s so lovely that he yearns for his paints, and he knows right away that it’s a gift for Nix.

He’s already anticipating the pleasure of Nix’s bright smile and picks up the pace toward their temporary den. Stumbling for a moment as the bond momentarily fades, he quickens his pace even more.

He’s standing on the deck in under five minutes, and when he pushes open the sliding glass door, he spots Nix sitting with Luca on the sectional.

Thick and tense, the air is flooded with unhappy scents, and the wolf is on guard in an instant.

Finn sits up from his supine position on the end of the sectional Grayson hadn’t been able to see. He looks exhausted and pale, but the wild glint in his eyes has dimmed to its usual shade of interest.

Placing the orchid on the counter, he asks, “What’s going on?”

“Gideon wants to chip us like cattle,” Luca mutters rudely, and if Grayson is surprised at the tone, none of the others are.

Obviously, it’s not the first time it’s been said today.

“You couldn’t wait for me? Seems like a family discussion, no?”

Where would Gideon get such a thing? The idea of a microchip is ludicrous; surely it’s just Gideon’s rampant paranoia.

“It just blew up ten minutes ago,” Gideon defends.

“To be fair, you’ve had them in your bag since yesterday,” Leo mutters.

Gideon casts an annoyed look at Leo, because that is not helping to diminish the squawks and groans from his mates.

Jay crosses his arms and sits on the arm of the couch. “Hear him out. Luca, we don’t jump all over each other like this, eh? We listen and then we decide as a group. We’re a team and a family.”

Grayson agrees.

Luca rarely ever goes against Gideon, but there’s no doubt he is spitting mad; scent like burnt coffee and his cheeks a fiery pink.

“Fine. Talk, but I’m not changing my mind.”

Gideon sighs before jumping in with both feet. “Lauren included these in the truck for a reason. They’re name-coded and they’re formulated for our physiology. No, don’t ask me how.” He holds up a hand. “Her methods outpace even my brain. I’m only glad they do. ”

“But why do we need them? We’re together, and that’s not going to change, no matter what my mother thinks.”

“Leo, I think that’s why she’s worried. What if we are separated…what if it’s against our will?” Gideon asks.

Luca rolls his eyes dramatically. “Oh, please. We’ve been watching too many spy shows, and now you’re just looking for drama.”

“Tell me why this is pressing your buttons,” Gideon sighs.

It’s unsettling to see Luca untangle himself from Nix and face off against his soulmate.

Grayson feels a mirrored pain from Nix under his sternum.

“You know why, Gideon. My father had me tracked; oh, not with anything as fancy as that, but I was constantly watched. Where was I going? Who was I seeing? Every damn minute of my life before I was fifteen. I swore to myself that if I ever broke free, I was going to stay that way. I choose who knows where I am. Me!” Luca shouts the last part.

“Luc, we’re trying to protect you, not restrict you,” Jay says, placating.

“Fuck you. That’s what he said, too. Before he locked me in my room for three days, so that I could remember who got to decide where I went.”

“I hate that fucker,” Rowan growls. “But, Baby, we always know where you are already. Our phones are on the security app, or you tell us. How is this different?”

Rowan is genuinely confused, but Grayson gets it.

“He’s saying that he gets to give consent every single time. It’s not something we choose for him. If he wants to turn his phone off, he can. It’s up to him.”

Grayson understands Luca’s sentiment exactly. Their family agrees to the app and all it entails, but they can rescind that at any time, as Gideon has proven over the last few months.

Luca points at Grayson. “Exactly. I choose. I’m not going to be chipped like a wayward pet that you can track at your convenience. You can’t make me.”

Grayson can’t argue with that, as the thought of something under his skin makes the wolf twitchy.

“Gid, you need to make us understand why you think this is necessary. We were on the offensive on the plane here, remember? Our quest to end him and then get on with the ‘Happily Ever After.’ Why this, why now?”

Gideon frowns and looks to Leo, then to Luca.

Grayson can’t figure out why he’s so reluctant until Gideon speaks.

“When I was six, my father put a gun in my hand. He wanted to be sure I could handle it.” He laughs bitterly. “Oh, not the gun itself, but the use of it. And you know what?”

Leo stands up in protest.

“I did.”

“Gid—”

“No, Leo, you asked for my truth, and I’m going to give it to you,” Gideon says, his voice sharp.

But it’s how his eyes go dead that causes Grayson’s stomach to drop into his toes.