Page 19

Lily

The atmosphere inside the house was somber as we walked in, hand in hand, our bond no doubt evident in our demeanor. We entered the kitchen to find the rest of Kai’s brothers gathered around the table, their expressions tense. All eyes turned toward us, the room falling into an expectant hush.

Kai’s gaze locked onto Wyatt’s. “What’s the news about Trakker?” Kai’s voice was a low, controlled rumble, revealing his tightly wound frustration.

Wyatt’s gaze was heavy as he looked at his brother, his expression carrying the weight of the news he was about to deliver. “Trakker is being held in a facility that is as secure as a fucking prison,” he said, his words heavy with a sense of defeat. “Patterson has taken every precaution to ensure that breaking in is nearly impossible. It would take an army to even attempt it.”

My heart sank at the news. I knew the torment Trakker must be enduring at the hands of Patterson. My mind filled with images of metal instruments meant to cause pain and induce fear.

As the brothers began to discuss possible strategies, I listened intently. Suddenly all their attention turned toward me. A sudden self-consciousness swept over me, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “What?” Oh, God, could they somehow sense the completed mating between me and Kai? Was our bond so obvious that it was evident to those with preternatural abilities?

Easy, my love. They are happy for us. That’s all.

I quirked a brow at Kai. We shared a mind link, but could he read my every thought so easily?

Your unease pushed me to slip inside your mind. Don’t worry, I’m not reading your every thought. He winked at me, his hand tightening around mine, his stance protective as he stepped forward. “Stop staring,” he commanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority. The warning in his golden eyes sent tendrils of heat through me as he addressed his brothers. “You’re making her uncomfortable.”

Creeg was the first to smile. “Congratulations,” he offered, his voice filled with warmth.

“Thank you,” I replied, as some of the embarrassment ebbed.

“Finally, another female around here,” Fostine chimed in. “You can help me keep these idiots in line.”

I laughed. “I’m happy to try.”

The others expressed their sentiments as well. Wyatt was the only one who didn’t speak up, and I wondered about it. I decided to ask Kai about it later.

“You okay?” Kai asked aloud, his protective stance surrounding me like a shield. I nodded in agreement, grateful for his support and the clear boundary he was establishing between his brothers and us.

“Back to the problem here. We need a blueprint of the place. And we’ll need to find out how many people he has guarding it.”

“There are cameras everywhere, Wyatt.” Miggs groaned. “The only way we’re getting in is to cut the power, and a place this big definitely has a backup generator.”

Fostine cleared her throat. “We need a list of people working for Patterson. We need someone on the inside.”

Lucian nodded. “Like Ricky,” he replied. “Good idea.”

“Miggs, think you can work some magic?” Wyatt asked, watching his brother with a gleam of hope.

“I’ll do some digging,” Miggs answered, his expression grim as he left the kitchen.

Kai tilted his head as he watched Wyatt. “We know for sure Trakker is there?”

“Put it this way,” he muttered, “if I was a crazy scientist and wanted to make sure my latest guinea pig didn’t escape, this is the place I’d pick.”

As the family meeting ended, everyone left. There wasn’t anything anyone could do until Miggs was finished with his search. I worried that the wait would drive us all mad. Creeg offered to make dinner, while Fostine headed for the workout room. Cage chose to go for a run, while Lucian shuffled off to his room. Still attempting to recover his strength after two years as Patterson’s captive, I assumed. It would be a long road for him. Yucilon or not.

When we were alone again, Kai turned to me, his eyes filled with a healthy dose of regret. “I’m sorry about all this,” he murmured, his fists clenched at his sides. “I wanted our first day as mates to go a bit differently.”

My lips curved into a small smile as I looked into his eyes, finding solace in his presence. “If I’m to be your mate then I’m all in, Kai. No half measures. Your problems are mine. Mine are yours. That’s how it’s meant to be.”

“Mine are a tad bigger than yours,” he admitted with a grin, pulling me into his arms and nuzzling the top of my head with his chin.

I settled against him. “Ha, you’re forgetting what you said about me going into heat. I’m bound to drive you mad.”

Kai winced and glanced down at me. “Yeah, see, that’s not exactly a turn-off for a Yucilon , my love.”

I decided to tease him a bit. “No?”

“No,” he swiftly replied. “Think big bad wolf, and you’re the little redhead he’s about to devour.”

My face heated to about a hundred degrees. “Oh.”

He laughed. “Damn, I can’t wait.”

In a swift and mesmerizing shift, the air around us seemed charged with an electrifying energy. Kai’s arms flexed and rippled. I was reminded of the moment outside the cabin when he’d shown me his true form and transformed into a magnificent black wolf-like creature, his size and power awe-inspiring. His fur gleamed in the moonlight, each strand shimmering with an otherworldly intensity. His eyes a brilliant golden shade, piercing and locked onto me with a passion that had shot through my very soul. The transformation had been both beautiful and primal, a display of his true nature that had left me breathless. And I wanted to witness it again. Ached to transform with him. Run alongside him through the forest, as mates were meant to do.

But what struck me the most was the hunger that radiated from him now. The bond between us was only intensified by our mating—a fierce need that was now reflected in his wild eyes. My senses were heightened, my awareness focused solely on my mate.

Every movement Kai made was deliberate, his powerful muscles flexing beneath his shirt. He exuded an aura of masculinity, as if his animal instincts were driving him even now.

Kai dripped with a raw magnetism that drew me in, my heart racing in response to his unbridled hunger. I could feel the intensity of his longing reverberating through the bond we shared. It was as if the barriers between us had dissolved, leaving only a raw and unfiltered connection.

My breath caught in my throat as his warm breath skated against my skin, his body radiating a heat that enveloped me. The sensations were overwhelming. I met his gaze, my own eyes no doubt reflecting a deep yearning that matched his. “I love you,” I breathed out, needing to say the words, needing him to hear them.

He quirked one regal brow. “Even though my animal tricked you with the claiming?”

As I looked into Kai’s golden eyes, I saw a flicker of uncertainty there, a vulnerability that tugged at my heartstrings. I could sense the weight of his doubts, the haunting shadows that lingered in the corners of his mind. Affection and understanding swelled within me, too powerful to contain any longer.

Without hesitation, I reached up and gently cupped his cheek. “Kai,” I urged, “I need you to know something. No matter what’s happened, no matter the mistakes or the misunderstandings, my feelings for you have never wavered.”

Kai searched my gaze. A feathery brush against my mind told me he was there, the thread between us as strong as ever. “If I could change it I would,” he murmured, his voice tinged with regret. “I’d explain better, help you to understand our ways.”

My thumb brushed against his cheek. “I know,” I admitted, my voice steady.

His arms tightened around me. “I’m not sure I deserve you.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to shift. I don’t know if I’ll get pregnant. All that’s certain is that we belong together.” Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I held him close, the weight of our shared emotions filling the space between us. In that moment, all doubts, all fears were swept away by the intensity of our love.

Kai’s fingers tightened around my waist, his touch sending shivers through my body. He held my gaze with an intensity that set my heart racing, a fire burning in his golden eyes that consumed everything else around us. “Lily,” he said, his husky voice filled with raw hunger, “From this world to the next, there’s no place, no existence, where my love for you won’t burn as fiercely as it does now.”

“Kai...” His promise seared clear through me, igniting a fire within that matched his. I could feel his desire, his need for me, radiating from every inch of his being. It left me breathless.

His hands traced the curves of my body, his touch left a trail of sensations that sent my senses reeling. “You’re mine,” he whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear, his breath hot and tingling against my skin. “Every part of you, body and soul, belongs to me. And I’ll protect you, cherish you, and love you with a ferocity that knows no bounds.”

My heart pounded in my chest, the heat of his words seeping into my very core. I met the desire in his gaze with my own. My fingers trailed over the contours of his chest, feeling the power that lay beneath his skin.

“I’m yours. In every way,” I breathed.

With a fierce growl, Kai claimed my lips in a kiss that was a symphony of raw animalistic need. His mouth was hot against mine, his kiss possessing a fervor that sent my senses spiraling. Our bodies pressed together, his strength enveloping me, our connection a blaze of electricity.

The world fell away and nothing else existed. Tomorrow wasn’t promised to anyone, but I would take what I could from the present, and relish every moment spent in Kai’s arms.

The End