Page 38 of Never Tamed (Bad Wolves #3)

REN

“ T oast, bitches!” Aspen holds the clear bottle of tequila high. “Because nothing says summer or fourth of July like getting drunk.”

Flora lets out a cheer. “I can drink again!” She shakes her head. “You guys have no idea how much I missed it, being pregnant.”

“Then the first pour goes out to my girl Flora for being an absolute badass and birthing those babies.” Aspen pulls off the cap.

Clear liquid flows into Flora’s empty glass.

Carrigan only shakes her head like those two are acting foolish. And if this bottle goes down as quickly as the last bottle, then we’re all about to get a little silly.

Hell, we can do with some silliness. It’s been a long time coming and to have everyone here, under a cloudless lavender and violet sky, is a miracle.

How long did I worry about my last sunset? Even before meeting a goddess, my days were numbered. Then with Andras, the Blood Moon pack…

Sitting here is a miracle. Being surrounded by my friends, my family, my mates, is the home I’ve searched for my entire life.

I snuggle closer to Carrigan, her familiar blonde curls tickling my nose and prompting a sneeze but I don’t give a shit. She’s back. We’re home. We’re all a part of this together and there is nowhere else I’d rather be.

Damn. I never thought I’d enjoy parties this much. There is something amazing about being here with everybody I care about, and seeing them happy, safe. Laughing. The two pieces of my life have come together, the before and the after my twenty-fifth birthday. Werewolves are real.

I’ve tamed four of them.

And I somehow managed to bring my two best friends from my human life with me.

It’s a damn miracle, and I shoot a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess again, the same way I do most days.

“I’d like to make a toast to my friends. To this fucking awesome lake.” Aspen is already drunk. She’s such a lightweight these days. When did things change?

The first round of fireworks blasts off behind us and paints sparklers over the still surface of the fucking awesome lake .

“To fireworks!” Aspen shouts.

Torin rolls his eyes. “The fireworks are overkill.”

His hand falls flat on my opposite shoulder, and he squeezes, the touch accompanied by a wisp of desire in my head.

Come on, I tell him. You know you love them.

Are you talking about the lightshow or your friends ? I’m iffy on both.

He’s lying, of course. He loves having everyone together like this, even though it’s taken us a bit of getting used to. Six months or so have passed in the blink of an eye. And true to tradition in the mortal world, we’ve had the grill blasting all day for a proper BBQ.

My family.

It might not be the one I started with, or even the one I might have chosen for myself, but they’re mine. I’ve managed to make something pretty great.

Flora takes a swig from the bottle before diving her hand into a bowl of chips. “Here’s to the Moonstone pack!”

Her cheer carries through her kids, Owen, and the rest of our combined people spreading out along the lakeshore. That’s who we are now. It felt fitting when Noble proposed the name change, although Dax called him a big baby for it. A pussy, were his exact words.

But the name kinda stuck.

Then we all started using it.

Carrigan pushes her hair over her shoulder, and the soft curls fall in a riot down her back. She’s got a nice flush on her cheeks from too much booze, and I have no doubt I look exactly the same.

“Girl,” she starts. “This is fifty shades of weird. I’d say someone should write a book about it but I’m not sure anyone would read it. That’s how weird.”

“And yet I notice you left your bat at home,” I add.

She blows a raspberry. “Like I have a shot in hell of going up against a couple of wolves. And you’ve got four of them. They’ll crush me if I blink at them wrong.”

“You’re not still pissed at Torin for shipping you off? I would be, but it was to keep you safe.”

“I know.” She waves her hand in the air between us. And lifts her chin to the fireworks in the sky above us. “I’ve made peace with it. Not that I like him. None of your boyfriends are worth a pinch of salt. But if they make you happy—”

She wiggles her eyebrows, and I know exactly what she means.

“It’s not like you to keep those details to yourself. You’ve always been more than happy to share the short—and long—details with your girls.”

She sounds put out that I haven’t been giving her dirty details.

“This time, it matters more.” I flash a smile. “Not to mention I’m too satisfied to feel the need to gossip.”

She stares at me, blinking, then barks out a laugh and drives her elbow into my side. “You are such a bitch! I can’t believe you.”

Aspen comes over and drops hard on the blanket in front of me. “What are we talking about?”

“Penises,” Carrigan clarifies.

Interest deepens in my head as all four mates tune in at the mention of the word. They’d been pointedly avoiding the actual conversation, trying to give me and the girls space, but at the mention of sex or anything involving dick—

Maybe your friends need a visual , Dax growls suggestively.

I hide my laugh behind a cough. Carrigan has already seen more than enough of you. She can make her own connections .

Keep your cock in your pants or I swear to God… Noble starts.

Let the girls gossip about us. The less you say, the more they’ll guess . Mathis is matter-of-fact.

He’s a few paces down the sandy shore from us and manning the grill with Flora. The omega wobbles slightly from her booze intake, but with Owen watching the kids, she deserves to let loose a little bit.

If you finish up those ribs, then maybe they’ll have something else to distract them rather than wondering about my love life. And the lack of details I’ve given them , I reply.

Torin chuckles. I appreciate the tight lips .

They won’t be tight for long when I shove my cock through them . Dax accompanies the statement with a visual in my head and my stomach warms, color dappling my neck.

“Are you okay? You’re red-faced!” Aspen says.

“I’m fine,” I insist. “It’s nothing.”

Another round of fireworks blasts into the air and lights the lake surface with rainbow colors.

“Enough of this sappy bullshit!” Dax whoops and grabs me away from the girls, swinging me over his shoulder. “Come here, Red.”

The motion drives the breath from my lungs. “What are you doing?” I ask through a laugh.

“Cooling you down. Wet t-shirt contest. I don’t fucking know.” Dax jogs to the water and splashes.

The water doesn’t immediately turn to steam when it hits my skin, which is a little surprising with how hot I’m getting. It has nothing to do with the weather and everything with the sensation in my head and crawling through my body.

Dax’s desire is like a blast from a flamethrower. It scalds down our bond and through me in no uncertain terms. He’s horny and aching.

My mates rarely agree on anything without a lengthy argument. But there is one thing they’re always ready to agree on, and that’s me. Us.

Dax told us all about Catarina—well, Gracie—after the fight with the Blood Moons.

Torin was shocked. Hell, we all were, but when we asked Dax if he wanted to go looking for her, he refused.

Catarina has been too corrupted, he said.

She isn’t his sister anymore, and if she did manage to survive that storm with her wounds and broken leg, she’d be wise to stay away.

If I see her again, I might have to break her other leg. Give her a matching set.

But that’s all in the past. There hasn’t been any signs of Catarina or another bloodthirsty, crazed alpha like Andras.

Just…peace. Like it should be.

Mathis finishes the ribs and within the hour, we’re all drunk and happily filled with food.

This time of year always used to be my favorite. I remember picnics and cookouts with the rest of the families on our block when I was young. The neighborhood kids never treated me differently because they had no clue I’d been born dead. It made a difference.

Come July 4th, I was just normal, enjoying the show like everyone else.

Tonight reminds me of that time and the kid I used to be. The weight of the last few years has finally eased, and I’m more at home now than I’ve ever felt before.

The night passes by, and when the stars outshine the fireworks, most of us find our beds. This camp is more than our hideaway, our sanctuary. The two packs coming together into one have worked tirelessly to make this our home.

With my arm through Torin’s, and Noble on my other side, they escort a wobbly me to the cabin we share. Most of the main lodge has been outfitted into a “suitable,” Torin’s word, place for the four of us to share. Dax still isn’t around all the time. He often prefers to sleep in the woods.

I’ve gone out there with him a couple times, when the rooms feel too small, or the bed too comfortable.

There’s nothing like sleeping under the stars, nestled against the strong chest of my mate.

With him, I’m safe.

With all of them, really.

“Sleepy girl with sleepy thoughts,” Noble teases.

“You wore yourself out today,” Torin agrees, bending close to kiss my temple. “Drank too much, too.”

“This is what happens when you let Aspen bring the liquor. That girl can drink herself under a bridge and still function for work in the morning.”

Torin scoffs, the sound rumbling in his chest. “I don’t like her.”

I open my mouth, intent to argue, and lose everything in a wide yawn.

“You like her.” Noble does the arguing for me. “You just don’t want anyone to know it.”

The front door is a welcoming sight.

Torin sweeps my legs out from underneath me, cradling me against his chest as he steps over the threshold.

“Showoff,” Noble mutters under his breath.

“Just want to keep her close.” Torin nuzzles me again. “You smell so fucking good.”

His desire swirls through my head. A heartbeat later, Noble’s does the same, an impossible lure. I don’t want to ignore it even though my body’s crying out for sleep.

Sleep is overrated.