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Avery wrapped her legs around my waist, heels digging into my ass. We rocked together, the only sounds our moaning, our panting, and the erotic sound of skin meeting skin. Our lips came together in a hungry kiss. I pulled out almost completely, then thrust into her again with wild abandon.

I’d never wanted something so much. I wished we could actually become one body. With each thrust, my own orgasm drew near.

“I love you,” I mumbled between kisses.

“I love you,” she answered, digging her nails into my back.

I plunged into her soft warmth, each stroke faster and harder. My body tensed as the first tendrils of pleasure inched outward, spreading from my cock down to my balls and into my stomach, the point of no return rapidly approaching.

Avery moaned as another orgasm crashed through her. I tilted her chin to meet her eyes.

“Look at me,” I gasped. “I want to look into your eyes when I come.”

Face flushed, she stared into my eyes. I slammed into her, and as pleasure exploded through me, I gasped, nearly choking at the power of it.

“Fuck. Oh, fuck.” I gritted my teeth and rammed my cock into her over and over until I was spent. Collapsing onto her, I sucked in great, heaving gulps of air as she ran her fingers lovingly across my back.

“Holy fuck, that was good,” I grunted, my lips muffled by the skin of her shoulder.

“Uh-huh,” she agreed, still breathing heavily.

T he next evening, after over twenty-four hours of no news and no success in hacking Kyle’s phone, Langston and Porter returned from the safe house. They looked road-weary but otherwise ready to go.

“I need a damn drink. Preferably whiskey,” Porter said as he tossed his backpack on the floor.

I grinned. “The best I can do is beer.”

“Helluva world,” Porter grumbled, “but I’ll take it.”

Handing him a bottle from the fridge, I turned to Langston. “All good?”

“Yeah. He’s safe and sound.” He noticed Avery as she came down the stairs to greet them. “How are you doing, little lady?”

“Stressed out,” she said as she stepped into the kitchen. “I was about to make the big call.”

Langston’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “Tonight?”

I’d texted him the night before that Avery had agreed to try to get Kyle to challenge me, but we’d only decided to do it an hour ago.

“Yeah,” I said, giving him a grim smile. “I figured better sooner than later.”

Langston put a hand on Avery’s shoulder. “You’ve done a great job. This should be the last time you have to talk to that asshole.”

“It will be,” I said. “I refuse to put you through this shit anymore.”

She took a deep breath and shook her hands out a few times. “It’s now or never, huh?”

“When you’re ready, no sooner,” Langston said.

Avery smiled sadly and hugged him. It made me feel like a jerk for how I’d acted before. Langston cared for Avery and Ashton nearly as much as I did, but this was familial, not sexual. He hugged her in a brotherly manner—there was nothing intimate about it.

As I watched them together, I reminded myself to ask Avery if Langston had told her who his fated mate was. I had a very good suspicion that it was Stormy, but he may have told Avery outright.

When they broke apart, Avery walked over to me, clutching her phone tightly. “How should this go?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Do I play this like the simpering woman desperate for his affection, or do I act like the damsel in distress?”

I caught Langston’s eye, and we came to an unspoken agreement. “Damsel in distress. This fucker thinks he can rescue you from me or something. Why not play into that?”

“Got it,” she said. Before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed the number Kyle had called from before and put the phone on speaker.

The woman was astounding. As the phone started ringing, she took a few deep breaths and pinched her cheeks, hard enough to make her eyes water. By the time Kyle answered, she’d worked herself up into a believable panic.

“Hello, my dear Avery. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?” Kyle said, and I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth to keep from growling. The fucker was talking to her like she was his.

“ Kyle? Oh, God, Kyle, Cole knows. He knows,” Avery said, and I could actually hear the tears in her voice as she spoke.

If I hadn’t known better, I’d have believed she was terrified. Porter, beer bottle halfway to his lips, paused and watched her with wide, surprised eyes. Zayde and Langston looked impressed as hell.

“Knows what?” Kyle asked, the silky, flirty tone shifting quickly into tense worry.

“He knows I spoke to you. Don’t ask me how, but he knows.

” Then, without missing a beat, Avery began to cry.

Honest to God tears . “Kyle, he says he knows I chose you. He said that he’ll never let me go to be with you.

He’d rather die first. He’d rather kill me than lose me.

Kyle.” A new panicked hint of desperation entered her voice.

“You’ve got to challenge him. That’s the only way.

If you kill him, then we can be together.

The pack will be yours outright, and we can live together.

Please, Kyle, you have to help me, and this is the only way. ”

“My poor girl,” Kyle said. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that piece of shit. I’ll do anything for you, but this is a very dangerous game we’re about to play. Are you sure he’ll agree to my challenge?”

Avery glanced up at me, licked her lips, and gave me a little wink before going on. “Yes. He’s full of himself. He doesn’t think anyone or anything can hurt him. I don’t think he gives a damn about Ashton, either. He pretended to want Ashton to get into my good graces. Please, Kyle. Please .”

It was a masterful performance, but even knowing it was completely fake, it made my stomach turn thinking that son of a bitch believed what she said. It was awful, but it seemed to be working.

“Don’t worry,” Kyle growled. “I’ll do what I need to. For you, and for Harbor Mills. The people there deserve an alpha they can be proud of. I’ll make the arrangements. Soon, you’ll see, I keep my word.”

“Thank you, Kyle,” Avery said in a trembling voice before ending the call. She put the phone down, wiped her eyes, then grinned at us. “Got him.”