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A fter checking the security cameras on Eden’s property, Lucian set his phone on the table and resumed chewing on a piece of ginger.

Over dinner, while his pack dined on lasagna, salad, garlic rolls, and soup, Tak shared Lucian’s personal business.

Not only the conditions of his release but also his confrontation with Henry Hightower.

To say they were shocked would be an understatement.

“You and the Councilwoman?” Mercy slapped her hands on the table. “Have I been asleep? When did all this happen?”

“And how?” Melody added. “You two are so… opposite.”

Krys chuckled darkly. “Maybe he tied her up and gave her a history lesson about the origin of marbles until she finally agreed just to make him stop.”

Atticus returned to the room and collected more dishes. “They used to make marbles out of clay long before I was born.”

Joy stood and lifted her baby from the small cradle by her chair. “It’s time for someone to eat before she gets sleepy.”

Hope pushed back her chair. “I’ll join you. If my little man doesn’t eat now, he’ll be fussy for hours. Just like his father.” Hope smiled at Tak as she collected Jasper from his arms and left with Joy.

Lakota folded his arms from across the table. “Is this what you really want, Uncle? A challenge isn’t something you take lightly.”

“I didn’t plan on killing him,” Lucian countered.

Lakota snorted. “My bad. I thought you just challenged him to the death. Guess I mistook that for a game of checkers.”

The ginger tamped down the emotional scents even better than the onion and without the unpleasant aftertaste.

Lucian set down the remaining piece and stared at his nephew.

“Suitors can challenge each other, but it doesn’t have to end in death.

The rules let it go that far, but I plan to humiliate him when he loses. ”

“And if you lose?” Robyn piped in. “We love you too much to bury you.”

That touched Lucian, and for a split second, he wished he hadn’t eaten the ginger so he could scent if others felt the same. People often said things that contradicted their true emotions.

Lucian stared at his phone. “I know the consequences. But if I die, it’ll be for someone I love.”

The real consequence wasn’t losing; his death would mean he’d failed to protect Eden. The only way she would ever be free of that man was if she cut off everyone in her life and quit her job. Only when she had no one left to care about her would she finally be able to fight him.

Archer twisted around and faced him from his chair on the right.

“You wanna know what I think? If you’re gonna love anyone, Eden makes sense.

” He turned his attention to the pack. “I’d fight a coven of Vampires for Cici.

” Then he looked across his shoulder at Lucian.

“But we’re already mated. You’re just challenging for the right to court her.

Winning doesn’t mean she’ll choose you. If Hightower doesn’t accept the challenge, it would be a dick move.

She’ll cut him loose, and you win. But what if she rejects you too?

Then what? You’re risking your life for an uncertainty. Is that enough?”

Hell yeah, it was enough. But since nobody at the table knew the full story about Hightower’s murder plot, he couldn’t counter Archer’s statement. Archer seemed to have forgotten he’d fought Cici’s ex before they were mated. He loved her and would’ve sacrificed his life to keep her safe.

It was no different for Lucian. Even if Eden remained single, at least Hightower wouldn’t have that choke hold on her.

“Yeah, it’s enough,” Lucian finally said. “Have you met Hightower? He’s a prick. She deserves better than that.”

“What are you going to do if he doesn’t accept your challenge?” Archer pressed.

“Haunt him until he does.”

Catcher trotted into the room and stood beside Robyn until she offered him a cherry tomato, the only thing left on her plate. After sniffing it, he groaned and lumbered away. Catcher hated tomatoes.

“What if she accepts your proposal?” Tak laced his fingers together. “Have you thought about where you’ll live? I know she’s a tiger, and they don’t usually live together in large families.”

Lucian spun his phone around on the table. “You don’t think she’d fit in?”

Everyone raised their eyebrows as they considered how social and friendly she was.

“Where will she sleep?” Tak jerked his head toward the doorway. “On your small mattress, tucked away in a corner behind a shelf? That’s not what a mate wants.”

Lucian cleared his throat. “Eden doesn’t think it’s right that I’m sleeping in the same room as my security equipment.”

“That was your idea,” Tak pointed out.

“Maybe she’s right. If someone broke into this house, they’d have access to all my equipment. My room’s next to the bathroom, and even visitors could walk in by accident. If we built another room downstairs, I could secure everything.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Archer noted. “I’m not a fan of the security stuff upstairs. When the kids get older, they might sneak in there and accidentally break his work laptop.”

“Or worse, pull one of those large monitors onto their head,” Salem added.

Tak finished the rest of his water and sat back.

“Everyone deserves their own space, separate from their work. I like the idea of a secure room downstairs—one with limited access. Lucian’s equipment is expensive, and our cameras and information should be protected. We can use a fingerprint scanner.”

Lucian’s lips twitched. “For my bedroom?”

Tak threw back his head and laughed. Then he wagged his finger at Lucian while getting up. “Funny man. I meant the new security room. You can think about that later. I just wanted to know if you were planning to leave the pack.”

“Did you want me to leave? I don’t want to live anywhere that she’s not welcome.”

Tak rubbed the tattooed side of his face.

“Did I say she wasn’t welcome? I only mean she might not want to live with a bunch of dogs,” he said on a laugh.

Tak went back to his serious tone. “I’m your Packmaster, so I have to approve anyone coming into this home.

Eden doesn’t need to earn my respect—she already has it.

” He put his fist to his heart. “It would honor me to have her in my family. But what if she pulls you away from us? My spirit wolf is saddened to think you might leave. You’re a part of this pack.

I’m glad you’re obeying the laws, but this challenge isn’t easy on me.

You could lose your life, and there’s nothing I can do about it. ”

Lucian stared vacantly at the empty chair in front of him. “If I die, bury me somewhere on the property. And tell my family I’d do it again.” He stood and kicked in his chair before stalking out of the room.

“Hey!” Tak grabbed Lucian’s shirt and stopped him in the kitchen.

Lucian whirled around, fire in his eyes.

“We are your family.” Tak pulled him into a tight hug. “If this is what you need to do, I support you.”

“Thanks.” The tension ebbed from his muscles. “When’s the last time you washed your armpits?”

Tak rocked with laughter and shoved him back. “Is that the charm you wooed her with?”

“There’s something else you need to know.”

Tak crossed his thick arms.

“She lives with her father. I’m a planner, and that means thinking about a scenario where she becomes my mate. They’re a package deal. He’s old, and she takes care of him.”

Tak shrugged. “There’s plenty of room.”

“You don’t need to meet him? You said a minute ago that everyone has to meet your approval.”

“Let’s take one day at a time. My people care for their elders, and I respect that she’s taken on that responsibility. What harm could a feeble old man do?”

Lucian snorted. “He’s like you. Makes a lot of jokes.”

“Sounds like we’d get along.”

Laughter overlapped from the dining room as the conversation shifted to chickens and livestock.

Tak placed a hand on Lucian’s chest. “You have a warrior’s heart. You fight for what matters.” He lowered his arm but held his attention, his dark eyes assessing Lucian as if he understood everything. “I hope you win her respect and love. I hope she deserves you.”

Lucian traversed the dark woods like a shadow escaping the rising sun. Although rain clouds cloaked the stars and moon, his impeccable night vision brought everything to life. The bluebonnets weren’t as vibrant, but their dark flowers moved like tides in the field he crossed.

Though Chitahs could run at blinding speed, he was careful on the rocky terrain.

When the trees became clustered, he took to the branches and moved effortlessly through them.

It was as if an awakening was happening inside him, and he was inviting his emotions to rule him for the first time—emotions he had always suppressed now guided him like a compass.

When he reached Hightower’s property, he selected a tree across from the front door and perched on a low branch. Lucian swung his legs while he caught his breath, his heart pounding in his chest like a hammer.

As he stared at the shiny door knocker, his thoughts lingered on the previous night. Not his confrontation with Hightower but his passionate night with Eden.

After tying him up, Eden teased him until his dick was throbbing. Once he had suffered enough, she almost broke the bed while they chased their orgasm. He still had rope marks on his wrists from their sexual games.

Squeezing a branch overhead, Lucian recalled how readily her tiger had accepted him the moment he looked into its fiery-orange eyes.

He remembered the luxurious feel of her soft fur and the crushing weight of her enormously strong body.

An animal that size could easily take down five men.

Lucian had never thought he could feel this connected to anyone who wasn’t a Chitah.

Her tiger called to the inner animal that operated inside him—the one that lived on instinct alone.