Page 6 of Their Mate

Lila shook her head, sliding onto the log beside me, close enough that her thigh pressed against mine. “Resting your eyes. I’ve heard that one before.”

She grinned, and for a second, everything felt like it had finally fallen into place. Aidan and me, Kait and Lila, this unexpected, complicated, perfect thing we had built between the four of us. It shouldn’t have worked; a born shifter and a human man, along with another wolf female and a human woman, bound together like a family, loving fiercely against all the odds.

Yet, somehow, it did.

Kait laughed again, breaking through my thoughts. “Declan! You should see Aidan’s face right now. He’s blushing.”

I chuckled, casting an amused glance over my shoulder. “Well, now I’ve got to know.”

Aidan rolled his eyes, nudging Kait gently. “Behave yourself.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she teased, eyes sparkling.

I leaned into Lila, her warmth pressing against my side, comforting and familiar. I’d never expected to find happiness out here in the wild, never thought I’d know anything beyond smuggling alcohol and cigars back and forth, living from one day to the next. But these three—they changed everything. They brought meaning. They gave me something worth holding onto.

“Sometimes,” Lila murmured, resting her head on my shoulder, her voice soft and content, “I still can’t believe we’ve found this. Us. Out here.”

I turned my head slightly, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple. “Well, believe it, love. You’ve got us, for better or worse.”

Aidan glanced up, smiling faintly at our words. “You two getting sentimental over there or what?”

“Maybe just a bit,” I shot back, grinning. “Jealous?”

Aidan snorted. “Not in the slightest. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“Good,” Kait whispered, leaning up to kiss him lightly. “Because you’re stuck with us.”

The laughter that followed filled the clearing with warmth, echoed softly by the crackling fire. The moment stretched out, golden and comfortable, the kind you wished would never end.

But it did.

Aidan’s head snapped up, his entire body tense, suddenly alert. He sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing in sharp focus.

“What is it?” I asked softly, dread already pooling in my chest at his expression.

“Quiet,” he whispered, standing slowly. His eyes flashed yellow, his wolf rising close beneath the surface. Kait stood too, her posture matching his, her eyes locked onto the darkness that surrounded us.

Then came the howl.

It split the silence, echoing through the forest and sending a shiver of raw fear down my spine. Aidan cursed under his breath, reaching back to grab Kait’s hand and pulling her behind him instinctively.

“Feral pack,” he whispered, his voice quiet. “Close. Very close.”

I stood quickly, adrenaline surging through me as I glanced at Lila. “Get behind me.”

She didn’t argue, eyes wide as she moved swiftly to my side. Kait and Aidan flanked us, their bodies shifting slightly, muscles tense and ready.

The darkness shifted, shapes moving just beyond the firelight’s reach. Yellow eyes flickered, one pair, then two, then five. Then more than seven.

Too many. There were too many.

Aidan’s voice was a low growl, filled with urgency. “Stay close. Stay together. Whatever happens?—”

His words were cut short as the ferals charged us.

They surged into the clearing like a tide, their eyes wild, slavering jaws open wide, fury radiating from every snarling face. Aidan shifted instantly, his wolf lunging forward to meet the first attacker. Kait shifted beside him, her form sleek and fast, teeth bared as she leaped into the fray.

“Don’t you dare move from behind me,” I shouted to Lila, gripping my knife tightly, heart hammering as I braced myself for a fight.