Page 5 of Tides of Fate (Fated in the Stars #3)

“Alright. Are you ready?”

Rowan looked over at his companion, who had remained silent the whole time they’d been together, so Rowan really hadn’t expected a reply. He got what he interpreted as a smile, though, and that helped calm his nerves.

Grayson had said that if he wanted to do something for Nix, he should think about something Nix had always wanted or really liked and do that. This hadn’t been his first thought. Not really. The first thing that had come to mind was obviously getting Nix something Rowan knew he liked already, but if Rowan was honest, the last time he’d given Nix a good dicking, it had gone sideways really fast.

He resists the urge to cross his legs—only really managing because the steering wheel is in his way.

The cock in question twitches at the memory, and his wolf vehemently points out that they should have at least given Nix the option.

Shut up. We are not doing that right now.

Later, maybe—if Nix was happy with this fucking surprise—and Rowan really hopes he is, because then there might be an opportunity for some surprise fucking.

It came to him in a dream. Hokey as fuck, he knows, and it’s not like he will ever tell anyone because…nope. Not listening to that for eternity.

Grayson may get off on the romantic shit, but Rowan wouldn’t know romance if it hit him in the face. Which, to be fair, it had, that one time. Courtesy of a Grayson-original painting he hadn’t appreciated fast enough.

His efforts should be acknowledged, though, given the sheer number of times he holds his fucking tongue in this house—because it is mammoth.

Right. So, the dream.

The key to his success was stealth, and he’d charmed Gideon into loaning him his car ( read kisses all over his face and puppy dog eyes ), and Gideon had not been even a little suspicious. He’d just gazed upon Rowan’s handsome face for a few moments, awestruck, until he’d sighed and handed him the keys.

Rowan had secretly patted himself on the back when he’d dropped the subdued Gideon off in front of Quest. He’d seen his mate still standing forlornly in front of the restaurant, gazing after him in the rearview mirror—already lonely—and Rowan had stuck his arm out of the window to wave goodbye.

He’d narrowly missed that row of flower boxes, but Rowan could totally tell his mate appreciated his gesture.

See? He could be romantic.

He’d pulled into McDonald’s after that and grabbed a breakfast sandwich and hot coffee—sometimes a man just needed the elixir of life hotter than the Sun God’s balls.

While trying not to get sausage juice ( snort ) all over Gideon’s car and his phone, Rowan quickly figured out that Google was going to be useless for his search. So, he’d picked a direction and set off out of town, hoping inspiration would strike.

Out of character for sure, but he couldn’t shake the idea that he just had to drive.

With Long Road Home’s latest album blaring on Gideon’s excellent sound system, he let the caffeine finally kick in.

After leaving the city proper—and the worst traffic ever—in his rearview mirror, he’d received the texts from Gideon about Nix and Leo having gone missing without their phones. But by then, he was knee-deep, two hours away, and the only thing he could offer was a suggestion to Lojack the fucking Lexus.

They’d done it to him twice before, and it had worked perfectly. Sometimes, Rowan has to wonder how they get anything done without him .

He had heard nothing else after that, and his bonds were still sparking—but not burning—so he tried not to worry.

Much.

That’s how he ended up—six hours later—standing in their courtyard, helping their guest from the car and shouldering all the bags by himself, only a little, tiny, infinitesimally nervous about how Nix will react. He consoles himself, knowing that his mate is the nicest person ever. He’ll at least be polite.

“Okay. Ready?” He tries again.

Still, silence.

At least she’ll get along with Finn; that guy could silent-treatment somebody for a month. Rowan knows this for a fact.

The keycode beeps, and as the door swings open, he hears Jay talking in the living room. Nix’s and Grayson’s low voices answer, and then— “Hey!” —Leo’s voice cuts through the space, startling Rowan’s companion.

“Sorry,” Rowan mutters. “He’s fucking loud. Cute as fuck, though. You’ll get used to it.”

Leo sees him first. “Holy shit.”

Rowan revels in the surprise, soaking it up. It’s not the first time his mates have been in awe of his genius.

“Rowan Foster. Is that a fucking puppy in my house?”

Gideon’s tone is maybe a bit surprised. Rowan, unfazed, drops the bags and picks up the puppy—just in case Gideon has ideas about ruining Rowan’s plans.

“Duh?” He rolls his eyes.

Nix is on his feet and in Rowan’s space in three strides, so Rowan couldn’t care less.

“Oh, my baby. How are you so beautiful?” Nix croons.

Rowan is rarely referred to as beautiful—handsome, maybe? Hot? For sure. Nix’s baby voice is surprisingly stimulating to Rowan’s wolf. Clearly, Rowan has impressed his mate.

“Look at your floppy wittle ears. ”

Wait. His floppy… ears?

Damn. He means the puppy.

Only a little disappointed, Rowan rallies. “She’s for you, Nix. I’ve had her to the vet, and she’s actually really healthy. They said she might get big, though. Um…Irish Wolfhound, and maybe just plain wolf. The vet said he’s never seen anything like it.”

Frankly, the vet had clearly said: That is an ugly dog, sir.

Rowan sort of agreed. Like…really, really ugly. But they won’t be taking her back there, that’s for sure. You just don’t insult a man’s surprise dog-gift. That’s just rude.

Nix stills and looks Rowan dead in the eye. “You got her for me? She’s mine?”

When Rowan nods, Nix whispers, “For real?”

“Well, yeah. You always wanted one, right? You told me you never had a dog, and that you—mmpf—”

Nix’s mouth is pressed to his, and the puppy barks for the first time since Rowan found her on the side of the road—just sitting there like she’d been waiting for him to stop and pick her up. She’d huffed like he’d been late, then given him the silent treatment the whole way.

Rowan is no fool, despite popular opinion to the contrary, and he throws his arm around Nix’s waist, lifting him up hard against his body. He feels their closeness ignite the bond, and it surges with heat.

His other mates are still sitting on the couch, stupefied and envious of his brilliance.

Well, except for Gideon, whose arms are crossed.

And maybe Leo, who just hasn’t met a dog he liked.

The puppy barks again, and Nix breaks the kiss just as Rowan is really enjoying it, whispering, “Thank you, Ro. She’s perfect.”

Rowan has to let him go so Nix can pull the puppy from his arms, kiss its snout, and coo sweet things in her ear. Nix even rubs noses with her—and not with Rowan.

Rowan likes nose rubs.

He may have miscalculated by adding yet another lovable creature that needs Nix’s attention .

Well. Damn.

“Didn’t really think that through, did you?”

It’s Finn, sidled up beside him in that white sweater, arms crossed in that know-it-all way he has that makes Rowan want to show him who’s boss. It’s maddening that it makes him horny, and that only pisses him off more.

“What? I am not fucking jealous of the dog, Finn.”

He is.

He so is.

And he just knows he’s going to have regrets.

But seeing Nix—getting dog “kisses” and laughing, cheeks bright pink—has their bond singing. That feeling alone will keep him going for a long time.

Grayson joins them, and he’s looking a little worse for wear. “You did good, Ro.”

He puts his head on Rowan’s shoulder and rubs his nose on his shirt.

“Ew. Quit that.”

Rowan doesn’t push him off, though, because Grayson really looks unwell.

“Hey, you okay? You look real shitty for a guy who had the best night of his life. You did , right? He liked all that shit?”

The dog barks, and Nix and Luca are chasing each other and the puppy around the room in a giggling-barking frenzy.

Rowan notes that it’s only Nix doing the giggling, by the way.

They’ve got the…what do they call it? The zoomies.

Rowan is sure Luca has taught the others because this isn’t the first time Luca has parkoured off the couch, the table, and the wall at top speed.

Rowan usually finds it enjoyable because happy Luca is the best thing.

Plus, he invariably falls on his juicy ass, and Rowan is the preferred please kiss it better person.

“Was perfect,” Grayson sighs.

Finn snorts. “Leo took Nix out to his parents’ place, told no one, and left his phone here. When I got home, Jay had torn the place apart looking for him and discovered Grayson lying on the path with Broken Bond Syndrome . ”

Rowan looks to Finn to see if he’s kidding and sees his mate’s red nose and puffy eyes. He doesn’t look good at all, either.

“Whoa.”

How had things gone to shit that fast?

Rowan doesn’t blame Leo for wanting time alone with Nix.

Who doesn’t around here?

Cementing new bonds takes proximity, but there hasn’t been time for that, so they’ve all just been taking what they can get.

Rowan hasn’t been able to escape the feeling that everything’s been going to go to shit since he finished his rut.

The puppy and Luca have Nix on the floor, both taking turns licking Nix’s face while he gasps and giggles.

Rowan thinks about joining them but instead asks Grayson, “You okay?” while bumping his shoulder and turning his nose into his hair.

Grayson smells like Nix and a bit like sickness—wet basil moldering in the garden.

Rowan still remembers Luca collapsing fifteen minutes after Gideon had left for work, following their week of bonding. He had been terrified to be left holding a tiny, convulsing mate while everyone but Jay ran around like toddlers at a bubble party, trying to get Gideon to turn around before he got stuck in the worst of Nashville traffic.

Jay had made sure everyone had a job to do, and Rowan had been to keep Luca from biting his tongue clean off in a seizure.

If Grayson had been alone, who had done the same for him?

Grayson seems to still have the appendage in question because he answers, “Mmm, as soon as he was close, I felt a thousand times better. Was bad there, for a while.”

But given the bruised bags under Grayson’s perfect eyes and the pinched set of his mouth, Rowan is pretty sure he’s underplaying it.

“What about you?” Rowan shoulder-bumps Finn on the other side.

Finn jerks at another series of deep barks, then laughs. The puppy’s bark is almost the same timber as Nix’s voice. Uncanny.

“I’m great. Now that everyone’s on their feet. ”

His mate’s scent is off. Rowan may not be emotionally intelligent in the ways that Grayson or Finn are, but his nose is never wrong.

What Finn just said? That was a lie.

Finn smells like Nix’s vanilla and a bit like rotten fruit. The former is probably from the sweater, and come to think of it, Rowan can’t remember a minute Finn hasn’t been wearing it since Rowan woke from his rut.

Maybe once.

That’s weird, right?

And why is Finn so damn twitchy?

Every time the dog barks or Luca squeals, Finn jerks like the noise is too much. The red nose and puffy eyes are clear Finn-has-been-crying clues.

Something’s off.

It all feels off suddenly, and when Rowan looks around, he sees Gideon has taken up his usual hovering spot behind Jay’s chair, watching the others roughhouse with the dog. Meanwhile, Leo is trying to look cool while almost standing on the back of the couch.

But Jay—Jay looks exhausted like he’s come off forty-eight hours straight in the studio.

Only Luca and Nix look happy.

Oh, and maybe the dog—who Luca and Nix have wedged between them, kissing her face and then each other.

So fucking cute.

They’re whispering something sweet, probably about Rowan, and the dog barks again.

But despite their happiness, the general mood is off.

And Rowan is surprised he didn’t notice it right away.

“What the fuck happened today?” Rowan asks, and he certainly doesn’t mean to ask it out loud, because Rowan likes to use his super observation powers to figure shit out on his own and not look like a doofus. Or risk the intense teasing.

But he has, and now everyone is looking at him—except the dog, who has begun chewing on the toe of Jay’s sock while Gideon glares daggers at its poor, defenseless head .

Shit. Maybe it’s because Rowan had been so focused on Nix that he hadn’t thought for a single second whether anyone else might not like the dog. Oops. Nothing he can do about it now, and with Nix so happy, they wouldn’t change a thing, anyway.

In an effort to move the attention away from himself, Rowan grabs the three large bags of puppy supplies he’d purchased at the big-box pet store. He kick-shoves the biggest bag of puppy food across the floor, then pulls out a giant navy dog bed with tiny little moons and stars on it. The puppy had Goldilocks’d the entire row of beds and chosen this one to be just right.

In the second bag, he pulls out a white, bedazzled dog harness for walking and a matching leash. She hadn’t had one when he’d taken her into the store with him, and all the sales clerks had been so impressed by how obedient she’d been. She’d followed him up and down the aisles, nosing at things she liked until he’d dropped them into the basket. One time, she’d even helped herself to a bag of tennis balls. It had been so cute to watch her drag it down the aisle all by herself that he couldn’t help but get it all on video for Nix later.

The third bag holds so many dog toys Rowan had lost count—including that bag of tennis balls. He drops it in front of Luca, who digs them out one by one, a few with raised eyebrows because, yup, they are hardly different from those found in Gideon’s toy cupboard, but are definitely not person-orifice safe (it says so on the packaging. Not that he looked).

Gideon must be thinking the same thing because his “Luca, no” is a warning to Luca not to get any ideas.

It’s then that Rowan realizes no one has answered his question. No one is looking at anyone else, and his wolf raises his nose at the discord. Rowan’s wolf is always searching for a crack in the pack’s harmony.

He’s never told anyone just how bad it gets. They know his wolf drives him hard, and there’s Gideon’s theory—that it’s The Goddess’s way of ensuring Jay’s wolf is earning his place enough to keep it.

Blah, blah, blah.

But since that day in the ICU when the wolf had tried his luck—and every day since—his wolf has wanted Nix for himself. It works constantly to convince Rowan that his omega, his betas, and his alphas belong to him.

Rowan has kept him down for the most part, and Gideon’s training has served him well. But it’s a struggle every minute of every day, and it feels like it’s only getting worse.

Sure, Grayson gave good advice yesterday. Rowan can admit that. It all made sense when Grayson said Nix needs to rescue himself—so he can heal and be free of thinking he’d never have been enough.

Rowan had left the Art House feeling somewhat better after that, and while it had made sense at the time, his wolf still thinks it’s not entirely right.

Rowan hadn’t let himself think too much of it when Gideon had wrangled them into the nest for an early bedtime—which, sadly, had not included orgasms. He had fallen asleep listening to Gideon breathe on top of him and into his ear, his scent stormy and unsettled, while Finn talked about his dreams of taking care of Weres like Nix. The scent of his warm mates was safe and familiar, even if it wasn’t content.

Then today, he’d been distracted by his four-legged epiphany, the anticipation of Nix’s reaction, and maybe even the fantasy of gratitude-based sexy times.

But now, with his mates in obvious avoidance mode, Nix’s scent having faded down to a trickle, and Jay, Finn, and Grayson looking like they had just come home from a war…

Well, Rowan’s wolf thinks this is because Jay isn’t doing his job.

Their pack alpha is unsettled, unsure, and un-fucking-happy. He’s watching their omega play and laugh, but his eyes are far away, and his scent is smokey. When was the last time it had been a strong, fresh pine?

The wolf thinks maybe Rowan could make them happy—could make their scents full and sweet. It reminds him that Jay might be weakened and that there should be a changing of the guard.

It happens before Rowan can even blink because the wolf has just been biding its time.

The puppy and Nix are the first to hear him, unsurprisingly, because their ears are equally sensitive. The wolf has started a deep, rumbling growl, and Nix hands the puppy to Luca, concern and caution written on his beautiful face.

“Ro?”

The wolf doesn’t like that Nix sounds afraid—or that there is an absence of vanilla scent. It only ramps up his anxiety and anger.

When Nix is close enough, Rowan roughly pushes his omega behind himself, backing them both toward the kitchen and away from Finn and Grayson.

His two nearest mates are lovers, not fighters, and the wolf isn’t concerned about them, even though Finn mumbles, “Crap. What set him off?”

Jay has climbed to his feet with Gideon by his side, and Rowan’s wolf wants to howl with glee at the thought that he stands between them and his omega. Gideon will come around when he sees that Jay is too weak to protect them.

It hurts so much when he thinks it, but the wolf holds the pain down and bares his teeth.

“Rowan,” his pack alpha growls.

Rowan ignores the warning, keeping his eyes on the others. They’ve all stepped back, and they won’t interfere. Rowan’s wolf is glad because he doesn’t want them to get hurt in the upcoming fight.

Jay isn’t worried about it, though, given that he hasn’t taken his eyes off Rowan.

It incenses the wolf. Does he not care about their well-being? What good is a pack alpha if they let their mates be harmed? Not just today but tomorrow, too.

It’s such a good question that Rowan says it out loud.

Jay flinches—because Jay isn’t a bad guy. He’s not, but he is, maybe, just a bit too soft.

He says that out loud, too.

Leo whispers, “Oh shit,” before joining Luca and the dog behind the couch.

“What is this about, Ro?”

The wolf doesn’t like the casual way Jay says that. It’s insulting. Jay isn’t taking him seriously, and he needs Jay to listen.

Needs Jay to hear him.

“It’s about how you are forgetting who you are, Jay. You are supposed to be Pack Alpha; you are supposed to keep us safe. You are supposed to be in fucking charge. But look at them. They’re sad or scared or fucking bleeding.”

Jay seems to get broader as billows of forest fire flow across the living room in a storm of petrichor and rain.

“That’s enough, Rowan,” Gideon says.

“No, love. He’s right,” Jay says, but doesn’t back down. “I’m not perfect, and fuck, I’ve been struggling. I have been responsible for a lot of the things that aren’t going well lately, and while I do try to keep you all safe, I will not choose my happiness over the others’. I don’t fucking own you. We are a pack. A family.”

Jay steps forward and shakes off Gideon’s restraining hand. “Everyone clear out.”

There’s a chorus of denials, and the swirls of upset scents surge, making Rowan’s nose burn. An unspoken look passes between them, but in the end, Gideon herds them all out the right-wing door and up the stairs.

The wolf thinks Jay doesn’t want them to see him lose ( Rowan’s wolf is an idiot ).

“Nix. You, too, please.”

It’s then that Rowan remembers Nix is standing behind him. How could he forget Nix? Isn’t he the reason he started this thing?

“Fuck that, James.”

The wolf won’t take his red eyes off Jay long enough to look, but Nix sounds seriously pissed.

“Okay.” Jay takes another step toward Rowan. “Ro. If you want to challenge me, then do it. I am not going to give in or walk away, and I sure as fuck am not giving up. This is my pack, and while I don’t own you, I am done dealing with your wolf. You are undermining what we are trying to do, and frankly, if kicking your ass is what I need to do, I will do it.”

“Really? You never have before. ”

The muscle in Jay’s jaw ticks, and Nix gasps.

“You’re right. I haven’t because I don’t want to hold you down, Rowan. I want to lift you up.”

Lift him up? Jay can hardly hold himself up this past week, and the closer Nix gets to being on that field, the worse Jay’s confidence has gotten. And the worse he’s smelled, and the less time he’s spent with Rowan—too busy hiding from himself and the rest of them.

It’s shaken Rowan to the core when, for as long as he can remember, he has known that all is right with the world when all is right with Jay.

“You aren’t lifting Nix up. You’re letting him go off to slaughter. But look at you. You are so afraid he’s going to hate you that you’ll let him go off and die, and I can’t let you do that. So if I need to, I’ll do this…”

Nix’s hand touches the center of his back, and the wolf growls, snapping his teeth in warning.

Nix gasps and jumps back out of range. He’s not just afraid—he’s afraid of Rowan.

What? How could he threaten his omega? That’s not what he wants at all.

“Enough,” Nix begs.

“No! It’s not enough. You’re going to get hurt. Hayes is going to say horrible things and then hurt you, like Gideon did yesterday—or worse—and then you’ll be gone forever,” Rowan cries, barely getting the words out past the pain in his chest. “What am I going to do when you’re gone? Both of you! What will I do? I need you. I need you.”

It hurts. The thought of being without them fucking hurts. Hurts so bad; the wolf howls in agony. He wants Jay to make it stop.

He falls forward into Jay’s waiting arms, and Nix comes in behind, so the three of them collapse in a graceless heap on the floor. His wolf starts howling with despair at the potential loss of his mates—one to violence and the other to insurmountable grief.

Rowan-the-man just leans into his mates and breathes in a sudden flood of vanilla-scented comfort, letting his sobs erupt unfettered.

“Oh, baby. I’m sorry,” Jay whispers.

Rowan doesn’t know for what, exactly—maybe all of it .

After a few long minutes, when Rowan’s cries have settled, Nix says, “Finn told me once that the role of a Pack Alpha is to help us be the best that we can be, in whatever ways we choose. I imagined that means that, even when it’s hard, he has to be the…uh…what’s the word for the strong stand-up-thingy that holds roofs up? You know what I mean?”

Rowan huffs. How can he make Rowan smile when he’s breaking into a million pieces?

“Pillar?”

“Yes. That. A good Pack Alpha is a pillar that holds the roof up over our heads. He lets us do what we need to do, where it’s warm and dry—even if he might think it’s dangerous or scary. He makes it possible for us to be who we are, whether it’s the best of ourselves or the worst. We get to choose, not him. Does that make sense?”

He sees Nix catch Jay’s eye over Rowan’s shoulder, and they have a silent exchange that seems to speak volumes.

“No.” It does, but he doesn’t have to like it. Rowan wants Jay to be a house with a lock on the door and bars on the windows, so nothing bad can get in—not a fucking pillar.

“And I can’t get out?” Nix whispers.

Rowan realizes he’s just said that out loud too, and Nix sounds…sad . Jay tries to speak, but Nix cuts him off.

“Rowan, what you are describing is a prison. I don’t want to tell you too much about before, but I have spent far too much of my life locked away at someone else’s whims, and I will never let that happen to me again. Jamie would never do that to me because he knows it would kill me, and that makes him a good alpha.”

“No, I don’t want you to have to stay here forever. That would be crazy. Just, you know, be safe, and we could go with you everywhere to be sure that no one will hurt you or take you away…”

Getting to his feet, Nix laughs, and it’s bitter-sounding.

“Everywhere? To the store? To the park? When I walk our dog? What about when I want to go to a parent-teacher meeting for our child, Ro? Then? What about when I want to meet your mom for lunch someday? Or go to a Long Road Home concert?”

“Of course not. Maybe a few of those, but we could decide on a case-by-case basis.” Rowan is scrabbling to make his argument work. He needs Nix safe. He’s afraid he can’t live if he’s not, and he knows Jay can’t either.

And if Jay is gone, who is going to be in charge then?

Who’s going to make shit make sense for Rowan then?

“Who gets to decide, Ro? You? Jamie? Gideon? Does everyone get a vote? Do I? Do I get to vote whether I get to leave this very nice prison you’ve made?

“You know what? No, thank you. I have lived that life, and I am going to fight for every minute of the next hundred years of my life to be free.

“I want to live, Ro. I want to live out there and in here with all of you, but I am going to do it on my terms.

“I need to end Dawson Ulysses Hayes so I can be free of him.

“In here.” Nix touches the center of his forehead with a finger.

“And free of him in here.” He lays a palm over his chest.

The silence is so loud, Rowan hears the last of Nix’s words ringing in his ears.

Can he really be just like Hayes?

The thought makes him sick.

But it doesn’t matter that it’s out of love, not hate. A prison is still a prison—whether the bars are gilded with gold or forged from the coldest iron.

Nix rubs a hand over Rowan’s head and crouches down, tilting his chin up with a finger.

“I need you to be with me in this. Please. I can’t worry about you doing stupid shit while I’m trying not to wet my fucking pants on the witness stand—or the field.

“Can you do that? Can you help Jamie hold up that roof that keeps me warm and dry? Can you be a pillar for me, too?”

Rowan hears Luca whisper, I want to be a pillar , from the balcony—because of course, they all hadn’t gone far.

Can he be the support Nix needs ?

Rowan decides he can’t be like Dawson Hayes. That’s for fucking sure. Whether he can hold anything up is anyone’s guess, but he knows one thing—he can try.

“I’ll try. Sorry. I’m so sorry,” Rowan whispers.

Nix sits down again, pulling Ro close to his bond bite, whispering so low it’s barely a breath. “I know.”

They sit like that for a while, Rowan letting his breathing even out as he noses at his bond bite. Despite everything today, he hates conflict. Hates when things feel wrong between them. He’s always been the first to ask—can’t we just get along?

Rowan-the-man hates it when his alpha is pissed, especially at him .

“Sorry, Jay,” Rowan murmurs.

“I know you are.” You always are goes unsaid. “Look at me, Rowan.”

The voice is sharp—unyielding. When Rowan meets Jay’s gaze, he sees the wolf there, burning in those flashing red eyes.

“I am done, though. Do you understand?” Jay’s tone is final, as heavy as a slammed door. “You’re grown now, and if you come for this pack again, I will show you exactly why I am Pack Alpha and you are not .”

Rowan feels like it’s his turn to be worried about peeing his pants. He’ll never admit it—but it’s a near thing. Instead, he swallows hard, bares his neck, and whimpers.

Take that, you dumbass, Rowan tells his wolf.

For once, there isn’t even a grumble. Rowan has seen more than enough of Jay’s wolf today. Hopefully, forever.

“…I understand,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

There’s the scratch of dog claws on the stairs, and Rowan hopes she’s safe—those steps are slippery without carpet.

Nix opens his arms, and the puppy scrambles into his lap, licking at the three mates still sprawled on the floor. If Rowan looks up—which he absolutely will not be doing—he’s sure he’d see their other mates peering over the railing.

“What a pretty girl,” Jay coos, voice dipped in ridiculous baby-talk.

Gideon coughs from above because surely that is the lie-ing-est lie to ever leave Jay’s lips. And that’s saying something because Jay has eaten Leo’s cooking and claimed to like it.

But the thought reminds Rowan of the last thing he needs to do.

“Hey, Nix. There’s this, too.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a magenta-colored collar with a dog tag. Engraved in delicate script on the front of a silvery crescent moon is the name of their newest pack member:

Tsuki .

Japanese for moon.