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Jax

I hadn’t gone home for the night, and the reason why was downright embarrassing.

The office smelled more like Dakota. He’d been there most recently, and I was—I was waiting.

For what? I didn’t know, but the wolf said we had to wait. Couldn’t go home. Absolutely couldn’t relax.

So I was looking through the contracts our lawyers had written up for Prudence. At first, they’d offered compensation for any compromised intellectual property as a result of this merger, but I didn’t think Prudence cared most about that.

She cared about magic. Her family’s magic.

And she cared about the way it was made available to the public, and keeping hold of the reins.

So we were going to do both. Assurances and compensation, which meant putting a hell of a lot on the line to get this deal through with Igarashi.

Shoring up our agreement with them would be more important than ever.

I was starting to go cross-eyed when my phone buzzed on my desk.

Where are you? Dakota texted.

Still at the office. I sent back.

Given that he didn’t respond in the millisecond afterward, I texted again.

Are you okay?

I can come get you .

I watched, jaw clenched, as the dots showed up. He was typing, then they’d disappear, and it felt like all the air had left the room.

It happened a few more times before I got a response.

No. I’ll come there.

Waiting for him to show up was the worst thing in the world. If he were pack, I’d be able to feel him. Find him.

Hell, most of the pack shared their location with me and each other. We didn’t have secrets. Having a sense of smell that let you know what everybody felt and got up to made shame pretty redundant.

But Dakota? I just had to wait for him, pacing by my desk, loosening the top button of my shirt because it was choking me.

I hated it. Felt so damned impotent.

And finally, after ten thousand hours, he was there in my office doorway.

I took a deep breath, instinctually.

He was sad—so fucking sad.

On cue, he took inhaled too. It jumped, like his chest was too tight to allow for any air.

A second later, I had my arm around his hips, my other hand on his cheek. It was chilled.

Dazed, he blinked up at me, and a trembling smile turned up his lips. “Hey.”

“What happened?” I demanded, stroking his cheek like I could coax heat back into him.

His eyelids fluttered and he shook his head. “Nothing. Or, well, Donnie?—”

I bit down a growl, but I hadn’t done that good a job of it. Dakota frowned up at me.

I took a deep, slow breath. I didn’t need to be throwing out anger when he was clearly hurting. “What did he do?”

For a moment, Dakota just chewed his lip. He shrugged his shoulders while he avoided my eyes. “I think he’s been... I don’t know... watching me? Or something. He wouldn’t say for who, but I know he’s been lying.”

I tightened my arm. I wanted to draw him in, hold him close, but his whole body had gone firm, and I wasn’t going to force him. I just kept my thumb moving on his cheek. He didn’t seem to mind that.

Once he started talking, it all tumbled out of him. “I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. I mean, who actually sticks around? Not my bio parents. Not my adopted parents—not really. It’s been almost five years, with Donnie, you know? That’s a long time. I didn’t think—I didn’t think—” His next breath was a gasp, edging toward panic.

“I will,” I blurted out.

Dakota flinched, scowling up at me.

“Will what?”

“Stick around.”

His expression only got more pinched, but I pushed ahead before he could open his mouth and tell me what an impossible idiot I was being.

That was for Jillian to do. Later.

“I will,” I reaffirmed. “I’ll be here for you, with you, as long as you let me. I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”

His teeth dimpled his bottom lip, and something swam in his eyes—I didn’t know if it was need or sadness.

He might say no. I couldn’t let him.

“I don’t care if I never take a proper mate, Dakota. I don’t . I want you.” And he wanted me. I knew it from the way he leaned into me, the way his breathing steadied in my arms. “Dogs are nothing if not loyal, right?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes, and my heart skipped to see the corner of his lip twitch upward. “Don’t say it like that,” he whispered, hoarse and thick. “Don’t ever say it that way.”

Deflating, his shoulders slumped down and he tipped forward, falling into me. His face pressed into my chest, and now that he was close, I hugged him against me, both arms wrapped tight around him.

“You are though,” he mumbled. “Loyal, I mean. Not a—” He went quiet, and I laughed softly, brushing my fingers through his hair.

“I know what you meant.” I leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “What can I do?”

It took him a few second to lift his head. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

“Tonight,” I agreed instantly. “As long as you need.”

“Just until I find?—”

I squeezed his hand hard. “As long as you need. If you need space, my house is plenty big for that.” It was big enough to host the pack. Dakota could take his pick of bedrooms. Even just having him there, hearing his footsteps through the walls—a shiver ran down my spine.

I wanted that so fucking much.

His cheeks turned pink, and before he could respond, the elevator doors opened across the hall.

Scowling, Dakota turned in my arms to look across the reception area outside my office.

Igarashi Jiro was there. He was smiling.

“I’m sorry,” I said, stepping back from Dakota. I left my hand on his arm—no sense hiding what he was to me if we were going to move forward—but I didn’t need to cover him with my whole body in front of a work colleague, even if I wanted to. I didn’t know what Igarashi had to do with this mess with Donnie yet, but we’d damn well discuss it later, when Dakota wasn’t on the edge of tears and in need of a respite. “I haven’t had a chance to finalize terms with Ms. McCallan?—”

Igarashi wasn’t even looking my way. His dark brown eyes were locked on Dakota, and his smile was sharp.

“I’m actually here for him—my little. Lost. Cousin.”

And the bottom dropped out as a strange, crisp emptiness dragged the air from my lungs and forced me to my knees.