TEDDY POV - The morning sun barely peeked over the horizon when I started directing the warriors to move the omega kids into the pack house. The warriors grumbled as they packed their belongings and made space for the children."Lars, take those mattresses to the east wing," I ordered, pointing to a stack of bedding.Lars muttered under his breath but complied. As he walked past, I caught a few words of his grumbling. "C'est ridicule" (This is ridiculous)."Quoi?" (What?) I snapped, turning to face him. "You got something to say, Lars?"He stopped, turning to face me. "Yeah, I do. We shouldn't have to move for a bunch of weak kids. This is our space."I stepped closer, trying to keep my temper in check. "These kids need stability and safety. You'll still have a place to stay. We're just making room for them."Another warrior chimed in, his expression dripping with sarcasm. "So we're babysitters now?""Non, nous sommes une famille" (No, we are a family), I retorted. "Families take care
I was busy helping the omega kids settle into the new wing we had set up for them. The excitement of the past few days had given way to a quieter, more focused energy as we worked on making this new space feel like home. It was becoming pretty clear that the idea of home was new to them. Most never had a bed or their own toothbrush before. I figured that out when I had to show a group how to use one after seeing a little girl trying to brush her hair with it. The more I discovered, the sadder it made me. Sad and totally pissed off that they were just dismissing kids like this. As I moved from room to room, helping with beds and organizing belongings, I noticed something just as troubling. Most of the kids couldn't read, and many only spoke broken French, if they spoke it at all. Several knew enough English to make their needs known but little else. I realized why Teddy spoke French as much as he did and had so easily taught it to me. He was doing the same with the omega
Teddy was turning 25 today, and I wanted everything to be perfect.I had sent the Omegas out to pick up a special gift for him: a custom left-handed crossbow with a fishing setup. He had been eyeing it for a while, so I knew he would love it. Plus, I wanted to see him shoot a Gar with it like in the 500 videos he'd forced me to watch online with him. I focused on Teddy's birthday instead of the bonding ceremony later tonight. The thought of the ceremony made me incredibly nervous, so I did everything I could to avoid thinking about it. Teddy seemed to be doing the same.We had agreed not to kiss or touch all day for some stupid reason, so we were also all but avoiding one another to live up to the promise. It felt incredibly foolish now. Today of all days, I needed him. I needed to feel that tiny inkling of the mate bond I managed to feel when I was touching his mark. That was the only thing that got me to this point. Teddy was always so focused on controlling the buildup to th
TEDDY POV Sitting at the head of the table and being fed like a king was a new experience. I was always the one cooking and taking care of everyone. Cassy insisted I not do any of that today, so here I was. We couldn't touch each other, having agreed to wait until after I marked her. I wanted her beside herself, and knowing her, it wouldn't take much. So, because she couldn't touch me, she was literally feeding me spoonfuls of the cake."Here, mon amour (my love), try this," she said, holding a spoonful of cake up to my mouth.I opened my mouth and winked at her. "C’est délicieux (It's delicious)," I mumbled around the mouthful. She smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked out over our pack. I could see the excitement and nervousness all over her face.The pack was around us. They sang "Joyeux anniversaire (Happy birthday)" in broken French, their laughter blending with the song. It was a mess, but it was heartfelt, and I loved every second of it. They had even decorated the pack
We stood on the docks, panting. The moon glowed silver over everything, making the moment feel almost surreal. I could feel Leila literally all around us. She approved. Of course, she did. She gave him to me, so of course she approved. Plus, I'd made it past my eighteen birthday. That was the only thing we were really waiting for here. I'd asked to see her many times to confirm we weren't doing something wrong, but she had yet to appear or speak. Instead, I just felt it. I felt how right this really was. My neck throbbed where Teddy had marked me as blood seeped from the fresh bite. He had really bared down. I could feel how much he held back even then. Together, we pressed our entwined hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.We just stood there panting. I wasn't sure what to say. "Il saigne encore (It's still bleeding)," he said softly."I know," I replied, looking up at the moon. "It'll take a few days to heal completely. It's not a full moon, so it won't sto
He leaned down on his elbow, wrapping his fingers in my hair as I slowly guided him inside me. He thrust his hips as I released him. I allowed my fingernails to drag against his lower stomach as I pulled my hand away. A guttural growl filled the small room as his entire body tensed up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held him still as the bond snapped into place with a force that surprised us both. It was so intense, a potent combination of pleasure and a little pain, but I welcomed it. I had wanted to feel him inside me for so long now. To feel his muscles trembling against mine. "Don't stop," I moaned. He started rolling his hips slowly. He really didn't have much idea what to do. I grabbed his hips and began guiding his movements. It was half to help him loosen up and half so I could keep touching the perfect muscles on his lower stomach as they flexed and moved. I started tracing my thumbs up and down the lines as he found a better rhythm. I could feel the emb
(TEDDY POV) We were in one another's arms in my old bed in the beta house. The one Phin would eventually take over if he ever calmed down. I was relieved Cassy decided not to let him out tonight because I sensed he would have done something to mess this up. He was jealous as hell that I was steps ahead of him. At the end of the day, he was acting out because he was envious that he had been trying everything to find his mate while mine walked into my life, saved my life, and then took over his life when he couldn't hack it.Tonight had been perfect. Absolutely perfect.Cassy leaned up and kissed my cheek."Happy birthday, Teddy. Now I understand why you said you wanted me for your birthday."I chuckled, feeling a new warmth spread through me. She didn't seem to mind or even dwell on the fact that I had essentially just admitted my virginity. I loved feeling her like this now.I couldn't help but think about how odd my situation was. In a pack where everyone was so free with their de
Sitting on the porch of the pack house, I watched Teddy grilling alligator gar on the old bathtub grill he had converted and welded himself in high school. He'd killed the fish on our first outing with the fishing rig crossbow without ever having used one before. Then he cleaned it. Now, he was cooking it for the pack as they all danced around him happily. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He moved with such confidence, so in tune with this world. His tattoos were mesmerizing, tribal designs snaking around his torso, ancient script down his flank. Each time he used his shirt to wipe his face, holding it in his teeth for a moment after, my mark tingled. I knew he was teasing me and could feel it through our bond. I loved it. I loved him. He was just so perfect. Sure, he was a virgin before we finally completed the bond, but I was fine with that. His lack of experience made him want to learn to please me perfectly. He loved that he would never focus on anyone else's pleasure but min