I groaned softly, leaning my head back against the couch as she pressed her lips to my skin. I gripped her hips, torn between holding her still and letting her move however she wanted. She kissed my collarbone and slipped the last button free. She pushed my shirt open, exposing my chest, and trailed her lips lower, following the path she had started with her hands.She kept stroking me, her touch growing firmer and more purposeful. I moved my hips involuntarily, trying to match the rhythm she was setting. When she reached the waistband of my pants, she paused and glanced up, teasing me with a look that made my breath catch."You okay up there?" she asked, the playful lilt unmistakable."I'm not going to survive this," I muttered, letting out a laugh that felt more like surrender.She undid my pants effortlessly, freeing me from the unbearable restraint. She wrapped her hand around me, her grip unrelenting as she stroked skin against skin this time. The intensity of the sensation left
CAST - Inch by inch, I sank into her, her body stretching to accommodate me. The sight alone was enough to drive me wild...watching the way she took me, how her body trembled as I pushed deeper."Kat," I groaned, my voice barely more than a growl. "You feel...incredible."She leaned back slightly, her movement forcing me even deeper, and I let out a guttural sound, gripping her hips tighter. She turned her head, her lips finding mine briefly before whispering, "Then don't stop."So, I didn't. I growled softly, my hands gripping her hips as I kept moving. Every inch of her seemed designed to drive me mad. The way she tightened around me and drew me deeper. I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste blood, forcing myself to keep my pace slow.As long as I watched, I could control it. My eyes locked on the way I disappeared into her, inch by inch, then reappeared as I pulled back. The rhythm hypnotized me, and I clung to it like a lifeline, letting it maintain my control. But the moment
LILA -After I hung up with Cast, I stayed frozen on the edge of the bed, the phone still clutched in my hand. I kept staring at his contact photo as if holding onto that last sliver of connection to him would change anything. He was staying the night with Kat. I knew what that meant. I wasn't naive. I filled in the gaps easily, too easily, and each detail broke me a little more.I fought the tears threatening to spill over, but they came anyway.I loved him. I loved him so much it felt like a part of me was being carved out, leaving behind an emptiness I didn't know how to fill. But I couldn't keep him tethered to me when he needed this. Needed someone who wasn't wrapped up in the tangled mess of my own life. He deserved to move forward, to find his own happiness. I had to let him go, even if it felt like it was breaking me in the process.I slipped back under the covers, pressing against Linc's back. His steady breathing comforted me, pulling me out of the spiraling thoughts in my
LINC -Lila was on top of me, her head tucked beneath my chin, her body rising and falling gently with each breath. She'd fallen asleep in my arms hours ago after we'd spent most of the night just kissing. I didn't dare move her. She needed this. Needed the connection, the steadiness of feeling something solid while the foundation of what we'd built shifted yet again. Kissing her had been the only way to keep her from crying, from letting her thoughts spiral into places she didn't need to go.I knew this would be hard for her. I'd expected her to need me like this when Cast finally stepped up and started finding his way. What I hadn't anticipated was recovering from this damn illness while everything else unraveled. Still, the sickness brought Kat to our door, so I couldn't be too bitter about it.Morning came, and Lila shifted, sliding off me and settling onto the bed beside me. I sat up, leaning back against the headboard as she stretched and got up. She walked across the room, gra
CAST -I woke up to the sound of drawers opening and closing softly. Kat stood across the room, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she finished getting ready. Her scrubs clung to her in all the right ways, and I couldn't help the lazy grin spreading across my face as I watched her. She caught my eye in the mirror and turned, hands on her hips. "Are you planning to sleep all day, or are you going to get up? I've got an early shift, Alpha." I stretched, letting the sheets fall away as I propped myself on one elbow. "I'm up. Barely." "Prove it," she teased, leaning down to kiss me. Before I could respond, she bit my bottom lip playfully, pulling back with a smirk. "I had fun last night. I'm happy you came." "Me too," I murmured, leaning back against the headboard. "So, when can I see you again?" She tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Hmm, tonight maybe? How about somewhere that isn't your packhouse? You know, the one with your exes and their mates?" I snorted. "Fair enough
LINC -I could have handled the case over the phone. Luca would have been more than capable of dealing with most of the preliminary nonsense if I had pushed him a little harder. But getting Lila out of the packhouse for a few days felt far more important than babysitting a junior associate. She needed a break from everything, and I wouldn't leave her there to spiral while Cast figured things out with Kat. I'd seen the way Lila was Just barely holding herself together. Getting away was the least I could do for her.Packing didn't take long. I threw together what I needed for three or four days. Lila was in the room, packing her things silently, while I stepped out to handle last-minute details with the omegas. Declan was staying with Wad until Cast took back over tonight. Selena had also agreed to oversee the packhouse while we were gone. I knew she could handle it, even if she acted like it was a burden.When it was finally time to leave, Lila held Declan close, whispering something
LILA -The first few hours in New Orleans passed with me lying across the hotel bed, my phone in hand as I texted Cast. The suite was beautiful, but I barely noticed it. Cast was bursting with excitement, sending me message after message about Kat and everything they'd talked about. He bounced between giddy enthusiasm and nervous overthinking. One minute, he talked about how he couldn't believe how easy it felt to be with her, and the next, he worried that we were drifting apart.I texted him back quickly. "Stop overthinking it and just run with it. I want to know the details, even if they hurt a little. I'm still interested in your life, Cast. That's not going to change."He took a minute to respond. "It feels like I'm talking to my best friend about it, but then I remember you're also my ex-mate. It's weird. I'm so happy, but I feel bad too. Like I'm hurting you just by sharing this."I smiled at the screen. "Best friend? I like the sound of that. It's cute. Kind of childish, though
CAST - I texted Kat as soon as I realized there was no way I'd make it to her place tonight. Linc and Lila had just left, and Declan was all mine for the next few days. Her reply came back almost immediately. "Cold feet already? At least you texted. Most guys would've just ghosted me."I laughed and responded. "Not cold feet. Linc had to go out of town, so I've got Declan full-time for a bit."She replied with a shrug emoji and added, "Sounds like you're busy. Another time?" I paused before typing. "How about tonight? At my place? Declan's asleep early, and Selena rarely comes out since she and Jaed are practically glued together these days."There was a longer pause before she answered. "You're inviting me to the packhouse? Bold move, wolf. Sure. I'll bring coffee. I just finished a 15-hour shift, so I'll need it."I smiled as I tossed my phone onto the couch.I thought about telling Lila earlier, but I'd already shared so much with her about Kat. She hadn't seemed phased when I'd
Ian didn't wait for my answer. He turned, moving fast toward the packhouse, Suki limp in his arms. I stood there for half a second, torn between Gaia and Suki. One was my mate. One I shouldn't care about. One had nearly killed the other. But standing there, body wrecked, blood still thick in the air, I didn't feel like running after Gaia. Not this time. I turned and ran after Ian. The packhouse was already chaotic when we got there. Someone must have smelled the blood. Ian pushed through the doors, heading straight to the medbay. I stayed on his heels, breath still too ragged, my ribs screaming with every step. Mom and the pack healer were already waiting. Ian laid Suki down carefully, stepping back as Mom pressed a hand to her forehead. "Her breathing is steady. She'll be fine." I didn't move. Couldn't. Suki looked too pale. The blood stood out too harshly against her skin. I forced my body to stay still even though every muscle screamed to pace. "She's healing fast," the he
Gaia lunged at him. Ian didn't move. He braced himself, standing firm as her massive form slammed into him. The force of it sent a shockwave through the ground. He held his position, absorbing the impact, pushing her back with raw strength alone. His white fur bristled. Gaia struck again, snapping at his throat, but he dodged, twisting at the last second to drive her off balance. She hit the dirt hard, paws digging into the earth as she pushed herself back up in an instant. Her entire body shook, not from exhaustion but from pure, unchecked aggression. Ian snarled, lowering his stance, but he didn't strike back. He didn't need to. He was blocking her, stopping her, keeping her from finishing what she had started. Something shifted in Gaia. Her breaths came hard, her body still wound too tight, but the moment stretched longer, stretched too long. Then, finally, she stopped. Ian didn't move, waiting, making sure she was really done. I didn't wait. The second she hesitated, I forced
DECLAN -The trees blurred past as Gaia ran, powerful and sure beneath me. I gripped her fur tighter, not because I was afraid but because I had never felt anything like this. The wind cut sharp against my skin, my pulse pounded in my ears, and my body moved in sync with hers like we were built for this. Everything in me buzzed with adrenaline, with the rush of speed, the sheer force of her muscles coiling and flexing beneath me. Then I saw it. A shadow slipped between the trees, fast and silent, keeping pace with us. Suki. Not now. Not like this. I silently begged her to stay back, to leave this moment alone, to not push this any further than it had already gone. But she didn't. Her wolf stayed just on the edges of my vision, always there, always lingering, never letting me forget what was still tangled inside me. The pull. The connection that refused to break, no matter how much I willed it to disappear. Then Gaia saw her. Her muscles coiled. A ripple of tension passed through
DECLAN -I made it back to the house just as Gaia came tearing out the front door, furious. She was barely holding herself together. The second she saw me, she yanked her shirt over her head. My brain barely caught up. I froze as every muscle in my body seemed to ripple at once. I was still reeling from being near Suki. From the way she looked at me. From the way my body reacted even when my mind told me I belonged to Gaia. The confusion pulled me in opposite directions, turning every second into a battle. And now Gaia was storming toward me, tearing off her clothes, taking up every bit of space in my mind. "Damn, Gaia." I snapped my head to the side, forcing myself to look anywhere but at her. She stalked closer, bare feet kicking up dust. I frowned. Why the hell were her shoes off? She had stormed out of the house so fast that she hadn't even thought to put them on. That wasn't like her. She grabbed my chin and jerked my head forward. "We... werr 'dults. We... need to stop act
DECLAN - Suki stretched out on the rock beside me, legs extended, fingers tapping idly against the stone. She wasn't in a rush, and that only made everything worse for me."Why are you upset?"I stared at the dirt, exhaling hard. "You don't want to know.""Please. You rejected me. Nothing else you say can be worse than that."That shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. My hands tightened against my knees, but I kept my voice even. "Yeah... Sorry for that too."She shrugged like it didn't matter. "You did what you had to do. That doesn't mean I can't tease you about it."She smiled, not mean, not teasing, but something about it still made it impossible to ignore. I didn't push. Couldn't. Not right now.Some of the pressure in my shoulders eased. "You're handling it better than I thought.""What, did you expect me to run off crying?" She kicked a loose rock down the slope. "I don't do the whole helpless thing."I huffed. "I know. Takes a lot of strength to live out here on purpose all t
DECLAN - Mom knocked once before stepping inside, moving like she expected this to be a fight. Maybe she did. Maybe it was."Your dads worked out a deal with Jaed."I stayed where I was, back against the headboard, arms locked around Gaia. Keeping her here. Keeping her mine. "Doesn't matter. Nothing is changing."She did her best to ignore my attitude. "Gaia can still stay until her birthday."I scoffed. "You heard what I said. She was staying regardless of all the bullshit."Gaia sat up fast, then shoved off the bed completely. "Don't talk to your mother like that."Heat crawled up my spine fast. A burn that made my stomach wrench. Being called out pissed me off. Being called out by someone below me? Made my teeth ache.And I hated that I felt like that.Mom just watched, waiting. No reaction, no expression, no wasted effort. My breath felt thicker, slower, body bracing for something I wasn't even sure of. I forced my attention back to her instead of the fire sparking hot under my s
DECLAN - Jaed turned on his heel and stormed out, steps heavy enough to shake the floor. The door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame. Gaia moved fast, pushing out of the room after him without looking back. My body still burned, everything wound so tight I thought I might snap in half. There was no way in hell I was walking out there right now, not like this. I sat on the edge of the bed, planted my feet, and dragged both hands through my hair before forcing them down. If I kept doing that, it would only make everything worse. I needed to get it together. I needed to think about something else. Anything else. My breathing was too hard, too uneven. My pulse pounded in my ears. My entire body ached, my skin too hot, my blood thick and heavy. Every inch of me still screamed for her, for more, for everything I had been seconds away from having. I stared at the ceiling and tried to focus. No good. Every thought ran straight back to her. To the way she had felt pressed against m
DECLAN - By the end of the lesson, most of them had the alphabet down. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. More than that, it was proof that this was happening. That Gaia was becoming part of us, not just some outsider with no way to connect.As the room emptied out, I felt her before she even touched me. Gaia slid her arms around my waist from behind, pressing herself against my back."You're incredible," she signed against my chest, looking up at me.I swallowed. Hard. "Come on," I muttered, taking her hand and pulling her toward my room.The second the door shut behind us, she was on me. She dragged me down to meet her lips. I didn't hesitate. I kissed her hard, ignoring the dull ache still lingering in my ribs. My shoulder moved without protest, and most of the cuts had already faded into thin scars. I knew I should still be careful, but touching her made everything else disappear. The soreness, the exhaustion, the remnants of pain all vanished the second she was in my arms.S
I found Cast and Linc in the office, going over some pack reports. Linc leaned back in his chair while Cast was half-standing, flipping through pages with a scowl. They barely looked up when I walked in, but I didn't care. I had something to say, and they were going to listen."We're starting ASL classes," I said, crossing my arms. "Everyone is required to attend. That includes both of you."Linc's brow lifted slightly, and Cast set the papers down with an exasperated sigh. "You're giving us orders now?" Cast asked, folding his arms over his chest."Yes."They exchanged a look. Linc sighed first. "Declan, you don't get to just..."I cut him off. "I do. And I am. This should've happened the second we knew Gaia was deaf. Jaed made sure every single person in his pack knew how to communicate with her before they moved there. But here? We're still scribbling on notepads like it's the Dark Ages."Linc's jaw tightened. Cast clenched his teeth, looking more annoyed than guilty. But I wasn't