I made eye contact with Jess. “Couldn’t chase me away, mister. I’m here to stay. This is where my mate is. Why would I want to be anywhere else?”
Just then, the front door swung open and Tyler walked in. I don’t know why, but I stood to face him. Things had thawed a little since he’d basically told me I wasn’t good enough for his father or this pack. My pulse skittered, fingers twisting the hem of my sweater until the fabric bit into my skin.Here it comes, I thought, bracing for the sharp edge of his words, the same disdainhe’d hurled at me weeks ago when he’d snarled about my “being human” sullying his father’s legacy. Too young, what right did I have standing beside Bronc as his Luna? Tyler’s glare had made that answer clear: none.
But this time, his boots didn’t thud with aggression as he crossed the room. His shoulders sagged, that military-rigid posture folding like armor discarded. When he met my gaze, his eyes weren’t ice anymore—they were ash after a fire, soft and spent. “Juliet,” he said my name like an apology, low and rough. “I… I was wrong.”
A tremor ran through me. Bronc stood silently by me. I felt his presence like sunlight at my back as Tyler dropped to one knee, head bowed. The gesture stole my breath. This warrior, who’d faced warlords and war zones, kneeling forme.
“You’re my father’s fated mate,” he said, voice cracking. “Fate chose you. And I—” His throat bobbed. “I disrespected our pack’s bond. OurLuna.” He looked up then, raw reverence in his stare that made heat prickle behind my eyelids. “I may not understand it all yet… but I swear on my life, I’ll stand by you now.”
The room blurred as tears spilled over. My knees buckled, but powerful hands caught me—Bronc’s steady grip on my waist, Tyler rising swiftly to hover close, like he feared I’d shatter if he touched me. The irony;hewas the one trembling now.
“Tomorrow night,” he murmured, “during your first shift… I’ll be there.” His jaw tightened, not with anger, but with resolve. “No matter what happens with your wolf coming through… you won’t face it alone.”
A sob tore loose from my chest then. Relief and gratitude tangled into something wild and keening. Bronc’s thumb brushed my nape in quiet pride. Not just for me, I realized, but for Tyler too: the soldier who’d bent instead of broken when truth demanded it.
And when Tyler pressed a fist to his heart in a pack vow, “Always,” the other men around the room who had risen when he had walked in also repeated that vow, looking directly at me, “Always.”
Chapter 18
Bronc
Iwoke before sunrise and watched Juliet sleep, her golden hair a tangled mass on her pillow. Tracing the warmth of her face with gentle fingertips, I admired her peaceful form before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Methodically, I arranged a carton of eggs, bread, and all the fixings on the counter while coffee dripped steadily into the carafe. I’d just set the iron skillet on the stove as the sound of small, bare feet pattered behind me. Juliet appeared in the doorway, her oversized shirt hanging just low enough to stir the wolf in me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against my back.
“Morning, handsome.”
“Morning, yourself,” I replied, turning to face her, feeling the heat of her against me. In one swift motion, I lifted her onto the kitchen island, her legs draping naturally around my hips.
She pulled me closer, and we shared a long, tender kiss. I tasted her lips like a man deprived. Damn, it’d been too long.
“How’s my girl feeling?” I asked, my voice rough with all the need I’d held back.
“Better than ever.” She smiled, with that fire lighting her eyes, no trace of the weakness or feverishness that had plagued her overthe last few days. Her shifter blood was coming on stronger than I’d expected.
“That’s fucking music to my ears.” I couldn’t hold back any longer, not when she was right there in front of me, looking like she was made of golden light.
Her shirt came off in a hurry, my hands tracing every inch of skin beneath it. We’d already baptized this island with her cum once. Nothing was gonna stop me from doing it again right now. Our kiss deepened, a sweet heat rising between us. I hadn’t been intimate with her in days because of the effects of her oncoming shift. I remedied that with eager fingertips that dragged a steady path between her thighs.
She let out a breathless gasp as I slipped them inside her already wet warmth. “I’ve missed this,” she whispered, and I could feel her pulse quicken.
“Missed you more,” I spoke, the words against her neck, then licked my way down her collarbone. I took my time, savoring every inch of her skin with lips and tongue.
When I reached her breasts, her fingers tangled in my hair, willing me closer. She arched her back, pressing against me, and the sound of her moans wrapped around us like the steamy air of the kitchen. Her skin was flushed with heat, and I could feel the change in her; the strength, the untapped power that came with her shifter blood. It made her wilder, and I loved every bit of it.
Lowering myself to my knees, I took her with my mouth, the intensity of her response igniting me. I’d let her believe she was in charge, at least for now. But I wouldn’t stop until she screamed my name.
Her hands were in my hair again, tugging with a fierceness that only made me hungrier for her. Her taste had become more smoky, more intoxicating, more everything Juliet. She shuddered, every muscle tense as I drove her higher. I added two fingers deep inside her as my tongue continued its assault on her swollen clit. She threw her head back, her body leaned on herhands so she could thrust her hips toward me, wanting everything I could give her. She cried out my name as her juices coated my tongue. The sweetest taste, the sweetest sounds. As I leaned back, I licked my way up her thighs and stomach, all the way up to her waiting mouth. She drank herself off my tongue, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I pulled her hips until she was seated fully around my aching erection, holding her still as I moved in and out of her.
She raised her head, exposing her beautiful neck to me. I’d eased her further off the island, so I had more leverage. My thrusts became harder as my knot expanded.
“Nothing feels so good as your pussy wrapped around me, Little Wolf.” I growled into her neck as I nipped and licked.
Her moaned reply was the only answer offered.
My knot swelled and held her in place as my thrusts shortened, and her body quaked. “I need you to come for me now, Juliet.”
I bit her on my claiming mark, feeling her blood splash across my tongue. I came with a roar as Juliet’s hips bucked as much as they could, up from the island. Her entire body shook from the power of her release as I lapped the small amount of blood that trickled from her bite mark.
