“No one will ever take you from me again,” he growled, his voice low and possessive. “You are my mate. My Luna. And I’ll never let you go.”
I felt his knot swelling at the base of his cock, stretching me even more as he pushed into me harder, faster. My body was on fire, every nerve ending alight with pleasure as I felt myself falling apart around him.
And then he bit me.
His teeth sank into the flesh of my neck, right over the spot where Harrison had destroyed his original bite. I screamed as pleasure and pain exploded through me. My orgasm hit me like a freight train, tearing through me with such intensity that I thought I might pass out.
Bronc’s knot locked inside me as he came, his cock pulsing as he filled me with his cum. He groaned against my neck, his teeth still buried in my skin as he held me close. Our bodies joined in every way possible.
When he finally pulled back, his lips were stained with blood, and I could feel his claiming mark burning into my skin. He leaned down and kissed me hard, his tongue sliding into my mouth, and I tasted my blood on his lips.
“You’re mine now, as it always should be,” he growled against my lips. “Forever.”
I could feel our bond snap into place, stronger than ever before, and then I felt her—my wolf. She stirred inside me, awake and alive for the first time in weeks, and I gasped as her presence filled me.
Bronc smiled down at me, his eyes soft with love as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Welcome back, Little Wolf,” he murmured.
I could feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I felt the throb of his claiming mark on my neck. “I’m yours,” I whispered. “Always.”
He kissed me again, slow and deep, and then pulled back to look at me with a smirk. “Now it’s your turn,” he said as he undid my restraints.
I sat up slowly, feeling the weight of his knot still inside me as he maneuvered me until I straddled him. My hands brushed over the smooth skin of his neck as I leaned down and sank my teeth into him, claiming him just as he had claimed me.
He groaned beneath me, his hands gripping my hips as I bit down harder, marking him as mine. Our bond flared to life again, stronger than ever before, and I could feel our wolves intertwining inside us.
When I finally pulled back, I could see the love and pride shining in his eyes as he reached up to touch the mark I’d left on him. “You’re mine,” he whispered.
“And you’re mine,” I replied.
Our lips met again in a kiss that was filled with promise and love, as we lay there together, our bodies still joined by his knot.
The bond of Alpha and Luna flowed throughout the pack, and in the distance I could hear the song of wolves rise in the night air.
Chapter 33
Bronc
The pack barbecue raged bright and festive against the Texas sky, a wild feast of smoke and chatter as my mind spun miles from the celebration. Everything weighed heavily after Juliet’s rescue—tangled shifter knowledge, threats from her past, fires we’d lit to keep our people safe. I needed to huddle with the officers, map out the dangers crowding us, so I jerked my head toward the compound where church met, and they followed me inside. Wrecker dove right into our latest intel. “Hastings Pharma lab data’s gone. Wiped from every system after the accident,” he said, the word slick with irony. We all knew it was no accident. My hands fisted, but my heart eased some. Harrison was dead, the rest of them as well. Juliet was free. Still, my gut churned remembering all that had happened.
Big Papa rose from the rolling chair and stepped over to the huge wood table where Wrecker sat. “That fire took out all of their shifter research?” His calm eyes found mine. “Everything?”
Wrecker nodded. “Lila Chen was their lead shifter researcher, and she bought it with the rest of them. So did their guards. We made sure there was nothing left to pick up. No trace of anything for anyone to find.” The tightness in his gravelly voice showed the weight of what we’d done, how dangerous those few weeks in Central America had been.
But there was still a bigger danger waiting in the wings. “We didn’t plan on Charles Hastings,” I said. “Him bein’ on his deathbed makes it more and less complicated, though.”
“Couldn’t risk a hit on him at this stage. We can make it look like natural causes,” Wrecker said.
“If his ramblings ever turn into more, we may need to. Took us too long to find Harrison. He clearly had too much time to further his plans.” Menace leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. His face was unreadable, but I could tell he wanted this behind him. “We won’t make the same mistake with the old man.”
“Juliet’s doing better?” Big Papa’s voice had the soothing tone of a lullaby.
“She’s tough,” I said, my words more of a growl. “We all knew she could be feeling some PTSD, but fuck if that little wolf hasn’t been more resilient than any man I ever knew. She’s a fighter through and through, and she’ll be damned if she lets that fucker stop her from thriving as Luna of this pack. I know she’ll have some bad days, but she’s not gonna let anything get in her way. And I’m gonna be right beside her making sure she’s okay.”
Menace nodded. “You got yourself a good one there, Alpha. We’re all lucky to have her as our Luna. And we’ve all got her back.”
I cleared my throat and stood, my emotions raw. “I’d have never gotten her back if it weren’t for every one of y’all. You are exactly what brotherhood is all about.” I looked down and tapped my knuckles on the table, trying to keep myself in check.
Sitting back down, I got us back on to the business at hand. “So, there’s still a goddamn mess we need to deal with before it comes to bite us all.”
