His scent hit me first and the mate bond flared bright and warm in my chest.Knox.My mate. Pine and earth and wolf, all mixed together in a way that made my hindbrain sit up and pay attention.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, careful of my stomach. His lips found the sensitive spot just below my ear and I melted back against him despite my best intentions.
“Missed you,” he murmured against my skin.
“You saw me this morning.”
“Too long.”
I turned in his arms, tilting my head back to look at him. Knox Raven was unfairly attractive even after spending hours in the woods hunting rogues. His gray eyes caught the porch light, studying me with that intense focus that made my stomach flip.
Six years, that’s how long I’d known him. He’d walked into my Pine Valley shop one day and became a regular. Every morning, same order, same quiet intensity. We’d danced around each other before finally giving in. One perfect night that had ended with him vanishing from my life completely. And then came the pregnancy and the twins and five years of raising them alone, wondering what I’d done wrong and convincing myself I was better off without him.
Then he’d discovered he had children, that I’d been attacked by rogues more times than I could count. And, of course, thatwalking away from me had been the biggest mistake of his life. I still gave him shit for that.
Now we were married, happy, building a life together that felt impossible and perfect and terrifying all at once. Funny how life works.
“The rogue?” I asked.
“Handled.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Cole twisted his ankle. Hunt made fun of him for twenty minutes.” His hands moved to my hips, steadying me. “You’re exhausted.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
He was right. “I’m supposed to be running my very successful businesses, thank you very much.”
His jaw tightened but he didn’t argue. My independent streak had caused more than a few fights over the past year. Knox wanted to wrap me in bubble wrap, I wanted to live my life. We were still figuring out the balance.
Instead of arguing, he bent down and scooped me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest. Part of me wanted to protest, but the other part of me was too tired to care. My back hurt and my feet hurt and being carried sounded amazing right now.
“Show off,” I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck. I sighed as I saw how strong he was.
“You love it.”
I really did.
Knox carried me through the front door and up the stairs to our room. The pack house still felt too big sometimes, with too many hallways and rooms. But our bedroom was ours, safe. Knox set me down on the bed with careful precision before disappearing into the bathroom. I heard water running.
When he came back he had a damp washcloth and that determined look that meant he was about to go full mother hen on me.
“Where are the twins?” I asked while he gently wiped my face.
“Sleepover at my parents’ place.”
I blinked. “Your parents requested a sleepover?”
“Apparently they want to bond with their grandchildren.” His mouth twisted into what might’ve been a smile. “It’s weird.”
“It’s progress.”
His parents had been cold distant authority figures for most of Knox’s life. They’d treated their sons as assets instead of children, grooming Knox to take over as Alpha without caring about the damage they left behind. But meeting Rowan and Thea had changed them. Not overnight, not magically but slowly, over time, they’d softened. Started smiling more, started showing up with presents and offering to babysit. Started acting morehuman and less authoritarian. The more time they spent with their grandchildren, the warmer they became. It still freaked Knox out.
“They asked about the Full Moon festivities,” he said, tossing the washcloth toward the bathroom. “Wanted to know if we’d come to the main house for dinner.”
