“I promise, little wolf. Daddy will always protect you.”
The casual use of the title they’d given him made my heart squeeze. The twins relaxed at his words, the tension finally leaving their small bodies. Within minutes, their breathing evened out into the deep rhythm of exhausted sleep.
Knox and I lay there for a while, just watching them. Our babies, safe between us, calling him Daddy without prompting or explanation. It felt like a gift neither of us had expected.
Once I was sure they were deeply asleep, Knox carefully extracted himself from Thea’s octopus grip. She mumbled something about unicorns but didn’t wake. He moved around the bed to my side, offering his hand to help me up.
“Basement,” he mouthed, not wanting to risk waking them.
I followed him downstairs to what had become our unofficial conference room. The basement with its concrete walls and distance from the bedrooms meant we could talk without worrying about wolf hearing. Plus after earlier today, I knew it had other amenities that might be useful.
The door clicked shut behind us, and Knox immediately turned to face me.
“We need to talk about Mary.”
“I need you to know Mary lied,” Knox said immediately, the words rushing out as if he’d been holding them back. “When the attack started at the wedding, I shifted instantly. Fought the rogues there. When I saw some heading this direction, I took off running. Left everything behind.”
He ran his hands through his hair, agitation clear in every movement. “My clothes, shoes, wallet. My phone was in my pocket. She must have grabbed it from the pile after I shifted.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “I believe you.”
The relief on his face broke my heart. How could he think I wouldn’t believe him after everything? After he’d crashed through a window to save us, after our children called him Daddy, after all we’d been through?
He crossed the space between us in two strides, pulling me into his arms and breathing me in as if I might disappear. “I thought... when you looked at me upstairs, I thought you believed her.”
“Never again,” I promised against his chest. “No more doubts between us.”
His arms tightened around me, and I felt the last of his tension drain away. We stood there for a moment, just holding each other, letting the reality sink in. We’d survived. Our children were safe. Mary’s manipulations hadn’t worked.
My eyes caught on the small room off the main basement area. It had its own bathroom and even a small bed, probably meant as a guest space or safe room.
“I need to shower,” I said, suddenly hyperaware of the blood and grime still covering me. The enhanced healing had closed my wounds, but I was still a mess from the fight.
I pulled back enough to look up at him. “Stay?”
The question hung between us, loaded with more than just a request for company. After nearly losing everything tonight, I needed him close. Needed to feel alive and whole and his.
“Always,” he answered without hesitation.
I headed for the small bathroom while he jogged upstairs to grab clean clothes. The water was already heating up when he knocked softly.
“Leaving them outside the door,” he called.
I opened the door instead, steam already starting to billow out around me. His eyes darkened as he took in the state of me: naked, damp from the steam, skin flushed from heat and need. His jaw clenched and his fists curled. I could see his cock straining visibly behind the fabric of his pants.
“Lina...”
“I said stay,” I whispered.
He hesitated. “Are you sure? You’ve been through-”
“Please.” The word came out more vulnerable than I’d intended. “I need you. Need to feel alive.” I needed to feel likehis.
He stepped inside, and I immediately reached for the shirt he’d donned at some point. My hands were steady as I pulled it over his head, letting my fingers linger on his chest, tracing the hard muscle. My palms smoothed over the ridges of his abs. He shuddered, his cock twitching beneath his jeans, and I smiled faintly.
“Lina,” he groaned when I started on the button of his pants.
“Let me,” I said. My voice was steadier now. “I want to undress you.”
