The word hung in the air like a held breath.
"We've been dancing around it." Nolan moved to stand beside Reid, his voice taking on that clinical tone he used when he was trying to keep emotions at bay, his hands clasped in front of him like he didn't trust them not to shake, his hazel eyes bright with something that looked like hope and fear tangled together. "We've talked about it in abstract terms, hinted at it, circled it. But after today — after what just happened —"
"We need to make a decision." Kol finished for him, his voice unusually serious, his golden eyes finding mine, his hand still warm on my shoulder, his thumb tracing small circles against my skin. "A real one. Not someday. Not eventually. Now."
I looked between them — these four Alphas who had taken me in when I had nothing, who had fed me and sheltered me and shown me what home could feel like. Who had been patient and gentle and fierce in all the ways I needed. Who had claimed pieces of my heart one by one until there was nothing left that didn't belong to them.
"I want to bond." The words came out strong, certain, surprising me with their clarity, my voice steady despite the emotions swirling in my chest. "I want all of you. I want to be yours — really yours. Forever."
Something shifted in the room — hope and fear and longing all tangled together, scents brightening and softening at once, the tension changing into something warmer, more tender.
"But." Reid's voice was careful, controlled, though I could see the want burning in his dark eyes, his hands gripping his own arms so tight his knuckles went white. "There's a but."
"But not like this." I gestured vaguely toward the window, toward the dust still settling from Easton's departure, my heart pounding against my ribs. "Not while he's out there. Not whilehe's threatening us and waiting for us to slip. I don't want our bonding to be rushed. I don't want it to be reactive — something we do because we're scared of losing each other."
"You want it to be a choice." Sawyer's voice was rough, his pale eyes searching my face, his hand still holding mine, his thumb stroking across my knuckles. "A real one. Not born from fear."
"Yes." I reached out with my free hand, taking Kol's hand, feeling his fingers intertwine with mine. "I want to bond with you because I love you. All of you. Not because some entitled bastard made me afraid of what might happen if I don't."
"Then we deal with Easton first." Reid pushed off the counter, his jaw set with determination, his eyes meeting each of ours in turn, his cedar scent settling into something solid and certain. "We document everything. We build a case. We coordinate with the other ranchers. We make sure he can't hurt us — can't hurt her — ever again."
"And then?" Kol's voice was soft, hopeful, his golden eyes bright with unshed emotion, his grip on my hand tightening.
"Then we bond." Reid crossed the room, stopping in front of me, his hand coming up to cup my cheek with a gentleness that made my heart ache, his calloused thumb stroking across my cheekbone. "Properly. The way you deserve. With ceremony and intention and the knowledge that we chose this freely. All of us."
I leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth of his palm against my skin, breathing in his cedar scent.
"How long?" I whispered, my voice cracking slightly, my eyes searching his face for answers, my hand coming up to cover his where it rested on my cheek. "How long until we can —"
"I don't know." His voice cracked slightly, his dark eyes glistening with emotion he rarely showed, his thumb still stroking my cheek. "But I promise you — I promise all of you— we will get there. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. Easton doesn't get to steal this from us."
"We should set a timeline." Nolan's voice was steadier now, falling into problem-solving mode, his hazel eyes thoughtful as he worked through the logistics. "Give ourselves a deadline. Something to work toward."
"One month." Sawyer's voice was rough but certain, his pale eyes meeting mine with fierce determination. "Give me one month. I'll make sure he's not a threat anymore."
"What does that mean?" Kol asked, his golden eyes narrowing with concern, his sunshine scent flickering with worry, his grip on my hand tightening protectively as he looked at Sawyer.
"It means I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe." Sawyer's pale eyes met mine, and I saw everything there — the violence he was capable of, the love that drove it, the fierce determination to protect what was his, the shadows of his past and the light of his future all tangled together. "Whatever it takes."
"Within reason." Reid's voice was firm, his hand finding Sawyer's shoulder, gripping tight enough to ground him. "We handle this legally. We don't give him ammunition against us. We don't give him any reason to play the victim."
Sawyer's jaw tightened, but he nodded once, a sharp jerk of his head.
"One month." I repeated the words, letting them settle into my chest like a promise. "In one month, we bond."
"Assuming Easton's dealt with." Nolan added, ever practical, his brow furrowed with thought, his hazel eyes flicking between us as he calculated timelines and contingencies in that methodical way of his.
"Assuming Easton's dealt with." I agreed, nodding slowly, my voice steady despite the flutter of anxiety in my chest, my fingerstightening around the hands I held. "But we work toward that date. We fight for it. Together."
"Together." Reid leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine, his breath warm against my skin, his cedar scent enveloping me like a blanket. "Always."
We stood there for a long moment, the five of us connected, bound by something deeper than biology, stronger than instinct. The threat was still out there — Easton, with his hungry eyes and his veiled threats. But we would face it the way we faced everything.
As a pack.
The sun was setting by the time we finally separated, painting the kitchen in shades of gold and amber. I stood at the window watching the light fade, feeling the warmth of four Alphas moving around me, their presence a comfort that I'd never take for granted.
Soon. The word echoed in my mind like a promise.
