We climbed into the nest on either side of her. Our positions as natural as breathing now. Reina in the middle where she belonged.
The bond settled, warm and complete.
Perfect.
"I'm retiring from hockey," I announced.
Reina sat up. "What?"
I explained about the motorcycle shop. About ending the rivalry. About giving Luca the space to be the hockey god he was meant to be while I did what I actually loved.
"You're really doing this?" she asked.
"Already decided. End of this season, I'm done."
Luca reached across her, put his hand on my shoulder. "You're sure?"
"Never been more sure of anything."
"We should make this permanent," Luca said. "Move in together officially. Make a real home."
"Here?" Reina looked around the cabin. "At the lake?"
"Maybe. Or somewhere bigger in the city. Somewhere that's ours. All three of us."
"With a garage for my bikes," I added.
"And a photography studio for me," Reina said.
"And a nest this size or bigger," Luca finished.
We talked about the future. About our life together as a pack. No more hiding. No more conflict. No more choosing between what the world expected and what we actually were.
Just us.
Reina yawned, settled between us. "We're really doing this."
"We're really doing this," Luca and I said together.
Outside, the lake was quiet under the stars. Inside, the fire crackled in the main room. The bonds pulsed between all three of us. Warm. Complete. Permanent.
I'd lost them twelve years ago. Spent twelve years pretending I didn't care. That I didn't need them. That hockey was enough.
Now I had them forever. My Omega. My Alpha. My pack.
Here in this cabin where it all began.
And I was never letting go.
EPILOGUE
REINA
The music was loud, champagne was flowing, and Luca's Player of the Year trophy sat on a table nearby, gleaming under the lights.
I couldn't stop staring at it.
My Alpha had won. After everything we'd been through, all the scrutiny and judgment and media circus, Luca Vale had been named the best player in the National Ice Hockey League.
