Knox raises her glass with a smirk. “Our little chaos queen caught herself a whole damn pack.”
Willow groans and hides her face behind both hands as laughter erupts around the table.
But she doesn’t tell them they’re wrong. And that feels right. Now we just need to make it official, after we have a little conversation that is a long time coming.
I glance over at her—curled between Carson and me, cheeks still flushed from her teammates’ teasing, that soft glow in her eyes that only shows when she’s truly happy.
It makes something shift in my chest.
The music changes, the beat slowing as the DJ’s giving everyone a chance to breathe. The crowd doesn’t thin, but bodies sway instead of grind now, lights dimming just enough for the mood to change.
I lean in, my mouth brushing close to Willow’s ear. “Dance with me?”
She turns, eyebrows lifting. “You serious?”
“Slow song,” I murmur. “Promise not to spin you or dip you or do anything that’ll make your ribs scream.”
She smiles, just a little, then nods. “Okay. But I’m not breakable.”
“Your possibly fractured rib says otherwise,” I say, offering my hand.
Carson chuckles as I help her stand. “Don’t keep her too long. She still owes me a dance.”
“I’ll be gentle,” I tell him—and I mean it in every way that matters.
The dance floor isn’t empty, but we find a space near the edge where the lights flicker softly and low. I pull her in carefully, one hand on her waist, the other resting lightly between her shoulder blades. Her arms loop around my neck, her fingers brushing the hair at the nape of my neck.
We sway.
No pressure. No rush. Just the two of us moving in time with the music and the thudding of my own damn heart.
After a minute, I murmur, “You didn’t correct them.”
She blinks up at me. “Huh?”
“Your team. About the pack including all five of us.” I pause, studying her face. “You didn’t say they were wrong.”
Willow bites her lip. “That’s because they weren’t.”
A beat passes. Then another.
“I think,” I say carefully, “we’re at the part where we should talk about making it official.”
She swallows, her breath hitching against my chest. “You mean… like a real pack? Like… all of you?”
“All five of us,” I confirm. “If that’s what you want.”
She doesn’t answer right away. I don’t rush her. I just keep moving with her, slow and steady.
Then she lifts her head, her voice barely audible over the hum of the music. “I think I do.”
“Think?” I tease, my thumb brushing against the small of her back.
“I know,” she whispers. “But I need to talk to Landon. And Finn. I need to make sure they’re ready for that—for this. Because it’s not just me anymore. It’s all of you.”
I nod, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple. “We’ll follow your lead, sweetheart. Whatever you decide—whoever you want—we’re in.”
Her smile is small, but it’s everything. “I want all of you.”
