“That’s not a suggestion,” Graham adds, already pulling back the blankets. “Middle spot’s yours.”
Hunter disappears into the bathroom and comes back with a glass of water and a bottle of painkillers, setting them gently on the nightstand. “Take these,” he says, eyes scanning my face. “You’re not going to feel the win in the morning—just the bruises.”
I sink into the bed with a sigh.
Graham crouches down in front of me, reaching for the zipper of my hoodie. “Can I?”
I nod.
He unzips it slowly, pushing the fabric back and gently peeling it from my shoulders as if I’m breakable. I kind of am right now.
“We’ll get the bruises checked tomorrow,” he says. “Arms up.”
I don’t hesitate to follow his command, lifting my arms andletting him pull my shirt off. Leaving me in just my silky bra and leggings. Hunter hands Graham one of my sleep tops, and he reaches around me to unclasp my bra. I should feel exposed with so many eyes on me, watching him undress me. But I don’t. I feel cared for in a way that brings tears to my eyes. He removes my bra and dresses me in a tank top, slow and easy.
He pauses as he pulls back, concern darkening his face. “Did I hurt you?” His thumb brushes a tear from my cheek, and I shake my head.
“No. You all are treating me like I’m fragile.”
“Normally, I would say you are anything but that, but in this instance…I think you’ve proven otherwise,” Finn replies, earning him a snort from Carson. He sinks onto the bed beside me as he watches Hunter tug my leggings off and replace them with my sleep shorts.
“So no hot sex tonight?” I quip, trying to break the tension that has fallen.
“No hot sex for a few nights, you need to heal,” Hunter replies.
When I’m finally under the covers, Carson fluffs a pillow behind me and slips a heating pad into place near my ribs without even asking. “You’ll thank me in ten minutes,” he says.
Finn hands me the glass of water. Landon tucks the blanket tighter around my hips. Hunter turns down the lights.
No one climbs into bed beside me.
Not yet.
They just hover. Watching. Protecting.
Loving.
My throat tightens, emotion thick behind my eyes again, but I blink it back and say the only thing I can manage.
“Thank you.”
Carson plops down next to me and throws an arm over my legs. “Just rest, peaches. Tomorrow, we celebrate.”
Hunter leans against the headboard, one hand behind my pillow, close enough to touch. Graham sits on the floor beside the bed, back to the wall, eyes never leaving me. Finn curls up in the armchair, similar to a sulky cat, arms crossed, but still facing me. And Landon lies down on the other side of the bed—on top of the blankets—facing me. Just watching. Just there.
This isn’t the night I imagined. But it might be better, because my pack is finally whole.
CHAPTER 81
Willow
Loved.
That’s what I feel after four days of pampering. Every pillow fluffed, every cup of tea handed over without asking, every foot rub and gentle touch—proof that they’re not just mine in theory. They’re mine in action. But as sweet as it’s been, I’m ready for something more.
I want movement. Sweat. Laughter echoing off rink walls, and the satisfying burn in my thighs after practice. I want progress—roller derby, pack decisions, making things real with Landon and Finn.
Something. Anything.
