The clubhouse is lit up like a beacon when we arrive, every light blazing, bikes clustered in the lot, and brothers moving with the kind of purposeful energy that says everyone's already heard what happened. Hansen is standing near the entrance, arms crossed, his expression carved from stone.
I park and move around to help Megan out, keeping her tucked against my side as we approach. Hansen's gaze sweeps over her once, assessing, before settling on me.
"She hurt?"
"No. Scared, but unharmed."
He nods once, then looks at Megan directly. "You're safe here. No one gets through this door without our permission, and right now the only people we're permitting are Night Wolves."
"Right," Megan says quietly, and I feel her lean more heavily against me.
"Good. Morgan, you're staying with her tonight. I want you both upstairs where you can rest but stay accessible. We'll debrief in the morning." He pauses, his gaze hardening. "And Morgan? This is war now. Deadwood crossed the line, and we're going to make sure they regret it."
"Understood," I say, and I mean it.
Hansen nods and steps aside, and I guide Megan through the door into the warmth and noise of the clubhouse. Brothers call out greetings, voices blending together into a wall of sound that's overwhelming after the violence and quiet of the cabin.
But no one approaches, they just acknowledge her presence and give us space.
I lead her upstairs to one of the private rooms, closing the door behind us and shutting out the noise. The room is small but clean, with a bed, a chair, and a window that overlooks the parking lot. I check the window locks out of habit, then turn to find Megan standing in the middle of the room, looking lost.
I cross to her and pull her into my arms again, and this time she doesn't hold back. She buries her face against my chest and lets herself shake, lets herself feel the fear she held at bay during the attack, and I hold her through it, murmuring reassurances I'm not sure she can even hear.
Eventually, the shaking calms down, and she pulls back just enough to look up at me. Her eyes are red-rimmed but dry, andthere's a strength in her expression that makes something in my chest tighten.
"Thank you," she whispers.
"Don't thank me," I say roughly. "This is what I do. What we do. You're pack now, Megan."
She nods slowly, and then she reaches up to cup my face, her thumb brushing over the stubble on my jaw. "I trust you."
I lean down and kiss her, slow and deep, pouring everything I can't say into it—the fear I felt when I heard those engines, the relief when she was unharmed, the possessiveness that makes me want to lock her away somewhere no one can ever reach her.
When I pull back, we're both breathing hard, and the exhaustion is written across both our faces.
"Sleep," I tell her. "I'll be right here."
She nods and moves to the bed, climbing under the covers fully clothed, and I settle into the chair near the window, weapon within reach, watching the parking lot and the darkness beyond.
The night is quiet now, but I know it's the kind of quiet that comes before storms.
Deadwood made their move, and we answered. But the fight is just beginning, and the stakes have never been higher.
I glance at Megan, already drifting toward sleep, and I make a silent promise to myself and to her:
No one touches her.
Chapter 6 – Megan
Morning light breaks across the snow outside the clubhouse window, turning everything soft and golden. The world looks peaceful, impossibly clean, like last night's violence never happened at all.
But my body knows better.
My muscles ache in places I didn't know could ache, a deep soreness that comes from being tensed for too long, and there's a residual tightness in my chest that won't quite ease.
I'm tired, bone-deep tired, but I'm also hyperaware of every sound, every movement, every small detail that makes up the morning unfolding around me.
Bullet is curled against my side, a warm ball of ginger fur that rises and falls with each tiny breath, and I rest my hand on him gently, feeling the soft vibration of his purr beneath my palm. He's safe. I'm safe.
