More like the man who'd pinned me to his sheets and made me forget my own name.
His eyes found mine across the clearing. Warm. Knowing.
Later, the look said.
I shivered.
"I brought sedatives," Neal said, setting his bag down. "Injectable, in case the darts aren't enough. Also basic first aid supplies, water, protein bars." He paused. "And coffee. Because I'm not a monster."
Ash laughed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"Where are the ferals?" I asked.
"Being transported now," Rae said. "They'll arrive in—"
"I want to help."
We all turned.
James was striding across the ground, determination etched into every line of his body. He was dressed for the woods—boots, dark jeans, a jacket that hugged his broad shoulders.
God, my mates were beautiful.
Rae frowned. "James, this is a controlled exercise. Staff only."
"I'm pack." He stopped beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed. The bond between us flared—warm, possessive, certain. "Stone is out there. Cal is out there. If something goes wrong, I want to be here."
"He's right," I said quietly.
Rae's eyes flicked to me. Then back to James.
"Fine," she said. "But you follow Cole's protocols to the letter. No heroics."
"Understood."
Cole's expression was unreadable, but I saw his hand tighten on his rifle strap. He didn't like this. Didn't like James being here, didn't like the easy way James touched me, didn't like any of it.
I filed that away for later.
The transport van arrived ten minutes later.
It was reinforced—steel walls, small windows, heavy locks. The kind of vehicle designed to contain things that didn't want to be contained.
My stomach knotted as the engine cut off.
The back doors swung open.
Cal came out first.
He was in human form, dressed in simple gray sweats. His eyes scanned the clearing until they found me. Something in his posture relaxed.
"Hey," I said softly.
"Hey yourself." He crossed to stand beside me, close but not touching. The bond between us hummed—steady, stable, nothing like the chaos of even a few weeks ago. "This is weird."
"Good weird or bad weird?"
"Ask me in an hour."
