Archer goes still, studying my face, searching for something. Whatever he finds makes his expression soften further, a small smile touching his lips. "You really mean that."
"I do." I cup his face, feeling the bond pulse between us, warm and reassuring. "So stop trying to protect me by pushing me away. We're bound now. Whatever comes next, we face it together."
He closes his eyes, turning his face into my palm, and I feel his relief through the bond—profound and grateful. "I love you," he whispers. "I think I've loved you since that first night."
I smile, pulling him closer. "Then show me again," I murmur against his lips. "Slower this time. We have all night to figure out what comes next."
Archer groans, already hardening inside me again, and I laugh as he rolls us off the couch toward the bedroom, the bond between us glowing bright and unbreakable in the dark.
18
ARCHER
The town knows before I say a word. That’s the thing about Redwood Crossing—secrets don’t stay buried for long, not when instinct runs deeper than conversation. The bond hums under my skin, steady and undeniable, and every shifter within range can feel it like a shift in the air pressure before a storm.
They know. Which means it’s only a matter of time beforeeveryoneknows.
I stand at the head of the long wooden table in the council hall, my hands braced against its surface as the room fills. One by one, they arrive—Magnus, Delilah, Felix, Brooke, and the others who’ve held this town together long before I took on the responsibility of protecting it.
Their gazes land on me. Then flicker—subtle, instinctive—toward the mark I can’t see but know is there. The bond. Claimed. Confirmed. No taking it back now.
“Say it,” Magnus rumbles as he takes his seat, his voice carrying the weight of years and authority. “No point dancing around it.”
I straighten, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
“I’ve claimed my mate.”
The words land heavy. A ripple moves through the room—not surprise, exactly. More like confirmation. A tension that tightens rather than breaks. Delilah exhales slowly, her expression shifting into something thoughtful. Brooke’s eyes widen just slightly before she schools her features.
Magnus leans back in his chair, studying me like he’s measuring the consequences of that single statement.
“And she’s human,” he says.
Not a question.
“No,” I correct. “She’smine.”
A low murmur rolls through the room at that. Possessive. Deliberate. Unapologetic. Magnus’s brow lifts slightly, but there’s no disapproval there. Just acknowledgment.
“Which makes her vulnerable,” he says.
“Yes.”
“And makes you predictable.”
My jaw tightens.
“Yes.”
Silence settles for a moment, heavy with unspoken calculations.
Magnus nods once, slow and deliberate. “Then we prepare.”
No hesitation. No argument. Just the reality of what comes next.
“They’ll come for her,” he continues. “Not immediately, maybe. But soon. Rogues don’t ignore opportunities like this.”
“I know,” I say.
