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He answered with brutal thrusts, hips slamming against mine. I matched him, nails raking his back as heat pooled low in my belly.

"Mine," he growled, gripping my thigh and hiking it higher, changing the angle until stars burst behind my eyelids.

"Yes," I gasped, clinging to his shoulders as he hit that perfect spot with each thrust. "Yes—right there."

The headboard slammed rhythmically against the wall, but I couldn't bring myself to care who might hear. Let them know. Let the whole pack know I belonged to this man, this alpha who treated me like I was his entire world.

Bayer dipped his head to my neck, teeth grazing over my mating mark. The sensation sent electric currents racing through my body, tightening every muscle. I was close—so close—hovering at the edge of something I could easily get addicted to.

"Let go," he murmured against my skin. "I've got you."

His hand slipped between us, finding where we were joined, thumb circling in a way that made my back arch off the bed. My release hit like a tidal wave, pleasure crashing through me in overwhelming pulses. I cried out his name, fingers digging into his shoulders as my body clenched around him.

His hand curled in my hair, guiding me over the edge. My second cry echoed off the walls. He followed seconds later, pulling me tight as he spilled inside me.

We collapsed together, bodies sticky and spent. He nuzzled my neck, his arm draped possessively over me.

“You’re mine,” he whispered, voice husky.

"I love you," I whispered against my lips as he began to move. I didn’t want to fight. I wanted someone that would fight for me, and Bayer would. "More than I ever thought possible."

His hold tightened, and I loved it. “You’re mine,” he repeated. “Every stubborn, sassy inch of you.”

I chuckled. "That was..." I started, then trailed off, unable to find adequate words.

"Perfect," he finished for me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "You're perfect."

I smiled against his chest, feeling more settled than I had in days. "So, what now? Apart from a shower," I added.

"Now," he said, his voice already heavy with contentment, "we figure out how to have everything we want without losing what we already have."

"Greedy," I murmured, but I was smiling.

"When it comes to you? Absolutely."

A soft knock at the door interrupted our post-coital bliss. "Bayer? Danny?" Emery's voice called quietly. "We want to talk when you're...available."

Bayer and I exchanged glances. "Give us ten minutes," Bayer called back.

"Take your time," Emery replied, but I could hear the underlying tension in his voice.

"Guess we can't hide in here forever," I sighed, already missing the warmth of Bayer's arms as he reluctantly sat up.

"Unfortunately not," he agreed, reaching for his discarded clothes. "But Danny? Whatever happens next, we face it together."

I nodded, feeling a new resolve settle in my chest. "Together."

As we cleaned up, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and paused. I still looked the same on the outside, but something fundamental had shifted. I was no longer just Danny Jacobson, the sarcastic teaching assistant trying to survive; I was part of something bigger now. I was a mate, a future parent, a member of a pack that needed me as much as I needed them. The responsibility terrified me, but for the first time, I didn't want to run from it.

"What are you thinking about?" Bayer asked, catching me staring at my reflection.

"That I don't recognize myself anymore," I admitted. "But maybe that's not such a bad thing."

He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. "Change isn't always bad."

I caught his hand and laid it over the small roundness on my belly. "Says the man who turns into a bear," I quipped, but leaned back against his solid warmth.

"Says the man who's watched you grow stronger every day since we met," he countered, his voice soft but serious. "You're still you, Danny. Just...more."