I closed my eyes and let the sound of his heartbeat guide me under. I didn’t feel alone.
I felt safe and wanted.
As sleep finally took me, I let myself wonder if maybe I’d always belonged right here.
Wrapped in warmth. Curled against chaos.
Falling quietly into something I couldn’t take back.
Roman
The next day, a letter arrived like it was delivering news of a royal wedding or a sacred rite instead of whatever latest whim Lucien had cooked up at three in the morning. It was thick, cream-colored parchment, edges gilded, sealed with actual wax. A wolf’s head was stamped into the deep red, as if we lived in some medieval fantasy instead of a rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco.
When I came in from my run, Maggie was already tearing it open with zero ceremony, standing there in my T-shirt that skimmed her thighs, hair still messy from sleep. She looked up at me with that mix of suspicion and amusement I’d come to know better than my own reflection.
“Your boss sent us Hogwarts mail,” she said, holding up the paper like it might explode.
I grabbed a bottle of water, cracked it open, and took a long drink before I braced myself for whatever Lucien had dreamed up this time. “What’s it say?”
Maggie read aloud, putting on this exaggerated formal voice, like she was an announcer at the Kentucky Derby. “‘You are cordially invited to the Velasquez Bachelor/Bachelorette Union Challenge, a time-honored rite of bonding and celebration.
Please present yourselves for an afternoon of camaraderie, competition, and mystical blessings.’”
She paused and glanced at me over the top of the parchment. “Roman. There’s a crest at the bottom. In glitter.
“
Groaning, I rubbed a hand over my face. “I knew letting Lucien download Pinterest was a mistake.”
Maggie snorted as she leaned against the counter, the letter dangling from her fingers. “I swear, if this man tries to get us to do a unity candle or a couple’s vision board, I’m out.”
I slid an arm around her waist without thinking about it. That was the thing about us now. Touch came naturally. My body had decided it was done pretending it didn’t want to be close to her. She didn’t stiffen or pull back. God, she fit perfectly against me, and it was like she was made to be there. And maybe she was. God help me, maybe she was. It hadn’t slipped my mind that time was passing quickly, and I still needed to find a way to tell Maggie about the accelerated claiming. Or, better yet, how to get out of it altogether. I swallowed hard.
She tilted her head back to look at me, mouth tugging into a smirk. That smirk that had ruined me from day one.
“We’re going, aren’t we?” she asked.
“We’re going.” I sighed, because of course we were. No one said no to Lucien, especially not when he framed things as “pack tradition” and “blessings of unity.”
We showed up at the estate a few hours later, dressed in what could only be described as competition casual-Maggie in black leggings, boots, and a cropped jacket that made my body feel funny, hair half up in some way that looked accidental but I knew damn well wasn’t. Me in jeans, a Henley, and a leather jacket.
Lucien met us at the top of the steps, beaming like he was about to host the goddamn Olympics. Behind him, perched on a pedestal draped in velvet, a giant trophy gleamed in the sun. Custom-made, of course. Two wolves carved in silver, paws joined, gazed at each other as if they were on a romance novel cover.
“Ah, our shining couple!” Lucien spread his arms, like we’d just returned from battle. “Welcome to the Velasquez Union Scavenger Hunt! The first couple to complete every task and arrive back at the estate wins. The winners will earn my personal mystical blessing of unity, and this glorious trophy, forged by the finest artisans in San Fran. All the clues are the same, but the order in which you receive them will be random for each couple. You will only receive one clue at a time and must provide a picture at each location in order to receive the next clue.”
Maggie raised a brow and gestured at the trophy. “You had that made just for this, didn’t you?”
Lucien winked. “What’s the point of being alpha if I can’t commission art for love?”
I bit back a groan. “Lucien?-“
He clapped me on the shoulder with that impossible strength of his. Lucien wasn’t just the polished, dramatic figure he showed to the world. He had more grit than most wolves I knew. “You’ll thank me later, Romanus. Now. Couples, assemble!”
The courtyard filled with couples-real mates, fresh bonds, a few hopefuls Lucien had probably strong-armed into participating. Even Seraphina was there with her new partner, Dwight. Everyone was laughing and excited. The sun was bright, and the air sharp with the tang of sea salt drifting up from the Bay.
Maggie leaned into my side, and I wrapped my arm around her, pressing my lips to her hair and inhaling deeply. She smelled like vanilla and that faint trace of my cologne she always ended up wearing, no matter what she said about it. God, I was a goner.
Lucien held up his phone like he was about to launch a missile. “Let the hunt begin,” he declared, tapping something on the screen.
Our phones chimed in unison. Clues appeared in scrolling golden script, each one framed in digital ivy. The app even played a trumpet that sounded like it was announcing the king’s arrival.
“I really need to block him from my phone,” I muttered, earning a soft laugh from Maggie.
We had just started reading the first clue when the alarm shattered the easy air. A howl-not playful, not part of the show. Warning.
Every muscle in my body went rigid. The chatter died down, replaced by silence as sharp as broken glass.
Lucien transformed. Not his body, not a shift to wolf, but his energy. Gone was the playful host, the alpha of brunches and Pinterest boards. This was the alpha who’d clawed his way to the top and kept us safe through things no one ever spoke about out loud. His posture straightened, eyes going hard as steel, his voice cracking like thunder.
“Romanus, inside. Get her safe. Now. Then meet me back here.” His gaze snapped to his men, already falling in behind him. “South border. Rogue. No one engages until I say. We try to mediate first.”
Maggie started to speak, but I was already tugging her toward the door.
“Roman,” she said, breath hitching, eyes wide.
“It’s okay.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Lucien’s got this.”
But my heart pounded because I knew that duplicity that lived in him-the man of garlands and enchanted trophies, the protector with claws sharp enough to end anyone who crossed his line. Lucien was too much of everything. And right now, thank God, he was exactly what we needed.
I didn’t stop moving until Maggie was inside, behind walls thick with old magic and reinforced with every protective ward Lucien could buy, bargain for, or bleed into existence. Her hand was in mine the whole way, fingers gripping tight. She didn’t argue, didn’t ask questions. She could see in my face that this wasn’t one of Lucien’s over-the-top ceremonies or mating games. This was real.
We reached a heavy oak door that led to Lucien’s inner quarters, where the walls were laced with silver filigree and hidden glyphs of protection. I turned to her, heart pounding.
“Mags, stay here. Lock the door behind me.” I brushed my thumb over her cheek, grounding myself in her warmth for half a breath. “Don’t open it for anyone but me or Lucien. Okay?”
Her eyes searched mine, sharp and worried, but she nodded. “Okay. Be careful.”
I didn’t have time to say what I wanted to-that I wasn’t sure I deserved how much she cared; that I’d tear apart anyone who tried to harm her. Instead, I kissed her cheek, turned, and ran.
The pack lands stretched out before me, the air thrumming with tension. Every instinct in me roared to life-the part of me that was wolf, protector, soldier. The sun had started to drop, casting long gold stripes through the trees, the wind carrying the scent of pine and something darker.
Something wrong.
I reached the edge of the courtyard where Lucien waited, flanked by his first line-men I’d bled with, fought beside, trusted more than I trusted myself on some days. Lucien didn’t look at me when I joined them. His gaze was locked on the tree line, his body humming with power.
We quietly stashed our clothes beside a tree. We moved as one, shifting without words, without hesitation. My wolf burst free in a rush of heat and instinct, my senses sharpening, the world snapping into focus. The forest wasn’t merely trees and dirt now. It was territory. It was home. And someone had dared to trespass.
Lucien’s wolf was a massive monster of silver and midnight, eyes blazing like molten steel. He led the charge as the rest of us flanked him, paws pounding the earth, breath hot and wild in the cool evening air. We ran until the wards shimmered into view, that faint ripple of magic along the border where no one uninvited should cross.
And yet, someone had.
The rogue stood just beyond the fissure in the line of the wards, upright again, already back in his human form like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was tall, wiry, and smirking at us. His naked body was streaked with mud, his bare feet planted like he owned the damn place.
Lucien shifted back into his human form to speak with the intruder, his body towering and carved from fury. His voice was low but lethal. “You’ve crossed into my lands. State your purpose or beg for mercy.”
The rogue spat on the ground. “If you didn’t want trespassers, maybe you should invest in better wards. Obviously, there is a lack of power. Your alpha must be weak as fuck.”
A deep, dangerous growl rumbled through our line, carrying on the night air like a promise. Every wolf around me tensed, hackles raised, muscles coiled beneath thick fur. My own lips peeled back over my teeth, a snarl breaking free before I could stop it. The rogue’s scent hit me-arrogance, defiance, the stench of blood not yet spilled. He reeked of challenge, of some twisted ideology fed to him by whatever fool believed they could take what didn’t belong to them. And we were here to remind him exactly what that would cost.
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