was the bigger threat. She looked for an escape, and her shoulders sagged in defeat when she realized there likely wasn’t one.
My wolf had known she was ours even then. Before the bond snapped into place, the surge of protectiveness I felt immediately was more than just a passing urge to shelter a pack member. She was different. I wanted to pull her into the cabin and shield her from the world. To seek out and destroy what caused her to look so damn afraid.
Skye was ours from the second those mossy green eyes locked on mine. She sealed her fate when she lifted her chin a notch, likely not even aware of the challenge she inadvertently threw off.
Or that my wolf fucking loved it.
She sighed softly in her sleep, snuggling back against me even more.
Unable to resist, I kissed her shoulder.
Her eyes blinked open slowly, drowsy with sleep and content.
“What time is it?” she asked softly, rolling onto her back.
My body instantly reacted to the sheet sliding off to bare her chest, the dusty pink nipples a beacon in the darkness. I considered shifting back so my growing erection wasn’t poking her hip, but she didn’t seem to mind by the way she ground against me.
“After midnight,” I finally answered, remembering she had asked me a question.
She frowned softly, her brow furrowing slightly. “How long can we stay here?”
“I told Rhodes to give us until the afternoon,” I replied, unable to keep the smile off my lips. “Why? Ready to get rid of me?”
“More like not ready to have to share you with everyone,” she muttered, curling closer against me.
I chuckled, leaning in to kiss the silky column of her throat as my phone vibrated somewhere in the room.
“I’m guessing you can’t do things like ignore phone calls now?” she said, almost sadly.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. Besides, Rhodes knew what this time with Skye meant to me. He wouldn’t interrupt for nothing.
“Give me a second.”
I swung my legs over the bed and walked over to where I had dropped my jeans, fishing my phone out of the pocket. I frowned at the text message.
RHODES: Sorry. Meet me outside.
“Everything okay?” Skye sat up, pulling the sheet around herself.
I nodded and started pulling on my jeans, wincing as I eased them over my still-hard dick. “Rhodes needs me out front. I’ll be back in a second.”
She started to get up. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head.
“Remy—”
“I’m the only one who gets to see you like this,” I growled, my eyes sweeping over her soft doe eyes and sex-mussed hair.
The last thing I wanted to do was knock Rhodes unconscious for seeing Skye so vulnerable.
“Caveman,” she mumbled, but she was smiling when she laid back down.
I couldn’t argue with her as I walked through the cabin and opened the front door.
Rhodes looked grimly apologetic. “Sorry, man. You know I wouldn’t have interrupted but—”
“I get it,” I cut him off, closing the door. “What’s up?”
“Michael and Will got the others to the houses and settled in okay,” he said, “but Michael got a phone call. Zoe’s in labor.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Isn’t that early?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think they’re trying to stop it or something, but odds are he’ll be absent later when the others arrive.”
“Shit,” I murmured, rubbing my jaw.
“Also? I heard from my mom.” He said it casually enough, but I could sense the strain.
“What’d she want?” I demanded.
“Apparently her pack is one of the ones that lost their Alpha and their heir. She heard about what you were doing and talked to her … husband. Anyway, he convinced his pack to come here, too.”
I stared at him. “You good with that?”
He shrugged. “We could use all the allies we can get.”
“Not if it’s going to hurt you,” I countered evenly.
“I’m good,” he said finally. “What happened with my parents is done. I’m over it.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “They can come with the others then.”
“Great. Now I’ve just gotta tell Larkin.” He winced. “She hates my mom.”
“With good reason. And she isn’t the only one,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, well, it is what it is.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, his gaze drifting to the cabin. “How’s our girl?”
I smiled, not even a little annoyed that he was claiming ownership to Skye. She was my girl, but she meant as much to Rhodes as Katy did. She was every bit his sister, and I knew he had missed her.