Later that night, long after the cats had left and everyone had retired for the night, Bracken sat on the top step of their back porch with his mate—who was dressed in only his shirt—between his legs. His face tucked into the crook of her neck, his chest bare, he kept his arms wrapped tightly around her. As they sat there, enjoying the peace that had settled over them, Bracken pressed the occasional kiss to her throat, cheek, temple, and hair. Her fingers doodled patterns on his jean-clad thighs, sometimes tracing her name there.
His wolf was resting, utterly relaxed, just breathing her in; Bracken and his wolf filled their senses with her.
He was pretty sure all the mated couples were doing exactly what they were doing just then. Holding each other, touching, kissing, and reminding themselves that they were alive.
It might have seemed strange for them to be relaxed, considering they’d been caught up in a battle not so long ago. But when you came close to losing the person you loved most and then had the pleasure of holding them, assured that they were now safe and well, there wasn’t anything more calming than that.
Of course, they probably wouldn’t have been so peaceful if they had lost any of the pack in the battle. Although many wolves and cats had been seriously wounded, Ally, Taryn, and two pallas healers had worked fast to heal them all.
Sensing that his mate was deep in thought, Bracken asked, “What are you thinking?” He idly slipped his hand down the front of the shirt and lightly cupped her breast, feeling her nipple pebble against his palm. She playfully bit his arm, and he snatched back his hand to tug on her hair. “That wasn’t nice.”
Madisyn chuckled, feeling more serene than she had in a long time. Her cat was lazing, tail curled around her, completely content. “Yeah, well, you already fucked me on this porch once tonight—and most vigorously.” Her back was killing her. “Next time, I want a bed.” She felt his mouth curve against her neck.
“I like fucking you on a hard surface. It means there’s no give, and I can pound my cock deep inside you.”
“How romantic.”
He snorted. “Now tell me what you were thinking.”
“I was wondering if we’ll face any shit from the rest of the Tundra Pack, given that their Alpha’s now dead,” she replied. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” He traced over a faint line on the back of her hand—it was all that was left of a vicious claw mark. Their wounds were all virtually healed now, and the pain was gone. “They accepted Nick’s account of what happened when they came for the bodies, didn’t seem in the least bit surprised, so they must have known about Shaw’s deal with Archer. They didn’t make any threats.”
“Yeah, but Claudia wasn’t one of the people who came. We have no idea how she’s taken this.”
Bracken suspected Claudia’s mother and security team had recommended that she remain behind when the others arrived to collect the bodies, considering she was the reason that Shaw came at them in the first place.
“She already hates us, so I doubt she’d have any problem causing problems for us,” Madisyn added.
“Still, I think it’s unlikely that the rest of her pack will want to. Their number has just undergone a dramatic loss, so that leaves them vulnerable. They could cause a storm if they want, but there would be little point in retaliating. The others fought us and lost—it’s as simple as that. That’s the risk you take when you challenge another pack. Everyone knows that.” He smoothed his hand over her thigh. “It didn’t occur to me that Brookson was supposed to serve as a distraction. Not until it was too late.”
Sensing his frustration at himself, Madisyn lightly grazed the side of his face with her fingers. “Everyone’s okay, although it was a close call for some—especially Marcus, who I’ll adore forever simply for helping Dawn get out of the creek when Charity came lumbering at me. My heart stopped when I saw her tumble into the water, but I couldn’t get to her.”
Bracken pressed a comforting kiss to her neck. “She’s fine now. Ally healed her. Honestly, I think Dawn’s pride was hurt more than anything else.”
“Yeah. She’s an alpha. Logically, she knows that she couldn’t have fought her way out of that situation with the bears, but that hasn’t stopped her from seething at herself about it. Still, she got to spit on Archer’s body, so that cheered her.”
The memory made Bracken’s mouth curve. “Yeah, it did.” But his smile faded when he recalled something else. Something he’d delayed telling Madisyn several times already. Grazing his cheek against hers, he tightened his hold on her. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“I know what’s blocking the mating bond.”
Turning slightly in his hold, she met his eyes. “You do?”
“At first, I thought the bond was blocked because you still had a few doubts you hadn’t yet consciously acknowledged. But it’s not you. It’s me.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I saw your cat lying on the ground, bleeding and covered in wounds, I realized a few things. Realized I was holding back from the bond because a part of me thinks I have no right to have it or you. No right to be happy.”
Madisyn frowned, heart hurting for him. She hated that he’d ever think such a thing. “That’s not true.”
“I know. But a tiny part of me must disagree because, even though I’m acknowledging what the issue is, the bond just isn’t snapping into place.”
“It will. Give it time.” She skimmed her fingers over his jaw. “Because, realistically, it could in fact take time for it to sink into your brain that I’m not going anywhere. That you don’t need to deserve me, don’t need to protect me, don’t need to do anything but love me.”
He gently turned her to fully face him and pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers. “I love you more than anyone could ever love another person.”
“So let that be enough for now,” she softly urged, sliding her arms around his neck. “Pressuring yourself won’t help. Dwelling on it won’t help. You can’t force something like this. It will happen at its own pace. It could snap into place tomorrow, it could happen months from now. Just . . . leave it be, yeah?”
It wasn’t that easy, as much as Bracken wished it otherwise. “I want you to have everything you want. I want to be able to give you anything you want. This makes me feel like I’m failing.”
“You’re not. If you were consciously blocking the bond, it would be different. But you’re not. You’re giving it, giving me, as much as you can. That part of your subconscious just needs a little time to catch up to what you already know—which is that its little issue is senseless.”
Knowing she was right, he nodded. “Just don’t let this make you doubt that you’re everything to me.”
She gave him a soft smile. “How could I doubt that, when you drum it into my brain with everything you do?”
His mouth quirked. “Yeah,” he agreed, “how could you?”
“And you know you’re everything to me too, right?”
His smile widened. “Yeah, I know that.” He took her mouth in a slow, languid kiss that made his cock twitch back to life. “I need you again.” Claiming her mouth again, he eased himself back, lying flat, keeping her tight against him.
She groaned. “No, not the porch again.”
He rubbed his hands up her thighs, pushing up the shirt and hiking it around her waist. “I’ll take the pounding this time. Ride me, Madisyn.”