Jane wasn’t sure what woke her—the pop and sizzle of bacon cooking or the tantalizing scent. Whichever it was, her stomach growled in anticipation of shoveling about a hundred strips of crispy, fatty goodness into her mouth.

Damn, she hadn’t felt hungry for months, but she was pretty sure she could scarf down a greasy mountain of meat. Eggs and some French toast would hit the spot too. Maybe an omelet and a waffle. Definitely some sausage and pancakes. Then she’d wash it all down with a big glass of orange juice. Not one of those miniscule juice glasses restaurants used, but a big fat water glass brimming with the good stuff.

Cracking open one eye to the brightness of morning, her gazed drifted to Reese’s very broad, very shirtless back as he stood at a little wood-burning stove. A hot, sexy alpha who cooked? All her dreams had just come true!

The bed creaked underneath her as she rolled onto her back and stretched. She hadn’t slept so well in months, maybe years. And it wasn’t like the mattress could claim the credit. It was barely a notch above the crappy old futon in her college apartment.

Reese immediately dropped his spatula and rushed to her. “Are you okay? Is the baby?”

Jane couldn’t resist reaching up and letting her fingers skitter down his cheek to his stubbly jawline. She’d often dreamed about touching him again since that fateful night, but not once had it been of caressing his face!

“We’re fine,” she murmured, willing him to dip down and kiss her. “Don’t worry. Go back to your cooking.”

Jane could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted it, but now wasn’t the time.

“We need to talk,” he finally grated out.

Jane grimaced. “I know, but only if there’s food involved.”

Reese blinked and then smiled. “Fair enough. Bacon’s done. How much do you want?”

“I only want one piece,” Jane said, smirking as her stomach rumbled. “Our baby, on the other hand, wants it all.”

He laughed as he stood. “My pup gets what he wants.”

“Or she,” she noted as he went to fetch some grub.

Jane couldn’t remember a thing after Reese had picked her up in his arms after she’d tried fighting off a pack of Warren enforcers in her human form. He’d been right that it wasn’t her best idea, but Ian had given her no choice. She either ran and took the risk of being killed, or she stayed and guaranteed not only her death, but her baby’s and her parents’. It was the easiest decision she’d ever made.

Sitting up as Reese piled a plate high with bacon, she took in her surroundings. They were in a small, one-room log cabin, newly built by the looks of it. Oil lamps were scattered about, and every stick of furniture looked to have been handmade out of hand-harvested branches and logs. It wasn’t luxurious by any stretch of the imagination, but it was warm and cozy, and had clearly been built with love.

“Do you live here?”

“No,” Reese said, smiling as he sat on the edge of the small bed and put the plate between them. “I live in the pack house. I built this after my father died. I use it when I need some alone time.”

“Really?” Jane said through a mouthful of bacon.

“When my father was diagnosed with cancer, everyone turned to me for guidance. I would be the new alpha, after all. So not only was I dealing with my changing role in the pack, but I was also caring for my father during his final days. I needed a place to think without a thousand voices yammering away at me.”

“I’m sorry about your father, Reese. Truly.”

She laid a comforting hand on his. He looked down at it and then entwined his fingers in hers.

“Thank you. But we should be discussing our… situation.”

“Whatever could you be talking about?” she asked innocently before shoving three more pieces of bacon in her mouth.

Reese smiled, despite the gravity of their “situation.”

“First things first,” he said, hooking a finger under her chin and tipping her head to the side so he could inspect her fading bruise. “It’s healing nicely.”

At the light touch, a thrill sizzled from her chin to her very core. Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I’m a lot tougher than I look.”

“I can see that. You’re also impulsive to the point of being reckless. What were you thinking crossing the border in the middle of the night like that? If I hadn’t been near…”

Jane’s cheeks grew warm at being chastised, but she knew where he was coming from. “It was dangerous, but not reckless. Either I tried to find you, or I faced certain death.”

A rumble echoed through the cabin before Jane realized it was coming from inside Reese. His upper lip quivered and his eyes blazed with anger.

“Tell me everything.”

Jane hesitated in telling him everything. He was no more than a stranger to her, really, and she had no idea how he’d react. The last thing she wanted was for her baby’s father to go charging into Coleman lands in a fit of rage. So, she started slowly.

“I never really felt like I belonged to my pack. My father is overbearing and very old-school. There was never any room for discussion with him. I had to do as he said or face the consequences, even in matters as trivial as what clothes I was allowed to wear. I never felt as if I could just be me. He didn’t just overshadow me; he eclipsed me.”

She popped another piece of bacon in her mouth and chewed deliberately as she tried to figure out how to continue. Reese sat patiently, watching her intently, devoid of judgment or expectations. No one had ever looked at her like that before, and not just because her father was the alpha of their pack.

“My father’s always been domineering, that’s true, but ever since I came home, he’s been…different.” She shrugged and dropped her gaze. “I don’t know, maybe it’s just the shame of his daughter getting knocked up and dropping out of school.”

Reese frowned. “School?”

His question drove home the fact they knew next to nothing about each other. But somehow, that didn’t seem to matter to her heart. Now that they were together, the connection between them grew stronger than ever.

“Yes, I left the pack to go to college.”

“With… humans?” He looked scandalized.

Jane smiled. “Yup. They’re actually not that bad. Most of the time. Of course, none of them knew the truth about me. In fact, that was the whole point.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Turns out, neither did I. You see, I thought that since I never felt at home in my own pack, I might find a place out in the human world. It took forever to talk my father into letting me go, and it was mostly my mother’s doing, but what I never admitted to anyone was that my secret goal was to assimilate.”

Reese shook his head. “Aside from the obvious risk of being discovered, a wolf without a pack will almost certainly turn feral and go mad. What made you think you’d be any different?”

Jane shrugged. “I was young and stupid and thought I’d be different. It turns out what I really wanted wasn’t to become a human at all. I was willing to make the sacrifice of denying my true nature for the chance to live life on my own terms. I simply didn’t want to live under my father’s thumb anymore.”

“So why did you return?” Reese asked, looking honestly puzzled.

Jane’s eyebrow shot up and she tilted her head. “Really?”

He continued to appear confused until her hand drifted down to her tummy.

“Oh, right.”

“Yup, one crazy night on spring break, and I turn up preggers. Imagine my dad’s delight.” She sniffed, trying to pass it off as a joke when it was anything but. “Anyway, no way could I live a normal human life with a shifter baby. It’s not like I could hide him away until he hit puberty and was finally able to control his shift. Of course, I had no idea who or where you were, so I scurried home with my tail between my legs.”

“So…” he started but then stopped. His gaze grew even more intense, which Jane would have bet was impossible. “You didn’t know who I was?”

Jane frowned and then understanding dawned. “Are you asking if I set you up? If my father forced me to seduce you so he could gain some bizarre upper hand and take control of your lands?”

At least he had the grace to blush. “I’m sorry.”

Her heart swelled at the contrite expression clouding his chiseled features. Pulling his hand to her belly, she smiled. “Don’t be. Whatever has happened, or will happen, I will never regret our night together because it led to this.”

Silence stretched between them, their hands locked together on the baby they’d made. Jane hadn’t known it then, but her life had changed forever that night, and she wouldn’t change a single thing.

“I wish I’d known,” Reese said, his voice tinged with regret but not incrimination.

“I wish I could have told you.”

His gold-flecked eyes locked onto hers. “I’ve missed so much.”

“Mostly a lot of throwing up,” Jane said, laughing. “And orange juice.”

“Orange juice?”

“Cravings are intense.”

Reese finally smiled. “I’ll buy five gallons tomorrow. And I’ll make sure the freezer is stocked with bacon.”

He twisted his fingers around hers, and though the intimate gesture should have felt foreign or forced, it didn’t. Not to her. The warmth of his skin spread through her like a comforting embrace.

“From now on, you won’t have to go through any of this alone,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Jane wanted nothing more in that moment than to lean forward and kiss Reese. But if she did that, they’d be busy for at least an hour—hopefully more—and they had more to discuss. It couldn’t wait.

“That’s good to hear because you’re the only one who can save my family.”

“What do you mean?” Reese asked, concern flashing across his face.

This was why she’d sought him out, but now that the moment had arrived, she struggled to find the words. Once she told Reese the full story, his life might be in danger. But he needed to know.

“First, it’s my turn to ask you an awkward question. Did you murder my father’s beta?”

“Of course not!” Reese tried to yank his hand away, but Jane kept a tight grip on it.

“I didn’t think so,” she said, calming him instantly. “Ian, the new beta, is an evil bastard who needs to die.”

Reese didn’t balk or even so much as blink. He just asked, “Why?”

“He’s been whispering into my father’s ear that a war with the Warren pack was the only option. My father’s erratic behavior made manipulating him easy, but now that the two packs are on the brink, he’s changed his tune. Says he’s going to overthrow my father with his followers.”

Reese scowled, chewing on this bit of information. “A green beta pushing out his alpha? That’s not how it works.”

“He’s not only pushing my father out, he point blank told me he plans to execute both of my parents, and…”

“And what?” Reese asked, noticing her hesitation.

“And me, if I don’t get rid of my baby and become his mate.”

The bed lurched when Reese jumped up and seemed to grow taller than she remembered. Fur sprouted from his knuckles and his teeth grew long enough to protrude from his mouth. His deep, throaty growl bounced off the walls of the little cabin, and her wolf joined in.

“You’re mine,” he snarled, fire blazing in his eyes.

Far from feeling threatened, a sense of peace and security enveloped Jane. In the face of such ferocity from a true alpha—not a wannabe—Ian’s threats seemed like a pathetic joke. Just like Ian.

“No one will ever hurt you again, Jane. I need you to know that. Never!”

Jane moved onto her knees and pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to the thunder inside. “I know,” she whispered.

Reese wrapped her in a protective hug, and Jane thought she could have stayed like that forever. Until he tipped her head back and stared deep into her eyes. In that moment, she knew he was ready to claim her—and she was ready to be claimed.

“And I won’t let anything happen to your parents either. I don’t know what’s wrong with your father, but I’m going to find out. Right after I take you as my own so there’s no question about your allegiance.”

Jane had already begun skimming her hands along the hard planes of his body. She smiled up at him and grabbed two handfuls of the sweetest ass she’d ever seen.

“Quit talking and do it already.”