A red, murderous haze coated Jameson’s vision as he glared at Vynn, growling deep in his throat as he stalked toward him.

All of this could have been avoided. Cady’s terror, her kidnapping, her needing to shoot Winston. All of it. If Vynn had been where he was supposed to be and done his fucking job.

Jameson felt his claws starting to poke through his fingertips, and he welcomed it. Yes, Vynn was about to die. He might technically be ranked above Jameson in the warriors, but he knew he could take him. He was only ranked higher because Jameson never put forth the effort needed to kick his ass.

That was changing today.

Just as he started to lunge forward, a hand wrapped around his bicep, yanking him back. He turned to Zane with a hiss, but Zane didn’t back down or let go of his arm.

“I know you’re pissed right now. You have every right to be. Hell, I’m pissed, too. But you need to let Kian deal with this. He’s the alpha. It’s his right.”

Fuck. He was right, and Jameson knew it, but it still took everything in him to back down. Breathing deeply, he fought to get his emotions, especially his rage, under control. Nodding tightly once he locked everything away, he fought his tiger as Zane slowly let him go, still watching him closely. His animal was shredding his chest, wanting out so he could go after Vynn, but he couldn’t let that happen.

At least not until Kian said he could.

Kian ended his phone call and turned around. He shoved it in his pocket and stalked forward to meet Vynn. His jaw was clenched, and he was holding himself tightly, but even Jameson could see how pissed he was. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his alpha this upset over anything. Kian was generally calm and laidback, and right now, his body looked like it was vibrating with anger.

“Where the fuck were you at, Vynn?” Kian spoke the words in a staccato voice, practically spitting each one out.

Vynn came to a stop in front of them, his face stony and grim. “I’m sorry, Alpha. It won’t happen again.”

“I repeat. Where. The. Fuck. Were. You. At?”

A muscle in Vynn’s jaw jumped, highlighting his scarred cheek, as he looked away, and it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything else. Jameson growled, almost at the end of his rope. He was generally as calm and laidback as Kian, but the events of the day left him with little patience. And what he had left was going toward reining in his tiger, who was still shredding his chest, trying to get out. But just as he started to step forward, Karis placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head at him.

Fuck. Taking a deep breath, he tried once again to get himself under control.

Karis removed his hand as he gave a small approving nod. His gray eyes went cold as he looked at Vynn, gesturing toward Arya and Cady. “Look over there. That woman was kidnapped and could have died or been lost forever to that monster because you weren’t doing your job. And then she had to take a life, something she never should have had to do, to get herself out of this. The least you can do is tell us what the fuck happened.”

Vynn blew out a breath, looking at Jameson steadily. “I’m sorry this happened to your mate. I didn’t do this deliberately. And I know you can hear the truth in my voice when I say that.”

Jameson frowned as he studied him. Vynn was telling the truth, and he didn’t think he ever heard him apologize before. But his suspicions stayed high. Vynn was a supporter of the old ways, something he’d never hidden. They’d all been waiting on him to make a move, and Jameson’s first thought was this was his first strike to weaken Kian’s support system. That might not have been the case, but it was clear something was up, since he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. As in, guarding Jameson’s mate.

Kian growled, taking a step forward. “We heard the truth of that, but you still haven’t told us why you weren’t at your post. Answer the fucking question, Vynn.”

Vynn’s tiger responded to the growl, but he swallowed it down at he stared steadily at Kian. “I smelled another person’s scent and went to check it out. Nothing more. If that’s unacceptable to you, kick me out of the fucking tribe. Jameson, give your mate my apologies.”

They watched as he turned and walked away without waiting on a reply, and Jameson frowned. “That was the truth, and yet…”

“There was something more to it, something he’s not telling us. God only knows where he went, or who the scent belonged to. He could be telling just a small portion of the truth.” Zane turned to Kian, a frown on his face. “You know he’ll never tell us the truth. You need to use your gift on him before he wipes us all out.”

Kian shook his head as he crossed his arms. “No. We need to figure this, and him, out on our own.”

“Stubborn ass,” Zane muttered, scowling at Kian.

Kian’s gift was compulsion and likeability. If he used it, he could get anyone to do anything he wanted, including telling the truth, but he refused. In situations like this, it could be frustrating as fuck that he wouldn’t use it, but Jameson couldn’t deny that he respected his alpha for refraining. He wanted to do things right, change the tribe the way anyone else would. Not use his gift to make everyone accept his changes.

The sound of Cady and Arya talking softly reached his ears, and he glanced over to find them standing. Cady wasn’t crying anymore, but Arya still had a hand on her, keeping her calm. Dammit, he needed her in his arms right now. Turning around, he glanced at Kian.

“So what’s the deal?”

“Luke and Noah are on their way back. They said they have the resources to deal with this. Jameson, you go on and get your mate. We’ll take care of this. Tell her what you think is best, and we’ll stick to it. But do it soon, before she gets curious and comes over here to see for herself.”

He nodded. “The story is he’s still alive, but he gets in an accident on the way home.”

Without waiting on a reply, he turned and strode toward his mate. She looked up and smiled shakily at him, a question in her eyes. He’d never lied before—in a village where everyone could hear lies, what was the point? Some of the War Cats did it on principle, just to keep others from knowing the truth, uncaring of whether everyone knew they were dishonest. But that had never been Jameson.

But he was going to have to figure out how to do it successfully, and really quick.

Then when he got close enough, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him. And he knew then that he could do this. Cady was his mate—the most important thing in the world to him. Lying was just a blip on the radar compared to the lengths he would go to for this woman.

Mate, his tiger sighed. She’s everything.

That she is.

He waited so long for her, but he wouldn’t change a thing. His tiger was right. She was everything.

Cadence took a sip of her hot chocolate and put her mug on the table. Sighing, she sat back as she rubbed her belly. It was still warm outside, too warm for hot chocolate really, but it was comforting, and she needed that right now.

Listening to the faint sound of the shower running, she leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. The baby moved against her palm, and she found a smile.

Cadence was okay. Her baby was okay. Jameson, Tarun, the whole town of Durga Valley, were okay. And Winston would never come after them again.

She still couldn’t believe it. The relief when Jameson told her she hadn’t killed Winston was strong, but when Jameson said he was getting put away forever, it literally weakened her knees.

Free. She, and her daughter, were finally free.

Fuck, what those words did to her. Despite her exhaustion, she still felt exhilaration flow through her veins. No more fear, no more looking over her shoulder, no more running.

She could stay here with Jameson forever. Be loved by him and love him in return like he deserved. A man like that—he deserved everything she could give him.

And her baby would have the best father in the world. He already loved her, and now that they could stay, without fear or worry, her baby could experience it in reality. And love from Jameson—it was the absolute best thing in the world.

“Hey, you okay?”

Smiling at the sound of his deep voice, Cadence opened her eyes to find him standing in front of her. His dark hair was wet and slicked back, and he was shirtless, a pair of pajama pants hanging low on his hips. His dark blue eyes were warm, but they were full of worry.

“Everything’s fine. It’s perfect. I promise, so stop your worrying.”

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling. Sitting on the couch next to her, he pulled her into his arms. She snuggled in as he kissed her hair, laying her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It felt like her soul sighed in relief. This, right here. There was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be than in this amazing man’s arms.

“Thanks for saving me today,” she said softly.

He shook his head. “I didn’t save you, Cady. You saved yourself. He would have shot me. I was too far away, and I wasn’t going to get to him first. And then God only knows what he would have done to you and the baby. You saved me, and you saved yourself. You did this.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to sniff them back. She’d cried enough today, but his words hit her hard. As did the realization that he was right. Oh, fuck, he was right. She’d finally taken a stand with Winston, and she won.

The monster from her past, who held so much power over her, was gone. Even after she left, even up until this morning, he still had power over her. Because she was living in fear, consumed with worry and terror that he’d emerge, and take everything she loved away from her. Including herself. But now, he was gone forever, and it was because of her. She’s stood up to him and won.

It took her a moment to get ahold of herself again, but she finally managed it. Raising her head, she looked Jameson in the eyes. “You were the strength I needed to do it. I love you, Jameson.”

Eyes soft, he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you too, Cady. With everything in me, with everything I am. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He moved one of his hands to her belly, rubbing softly and chuckling when the baby kicked his hand. “You and your daughter. I love both of you, so much.”

Oh, Lord, she was going to cry again. Ignoring her stinging nose and eyes, she smiled as she looked into his eyes. “Our daughter.”

His eyes widened, almost immediately swirling with the light blue of his tiger. He opened his mouth, closed it and swallowed hard. “Fuck, Cadence, that means everything. Our daughter.”

She laughed as his eyes got a little glassy. “Are you tearing up, Jameson Campbell?”

“Fuck, no. Warriors don’t cry. Just a little dust in the room that got in my eye, is all.”

“I call bullshit. I just cleaned this room top to bottom. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone the badass head trainer of the fiercest warriors around teared up.”

He chuckled, tightening his arms around her. “God, I love you, woman.”

“Ditto, Jamie. Ditto.”

“Can I ask you a question? I’ve been wondering about this for days.”

Brow furrowing over his tone—half serious and half amused—she raised an eyebrow. “You can ask me anything.”

“Did you have a stripper name?”

Eyebrows high, she took in his half smile, and the amusement and curiosity in his eyes. “I did. You couldn’t guess by the outfits I wore at the Peach? All pastel pinks and blues?”

Pursing his lips, he went silent before shaking his head. “Not a clue.”

“The manager at the Peach came up with it, a cheesy play on my name. It was Cotton Candy.”

Lips parting, he stared at her for a moment before chuckling. “Well, I guess I can see that.”

“What? How? I don’t think anything about me is like cotton candy.”

Leaning down, he kissed her gently. “You taste as sweet as cotton candy.” He paused, a grin creeping across his face. “Every. Single. Inch of you.”

Blushing, she swatted his chest. She gave him another kiss, knowing her cheeks were pink. Just another bit of proof that the name fit, she guessed.

Snuggling back into his arms, she sighed. It felt like her whole being was at peace, and she was glowing with happiness. Her life up to this point had been painful, to say the least. And she never really expected to have a life that wasn’t full of hardship and maybe even more pain. The most she ever hoped for was to be content.

And now she had this. Her future, her—their—daughter’s future, was bright and shiny, full of the promise of a hell of a lot of love and laughter. It was going to be nothing short of amazing. With Jameson at her side, it couldn’t be anything less, no matter what they’d have to face down the road. As long as they were together—that was all that mattered.

With a smile on her face, heart full near to bursting, she snuggled into his arms tighter. She was right before. It was the absolute best place in the world to be.