A soft knock sounded on Valentina’s door. She had to stop herself from snapping at the receptionist who peeked around the wood panel. It was a close thing, but she was able to rein in her tongue at the last second. The poor girl didn’t do anything to get on her bad side.

“Ms. Cordoza? There’s a large donation that’s come in. I was told to notify you so you could thank them.”

“Thank you, April. Tell them I’ll be right out.”

“Of course, Ms. Cordoza,” April said before scurrying off.

She turned and peeked out through the slats of the blinds that she had drawn down but left open. The last few days, with her nerves being so frayed, she had needed that level of privacy. It wasn’t something she normally did, and she knew it had created some concern among the staff. A man was standing in the atrium, but he was mostly hidden by tall decorative plants and fake trees.

As she turned back to her computer, she locked it and used her reflection in the dark screen to reapply her lipstick. There would be a photo, after all, and appearances were important, especially since she ran the place. She stood and took a few deep breaths as she smoothed out her black skirt and straightened her chiffon blouse before heading out to the greeting area.

She could see a big cardboard check resting between the floor and a masculine hand, but she still couldn’t quite see its owner. Liana had turned up with the camera and was all smiles. Something about her excitement set alarm bells ringing in Valentina’s head. When she finally rounded the corner and got a clearer look at the man with the check, she immediately knew why.

Elijah.

Her heart stuttered in her chest before taking off at a gallop. Had he really brought in a donation big enough to bring her out of her office? When April gestured toward her, he turned, and her heart clenched painfully. Not only was he still ridiculously handsome but he was injured, or rather, had been. A long violent-looking scar now decorated his face from his temple to his mouth. If nothing else, she needed to find out what happened. Did the doctor who turned him track him down again somehow? Did he get in a fight with another alpha? Or worse, was he confronted by a Reaper? The questions swirled in her mind on repeat, leaving her mouth to run on autopilot.

“Elijah, how lovely to see you again,” she said while her brain still swam, a sea of emotions and questions.

“Valentina, I wanted to bring this by. You inspire me, and I was hoping to do something nice for you,” he said. His voice was sex on a stick. It practically crawled under her clothes and caressed her skin.

She caught the slight wince on his face as he finished talking, and she took a deep breath. “I’d love to get a photo with you for our newsletter if you’re okay with that?”

“Of course.”

She stepped closer to him, resting her hand on his lower back, right over the curve of what she knew from experience was a fabulous ass. He draped an arm over her shoulder, and the heat of it was almost too much. She hadn’t realized how cold she had been until the warmth radiating off him began to seep into her bones.

Liana handed them the check, and they both held one side with their free hand while her packmate took a photo. Valentina hoped that the panic she felt within didn’t show on her face or in the photo.

“Why don’t you take a couple more, Lee?” she asked. Did her voice sound breathy, or was that in her head? She wasn’t sure. All she knew at this point was that her body was reacting to Elijah in ways that surprised her. Sure, the sex they had was amazing, but it felt as if her body remembered and was ready to dive in all over again. Not that it worked out that well the first time around.

When the photos were done, Elijah handed the check over. “Could we talk for a moment?” he asked, his eyes barely meeting hers, as if he was nervous or something.

She knew she should say no, that this was a very nice gesture but she hadn’t changed her mind, but neither of those things came out of her mouth. Instead, she said, “This way,” before turning and leading him in the direction of her office. Each step seemed to ramp up her need for Elijah, and she was glad that this had occurred at work so she couldn’t act on her baser desires.

As she waved him into the office, she said, “Please, have a seat,” while she shut the door behind them. A few more steps, and she passed by him and the wall of desire that seemed to surround him. His scent reached her, and she wanted to roll around in the delicious masculinity of it, and then she was behind her desk and sitting.

Valentina tried to focus on everything except the man in front of her, but it was no use. He had come in to talk, so talk they would. She would just need to go home afterward. “So, you wanted to talk?” she asked as he continued to stare at her.

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you like that when we found the lab. I was just so set on catching the doctor that I had blinders on to everything else. You did the right thing by helping the other prisoners first. It’s what I should have done, but I was being selfish, and that behavior led to you getting shot. If you had died, I never would have forgiven myself.”

Her stomach was officially full of knots. “I didn’t die, and I do owe you thanks for saving my life. Elijah.” She sighed his name. Today was the first time she had said it aloud since he’d left, and if she was honest with herself, it felt as if she were coming home. “I . . . I owe you an apology as well. I knew what your primary goal was, but I let my own desires take over, and if we are being honest with each other, it had no small part in splitting us up.”

“I miss you,” he said so quietly, she wondered if he had intended for her to hear the words or not. He cleared his throat again and looked her directly in the eyes, which sent a jolt of electricity through her. “I miss you. I haven’t been able to think about anything but you since I left, and I wish I never had. Valentina, you are everything I never knew I wanted in a woman. You’re smart, funny, generous, kind, selfless, and so damn brave. You’re also sexy as hell, which is just the cherry on top. I want to give what was starting between us another shot. If you allow me to be with you, I promise that I will do everything I can to defer to you on anything outside the bedroom, but in the bedroom, I’m alpha.”

That last sentence made her press her thighs together as her insides twisted and clenched with need. “Elijah”—she couldn’t seem to stop saying his name—“I would love to give us another try if you are truly willing to let me be alpha of Midnight. And not just you, but your panther as well. I need both of you to be on the same page with this, because I don’t think I could take kicking you out again.” Her voice had trailed off to a whisper at the end, and her gaze was focused on the orchid that sat on the corner of her desk. The sound of movement drew her gaze, and all of a sudden, Elijah was next to her, kneeling on the floor by her side. She turned and stared down into his beautiful eyes and strikingly handsome face, even if it was now marked by a scar.

“Valentina, I only want to be with you. I want it so badly that I would try anything, do anything. I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Love at first sight was always a myth to me, but I swear that’s what happened with us, at least for me. My panther doesn’t want anything to do with me if you’re not around, and I have to say I feel similarly toward him. We love you.”

Her heart stopped beating. She couldn’t breathe. No one had ever said those words to her in a romantic way before. None of her past lovers or boyfriends had ever declared that kind of feeling for her. The strangest thing was that she had never felt the need to declare it before now, either, but with Elijah saying it first, it was as if someone unlocked the door in her heart, and now she just wanted to scream it from the rooftop.

“I love you, too. We love you,” she said, adding the second part due to the purring jaguar within her.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice so achingly unsure that she wanted to grab him and plant the mother of all kisses on his lips, but this was a negotiation between their alpha halves. She didn’t feel the need to assert her dominance, so she was happy to let things progress as they would, which meant that she simply nodded at him.

Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed up toward her face. His strong warm hand cupped her head on one side, while the other hand sat on her knee. He hovered in front of her for just a moment before he brushed his lips against hers. She wanted to moan with relief at his kiss. The soft, sensual movements of his lips combined with his tongue sweeping into her mouth had her completely at his mercy. As their mouths moved against one another, his hand began to slide up her knee, and the urge to spread her legs for him was so strong that she had to stop kissing him so she could get herself under control.

“What happened?” The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it as her fingers ran down the line of the scar on his face.

“I was trying to track the doctor, and instead of finding him, I found some of his employees, all of whom were equipped with a silver blade coated in wolfsbane. One of them got a lucky shot in.”

“You couldn’t shift?” she asked, knowing that it would be healed by now if he had been treated properly or at least had shifted a few times.

“No. Shifting has been difficult for me recently, as if my animal didn’t want to come out.”

They both fell silent, taking in what he had just said. After a moment, Valentina asked quietly, “Do you want to go home?”

“To Woodhaven?”

Valentina nodded, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

“Only if I get to be alpha for a bit.”

She looked at him questioningly, unsure of his meaning, afraid that he was trying to do something she wouldn’t be okay with.

“I mean, I want to take you to bed.”

A smile broke over her face at that. “I would like that very much, but there is something we will need to take care of first.”

“Oh?” His brows drew together in confusion.

“We need to have a pack meeting and make sure everyone is okay with this. As much as I love you, I am duty bound to them, and I love them just as much. If they aren’t okay with us being together, then we will have to rethink things.

He sat back on his heels and took a deep breath. “Do you think they’ll say no?”

“I doubt it. I haven’t exactly been the most pleasant to be around since you left.” She chuckled. “They’ll probably be glad you’re back.”

Elijah grinned up at her then. “I meant every word I said, you know?”

“I know. I also can’t believe you donated five thousand dollars to the shelter just to force me to talk to you.”

“I would have given more if I could.”

“I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not necessary. Now, let’s go see what everyone has to say,” she said, standing and unplugging her laptop. Leaving early meant she’d need to do work at some point tonight if she ever hoped to catch up. Before they left, she tapped out a quick message to her pack, advising them that they needed to talk, so they were having a meeting in an hour. It meant that anyone who was in the area and could get to the house was expected to be there. Anyone who couldn’t was expected to join via video chat or at the very least by phone. She was willing to bet Liam and Liana would be calling instead of video chatting since it meant they could keep driving.

Once they were back at Woodhaven, she took him to a different meeting room than they had used previously. This one was a tech paradise. She pulled down the projector screen and got everything set up. Asher, Imogen, and Penelope wandered in a while later, the two women just smiling at Valentina when they saw Elijah there. A few moments later, just as predicted, Liana and Liam called in on speaker, and Kinsley joined the call a moment after that. Domino and Harper were the last ones to join, having clearly just been engaging in some adult activities judging by the flush of embarrassment on Harper’s face and the smug, satisfied look on Domino’s. She felt a little bad for not including Dante, but he still wasn’t comfortable around others. He was so scared his cat was going to come out and attack everyone that he generally kept to his room. She made a mental note to talk to him privately later.

When they were all settled and there, Valentina dove in. “So, Elijah and I would like to tell you guys something. We would like to pursue a relationship with one another. The reason I’m—we’re,” she corrected herself, “telling you is because I need to know that you guys are okay with having another alpha around the house. Elijah will not be alpha of the pack, that is my role, but we are considering sharing some responsibilities down the road if everything goes the way we want it to.”

Elijah jumped in when she paused. “I love Valentina.” He had to pause to let the gasps and squeals die down. “I do. I love her, but I also want to respect what she has built here with Midnight. I am not trying to take over the pack, nor do I want you guys to treat me like I’m alpha. I just want to be with the woman I love. That’s it, plain and simple.”

“If you are uncomfortable with this, please share your concerns.”

“Thank all the elders!” Liam’s hoot came clearly through the speakers. “I couldn’t take the moping, bitchy alpha for much longer!” He laughed, and so did the others around the table, as well as over the phone.

“Imogen, Penelope, do you have any concerns?”

“I’m glad you’re taking a risk,” Imogen said quietly. “I don’t have any concerns. You are my alpha. That is all I need to know.”

Penelope just nodded along with Imogen.

“Asher?” Valentina asked, turning to her favorite bartender.

“Nothing here. You do you, sweetie.”

“Kinsley, Liana?”

“Go get him, boss.” Kinsley’s voice came through loud and clear.

“Have some fun for me, yeah?” Liana’s response made Valentina smile.

Her pack was nothing if not supportive, and it made her heart swell to unheard of proportions. She felt as if she could float away on a cloud of happiness.

Before she could close out the meeting, Liana added, “These newbies are going to wonder what the hell they’ve gotten themselves into.”

“Newbies?” Elijah asked quietly beside her.

She nodded and said to everyone, “In case you haven’t heard, we will have at least two new members for a while as part of the terms of settling the shifters we found at the lab. Liam and Liana are on their way to pick them up now. Desmond and Mirabelle. We may also have to take one more in, depending on how the alpha feels once the new addition gets there. Oh, and before I forget, Dante is staying with us for a while, at least until he has control over his animal again, but he may decide to become part of the pack as well.”

“Jeez, boss, when you go for it, you really go for it, huh?” Kinsley’s voice crackled over the phone.

“I’m excited to meet everyone,” Imogen said, while Penelope just looked worried.

“So, are we all done? I’d like to get back to driving,” Liana said, jumping in during the pause in the conversation.

“Yep, we’re done. If any of you feel as though things are getting weird with either the new members or with Elijah, please come talk to me. You know I’m always here for you.”

Murmurs of agreement floated around the room while the phone went dead and everyone went their separate ways.

“Looks like I’ve got the green light, then, huh, kitten?” Elijah’s voice was right behind her, and as he spoke, he slipped a hand around her waist, pulling her back into his embrace.

“I guess so,” she breathed, her whole body quivering with her need for him.

Slowly, much too slowly for her liking, they went upstairs. Her room was exactly as she had left it this morning, and yet somehow, it felt different. Bigger, yet less empty. Almost as though there was a soul in it. The door clicked quietly shut behind her, and she just about jumped out of her skin.

“So nervous, kitten.” Elijah’s voice came from behind her again. “There’s nothing to be worried about. I’m just going to peel those clothes off and make love to you until you’re a sticky, screaming mess. Unless you’d rather I not?”

The way he asked the question made her laugh, her nerves bubbling out of her. “Yes, please,” she breathed, still not facing him. His firm hands grasped her waist and turned her around to face him.

“Touch me, Valentina. I’ve missed the feel of your hands on my skin.”

She followed his command, splaying her hands over his chest, running them down and sliding them under his shirt so they were skin to skin.

“I feel as though I’m addicted to you,” Elijah said as his mouth found hers.

“The feeling is mutual,” she said between kisses.

“Then let’s go feed our addictions.” He chuckled darkly and pulled her toward the bed.

She smiled at him, her heart soaring with every touch, kiss, and step. Everything felt as if it had clicked back into place. They were both exactly where they should be, and she knew that from this point forward, there would be no running away from each other. They both needed one another too much. He was her matching puzzle piece, and together, they made something beautiful.