I stared after Leif, shaken to the core by what had just happened. I’d known coming into this that the chances were slim Gabriel would let Leif stay. But I’d hoped. Hope for the best, my mother had always said. But prepare for the worst. The only good lesson she’d imparted to me.

Gabriel would never change—I knew that now. His position in the pack meant more to him than anything else. His way or the highway, that was how it’d always been. I was tired of it. Tired of always worrying about his thoughts and his reactions. Yes, he was my alpha. But maybe he didn’t have to be.

Maybe I could choose to follow another alpha.

“So, that’s it, huh?” I demanded in a blistering tone, rounding on my alpha.

“Lucy—”

“No, you had your chance to talk.” I drew in a deep breath and mustered what remained of my courage. If I could face down a psychopathic vampire, surely, I could give Gabriel a piece of my mind. “Leif never once threatened your position with the pack, and he certainly never challenged you! Jerrik and Leif were both lone wolves, not because they’re weak, but because they’ve never felt like they belonged anywhere. This was your chance to change that, to show them and us that you’re the better man, the better wolf. But all you care about is your power and your position in the pack!”

“Reagan is hurt because of him!”

“So we’re victim blaming, now?” I shook my head. “I expected better from you, Gabriel. Better from the man who raised us. Leif didn’t invite the vampires here, nor did he order them to attack us or hurt Reagan. You want to blame someone? Blame the damn vamps. But don’t stand there and pretend like Leif had anything to do with this.”

Gabriel’s expression was priceless—a mix of shock and irritation. I’d never spoken to him like this before, never raised my voice or questioned him. A part of me wanted to blame it on the hormones, but I knew it was more than that. He’d exiled my mate, and I refused to stand by and watch.

“You gave Jerrik a chance,” I pressed, “because he saved Reagan’s life. Well, Leif saved mine. And Reagan’s. And hell, yours! Jonah would have slaughtered us if not for him. Maybe it’s time you came down off your high horse and started acting like an alpha. A true alpha.” I squared my shoulders. “You’ve made your decision. Well, here’s mine. I’m leaving with Leif.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened, but he didn’t reply.

“You want to exile him? Fine. But I refuse to sit back and do nothing.” I cradled my stomach. “Maybe this baby was an accident, but I’ll be damned if I let a little thing like your pride keep us from being a family.” Having said what I’d needed, I turned and stormed out of the house.

Not that I made it very far.

Leif leaned against the driver’s side door, his legs crossed at his ankles. Saved me the trouble of having to hunt him down, at least.

I came to a stop at the end of the sidewalk and glared. Gabriel wasn’t the only one who’d pissed me off. “I thought you’d left.”

“I’d intended to,” he commented, pushing off my car. “But then I heard someone yelling at Gabriel.”

“But you left,” I growled. “Just like that.”

Leif walked toward me. “I heard what you said in there.”

I planted my hands on my hips. “So?”

“Lucy… As much as I want you to come with me, and believe me, I do, I don’t think you understand what that means.”

I laughed under my breath.

“Jonah isn’t the only vampire out there gunning for me. He said he owed me pain, and he wasn’t wrong. A year ago, a town hired me to rid them of a menace. One that turned out to be Jonah’s mate. I executed her without hesitation. Do you realize how dangerous that makes my life? That’s why I didn’t fight Gabriel on his decision. When words spreads that I have a child, he’ll be marked. As will you.”

“Then it’s a good thing our child will have two kickass parents ready to kill anyone who touches him.”

Leif blinked, startled by the vehemence in my voice. “You don’t understand—”

“Oh, I understand plenty,” I snapped. “You left because you think your life is too dangerous for me. Well, guess what. You don’t get to make that call. I’m the only person who gets to decide that.” I relaxed my stance. “We’re going to have a child, Leif. The only question that matters right now is, do you want to be a part of their life?”

“More than anything,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “And yours. I wasn’t lying when I said you were my mate.”

“Good.” I lifted my chin. “Because this is it. I don’t want to be alone anymore, Leif. And I don’t want us to be apart. I want to be happy, with you and our child.”

His eyes raked me over. “What changed? Earlier, you said you didn’t want a mate… I thought…”

“Jerrik and Reagan,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “They’re so deliriously in love with each other. I never thought I wanted that. Until I met you. Now, the thought of you leaving, of never seeing you again…” I squeezed my eyes shut. “No, I don’t want that. I don’t want to go back to that life.”

“But that means leaving with me.”

I nodded. “I can do that. I want to do that.”

“What about Reagan? And your family?”

“Reagan has Jerrik,” I said. The thought of leaving her hurt, but I’d knew she’d be fine. We both would be. “And my family, we’re not close. That’s no hardship.”

“Your pack?”

“They’ll understand.” I lifted my gaze to his. “You’re my pack now.”

“Lucy…” he whispered seconds before his mouth found mine.

I sucked in a breath, my heart tripping over itself. I’d made my choice. One I knew I wouldn’t regret. We weren’t where Jerrik and Reagan were, but I knew without a doubt, we’d get there. I felt it deep in my bones.

This was forever.

* * *

“Mmm. We should get up,” I murmured before snuggling deeper into Leif’s side.

His chest rumbled with a deep chuckle, a sound that vibrated against my cheek. We’d rushed home after the encounter at Gabriel’s with the sole intention of sorting everything out. Instead, we’d passed out in each other’s arms. It’d been a tiring night, both physically and emotionally.

“But getting up means moving,” Leif said with a quiet laugh.

And moving was the very last thing I wanted to do. I’d never cuddled with a man before. Not like this. Not without sex. It was a new experience for me, and one I wanted to revel in a little longer.

“We should, though. We only have two days to get me packed. And there’s a lot to do. I’ll need to find my passport and figure out what I’m taking with. The doctor appointment is tomorrow. Maybe they can recommend someone in Norway?”

Leif brushed his fingers through my hair, eliciting a cat-like purr from my throat. “Doubtful. But don’t worry, we’ll get you a good one.”

“Oh, gosh. What about the paperwork…”

“It’ll take time. You might have to make some trips back and forth between here and Norway, but it’s fine. We’ll hire a lawyer to expedite the process.”

“Will we need to marry?”

“Hmm.” His fingers brushed my neck. “I guess we’ll find out. Would you like to?”

“One day. There’s no rush, though. When we know each other better.”

He nodded, then with a soft hum, rested his head against mine. “We have a long, long time before we need to address that. Let’s worry about all this tomorrow and just sleep.”

A contented smile curled my lips. Moving didn’t sound all that fun right now anyway.

I closed my eyes and was drifting off when a resounding thump startled me awake. I bolted up in the bed, my gaze darting toward the sound.

It came again, another hard rap.

“Someone’s at the door,” Leif mumbled.

Ugh. Of course. I needed a sign or something. One that read Go Away for moments like these. Or maybe something like watchdog on premises. That last thought made me chuckle, considering I didn’t have a dog.

Another knock. This time louder.

“Well, aren’t they determined…” Grumbling under my breath, I rose from the bed and stumbled toward the door. Who the hell would even be out there at this time of night? Or was it morning now? I glanced at the clock hanging in the entryway and winced. Five in the morning.

With a long growl, I wrenched open the door and started scolding our visitor without looking. “Do you know what time it is?”

“I do, actually.”

The sound of Gabriel’s voice brought me up short. I froze and locked gazes with him. “Is Reagan…”

“She’s fine,” he quickly stated, his brow raising as he perused my rumpled state. Leif and I hadn’t even bothered to change from last night, too exhausted to do anything more than fall into bed. “I see I wasn’t the only one with an interesting night.”

Yet, he looked suave as ever. It shouldn’t have surprised me. He never went anywhere without looking his best. “What do you want?”

His other brow winged up. “Now, is that any way to greet your alpha?”

I bit my tongue before I said something stupid. I’d renounced my ties to his pack last night, and he knew it. He meant to annoy me, but I refused to bite. Someone had to be the better person.

I stepped aside and gestured him inside.

Gabriel crossed the threshold, a tiny smirk playing at his lips. “And Leif?”

“He’s in the bedroom,” I said. “I’m sure you can handle that?”

“Come out, please,” Gabriel stated, looking past me.

Leif strolled out of the room, almost as collected as Gabriel. Alpha politics. How I hated them. Here I stood, all disheveled and rumpled, while they looked as spry as a summer morning.

“I told you I’d be gone in forty-eight hours time. It’s only been four.”

“That’s actually why I’m here.”

I walked past Gabriel and took my place by Leif’s side. The choice wasn’t lost on Gabriel. Though he said nothing, I caught the slight hint of a smile, as though my antics amused him.

Finally, he took a deep breath and gestured toward us. “It’s been brought to my attention that I was out of line last night.”

I blinked, unconvinced I’d heard him right. “I’m sorry, what?”

Gabriel tapped his fingers against his thighs, then blew out a heavy breath. “Can we sit, please? I’d prefer somewhere a bit more comfortable for this conversation.”

“Oh, uh, sure?” I pointed toward the living room.

It occurred to me that Gabriel had never actually seen the inside of my house. But he seemed to have no trouble navigating the floor plan.

He sat on the nearest couch and crossed one leg over the other. “Reagan woke a few hours ago.”

Relief rounded my shoulders.

“And proceeded to tell me that I was being an asshole. Her words, not mine.”

I shot Leif a glance, not entirely sure where Gabriel meant to go with this.

“Reagan took it upon herself to remind me how important you are to us, Lucy. Not just to her, but to me as well. I might not show it often, but I do care for you. You’ve always been an invaluable member of the pack. And I’m…ashamed of how I acted last night. You were right when you said I needed to be a better alpha. So, I’m here not only to ask your forgiveness but to also extend an invitation back into the pack.”

What the…what? I blinked, at a loss for words. Gabriel. Apologizing. Gabriel? I stuttered out an indistinguishable response.

“I see I’ve surprised you,” Gabriel chuckled.

“To clarify,” Leif said. “You’re welcoming Lucy back into the pack, but what about me?”

“The invitation is for you, as well,” Gabriel confirmed. “As I’ve been reminded by both my daughters, you are a package deal. I would never wish to break up a family, however new it might be. I was also reminded how important your child is to me, and I would…regret not having a place in their life.”

Holy. Shit. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly, as you and Reagan would say,” Gabriel responded. He met my gaze with a soft smile. “I’ve always considered you a daughter, Lucy. I should have reacted better last night. Should have trusted that you and Reagan would do right by the pack. I’m perfectly capable of admitting when I’m wrong.”

I was crying again, damn it! “Sorry,” I sniffled, knuckling away the tears. “Stupid hormones.”

Gabriel gave a light laugh, then rose and offered me his hand. I took it without hesitation, squeaking when he yanked me into his chest. My eyes slipped closed, and I released a heavy breath as I reveled in our first hug. Gabriel wasn’t the touchy-feely sort, nor was I. But this…felt right.

“Forgive me?” he whispered in my ear.

I nodded.

We broke from the embrace, and Gabriel cupped my face. “I can’t wait to meet your child.”

Happiness bubbled over into fresh tears. I gave in to the emotions and hugged him again, finally feeling like my whole world had clicked into place.