Downstairs, Bret wore a shit-eating grin on his face as he entered the kitchen, and the reactions from his pack mates sitting at the table varied. Sam looked happy for him but cautious. Travis raised a brow and narrowed his eyes. Zach, Noah, and Aiden grinned, and Vanessa didn't really have an expression beyond the small smile on her face, but she seemed happy for him.

“Don't hurt her, Bret. She's been through enough,” Sam said quietly just as just Nikki walked into the kitchen, a bright flush on her beautiful face.

He only had a split second before the reactions changed to astonishment as the scent of her was clear. Sex was one thing, but what he had done was something else, and they all knew it. He should have told her the shower wouldn't have done any good. His smell was forever imprinted on her, and he loved it.

She’s mine.

Nikki appeared a little uncertain as she looked around at the eyes on her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Not a thing.”

“Everything is good.”

The responses varied on that one as everyone just grinned at her.

She looked at him with a puzzled frown. “Do I have something on my face?” she demanded, her hands on her hips. She tried to act tough, but the flush deepened, turning into a blush.

“Nikki, you do realize what happened, don't you?” Sam asked, still cautious, but there was now a small smile on her face as she looked at her friend. “I did explain it to you years ago.”

Nikki looked at her, confused.

“You're mated to Bret now, sweetie.”

Nikki’s eyes widened. “What?” And then it hit her, and she turned to glare at Bret. “The bite!”

The red mark on her neck was visible to anyone with eyes, even if she hadn't smelled of him.

Now uncertainty hit him. He had thought she felt it too, the connection between them, but what if he had been wrong?

“Nikki,” he began, the uncertainty growing, but something in her eyes stopped him. Everyone else faded as his fear of rejection returned. He could have sworn…

“But...but I can't be mated! I'm still married!”

Taking a chance, he walked over to her and grabbed her hands fisted at her sides, everyone behind him silent.

“I love you, Nikki,” he said quietly, putting it all out there. If she rejected him, it would kill him, especially with the bond that was growing between them. More than anything, though, he wanted her to be happy, and if she wasn't happy with him…

The fear receded from her eyes as they softened and seemed to glow as she looked up at him.

“I love you,” he repeated after taking a deep breath. His heart pounding, everyone probably heard it, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the woman in front of him.

“Oh, Bret,” she whispered, her hands tightening on his. “I just need more time. Everything has happened so fast and…” She stopped, her throat working as she swallowed. “I just don't want to make another mistake,” she finished, whispering.

It wasn't the answer he had wanted, but it was something. Squeezing her hands one last time, he gave her a gentle smile before pulling back. “I know, darling. It's okay.”

Hurt but trying to hide it, Bret turned to Travis.

“What about the woman? Where is she? Is she okay?”

Nikki gasped from behind him as she took a step to the right, coming up beside him. “I forgot! Who is she? Was she…?”

Bret knew what she was trying to say and nodded. “She was in a cage in the basement beneath Donny’s shack,” he said grimly.

Travis took over from there. “She's upstairs sleeping, scared, but she’ll live. When she wakes up, Sam’s taking her to a safe house for the time being, where the other three girls are being held.”

“So what's the plan now?” Nikki asked, her eyes scanning everyone.

Just then, Jackson Maddox walked into the kitchen. “The plan,” he said tensely as he made a beeline for the coffee pot on the counter, “is to go after the bastard in charge. Your husband.”

Pouring himself a cup, he turned to face Nikki, his dark eyes unreadable as he took a gulp of the hot liquid.

“I just got back from following him from the dock where Donny was supposed to drop off the girl you guys rescued last night. I do know that Donny was his main supplier, and you guys took care of that link last night, so one last scumbag gone.”

Bret couldn't have agreed more, but they still had the issue of the bastard to deal with, and he was still very much alive, much to his regret.

“That place is a fortress,” Nikki said quietly. “There are tunnels throughout the whole house, but I don't know where they are.”

“What about getting the police involved?” Samantha asked.

“No!” Bret and Nikki said at the same time.

“He's got leaks in the department,” Nikki said, shaking her head. “It's why I never went to the cops.”

“And it was a cop who tried to rape her,” Bret said grimly.

That nipped that in the bud right there.

Ava’s crying came across the baby mic in the kitchen, and Vanessa jumped up from Travis’s lap. “Be right back.”

She left the kitchen just as Jackson continued, thoughtful. “There may be another way we haven’t considered.”

“What?” Travis asked, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Let's turn the tables on the asshole and set up a bait for him.”

Bret stiffened, not liking that tone or suggestion at all. Nikki tensed beside him, drawing the same conclusion as him.

Before he could bark at the other man, Jackson shook his head, taking another gulp of his coffee. “No, not using Nikki. A few of our own women. No offense, Nikki, but they are stronger.”

Travis’s eyes narrowed, but Bret could tell his Alpha was thinking about it.

He nodded to Aiden. “We could set you up as the buyer and get word to Edward that a new shipment has come in and you’re looking to sell,” Jackson said. “We could use Jessica, Abby, and Sam.”

At the mention of Sam’s name, Aiden stiffened, and Bret could see the objection forming behind the cloudy gaze of the other man.

He wasn't wrong.

“Hell no!” he snapped. “She's not going to be bait for that sick fuck!”

Sam jumped up from the table and glared at him, her hands fisted at her side. “Yes. I'm doing it, and you have no right to order me around. You are NOT my mate, Aiden!”

Aiden flushed, and his eyes hardened, but he remained silent, unable to argue with that.

“But wouldn't it be suspicious that this shipment suddenly came in?” Nikki asked, trying to distract from the sudden tension in the air.

Jackson shook his head in disgust, eyeing Aiden thoughtfully. “Actually, no. Since I've been investigating this sick fuck, the underworld market for young girls seems to have hit our small town hard. It's cleanup time,” he said, his lips tightening.

Travis stood up from the chair, taking in the small group with the steel behind his command. “Okay, I want Aiden, Jackson, Noah, and Bret with me. I'll leave Zach and Patrick here with the house. Let's head to the office to get this started.”

There was a moment of silence while everyone digested the orders.

As Aiden stormed out of the room, Bret nodded and, without thinking, turned, pulling Nikki into his arms. Kissing her gently, he pulled back and smiled down at her, her expression dazed as she looked up at him, her lips wet from his own.

“Love you,” he whispered, going against his recent vow not to rush her.

He didn't give her time to respond and followed the men out of the kitchen.