Chapter 89
Kara
"Kara. I'm going to spend the rest of my life being good to you. Making up for every shit thing I ever did. Starting with this." He gestures at the breakfast spread. "And I know it's weird. I know you don't trust it yet. But I'm going to keep proving it until you do."
Through the bond, I feel the depth of his conviction. The guilt that still eats at him. The desperate need to fix what he broke.
"Baby..." His voice drops lower. "Do you remember what you called me last night? "
I blush, remembering my desperate cries. "Blake?"
"No." His dimples flash, but his eyes are serious. "You called me 'mine.' You called all of us yours. And you know what that did to us? To me?"
Through the bond, I feel the echo of it—the absolute possessive satisfaction he'd felt hearing me claim them right back. Like something fundamental had clicked into place.
"Made me realize something," he continues quietly. "We're not just yours because of biology or fate or whatever. We're yours because you chose us. Even after everything. You chose to stay. To trust us. To let us love you."
My eyes sting with sudden tears. Fuck. Fuck.
"Blake—"
"Eat your pancakes before they get cold, Princess." He winks, but his voice is thick with emotion. "I didn't slave over a hot stove—naked, I might add—for you to let them go to waste."
I take a bite, and the taste explodes across my tongue. Sweet chocolate, fluffy pancake, that perfect hint of vanilla he always adds.
Heaven. Pure fucking heaven.
Blake watches me with an intensity that makes me squirm. "Good?"
"So good," I admit around my mouthful. "Like, really fucking good."
"That's my girl."
His satisfaction through the bond is so strong it makes my toes curl. He's proud that I'm enjoying his cooking. Genuinely, deeply satisfied that he's taking care of me.
It's... nice. Really nice.
See? my wolf purrs. They're good mates. Strong. Protective. Ours.
Just then, I hear footsteps. Multiple sets of them.
Asher appears first, wearing only black boxer briefs that hang low on his hips. His dark hair is messy from sleep, his blue eyes still slightly unfocused. But when they land on me—on me sitting here in Blake's shirt, eating pancakes—they sharpen immediately.
"Morning, Luna," he rumbles, and the sound goes straight to my core.
Fuck. His morning voice should be illegal.
Cole follows seconds later in gray boxers, yawning widely enough to show all his teeth. But he's smiling, that soft, gentle smile that always makes me feel safe.
Both of them stop dead when they see Blake's ensemble.
"Nice hat," Cole says, his lips twitching like he's trying not to laugh.
"Thanks." Blake adjusts it proudly, like he's wearing a crown instead of a ridiculous toque. "Kara loves it."
"I said it was ridiculous," I correct, but I'm smiling.
"Ridiculously sexy," Blake insists.
Asher shakes his head, but I catch the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. "Only you, Blake."
They join us at the counter, Asher sitting to my right, Cole to my left. Both lean in to kiss my forehead and shoulders—right over their marks—and the dual sensation makes my breath catch.
"Morning, beautiful," Cole murmurs against my skin, his mint-scent wrapping around me.
Asher's hand finds mine under the counter, squeezing gently. His black ebony pulses through the bond, warm and protective. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore," I admit, my cheeks heating. "But... good. Really good, actually."
God, why is that so hot?
Blake serves them both without being asked, and I watch in fascination as the three of them move around each other with practiced ease. Passing plates, pouring coffee, stealing bites of each other's food. The easy intimacy of people who've done this dance for twenty years.
They've shared everything. Including, now, me.
The thought should probably freak me out more than it does.
"So," I say between bites, trying to ignore the way they're all watching me eat like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. "What are we doing today?"
All three exchange loaded glances—that mind-link thing they do when they're talking without me. Planning. Scheming.
Whatever it is, they're up to something.
"Well..." Blake starts, his dimples flashing.
"There's something..." Asher continues, his voice carefully neutral.
"Pretty important," Cole finishes with a mysterious smile.
They're trying very hard to look innocent. It's not working. At all.
"What kind of something?" I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "Should I be worried?"
"The surprising kind," Blake says unhelpfully.
"The you'll-see kind," Asher adds, equally vague.
"The you-should-probably-already-know kind," Cole contributes, and now I'm genuinely confused.
I look between them, completely baffled. "Are you serious right now? You're really not going to tell me?"
All three grin in perfect synchronization, their dimples identical. It's unfair how hot they look when they do that.
"Very serious," they chorus like a bunch of assholes.
"But—"
"No hints," Blake cuts me off cheerfully. "Where's the fun in that?"
"The fun would be in not driving me insane with curiosity," I point out.
Asher squeezes my hand, his amusement clear through the bond. "Trust us. It'll be worth the wait."
"It better be," I mutter, stabbing my pancake with unnecessary force.
Through the bond, I can feel their excitement. Their anticipation. Whatever they're planning, they're really looking forward to it.
And maybe—just maybe—so am I.
The uncertainty is there, sure. The fear that this is all too good to be true. But underneath it? There's curiosity. Hope. A tiny, fragile thing that whispers maybe this is real.
"Fine," I concede, shoving more pancake in my mouth. "Keep your secrets. But if this 'surprise' involves more public displays like last night's dinner—"
"It won't," Asher assures me quickly. Maybe a little too quickly.
"Well, not exactly like that," Cole hedges, and my stomach drops.
"But you'll definitely be the center of attention," Blake adds with a wink.
Oh fuck.
"Great," I say weakly. "That's not ominous at all."
"It'll be good," Cole promises, rubbing soothing circles on my back. "I swear."
"You'll love it," Blake insists.
"It's important," Asher says simply, and something in his tone makes me pay attention.
I study his face—the set of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes. Whatever this is, it matters to him. To all of them.
And fuck it, maybe that means it should matter to me too.
I finish my pancakes, hyperaware of three sets of eyes tracking my every movement. Of the mate bond humming contentedly between us. Of the marks on my neck that pulse with synchronized heat every time one of them looks at me.
Whatever they're planning, it's big.
And for the first time in my life, I'm not afraid of what comes next.
I'm... curious. Excited, even.
Our mates, my wolf purrs contentedly. Always full of surprises.
"Just promise me one thing," I say suddenly, setting down my fork.
Three heads turn to me, instantly attentive. Alert.
"No more secrets after today." I look each of them in the eye. "If this is about my parents, or the pack, or—or anything important, I want to know. All of it. No more 'protecting me' by keeping me in the dark. Deal?"
Asher squeezes my hand hard enough to almost hurt. "Deal."
"Scout's honor," Blake adds, holding up three fingers. I'm pretty sure he was never a scout, but whatever.
"We promise," Cole confirms softly, pressing a kiss to my temple. "No more secrets."
Through the bond, I feel their sincerity. Their determination to never shut me out again.