Page 119 of All In

My little omega beats me to it. “Ha! I claimed your ass. I’m pretty sure that means our pack is complete.”

My face twists into an unexpected grin, and a hearty laugh escapes. “I love you, kitten. I have since Chicago, when you didn’t remember me and I was trying to get my life in order so, once I did claim you, I could guarantee your safety.”

“I’m sorry I forgot?—”

“No, don’t be. I wasn’t in the right space to protect you yet. I had a lot of cleaning house to do. My only regret is that you were kidnapped. I don’t think?—”

“Nope. If I can’t apologize, then you can’t either. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Without being kidnapped, I never would have met Tanner and Ranger. I’d go through that ten times over to be here today with the three of you.”

I hate to hear her say it, but I can feel the sincerity in her words.

I nuzzle my nose to hers, rolling my hips and trying to send my love to her in the bond.

Life is pretty damn good.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ranger

The morning starts for me with multiple work calls before seven a.m. I’ve always been an early riser, but I’m still annoyed that I had to crawl out of bed to address actual work emergencies.

Before joining Tanner, Locke, and Laken in the nest last night, I made some calls and dispatched a team to the rehab facility Lyra is staying in. They should arrive today, since everyone in close proximity already had their own assignments that prevented them from taking the post.

I’m not sure what set off my instincts, but it seemed prudent not to ignore them.

I don’t drink coffee, and it’s a rare morning when I don’t wake up refreshed. I’ve even got a bit of a tension headache coming on as I head out of my office.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I appraise the fluff ball. It’s all ears and fur and tail at this point. Its entire body starts to wag as my head tilts.

Christ.

Maverick and Gunner don’t know when to stop when it comes to pets.

“Hello.” I squat down, and the hairy creature bounds toward me. “Why are you here?” I ask quite needlessly. It’s not like he or she is going to answer. Planting a hand on the canine’s chest, I lift. “Okay, so you’re a girl.” I nod. “Nova is better behaved than Haze. He used to dig in the trash nonstop when he was a puppy.” I keep the mongrel at a reasonable distance from my chest, to avoid any lingering dog hair on my clothing, and pat her fluffy head. She has more black on her face and torso than the older dogs. She wiggles in my hold, trying to lunge at my face.

I frown. “Down you go. No face kisses from you.” Placing her back on the ground, I watch as she slides across the wooden floor in an attempt to gain traction as she takes off toward whatever has caught her attention. “That mutt better be potty-trained…”

I come around the corner into the living room, and Maverick is toting a dog bed in from the entryway.

My eyes narrow.

The fact Gunner follows him in with a massive dog kennel does not improve my mood.

“No,” I say, shaking my head vehemently. “It’s time you take your beasts and go home.”

“That’s the plan,” Gunner says, moving to the far wall and dropping the massive dog crate.

Tanner and Laken bounce into the room from the hallway with the stairs.

“Ohmigod, hi, puppy.” Laken beams, bending down to scratch the mutt’s head.

Reality finally catches up. Those bastards said they had a gift in mind for Laken to offset their abysmal rescue tactics. They didn’t even introduce themselves, nor did they inform her they were there for her, nor did they remove their masks.

None of that equates to giving a living creature as an apology gift.

“Her name is Karma.” Maverick has dropped the bed somewhere—probably behind the couch, where I can’t see it. He strides over to Laken. “She knows her first twelve commands. She’ll need another round of training during her teenage stage. That’s three weeks on site, and it’s already paid for.”

“Hi, Karma,” Laken coos, falling to sit on her rear end. “You’re so pretty and so soft. You guys, she’s adorable.”

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