Page 54 of Wanted By the Wolves

Gage studies me. “Truth. Do you want pups, Nova?”

I study my alpha right back. Gage has tried so hard to right a wrong he never made. Knowing how much he’s had to pay—how much we’ve all paid—cracks a piece of me. How much more can we take?

“In a world that isn’t like ours, where kids grow up safe, I’d love to have babies with you and a home like this.”

Gage’s eyes mirror my sorrow. “But that isn’t our world.”

I crawl into his lap, burying my face in his neck. “No, it’s not. But even I know that birth control potions don’t work with scent matches in heat.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try. If it could save your life?—”

I cut him off with a hand to his chest. “Truth.” I look up, finding his eyes. “Do you want a bond with me, Gage?”

Gage cups my face, pressing his forehead to mine and breathing me in. “I want everything with you. That isn’t the problem.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “Then bet on abundance with me, Gage. Use the moonstone and the original spell, the way it was intended. We can’t predict what will happen, but we can face it together.”

Gage’s expression is tortured. “How can you have hope after all you’ve seen?”

I trace his cheek, nose, and eyebrow, learning the lines of his face. “What’s the alternative?” I tuck his head against my chest, my purr rumbling to life. “You know, you guys are the ones who reminded me what it’s like to hope for something better.”

“Us?” He chuckles. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Oh, it is. But I’ve decided to roll with it even though I’m scared.”

“That’s because you’re brave as hell, wild child.”

“You make me feel brave,” I whisper, “like I can do more than just survive.”

I sit in his lap on the floor for a long time,the two of us breathing in each other. The sound of his purr settles into my soul. He kisses my forehead, wrapping me in his arms and holding me tightly.I nudge my nose into his throat, soaking up his soothing herbal scent. His cheek rubs along my hair, and the scent marking is so full of the comfort of belonging that I can’t help the warmth that spreads in my chest.

I try to explain it to him, choosing my words carefully. “I’m afraid, Gage. I won’t lie or pretend the worst couldn’t happen. But I think this world could use more love, not less. That’s why.”

“All right, little star.”

He rubs my back, and I let myself float in the connection between us, shoring up my resolve that this is the path forward. I trust my grandmother’s wisdom and my wolf. My instincts tell me I need to bond with them during this heat. If anyone can help strengthen our magic, it’s Gage. I’ll have to have faith in his plan for the both of us.

“We’re back!” Briggs’s shouted greeting startles me, and I yelp.

Gage’s muffled chuckle sounds near my neck.

“And it smells like you two have been up to no good.”

My cheeks heat. The greenhouse probably smells like my perfume. In my defense, Gage teased me for hours, and since our intense conversation, he’s been purring for me.

“The perimeter is clear, and the wards are holding. It looks like the storms forced the ferals off,” Dex’s voice joins Briggs’s. “You ready to come back to the house with me, sweetheart?”

Gage gives me a squeeze and whispers in my ear, “Go to him. We can talk more later.” I hesitate, looking him over, but he shakes his head. “Go. I’m good.”

“Will you finish setting the circlewith the moonstone?”

He swallows thickly. “I’m thinking about it.”

Chapter 29

Nova

Dex’s hand travels up my side, his sudsy touch smooth. He leans down to murmur in my ear, “Why did your scent in the greenhouse have as much fear as lust, little wolf?”

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