Gio kissed my knuckles again, his lips warm against my skin. “No more looking over our shoulders.”

Tommy was already up and rounding the couch to stand behind me, needing to be closer. His fingers played through my hair, and he kissed the crown of my head. “Just us now. Our pack.”

Dimitri’s arms tightened around me, drawing me closer to his chest. I turned my face up to his, meeting his intense gaze. The love I saw there stole my breath. I leaned up, pressing my lips to his in a gentle kiss. He responded immediately, his hand coming up to cradle the back of my head, deepening the contact for just a moment before pulling back.

I breathed deep, soaking in the feel of home. Of understanding. Safety. Family. Love. It was all here, wrapped around me in the forms of these four men who hadn’t hesitated to risk everything to save me, who had brought me into their world and made me the center of it.

Reaching out, I found Gio’s hand again, threading my fingers through his and holding on tight, just as I’d done since the day we met. Just as I would do every day for the rest of our forever.

His gaze met mine, raw with emotion. “You’re mine, little Omega.”

“And you’re mine, Alpha,” I whispered back, squeezing his hand before looking to the others. “Each and every one of you.”

The road ahead wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses. There’d be rainstorms and shadows, moments when the memorieswould crash back or life would give us new challenges. But I hadn’t been made to break. I was stronger than I’d ever realized.

And I wasn’t alone anymore.

I had my men. My Alphas. My pack.

And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever came next, we’d face it together.

thirty-six

KITANIA

Five months later…

I took a hesitant step forward, fingers laced tightly with Dimitri’s, as I stumbled slightly. The silk blindfold pressed against my eyelids plunged me into darkness, and I couldn’t see a thing.

A warm spring breeze caught the hem of my sundress, swirling it around my thighs as the sounds of the city—distant horns, murmured conversations, the rhythmic tap of my sandals against the pavement—created a chaotic melody. My heart fluttered with nervous excitement. For weeks, they’d traded secretive glances when they thought I wasn’t looking, their hushed conversations ending the second I walked into the room.

“Easy, Kitten,” Dimitri murmured, his deep voice sending a pleasant shiver down my spine as his thumb stroked reassuringly across my knuckles. “Trust me.”

“I do,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “But I’d trust you more if I could see where we’re going.”

A chorus of male chuckles surrounded me, warm like sunshine, thick like honey.

“That would ruin the surprise, Butterfly,” Tommy commented from somewhere to my right, his playful voice closer than I’d realized. His fingers lightly brushed against my arm, a casual touch that still managed to send tingles through me.

“You guys know I hate surprises,” I reminded them, but there was no real heat in my words. The truth was, I’d learned to love their surprises—whether it was breakfast in bed or spontaneous weekend getaways. Each surprise had slowly chipped away at my ingrained fear of the unexpected.

“You hatebadsurprises,” Gio corrected gruffly from behind me, his large hand settling protectively at the small of my back. “This is a good one. Promise.”

I heard the jangle of Beretta’s collar to my left as he pulled at his leash, followed by Marco’s gentle directive.

“Slow down, boy. Kit can’t walk that fast when she can’t see where she’s going.”

Angling toward where I thought he was, I tried to appeal to his Alpha nature since he was usually the caretaker of our group. “Is the blindfold really necessary?”

“Yes,” came four replies, Marco’s included.

“It’ll be worth it, Angel,” he promised. His familiar scent was heightened with an anxious kind of excitement, and I couldfeelhis smile through the bond.

I laughed, then sighed, resigned. “Can someone please tell me where we’re going? Or at least how much farther?”

“Just a few more steps, Butterfly,” Tommy whispered, his breath warm against my ear as he slid his hand into my free one. “Almost there.”

We walked a bit farther, the sounds of traffic growing more distant. The air changed subtly—we’d turned onto a quieter street. I could smell fresh paint and polish, the scent of newnessmingling with something sweet and familiar that I couldn’t quite place. My heart began to race, anticipation building with each step.