Page 139 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

Lex gasps so hard she nearly inhales a chili flake. “HeWHAT?!”

“Kicked. It. In,” I grin. “Like a hot, furious, slightly feral firefighter.”

“Mygod,” Zara sighs. “That’s so romantic.”

“Mmhm. He literally growled at my thermostat, then came to my makeshift nest with Jace and Cam and wouldn’t let me out.”

Lex fans herself. “Okay, I know it was a crisis, but I’m just saying: if someone doesn’t write erotica about that exact moment—”

“They wereincredible,” I sigh. “They brought water and food and towels. They helped me through the worst of it and held me the entire time. Cam kissed my ankle while spoon-feeding me painkillers, Jace was pressing cold flannels to my neck constantly, and Wes… I wish I could describe it enough to do it justice. He looked like he’d never forgive himself for not getting there sooner.”

Lex is nearly vibrating across the table. “Okay but did you sleep with them all or not?” she asks. “This is vital to my mental health.”

I smirk. “...Repeatedly.”

She screams.

I throw a napkin at her despite laughing uncontrollably.

“Details!” she says, waving her hands around wildly. “Details, details,details!”

“What do you want me to say?! That they passed me around like a s’more with too many hands at the bonfire?!” I shake my head as I wipe away stray tears of laughter. “I don't even rememberwho was in me half the time, but I do know I was having a great time.”

Zara blushes. “I mean, I’m glad.”

“Then,” I continue, “we went camping.”

“What the fuck?” Lex snorts as she drops her chopsticks again. “You took your heat to a campsite? Who are you; some kind of hormonal Girl Scout?”

“I didn’ttakeit there, okay?” I protest, laughing. “Cam suggested the weekend away once I was stable enough to walk without grinding on doorframes, and it sounded…funny, I guess.”

Zara presses her fingers to her temples. “This story just keeps getting better.”

“We drove up in Jace’s SUV. I was high on pheromones and the delusion that this wasn’t going to destroy me.”

Lex leans in, wild-eyed. “And?”

“And it was... perfect. Stupid and messy and funny and hot. But perfect.”

Zara tilts her head. “What made it feel different?”

“I’m not sure,” I admit. “I think maybe because they weren’t just trying to get me off; they actually took care of me. They listened and they laughed with me. They cooked—badly, but still, the effort was appreciated—and every time I got overwhelmed, they were there. Like… Like somehow I was worth it. That I was something important.”

Lex sighs. “Ugh. This is why I don’t trust emotionally stable men. You never see it coming when they show up with snacks and aftercare and turn your whole life into a movie with orgasms.”

Zara’s watching me closely. “So… what now?”

“I’ve been staying back at the pack house, so I’m going back there tonight, and I’ve decided… That’s it. I’m telling them.”

“Telling them?” she presses.

“Mmhm. No more steps, and no more plans. Just… me. And them. All of it. All ofus.”

Zara’s eyes soften. “Good. They deserve to know you’ve chosen them.”

Lex sniffs dramatically. “You’re going to getclaimed,aren’t you? I swear, if Jace’s knot isfinallyinvolved, then I want atleasta group chat update. Preferably photos. Diagrams. Maybe a post-claim playlist—”

“Lex.”

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