Page 129 of Stream Heat
I flexed my hand, finger tracing Jace’s mark. “This doesn’t feel empty. It feels… right. The whole mess of it.”
The air went thick, every Alpha in the room watching me, weighing what came next.
“So what now?” I finally asked, eyes darting between Ash and Malik. “How does this end, for us? The pack, I mean.”
Ash was unreadable as always, but the tang of vanilla and smoke in the air betrayed him. “That depends. What do you want, Quinn?”
I should have had an answer ready. Instead, it was a fragment. “I want the bonds finished. I want things complete. Balanced. All the pieces where they belong.”
Malik’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “And what does that look like?”
So simple when I laid it bare: “It looks like all of you. I want you all. Reid’s protection. Theo’s chaos. Jace’s calm… And whatever it is you two bring that I don’t have words for yet.”
Ash finally moved, shifting like he was about to pounce. “So you want all the claims. Every bond.”
“Yes.” Not a stutter. Not a doubt. “Unless that’s not what you want.”
Ash’s whole body tensed, his voice dropping lower. “As if there was ever a question.”
One second he was leaning against the counter, the next he was right in front of me, making the kitchen feel too small. I held my ground. I didn’t flinch.
“I’ve wanted you since the second you set foot in this house, attitude and all.” His eyes bored into me. “But I don’t like to share, Quinn. Even with pack.”
I let that sink in. He wanted me, but on his terms. He wasn’t here for polite compromise. “What are you saying?”
Malik nudged in beside him, a quieter force shoring up the edge Ash always brought. “Each claim is different. You must’ve felt that already. Ash’s… won’t look like the others.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Define ‘different,’ Malik.”
Ash’s answer was abrupt. “It’s exclusive. Possessive. I don’t know how to do what Theo does. Or Jace. Or even Reid. I only know how to take, and claim, and not let go.”
Theo snorted. “We noticed, big guy.”
I was starting to get it. Reid’s claim was about boundaries and safety and letting me belong without caging me. Theo’s was all chaos and shared space. Jace’s: stability, no strings or pressure. But Ash… Ash wanted more. A singular bond, not just a pack loop.
“And you, Malik?” I challenged.
He smiled, smaller and sharper. “Choice. Deliberation. My claim isn’t about drive, it’s about choosing what makes us fit. I never force connections. I let them grow.”
That made sense. Different energies, holding different pieces together. No wonder everything kept tilting until it landed in the right configuration.
“I want both,” I told them, fierce despite my own racing heart. “I want to feel what makes each bond unique.”
Ash’s eyes went black-dilated. “Are you sure? I don’t do gentle.”
I matched his stare. “Survived years of suppressants and public heat crash. I don’t break easy.”
He approved, I could tell. Maybe it even excited him, the idea that I wouldn’t just lie down and play soft for him.
Malik laid a hand on Ash’s forearm, voice as smooth as ever. “Maybe we take this somewhere private, so Quinn has her say without an audience.”
It was tempting to stall. But I was so tired of waiting. “No point in delaying. I know what I want.”
That landed hard. Every Alpha in the kitchen went wired at once, pack bonds buzzing with anticipation.
Ash was the one to break the moment. “Fine. No audience. My workshop. My way.”
I nodded, meeting his gaze. “Lead on.”
