Page 103 of Their Mate
The first thing I realized was that the fire in my blood, the cruel, clawing heat Dane had forced on me, was finally beginning to ebb. It didn’t vanish, not completely, but it softened, like a fever breaking. I could think again. Breathe again.
And that gave me space to look—really look—at my pack as the wind whipped through my hair.
Logan was closest to me, his dark hair wild from the fight, sweat and salt streaking down sharp cheekbones. His eyes burned like smoldering coals as they held mine. I saw the weight he carried, the way his shoulders bore more than any man should, and yet, when he looked at me, it wasn’t with burden, but with sheer devotion.
Aidan’s green eyes flashed like storm-lit glass, his face all strength and stubbornness. He looked like he’d walk into fire without a thought if it meant I was on the other side. Evenbruised and bloodied, there was a warmth to him that calmed me just by standing nearby.
Declan paused for a moment, golden eyes catching the light, wolf close even in human skin. Fierce, untamed, dangerous, but still, in the way he looked at me, there was a softness to him that stole my breath away.
Edward, ever the soldier, stood straight-backed, jaw clenched, eyes scanning even as his hand flexed against his side. But when his gaze cut to me, I saw a certain kind of gentleness, a vulnerability to him that was entirely unguarded, a man who had spent too long holding the line and had finally found someone worth stepping off it for.
Jamie stood a little apart from the rest of them, arms crossed, mouth twitching like he was about to crack another joke. His reddish-blond hair was windswept, his blue eyes bright with mischief and a warmth only he was capable of. He was reckless and untamable, but when his eyes met mine, the humor faded, and I saw love as intense as a storm.
For a moment, none of the chaos below mattered. Not the lycans climbing out of the surf, not the thunder of British guns, not Dane’s trap.
All I saw was them.
My pack. My mates. My heart.
“I love you,” Logan said simply.
“And I love you,” Aidan murmured, his voice breaking just enough to tell me the truth of it.
Declan grinned wolfishly, but his voice was reverent. “I love you, lass. Always will.”
Edward’s words were clipped, but no less powerful for it. “I love you too, beautiful.”
Jamie blew out a loud breath, half a laugh, half raw emotion, and said, “Aye, I love you, Sera. God help me, I do.”
Tears stung my eyes, the first I’d let myself feel since this nightmare began. “I love you too,” I whispered, looking at each of them in turn, letting them see the truth of it. “All of you. With everything I am.”
They didn’t wait for me to say more.
Logan moved first, drawing me into him with that ever-present gravity that was as much a part of him as his heartbeat. His arms wrapped around me, warm and solid, and the rest of the world fell quiet. Aidan pressed in on one side, his hand sliding to the small of my back, grounding me with that quiet strength only he had. Declan crowded close on the other, his golden eyes burning softer now, his grin slipping away as his lips brushed my temple with unexpected tenderness.
Edward’s hand came to the nape of my neck, strong and steady, pulling me into the circle of them all. Jamie ducked in last, his mouth brushing my cheek in the quickest of kisses, but when his blue eyes caught mine, there was nothing quick about it.
I was surrounded—held—by five hearts, five wolves, five men who had every reason to hate me, to turn from me, and instead they’d become my pack.
Mine.
My eyes burned as their warmth pressed close. I kissed each of them back in turn, starting with Logan’s warm mouth. Then Aidan’s fierce lips; Declan’s wolfish grin softened under my own;Edward’s hard edges melting as I touched him; and Jamie’s laughter dying in his throat as I kissed him too.
How had this happened?
How had I fallen so completely, so hopelessly in love, with these five men in such a short time? Wolves I had been raised to hate. Wolves I had sworn to kill. Yet, standing here, wrapped in their arms, I felt more myself than I ever had.
The chaos outside clawed at the cliffs, but for one stolen moment, I let myself breathe. I let myselffeel.
I pulled back just enough to look at them, blinking through the sting of tears. “You’d better be careful out there,” I whispered, voice breaking. “Because if I lose any of you in this fight, I’ll never forgive you.”
Logan pressed his forehead to mine, steady as ever. “You won’t lose us.”
Aidan’s voice rumbled low. “Not now. Not ever.”
Declan’s grin returned, though softer this time. “We’ve survived worse. We’ll survive this.”
Edward kissed my brow, and spoke only two confident words: “We’ll hold.”
