Page 47 of Stealthy as a Wolf

Worst of all was Boone—his expression of such fragile hope slayed me.

If I fucked this up, he would never forgive me.

Maggie unconsciously ran her fingers against my chest, as if she sought to soothe me, and that was the moment I totally lost my heart to her. I rested my cheek against the top of her head with a sigh. No matter what she decided, I would be her pack, whether she wanted me or not.

“I’ll…try.” Maggie nodded to herself, then wiggled in my lap, gave a deep sigh, and promptly fell asleep like she hadn’t just changed my whole world.

Boone gave a victorious smile, Matty relaxed and went about packing, while Grady just grunted and resigned himself to a future with the rest of us.

I have a pack.

Dazed by the sudden change in my life, I rolled my shoulders…then froze. Most of the scars on my back were wounds inflicted by my streak. The females were vicious and demanding and cruel in their rule, the men no less violent when seeking a mate.

I knew how long it normally took for my injuries to heal. The wounds from the fight with the snakes were healing faster than they should. Curious now, I reached down and played with the tips of her fingers, noticing the burns were already pink.

Almost healed.

I’d heard rumors about how being part of a pack can give members a boost in strength, but I’d brushed it off as a myth. Now I had proof of it in my arms. Maybe it was because our pack had more than one alpha, but I suspected it was because Maggie was just that fucking strong.

It was like she was healing us through force of will alone.

No wonder the wolves were so interested in her.

Since most alpha males couldn’t stand being around each other for more than a few hours, much less form a pack together, it would make sense that so few were aware of the phenomenon.

Even after just one kiss, I could feel the bindings of her claim. I could fight them, I never wanted to be claimed like a piece of property, but something felt different with her.

Maggie was different.

Being a Gemini twin, I never thought I would settle down with a woman. Boone was the one who was supposed to claim a mate and live happily ever after, but he could never seem to find the right fit.

Thankfully, he was a fussy asshole, and I’d never been so grateful for anything in my life.

Maggie was unlike any alpha I’d ever met. Instead of conserving her strength and healing herself first, she treated us as equals. She wasn’t stealing strength from the pack, she was giving it freely so we heal together.

A warm glow filled my chest at the thought of being her center. Her protector. Her lover, and maybe more. I would almost describe the feeling as hopeful. When an almost silent purr vibrated in my chest, I was shocked to realize the emotions were coming from my tiger.

He was showing his approval.

He was claiming her as his mate.

I should’ve been leery, but my beast had never been wrong.

My tiger had never even looked at a woman twice, much less searched for a mate. I thought it meant we were destined to be alone. I never in my wildest dreams imagined he’d been waiting for our one perfect mate.

Maggie.

And I didn’t doubt that if I fucked this up, the contrary feline would never choose anyone else.

Accepting her would be a pain in the ass, but one look at Boone convinced me.

Even if it terrified me, I couldn’t refuse her claim.

He’d sacrificed too much.

I couldn’t ask him to give up his mate too.

Even from across the room, his yearning was so deep, I had trouble swallowing the knot in my throat. If I weren’t so sure they were his emotions, I’d almost swear they were my own. I gingerly ran my hand down her back, marveling when she snuggled in closer.

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