Page 48 of Rising Darkness

I almost gasped as I glimpsed Jolon’s thoughts. He kept himself concealed from the pack bond, but our mate bond was still partially open.

Are you sure about this?I pressed into Jolon’s mind.

He shared a weighted look with me.The only thing I’ve ever been more sure of was that you’re my mate.This is the right decision.

“Do you even know how to bake?” Dason reached into the basket and sniffed at one.

“Not really, but Chayton helped me, so I have faith they’re edible.” Jolon leaned forward as Dase took a bite, interested to see if his theory was correct.

“Blueberry.” Dason hummed his approval.

I shook my head. Men. An important conversation was brewing, and they were talking about trivial matters such as the type of muffins Jolon may or may not have had much role in baking?

“Dase,” I said, finally extracting myself from his grip.

My new magick was easy to call on. As a mix between shadow touched, vampire, and witch, my magick didn’t work the way I’d always thought it would. It was as unique as I was, apparently. I didn’t need a wand like the witches, but I needed commands, unlike the shadow touched. I held out my hand and murmured, “Levonlan.” Purple magick interspersed with gold burned into my hand as I conjured a robe, disappearing and leaving silk in its place. I marveled at the perfect fit as I shrugged it on and cinched it at the waist, covering myself and then crossing my arms.

“Maybe you need to ask himwhyhe brought you muffins,” I urged.

Dason took another bite, then set the muffin down, hiking his jeans back into place and facing Jolon while he lounged back in his chair. “What’s going on?”

“Listen, I know we’ve had our disagreements over who should lead this pack,” Jolon blew out a breath and rolled his head on his shoulders, suppressing the alpha inside him. “It’s never been so clear to me as it is now.” Jolon stared directly at Dason, who was barely breathing. His grip on the arms of his chair put indents in the material. “You’re the right alpha for this pack, Dase. I can feel that you don’t resent me, but I hope, in time, you’ll be able to forgive me for stepping in and taking that roll onto myself.”

“You make a great alpha, Jolon. I’ve come to respect you. Are you… are you fucking sure about this? Because I won’t be able to give it back once I have it in my possession again.”

“Seeing you sacrifice your position for the protection and safety of our mate was all the surety I needed. I respect the hell out of you for that. So, yes, I’m sure. Just…” Jolon swallowed. “Just promise me you’ll look out for Syler. He won’t be alone because he has Lorn now, but for years, we were all each other had. You’ll control the pack link now, and I never want him to feel like he doesn’t have a voice.”

Dason stood and rounded the desk to clamp Jolon on the shoulder. “I swear to you, I’ll look after Syler. He’s my brother now. As are you. We’re a family first and foremost, and I’ll always do what’s best for him.”

Jolon nodded and dropped to one knee. I hurried to him and knelt beside him, placing my hand on his cheek and searching his blue eyes.

“Are you sure about this? I hate that one of you has to give up such a big part of yourself to be with me.” Pressure built behind my eyes from the pure, radiant love reflecting back at me.

“The truth is, I wasn’t born to be alpha the way Dason was. I was thrown into it because I protected Syler. Because I lost my control and we became shadow touched. There hadn’t been a choice, and while I love being an alpha, while I can’t change that dominant side of myself, I realized I can use those attributes to do what I do best—protect. Stepping aside won’t change who I am at the core. Having you in my life is more important than a position. And having a family and a place to belong makes this sacrifice all the sweeter.”

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, reeling from my mate’s devotion.

I watched as Dason shifted and sank his teeth into Jolon’s shoulder, taking back his place as the alpha of the pack. A ripple of power went through the connections I felt from the rest of the pack, and I sunk to my knees next.

“Bite me too, Dason. I may be an alpha in my own right, I may be connected to the pack through the mate bonds, but our pack deserves one leader. One alpha. I’ll stand by your side as your mate and lend my support as you lead our pack, I’ll share the burden of decisions and hardships, and I’ll celebrate in the joy of every good thing that comes our way. Make us a family.”

Dason yipped, seeming to say that I’d already done that, but he padded to me and sank his canines into my neck, overlapping his mate mark. The pack bonds shifted, and I felt Jolon step down as Dason stepped up. Howls, yips, and growls sounded from everyone’s spirit animals. And then my mates were there, helping me up and leading me out to the rest of the group.

They stood around the living room, beaming at us as we entered.

“See? Muffins work every time,” Axel teased, grinning as he fist bumped his brother.

“I don’t know. No insult to how good Chayton’s—er, Jolon’s—muffins smell, but just scent our mate,” Tye said, drawing a deep inhale. “I think she had a little something to do with it. She smells fucking delicious. What wouldn’t we sacrifice to share a piece of her?”

“Not a piece,” I scolded playfully, yet seriously. My body already squirmed from the seven pairs of hungry eyes on me. “Each of you has all of me. My whole heart.”

“And you have ours,” Chayton promised.

You complete us, flower, Syler added.

Kota agreed.We’re crazy about you.

For the rest of the night, my mates showed me just how much, sharing me between them as the sun fell below the horizon. And when it was time, my heart squeezed in my chest as we left the house that was saturated in our scents.

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