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“The shift does not need to be complete,” Lily says gently. “But the speed of the shift is dependent on the strength of the person being claimed. It should not take Maia weeks to shift.”
“The stronger the wolf claiming her, the more power she is likely to have when that happens, too,” Topher adds.
Seb makes a noise and I turn over to see him, but Kane’s the one in control. He grins at me, a cheeky one. “And trust me when I say, we are very powerful, little love.”
I hide my amusement. “I’m sure you are.”
Penelope clears her throat, giving Lily a hesitant look. I frown, noticing the exchange, but Lily nods, and Penelope turns back to us. “Now, the third thing that would strengthen things is making your tie to Phoebe official.”
I frown, as do my mates. But their frown is of annoyance, unlike mine, which is of confusion. “What do you mean by that? I thought they had claimed her, through the scent thing.”
My men share nervous expressions, and my heart cracks at seeing it. There’s another secret they’re keeping from me. Another big thing that could have helped us.
Will there ever be trust?
I feel Topher’s upset. His disappointment. Even his anger.
The bond that exists is now something tangible. It’s not just a something any more. And yet, whilst I’ve given them everything… given Topher everything…
I sniffle, reaching up to wipe the tear away.
“It’s more than that.” Lily’s soft voice is shaky, her eyes not meeting mine, despite her looking my way. “They can claim her wolf as theirs on a more… biological level as well.”
Topher sighs, turning to me in his chair. “We never brought this up because it’s not an option we’re ever going to consider. It wasn’t to keep it from you maliciously. It’s just never, ever been something we would consider.”
“Even knowing the bastard,” Ben mutters.
I frown, feeling Topher’s nerves. I know he’ll have felt my… whatever I felt. But his feelings only make my nerves worse, not better. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
He gives me a very tense smile. “This is often only used when a wolf pup loses both of its parents. There’s a type of adoption you can do to bond the pup to its new family. It’s something that isn’t often done, but it involves biting the pup and securing the ties to the new family.”
I shriek, shaking my head. “She’s a baby. You’re not biting her.”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Alex reassures me. “It’s a spiritual connection.”
I sneer at him. How the fuck does a bite not hurt? I ignore the flash of hurt that crosses his face.
Seb strides across the room and shoves Topher’s chair out of the way without a care in the world. He crouches down in front of me, and I can see by the bright green eyes that Kane is in charge.
“There’s a reason we never once brought this up, despite our hatred towards Ryan, and it has nothing to do with the bite at all. By bonding Phoebe to us, she’d lose the scent of Ryan, of her birth dad.” I gasp, and I hate that more tears begin to fall at the realisation. He wipes the one that drips down my cheek. “It was never an option to us to do this. Phoebe deserves to have that connection to him, even with us in her life.”
I wipe my tears away, warmth filling me once more at the sincerity in his words.
They never intended to do this. To take him away—even despite their hatred towards him.
It’s not an option for us.
“How do you bite her without it hurting?” I ask quietly, once my pain fades away to more manageable levels.
“We won’t,” Alex says firmly. “We won’t take that from her. Not when there are other options to keep her safe.”
Seb lets out a low growl, kisses my temple, then storms back over to his spot by the door.
“The final option is one you’ll probably like even less,” Penelope says, sitting back in her seat. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume she was amused.
“What is it?” Ben asks.
“You get Maia pregnant with your baby.”
