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“We need to trust each other,” Brock states, getting to his feet across from his daughter. “And we need to use the resources we have at our disposal. Astrid and Sloane’s gifts give us insight that most never get. Our IT unit can dig up information on anyone. And our squad is trained to defend us against any threat.”
“So we use what we’ve got to vet them,” Theo murmurs, picking up the ball from Brock and running with it. “Let them stay where they’re at while we investigate further, and if everything checks out, then we take a vote.”
Brock nods. “It’s not like we can take one now when there are so many unknowns.”
I mull over the proposal, turning to Iver and Ares since they’ve been the most outspoken in opposition thus far. “Would you guys be more apt to say yes if they were fully vetted?”
“Yeah,” Iver replies easily. “I’m not trying to be a dick about it, security’s my only concern.”
“I’ll get IT on it right away,” Lo pipes up, always ready to spring into action.
“I can set up patrols to do recon near where they’re staying,” Avery suggests.
“I’ll reach out to my contacts with other packs back in Montana, see if they know anything about survivors from Bozeman,” Reid adds. “Madd, your dad has some contacts there, too.”
I nod. “I’ll see if he can make some calls.”
“Sounds like we have a plan, then,” Reid nods.
“Finally!” Tristan sighs, throwing his hands up.
“Wait, so if the hunters are a false alarm, are we running tomorrow night?” Brooke asks, blue eyes blinking behind her glasses as she sweeps her gaze around the room.
Theo leans back in his seat, tossing an arm over her shoulders. “I say we do the full moon run, but we keep it short, like we have been. An hour max.”
Sloane slides me a glance, the look in her eyes saying everything she isn’t right now. Because we haven’t talked about the run. And we need to.
“Alright, who wants a beer?” Brock asks, effectively calling the meeting to a close. Most everyone murmurs in affirmation, pushing up from their seats and stretching their limbs. Some follow Brock into the kitchen, while others linger in the living room, the dull hum of idle chatter filling the space.
I rise to stand, watching as Sloane drifts out of the living room and toward the hallway opposite from the kitchen. She glances back over her shoulder, giving a little flick of her head to tempt me to follow, and I immediately leave the ruckus behind to go after her.
I catch up to her about halfway down the hall, and the sounds of chatter from the main part of the packhouse diminish as we make our way to the end, Sloane leading me into her old bedroom.
“Damn, this is a blast from the past,” I chuckle as I follow her inside, taken aback by the startling familiarity of the space as I ease the door closed behind me.
“No kidding,” she snorts, trailing her fingertips along the edge of the pink duvet. “I was going to redecorate when I moved back, but then I wound up moving to the dorms instead, so…” She glances back at me, shrugging a shoulder.
I step closer to one of her dressers, picking up the framed photo of us with our friends, taken at one of the parties we threw at the old lodge. “It’s like a time capsule. Nothing’s changed.”
“Except my dad had the lock on the window replaced,” she says with a wink.
I smirk. “Probably a good call.”
Sloane sighs, lowering herself to perch on the edge of the bed and smoothing the duvet with her palms. “Should we stay here tonight, for old time’s sake?”
I set the photo back down on the dresser, turning toward her and eating up the distance between us in a few long strides. As soon as I reach her, I immediately lean over to crowd her in until she falls back against the plush comforter, her hair spilling underneath her head in a mess of dark curls. “I’ll definitely fuck you in this bed, for old time’s sake,” I murmur, hovering over her in a push-up position and nipping her plush lower lip.
She makes this soft little moaning sound that always drives me fucking wild and I wrap a hand around her throat, crushing my lips against hers. My cock stirs to life behind my zipper as her legs wind around my waist, her thighs squeezing against my hips to drag me closer. I kiss her harder, deeper, until we’re both breathless, finally breaking our kiss to come up for air.
I brush her hair away from her forehead as I gaze down at her, just taking in the sheer beauty that is Sloane Masters. She’s always wearing her hair down these days so it falls in front of her face to hide that damn scar, but I wish she’d realize that it doesn’t diminish her beauty. In my eyes, it enhances it. It’s a marker of her strength; of everything she’s been through and overcome.
Of allwe’vebeen through.
I’m still struggling to come to terms with the reality that she’s mine again, and this time, she’s not going anywhere.
“Sloane, about the run tomorrow…”
She presses a finger to my lips to silence me, giving a little shake of her head. “Later. We need to talk about it, but now’s not the time or place.” She sighs, eyes flickering toward the door. “I just needed a breather, but we should probably get back out there.”
