Page 119 of Taken By the Pack

And for the first time since this started, a quiet settles over us.

The kind that doesn’t need words. The kind that says everything.

She’s ours.

And we are hers.

Always.

Forever.

31

JAKE

My body is exhausted, muscles aching, but my focus is entirely on Grace. She’s curled up beside me on the couch, completely passed out, her breathing soft and even.

Rowan sets a plate with a steak on it down in front of me, the smell of seared meat and butter mixing with the air of spent energy. I nod at him, grabbing a beer from the table.

“Thanks for cooking, man.”

He grunts, settling into the chair across from me, his own beer in hand. Ash leans forward, arms resting on his knees, eyes flicking toward Grace. His jaw is tight.

“She okay?”

“She will be.” I take a sip of my beer, running a hand over my face. The night had taken everything out of us, but Grace had given even more. She’d poured herself into us, taken us, let us claim her.

And now she’s out cold, her body demanding rest.

Ash exhales, rubbing a hand over his face. “After everything that went down with my family... what now?”

Rowan huffs a humorless laugh. “I’m still reeling. I don’t know, but we will need to figure out her living situation soon. Right now, I can’t think past her and what we just did.”

He stares at the table, fingers tapping against his beer bottle. “I thought I’d feel relief. Maybe I do. But it’s a lot.”

I get it. Hell, we all do. We’ve just changed everything, rewritten our lives around her—and there’s no going back.

A soft sound pulls my attention. Grace stirs, stretching slightly, blinking up at us with heavy-lidded eyes. “Mmm...”

Instantly, we’re all moving. Rowan crouches beside her, brushing a hand over her forehead. Ash shifts closer, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. I tuck her against me, running my fingers down her arm.

“You’re awake, sweetheart,” I murmur, tipping her chin up. “How do you feel?”

She exhales slowly, voice thick with sleep. “Sore... but happy.” Her lips curve, just a little, and something tight in my chest loosens.

Rowan presses a water bottle into her hands. “Drink.”

She takes a few sips, letting out a quiet hum of appreciation before sighing. “You guys are too good to me.”

Ash kisses the top of her head. “Not possible.”

A slow, sleepy smile spreads across her face, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on my arm. Then, so softly I almost don’t catch it, she says, “I love you.”

Silence. Then Rowan’s breath hitches, and Ash lets out a low, shuddering exhale.

My chest tightens, warmth spreading through me like wildfire. I cup her cheek, tilting her face toward me. “We love you too, Grace.”

She lets out a small, overwhelmed laugh. Then her eyes shimmer, and before I know it, she’s crying.

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