Page 101 of Bound By Song

She nods slowly, but I can see the war still waging in her eyes.

“And if I want you there?” she whispers. “If I want all three of you?”

“Then we’ll be there,” I say, my voice low, steady, true. “Every second. Every step. You won’t have to ask twice.”

She swallows again, her throat working around the emotion.

“We even picked up a few things from the shop,” I add, trying to soften the weight between us. “Toys. Supplies. In case you want to try things on your own first. Or need somethingbetween us and...more. There’s no pressure, Evie. We’re yours in whatever wayyouchoose.”

She lets out a half-laugh, breath shaky but real. “You really did think of everything.”

“We’re alphas,” I say with a shrug. “Planning for chaos is kind of our thing. And we’ve been wrangling Blaise for far too long. My backup plans have backups.”

Her smile is small, but it’s the first real one I’ve seen in a while. She looks down at our hands, still joined on the table.

“I just...I feel like I’m taking advantage,” she says quietly. “You’re all so...experienced. Sure. And I’m just here, completely clueless, and it feels like I’m asking you to give everything while I fumble my way through figuring out what I even want, not offering anything in return.”

“Evie,” I say, voice soft but unyielding. “You’re not taking anything we’re not offering freely. We want this.You.Whether you’re ready now or not for the next step doesn’t matter. We’re not going anywhere.”

She breathes in, breathes out. Nods. Her fingers shift beneath mine – curling, linking, holding.

“One step at a time?” she asks.

I squeeze her hand gently. “Always.”

She exhales slowly, like something inside her has unclenched for the first time in years. And when her hand tightens in mine – not out of fear, but choice – it says more than words could.

I don’t rush her. I don’t say anything else.

I just hold on.

Because this? This quiet, tentative trust? It’s the beginning.

And we’re going to honour it – one breath, one boundary, one beat at a time.

EVIANA

After Dane leaves, the room feels too quiet.

Not empty, exactly – just…quieter without his steady presence anchoring me. He didn’t say where he was going, just kissed the top of my head again and muttered something about needing to be “cracking on.” But the weight in his eyes told me enough. The nest. He’s gone to make good on his promise.

I should be nervous. The conversation we just had stripped me raw. But instead of shame or panic, all I feel is this strange, delicate calm. Like something inside me finally let go of the breath it’s been holding since I was a teenager.

I tuck my legs up under me and sip from the same mug of tea that’s long gone cold.

“Alright, angel,” Blaise says as he strolls into the lounge, stretching his arms over his head like he’s just woken up from the best nap of his life. “You look like you need a distraction.”

I lift an eyebrow. “From what?”

He shrugs dramatically. “Your rapidly approaching heat. Or the heavy existential fog of being scent-matched to three devastatingly handsome musicians. Either or.”

I snort, shaking my head. “Devastatingly handsome, huh?”

He grins, grabbing a cloth bag from the bookshelf. “Your words, not mine. Now…Scrabble?”

I blink. “Seriously?”

“Deadly serious. You, me, and a chance to humiliate me in a game that relies heavily on actual intelligence. Come on, honeybee, I’m giving you an easy win.”

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