34. TATI
The door clicks shut behind me and I’m practically vibrating with excitement. Ashton’s hand is warm and steady in mine, thumb brushing against my knuckles like he can feel the electricity buzzing under my skin.
But something feels… off.
The kitchen is spotless. Like, suspiciously spotless. Counters wiped down, dishes put away, not a single stray crumb in sight. Carleen is perched on the counter, leaning back against Ryder’s broad chest, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. Casual. Too casual.
She won’t look at me. Not really. Her gaze flickers up, meets mine for half a second, and then drops back to her lap like I’m holding some kind of spotlight on her deepest secrets.
Ryder, on the other hand, looks like the cat that swallowed the damn canary. He’s smug in that quiet, brooding way of his, like he’s got the best secret in the room and he knows it. My gaze narrows as I start connecting dots.
Wait a minute…
My mouth moves before my brain can catch up. “You two had sex!”
Carleen’s head snaps up, her eyes wide, cheeks flooding with a deep crimson that spreads down her neck. Ryder’s lips twitch like he’s fighting off a grin, but I’m already moving.
“Oh my gods!” I squeal, launching myself across the kitchen. Carleen doesn’t even have time to protest before I’m climbing onto her lap, straddling her thighs, and cupping her face in both hands. “You had sex with Ryder! You did the thing! ”
“Tati!” Carleen sputters, her hands automatically settling on my waist to keep me from toppling backward. “Can you not—oh my goddess —get off—”
“No!” I plant kiss after kiss all over her blushing cheeks. “You deserve all the love and all the happiness, and all the amazing Alpha se—”
“TATI!” Carleen’s voice cracks, her face so red I’m genuinely worried she might combust. Behind us, Ryder lets out a low chuckle and I know he’s enjoying every second of this.
I pull back just enough to meet her flustered gaze, my grin stretched wide across my face. “So… did you say yes?”
She hesitates for half a second, like she’s debating whether or not to throw me off her lap, but then her lips curl into a soft smile and she gives me the smallest nod.
My squeal could probably shatter glass. “YES!” I wrap my arms around her neck and squeeze her so tight I might actually be choking her. “Fuck, sorry. I’m just really excited.”
Carleen’s chest shakes with laughter as she hugs me back, her grip strong and warm. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I’m adorable, ” I correct, pulling back just enough to beam at her again. “And you’re stuck with me forever, so deal with it.”
Before Carleen can respond, Ryder’s massive hands settle on my waist and suddenly I’m being lifted right off Carleen’s lap like I weigh nothing. A startled squeak leaves my mouth as Ryder turns me around in his arms, setting me down on the floor before immediately leaning down and capturing my mouth in a kiss that steals every last coherent thought from my brain.
Holy shit.
His lips are firm, insistent, and I can feel the control he’s holding onto by a thread as one hand cradles the back of my head and the other settles on my lower back, pulling me flush against him. I melt. There’s no other word for it. My knees buckle and I clutch at his shirt like it’s the only thing keeping me upright.
When he finally pulls back, his breath is warm against my lips, and those piercing blue eyes of his are locked onto mine like I’m the most important thing in the world. “Welcome to the pack, Tati,” he says softly, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through me.
I let out a breathless laugh, my head spinning, my chest tight with something so big and overwhelming I can barely hold it. “You guys are gonna spoil me rotten, aren’t you?”
Ryder smirks, leaning down to press one last soft kiss to my forehead before stepping back. Carleen is still sitting on the counter, watching us with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, but there’s a softness in her expression that makes my heart squeeze. Ashton steps up beside me, his hand finding the small of my back. “You’re worth spoiling, little doe.”
There’s too many emotions to deal with as I make my way into the living room and flop onto the couch with a satisfied sigh, sinking into the cushions like I’ve melted into a puddle of happiness. Ashton plops down beside me, tossing an arm lazily across the back of the couch while Ryder settles into the armchair. Carleen takes the other end of the couch, her long legs tucked beneath her, fingers nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I groan, reaching for it without moving anything but my arm. When I see the name flashing on the screen— Mom —my stomach flips.
“Okay,” I hiss, straightening up and holding up a finger. “Everyone. Quiet. If my mom even thinks I’m in some kind of scandalous situation, she will… I don’t know what she’ll do. Just stay quiet.”
Ashton smirks. Carleen snorts. Ryder raises a brow but complies. I answer the call, plastering on my best sweet daughter who definitely isn’t involved in anything questionable smile. “Hi, Mom!”
“Tati!” I can hear the smile in her voice. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten your own parents.”
“Never. Been busy, that’s all.” And I have been. Dating two more Alphas, picking up my old job, falling in love…
“Oh, busy , hmm? Too busy to call your mother? Let me see you.”
Before I can respond, the call switches to video, and I curse under my breath as I scramble to adjust. The screen shifts—and there she is, my mother, her hair tied up in a silk scarf, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose as she squints at me. My father’s voice mumbles something in the background but she waves him off.
But then— oh no —I feel it before I see it.
Ryder’s hand appears in the frame as he sets a mug of tea on the table beside me. And then he leans down. His massive shoulders, those tattoos barely peeking out from the edge of his shirt. My mother’s eyes go wide .
“Tati, who is that ?”
I wince. Ashton’s muffled snicker doesn’t help. “Um… well, funny story, Mom…”
“Don’t funny story me. Is there something you need to tell your mother ?”
I can’t stop the laugh that bubbles up. Screw it. It’s out in the open now. “Actually, yeah. There’s been a few… developments. ” I tilt the camera, and there’s Ryder, sitting back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest. Ashton, meanwhile, is sprawled beside me, grinning like he’s just won the lottery. “Mom, meet Ryder and Ashton. They’re my—” I pause, realizing I don’t even have the words to describe what they are yet. “—Alphas.”
Her lips purse and I brace myself. But then her face softens, her eyes shining with something I can’t quite place. “Welcome to the family, boys.” Her voice is soft but firm.
Ashton gives a little wave. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Ryder, ever the man of few words, just nods respectfully.
“And,” I continue, angling the camera toward Carleen, who’s half-hidden behind me but can’t escape now. “Mom, you know Carleen.”
Carleen straightens, smiling politely but looking like she’d rather crawl under the couch and hide forever. My mother’s smile grows wider. “You make sure they’re not strangers, hmm? I expect to see all of you at dinner sometime soon. Your father will want to interrogate them—politely, of course.”
I snort. Politely? Sure, Mom. Sure.
“We’ll come by soon, I promise,” I say, my voice cracking slightly because, damn, this feels good. She hangs up with a quick goodbye and I set my phone down on the coffee table with trembling hands. Ashton squeezes my thigh. Ryder’s watching me with those intense blue eyes, like he’s trying to memorize every little detail of me in this moment. Carleen is smiling softly, her head tilted like she’s trying to figure out how I can still be so full of energy after all of this.
I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly before flashing them all a grin. “So… when do I get more bonds?”
Ashton lets out a low, wicked laugh as he leans in close, his voice dropping low, warm breath brushing against my ear. “Be careful what you wish for, little doe. Because if I bond you, the mark’s going right on your ass. Or maybe…” He pauses, trailing a fingertip along the inside of my thigh. “…here.”
My face goes red. Carleen is muttering something under her breath, and Ryder’s smirk has turned downright predatory.
“Okay!” I squeak, throwing my hands up. “That’s enough bonding talk for now!”
I lean back into the cushions, my heart still hammering but so, so full.
This is it.
This is home .
Even with all the chaos, intense gazes, and Ashton’s constant flirtation, this is exactly where I’ve always wanted to be.