Three more hard thrusts into her and he stilled, the fingers at her hip digging deep.

Leaning down, he took the back of her neck between his teeth, the warmth of his breath against the cool sheen of sweat on her skin when he came.

He put aloe on her back, soothing the heat before they took a shower together.

Before capturing her lips he looked at her for long, silent moments. “Am I what you want?” His words were soft, gentle.

Her heart swelled as she nodded, emotion making words hard to come by. “Yes.

From the first moment you touched me at the club, before I’d even seen your face, you were what I wanted. You’re what I need too. You didn’t hurt me tonight. It was,” she paused trying to think of the right thing to say. “It was amazing. Raw. I feel like tonight was the first time you totally opened up and didn’t hold back.”

“That’s probably true. When I thought you were human, I held back because what I felt for you was so intense and because I didn’t want to harm you. And then after the Claiming I was afraid to confront the intensity of my feelings. After that, it was intense and hot, sexy and wonderful but when I changed, I feel like our bond has become deeper, more, I don’t know, integral perhaps. But then you’d had this terrible experience. I realized tonight you knew I wouldn’t hurt you. You trusted me and if you can trust me, I can trust me too.”

“You’re what I need, Ben. What I crave. You fill me up in every way. You accept all of me and make me whole.”

They had a meal. Took a run and came back home. As she stood on the deck, overlooking the water, scenting other Pack wolves as they ran on the compound property, she knew this was home now. Knew this place was theirs and from then on, Seattle would be a place they visited.

The rightness of it settled into her as she leaned into his side.

“We need to be here. I feel it. This is where we’re meant to be. I’ll be on your Enforcer team.”

“We’re going to have to talk to Cade and to Maxwell. You need to talk to your parents and your sisters too. I hate you having to lose anything else.”

She turned to him, cupping his cheeks in her hands. “You’re everything. You’re my family and this is the way it has to be. There are airplanes. War is here, there’s no more time for indecision.”

Ben watched the stars and listened to the steady breathing of his wife as she lay sleeping in his arms. Out the window, the world was changing. He had no control over the war brewing, no control over the very real possibility he’d never be able to be a cop again. But he had Tegan. He had the ability to be a cop for the Pack and that could be good. If they could survive the coming storm.

Ben vowed he’d protect the woman in his arms with his dying breath. Yes, she’d be on his Enforcer team, she’d be his right hand man. They’d be together so he could keep her safe and that was all there was to it. Pellini would be dead, one way or another, for what he put Tegan through.

The rest they’d have to take one step at a time.