Page 25 of Sass Me Again

"Better?" he asked, his voice a rumble she felt against her cheek.

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Better. Thank you. I needed that."

He ran his hand down her hair to her back, holding her close. "Try to get some rest. I'll be right here."

“Mmmhmmm.” That was the last thing Emily remembered as the darkness pulled her under.

17

The smell of bacon and coffee filled Ian's kitchen, warm and domestic in a way that still felt new to Emily. She stood at the stove, flipping eggs with a confidence she wouldn't have had a week ago, while Ian leaned against the counter beside her, mug in hand, watching her with an expression that made her want to blush.

"You keep staring at me like that, these eggs are going to burn," she said, not looking up.

"I just can’t seem to help myself. You're beautiful when you're all domesticated and shit."

She snorted, her lips curving up in a smile. "You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculously in love with you."

He set his coffee down and moved behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to the curve of her neck. Emily leaned back into him, letting herself enjoy the simplicity of the moment. No nightmares. No panic. Just bacon and eggs and Ian's solid warmth at her back.

A knock at the front door made them both freeze.

Ian pulled away slowly, his expression shifting from playful to alert. "Expecting anyone?"

"Not this early." Emily turned off the burner, her stomach tightening with a sudden unease.

Ian moved to the door, glancing back at her once before opening it. Rafe stood on the porch, dressed in jeans and a simple black t-shirt, looking more like a man than their all-powerful Alpha. But the weight in his dark eyes told Emily this wasn't a social call.

"Rafe." Ian stepped aside to let him in. "Everything okay?"

"Morning, Ian. Emily." Rafe nodded to them both, his voice measured. "Mind if I come in? I need to talk to you guys."

Emily wiped her hands on a dish towel, her heart already picking up speed. "Of course. Coffee?"

"No, thanks." Rafe pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and took a seat, gesturing for them to join him. "This isn't easy news, but you deserve to hear it straight from me."

Ian pulled out a chair for Emily, then sat beside her, his thigh leaning against hers in silent support.

"I sent your parents to the Council last night," Rafe said, leaning forward on his elbows. "I didn’t want to, but the situation with them is bigger than just pack business. What they did to you, the drugs they used, that suppression compound...it's not something I have the authority or the expertise to judge properly. Not only that, but your dad is the Mayor. That must be dealt with as well. That’s more than I’m going to bite off on my own. The Council needs to know about that drug. They need to understand how it works and who else might have access to it. They also need to deal with your dad’s political standing. It’s not like he’s a nobody and can just disappear without a trace."

Emily swallowed hard. "What will they do to them?"

Rafe's expression softened, the hard lines of his face easing. "They won't be put to death, Emily. I want you to hear that clearly. The Council doesn't execute for crimes like this, not when there's room for rehabilitation."

"Then what?" Her voice was nothing more than a thin, trembling wisp of what it normally was.

"They'll serve time in a secure facility. They will receive counseling and intensive work to understand why they hated what they are so deeply that they'd destroy their own child to deny it. The Council has specialists for this kind of thing. Shifters who've studied the psychology of self-hatred, of internalized prejudice." He paused, holding her gaze. "In time, when they've made progress, you'll be able to visit them. But not right away. Seeing you too soon would undo whatever headway they might make."

Emily nodded, processing everything that Rafe had just laid out before her. Part of her had expected worse, had braced for news of execution or permanent exile. Another part, the wounded child still caged inside her, felt a flicker of relief that they would live. That maybe, someday, they could understand what they'd done.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For telling me. For being fair."

Rafe pushed back from the table and moved to crouch in front of her, bringing himself to eye level. "You did nothing wrong, Emily. You were the victim in this. I need you to carry that with you, even when the guilt tries to tell you otherwise."

She felt Ian's hand cover hers, warm and strong.

Rafe straightened, his Alpha presence filling the kitchen. "Now. Enough heavy talk for one morning. I'm having a cookout at my place this afternoon. The whole pack will be there. I want you both to come, and I want Emily formally welcomed into the pack. She's earned her place among us."