Page 38 of Talk Howly to Me

Ronan pulled back just enough to see her face. A smile of deep, unguarded satisfaction curved her kiss-swollen lips, and her eyes were heavy-lidded, hazy with pleasure and a dazed wonder that made his chest tight.

He leaned in and kissed her again. This kiss held none of the earlier desperation. It was slow and deep. He poured into it every silent promise he'd made to himself: his devotion, his unwavering protection, and the vision of a future they could build together—a future that, for the first time, included his own happiness as a fundamental part of the foundation.

She kissed him back with equal intensity, her hands loosening from around his neck to cradle his face. In the press of her lips and the gentle sweep of her tongue, he felt it—her longing, her fragile hope, her mind tentatively starting to believe that this was real. That this was right. That this impossible, complicated, beautiful thing could actually be hers.

FIFTEEN

SLOANE

Moisture still clung to Sloane's skin as she wrapped the plush towel around herself, her body humming with a bone-deep satisfaction. Every nerve ending felt alive, sensitized from Ronan's touch, and the mate bond pulsed between them like a living thing. She could still feel the phantom touch of his hands on her body, and the way he'd claimed her so completely against the shower wall.

This could be real, she thought, watching Ronan towel off his magnificent body beside her.

The sight of water droplets trailing down his muscled chest made her want to reach out and touch him again, to convince herself this wasn't some elaborate dream.

For once, she wasn't calculating escape routes or wondering when the other shoe would drop. Instead, she found herself imagining a future here at Hale Lodge—working alongside Ronan and Kozue, teaching self-defense classes, maybe even exploring this triad mate bond. The thought of permanence, of belonging somewhere, should have terrified her. Instead, it filled her with a fierce warmth.

The wolf shifter revelation that had sent her reeling two days ago now seemed to slot into place like a missing puzzle piece. Of course Ronan could turn into a massive black wolf—it explained the predatory awareness in his blue eyes, the way his presence commanded respect without effort, the protective instincts that seemed hardwired into his very being. And if this pack of wolves could offer her the stability and community she'd never dared hope for, then maybe her chaotic past had been preparing her for exactly this moment.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Kozue stood in the doorway, his green eyes taking in the scene with swift, painful comprehension. His gaze moved from Sloane's flushed skin and damp hair to Ronan's towel-clad form, and she saw the exact moment understanding hit him. His jaw tightened, but beneath the flash of hurt in his expression, concern dominated his features.

"Sloane," he said, his deep voice carefully controlled. "There's someone by the name of Tasha down in the lobby asking for you. She looks pretty rough—like something really bad happened to her."

The words hit Sloane like a battering ram, driving all thoughts of mate bonds and futures from her mind as ice flooded her veins.

"Oh god," she breathed, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Those two men—the ones who'd tried to kidnap her after her fight—they must have come back for Tasha when they couldn't find her. This was her fault. She'd brought danger to the one person who'd looked out for her in the underground circuit, the one person she actually trusted.

Without a word, she dropped her towel and rushed past Kozue into Ronan's suite, frantically gathering her scattered workout clothes from the floor. She didn't care that both men could see her naked—modesty was a luxury she couldn't afford when Tasha was hurt because of her.

"Sloane—" Kozue's voice followed her as she yanked on her sports bra, panties, and leggings with jerky, desperate movements.

"Take her downstairs now," Ronan commanded Kozue, his Alpha authority cutting through the tension as he moved toward his closet with swift efficiency.

Kozue nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on Sloane's face. "Sloane, try to calm down," he said quietly.

She looked up at him, guilt clawing at her throat. "I can't. I'm sorry," she said, the words rushing out. "And what happened between Ronan and me—it just sort of happened after our workout session."

Something flickered in Kozue's expression—hurt, resignation, maybe understanding. "It's fine," he said, but the tightness around his eyes suggested it wasn't.

But there wasn't time to unpack the complications of the triad bond or her feelings for both men. Tasha was downstairs, injured because of her, and that was the only thing that mattered right now.

They rushed out of Ronan's suite together, taking the stairs two at a time down to the main level. Sloane's heart pounded with each step, guilt and fear warring in her chest. She'd been so caught up in the fantasy of belonging here, of building something with Ronan and Kozue, that she'd let herself forget the danger she'd brought to their doorstep.

The lobby's warm lighting felt harsh against her eyes as they emerged from the stairwell. She spotted Tasha immediately—slumped in one of the leather chairs near the massive stone fireplace, her athletic frame looking smaller than Sloane had ever seen it.

"Tasha," Sloane breathed, rushing forward.

Her friend looked up, and Sloane's stomach clenched at the sight. Tasha's left eye was swollen nearly shut, the skin around it already darkening to an ugly purple. Dried blood crusted her lower lip, and she held herself carefully, as if her ribs ached.

"What happened?" Sloane demanded, dropping to her knees beside the chair.

Ronan appeared at Kozue's shoulder, now dressed in jeans and a dark sweater, his presence commanding even in his haste. Tasha's sharp eyes assessed both men with the wariness of someone who'd learned to read threats quickly.

"It's okay," Sloane said, following her gaze. "You can trust them. This is Ronan, the general manager here, and Kozue, the assistant manager. They're good people."