He was conceding his place to his sons. Firmly and finally. The tender way Dylan looked at Glory and the gentleness of his touch told Andrea what decision he’d reached. Sean squeezed his father’s shoulder, understanding.

“Don’t worry,” Ronan said, his energy restored. “I’ll make sure Liam and Sean win. And then we’ll party.”

“Bears,” Sean said. “Always wanting their honey.”

“And beer. Don’t forget the beer.”

“Are you sure you want to stay with these animals, daughter?” Fionn asked.

Andrea took Sean’s hand. “Very sure.”

She used the sword to open the way. Light flashed, along with the sharp, clean stench of Faerie, and then the four of them were gone.

Wade remained unmoving on the ground, but he wasn’t dead. Dylan suppressed his instinct to stroll to the man and snap his neck, much as he wanted to.

Glory’s lovely body was covered with dirt and blood, but her skin was warm, her breathing even. “I feel like shit,” she said.

Dylan touched her face. “But you’re alive, love. That’s the important thing.”

“Yeah, you’re right, that’s pretty important.” Glory tried to sit up, and Dylan had to support her against him. “I heard what you said to Sean,” she said, “but they really will need you back there. Callum’s crazy, and if they’ve got Fae on the loose ...”

“I made my decision.” Dylan’s words were sharp, final. “I’m taking care of you, and that’s all.” Dylan pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “For always, Glory.”

Glory’s eyes widened. “That sounds perilously like a commitment.”

“’Tis not a joke. I need you in my life, my girl. It’s empty without you.”

“You’re very flattering. Is that because I was almost dead?”

Dylan ran his hand through her sleek hair. “Knowing you’d gone missing, thinking I might lose you forever ... Everything in my life suddenly lined up, from most important to least. At the top was finding you.”

“Oh, yes?” Glory’s smile was a pale shadow of her usual one, but her eyes glinted. “What was number two?”

“Bringing you back into my life. Permanently.”

“I think I like this priority list.”

“It’s not easy for someone like me to ask for forgiveness, love. Alphas don’t have to talk—we just stare at people until they fill in the words for us.”

Glory’s smile grew stronger. “A good way of putting it. Are you saying you want to move back in with me?”

“I’m saying that—using a word Andrea likes—I’ve been a dickhead. It was easy for me to leave for weeks at a time when I knew you’d be there when I came back. I took that for granted. You were right to kick me out.”

“I know.” Glory touched his cheek. “But I also think I’m right to give you a new key to my house.”

“I still have the old one. I kept it, just in case.”

“What if I’ve changed the locks?”

“You didn’t.”

Glory smiled again. “You’re such a know-it-all, Dylan. What are we going to do about you?”

Dylan leaned to her again, and this time he licked her ear. “I’ll show you when we get home.”

“Mmm, sounds good to me.” She looked across the cave at Wade, still unmoving. “But we’ll have to do something about him.”

Dylan followed her glance. “I’m thinking there needs to be a challenge for pack leader. If you want to make it, I’ll back you.”

Now Glory sat up, her delectable naked body brushing his. “A female pack leader? You’re kidding me. How very modern, how cutting edge.”

“I can’t think of a better one than you, love. You’re far stronger than you think you are—than they think you are. You’d make a hell of a leader.”

“And if I lose?” she asked. “I admit that if I could fight the challenge using sarcasm, there’d be no contest, but I might have to battle Wade’s nephews tooth and claw.”

“If you lose, then we retreat and lick our wounds, ask Liam for protection. Maybe go to a beach somewhere, lick our wounds there.”

“I like the way you think, furball.”

Dylan cupped her face in his hands. “I like you, Lupine. No, Glory, I love you. You’re crazy and you piss me off, and you make me do insane things, and I love you to pieces. I’d be more than honored to have you as mate.”

Glory’s usual smirk dissolved. “You damned irritating, high-handed, full-of-yourself, shithead alpha male.”

“Does that mean yes?”

Glory’s answering kiss was smoldering. “Yes. I love you,” she said between breaths. “Damn it, Dylan, I love you so much.”

She smiled her triumph, but Dylan didn’t mind. As long as this tall, beautiful, sanity-stealing woman was in his life and in his arms, he didn’t mind much of anything at all.

Shiftertown was in chaos. There was too much fighting, too many Shifters on the ground bleeding, and Sean started growling even as they stepped through from Faerie.

Andrea was right behind him, like a living goddess in that body-hugging silk. He wanted her with a fierceness that threatened to overwhelm him, but first, they had to fix this mess. From the determined look on Andrea’s face, she agreed.

Sean ran toward the Morrissey house, sword in hand, in time to see Connor go down under two Shifters, a Fae pointing an arrow into the mass.

Sean froze, rage and fear pouring through him. Take care of Con for me, Kenny had whispered as he’d died. Promise me, Sean.

That day flashed back to Sean, the feral Felines attacking Sean and Kenny as they tracked them through the brush alongside the river, the snarls in the darkness as the Collarless Shifters turned and fought. Sean weeping after the fight as he covered Kenny’s fallen body with their discarded clothes, then calling first for an ambulance and then his father and Liam. Kenny had died before they could reach him.

Dylan crouching down and covering his face when he beheld Kenny’s lifeless body, Liam standing stiff and still, face wan with grief and shock. Sean had unsheathed the sword while Liam had watched with tears pouring down his face. Dylan hadn’t been able to look up.