After being shuffled out of the conference room, much to our displeasure, Angelina and I spent the better part of the morning collecting the various supplies that Zephora claimed they would need for the spell.

According to the Gemini Coven leader, the ancient reversal spell wouldn't require any specific ingredients, but it wouldn't hurt to have a collection of supplies to amplify the magic they would be creating. So, Angelina and I gathered an ungodly amount of candles from around the packhouse, canisters of table salt, and bundles of sage. These items were the basics, Angelina claimed, to any spell.

It was nearly noon by the time we'd packed the supplies into a few boxes and helped to load the items into Nolan's SUV, which would be transporting Zephora, Nolan, Dylan, Raegan, and a few spare witches to the faultline that evening. I set the last box in the trunk of the vehicle and stepped back, only to nearly collide with a firm chest.

I recognized Dominic's scent before I even turned around. A smile adorned his lips, causing the scarring on his face to crinkle as he looked down at me. "Got enough candles?"

I huffed a laugh, casting a glance back at the box filled to the brim with Bath & Body Works winter candles that we'd found beneath various sinks in the packhouse. "If Zephora's spell doesn't work, at least the faultline will smell like vanilla and cedar trees."

"The spell will work, Charlie," Dominic insisted. "And, when it does, we'll get to come back here smelling like Christmas morning."

I smiled and reached up to shut the SUV's rear door, dusting my hands off on my pants as Dominic and I slowly mosied back towards the packhouse's front porch. "So, you're off to hunt for a vampire?"

He ran a hand through his tousled black hair, a gesture that reminded me of his brother. "You'd be surprised how many vampire dens there are in the cities. I'll take a group of rogues and flush a den out. The vamps won't be able to escape as long as the sun is shining."

"That sounds a bit unfair." I frowned, glancing sideways at the Rogue Alpha.

Dominic sighed, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, I'm a rogue. I'm not governed by the usual laws of chivalry that the packs follow." A smirk formed on his lips, as if he was poking fun at the unspoken rules that traditional werewolf packs followed.

I giggled, rolling my eyes. I'd forgotten how charming the male's roguish act could be. "What are you going to do with yourself when you don't have any more hybrids to fight?"

Dominic blew out a breath, the white's of his eyes expanding as he considered my question. "I'm not sure. Perhaps I'll put away my 'leader of the rogues' hat and settle down... I might even ask the Luna of the Black Lupis Pack if I can take up residence somewhere close by."

Both of my eyebrows rose in surprise, and I couldn't contain the smile that formed on my face. "I have it on good authority that the Luna will say yes."

We shared a grin, but I forced myself to look away when emotion threatened to clog my throat. Dominic looked... happy. I couldn't remember the last time that I'd seen him look content. But his piercing blue eyes held a newfound peace, as if he could finally begin to move forward after learning the truth about Sarah. About everything.

"You deserve happiness, Dominic," I said, my voice thick.

"You do, too, Charles," he replied, extending a hand between us.

I didn't hesitate before taking it, allowing his fingers to envelope mine and squeeze. My Rogue Alpha and my friend. And now, in a way, my family. I cherished that moment, even though it was over too soon.

Dominic sighed, gently pulling his fingers away from mine. "The rogues and I need to get going. I really just came over to say goodbye."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "When we see each other again, we'll be living in a different, safer world."

"I'm looking forward to it." Dominic smiled. "I'll see you then, Charlie."

With that, the Rogue Alpha turned and walked toward a group of half-a-dozen rogues that had gathered nearby, already in their wolf form. They would need to make haste if they wanted to infiltrate a vampire den before nightfall. I waved in their direction, wishing that I could somehow convey my gratitude, but the monstrous creatures merely began padding towards the forest. Dominic leapt, shifting into his own wolf mid-stride, and joined them.

My throat tightened, and I forced myself to dismiss the foreboding feeling that I might never see him again. If something were to go wrong...

Charlie? Nolan's voice sounded in my head, and I blinked in surprise. I still hadn't quite gotten used to our mindlink. How are you doing?

I'm okay. Dominic just left with the rogues. I replied, willing my words into our shared connection. Angelina and I finished loading the supplies.

Good. Meet me back at the cottage? Nolan asked, and I knew why he asked me to meet him there rather than the packhouse. He wanted to give us one last chance to be alone together before he left. I agreed and began the trek to our cottage.

My mate was waiting for me when I arrived. Almost as soon as I crossed the threshold, Nolan took me up in his arms and pressed his lips against mine.

What began as a slow, sensual kiss quickly crescendoed into a fervent battle between our lips. Luckily, Nolan had me cradled in his arms, so I didn't need to worry about my knees turning weak at the heat that slowly began to churn inside of me.

"Nolan? How did Zephora's meeting go?" I whispered against his lips, but he quickly covered my mouth with his once more, swiping his tongue against my lower lip. I moaned.

But I wanted to know what the Gemini witch had told him when she'd forced the rest of us out of the conference room. I pulled back again, this time tugging on my mate's dark hair to keep his lips away from mine for the moment. "Nolan," I prodded.

"She just went over the plan for the evening," he answered quickly, immediately leaning in to unite our mouths once more.

I leaned back, denying him access to my lips. "That's it?"

Nolan didn't respond. Instead, because I'd pulled my mouth away, my mate's lips descended upon my neck. They immediately found the sensitive skin just above my clavicle where he'd marked me the night before, and electricity shot through my body as he began sucking on the spot.

I gasped, forgetting all about my line of questioning. There was only him.

He carried me to the bed, lips still clamped to my mark. Every inch of my body felt like it had been ignited by the insatiable longing, but the feeling intensified in my core. Nolan set me on the mattress that was still disheveled from our night together, and I cried out at the sudden loss of his lips against my skin.

"Nolan!" I begged in a voice that I scarcely recognized.

He smiled from where he stood by the mattress, sliding his t-shirt over his head to reveal the ridges of perfection that lined his abdomen and chest. I immediately rose onto my knees, capturing his lips against mine once more as I pulled him down onto the mattress beside me.

Nolan's expert fingers fidgeted with the hem of my sweatshirt, tugging the fabric up until I obliged and let him strip me of my clothing. He had reduced me to nakedness, all the while, I fumbled with the buttons of his jeans.

"These are annoying," I complained, tugging on the bronze zipper at his pant-seam that looked ready to bust as it withheld the length of him. When I realized I wouldn't get the jeans off without Nolan's help, I decided to palm the hardness in his pants through the fabric.

He shuddered. "Moon Goddess, I've wanted this all morning."

"Mm," I agreed, sliding my hand against the denim.

"Charlotte?" Nolan gasped, even as my hand continued to work. "Are you on any preventative medications?"

My hand stopped working at that, and I pulled back to meet his beautiful blue gaze. "No... Do you want me to be?"

"No!" he replied, a bit more ardently than I'd expected. He quickly shook his head, a smile playing on his lips as he amended himself. "I mean, I want it to be your choice. If you'd like prevention, I'll have Trudy bring some for you. Or we can use other methods."

I swallowed, and memories of the night before flooded my mind. When he'd filled me with his seed, it had felt so... right.

"I don't want the medicine. I don't want to change anything," I whispered, hoping that he would understand my meaning. I didn't want to prevent conception, if that is what the Moon Goddess willed.

Nolan nodded, and I thought I noticed something like relief glimmer in his gaze. He closed the distance between our lips again before I could ask him about it. "I love you, Charlotte."

"I love you," I murmured, allowing him to move our bodies further back on the mattress.

"Now," Nolan grumbled, pushing my back against the pillows so that I was laid bare before him. He knelt between my parted legs, where I already dripped for him. He yanked the zipper of his jeans down, releasing himself. "Let me worship you one last time before I leave."