I woke up to breakfast in bed. A gal could get used to a thing like that. Yogurt topped with fresh blueberries and slivered almonds and a latte dusted with cinnamon. Normally I would just have a granola bar or something.

After enjoying my breakfast and a nice long shower, I head upstairs to see who's leftover from the night before. Sargent is laying in a heap on one of the couches. He smells like campfire and whiskey.

A low wolf whistle makes me jump and turn. My cheeks blush. It's Bernie.

She looks basically untouched from the night before. Her hair is still in crinkly waves and her dark eyeliner is always smudged smokey. She's eating something Chef must have made for her. Some kind of breakfast sandwich on an English muffin.

"Looks like our little plan worked," she says, looking me up and down. "You've got the post sex glow, girlfriend."

I bite my lip, smiling. "We didn't have sex." I answer honestly.

"Right. And I'm Queen Mary."

Bernie feels like my weird aunt, crazy older sister, and mama bear all in one. She's oddly protective of me, but loyal to the club. "Have a seat," she says, polishing off her breakfast.

She lets me ask all the questions I want. What's it like being the wife of a biker? How did she meet Sargeant? And most interestingly, what does her tattoo mean?

"This old thing?" She waves her hand over it. "It's not a tattoo, it's a brand. I got it back when Sarge first joined. It means I'm his."

"And you did that to yourself?" I ask.

"Well no. He did it, but he did it with my permission."

"Interesting. So what about your wedding rings?"

"What about them?" she asks like they're two separate issues.

"Well isn't that what those mean? That you belong to each other?"

She nods, like she's thinking it over. "These can be taken off," she slips the ring off her finger. "It's just a symbol. But the brand, it's forever. It's deeper. It's a mark I can't take off. His mark. The club's mark. It means we both belong together but also to the Gang of Wolves."

"I think I understand," I nod.

"Also, these men respect nothing that isn't their bike or their club. A wedding ring doesn't mean you're untouchable. This does," she fingers the wolf's head encircled on her neck.

After talking with Bernie, I walk the compound. Someone is cleaning the pool, a team of workers tend to the lawn, three prospects wash bikes near the garage. Taking out my phone, I try to text my dad. It doesn't go through. Even though I know it won't work, I try to call him too.

When I lived at home, I always paid our phone bill. Either he forgot or he didn't have the money to keep it turned on. My calendar tells me it's the end of July. Elementary schools will be heading back soon. Crystal is probably taking Dakon to Goodwill for new uniforms.

My soft knock falls upon his office door. "Hi," I smile when he looks up at me. For a moment I forget our tumultuous situation and just appreciate his handsomeness.

He doesn't use words. Choosing to just smile back at me instead and I feel like I'm melting in the doorway. "You need something baby?" he looks above his laptop.

"I'm not a prisoner here, right?" I ask, treading carefully.

"Nope," he says shortly. I can feel him shutting down.

"Just checking," I keep my voice light, almost playful. Stepping between his knees, I smile sweetly down at him. The smile is genuine, my ruse is not. "And I can go anywhere I want, right?" I ask making sure that both Rod and Brick can hear his answer.

"You can go anywhere as long as you don't go alone," he says.

"So I can go to Wal-Mart if I want?"

Rod groans. Wulf laughs. "Sure, you can go to Wal-Mart."

I look over my shoulder expectantly. Rod and Brick exchange a look as if they're mentally drawing straws. I look back at Wulf who has returned his attention to his computer, but I notice his fingers have intertwined with mine.