I jumped in the shower as soon as we got back to Rafe's wing. It was nice to get cleaned and to relax under the water but, even more so, to have this domestic-like moment. It felt like coming home after a long day with the pack and planning a chilled evening indoors. As the hot water trickled down my head and along my body, I thought how the simple idea of this kind of domesticity used to make me want to run a mile but with the boys, it felt natural, needed.

It was crazy how much we had been through in the short period of time we had known each other. The intensity of our bond was out of this world- or at least the human world. I did not know what our future held but I was sure I wanted it to be with my two mates.

I remembered how before I left with Lucien, Scarlett joked about me finding someone in Scotland and I completely rejected the idea. The irony of it all made me snort with laughter in the shower. Little did I know.

As the warm steam filled up my lungs, I wondered how she was doing back in London because we had not spoken since the guys and I left to rescue Natalia from her kidnappers. I was not sure if it was the right idea with all the madness of this different world, but it crossed my mind that it was perhaps good to invite her over for a visit, although I needed to first come up with a believable story to explain the shifter lifestyle.

Lost in my thoughts, I found myself out of the shower and standing in front of the wardrobe which Rafe or his staff had stocked up with a variety of clothes for me. I knew that we were just going to stay in but my gut told me that there was an occasion which I needed to make an effort for, so I picked a light blush-coloured sleeveless dress with thick straps, a daring neckline and ruffles. It was elegant and yet not pretentious- the perfect choice for the evening. I slipped it on, skipping the bra as it was not really an option for this kind of dress. Either way, I felt that I did not want to have too many layers on tonight.

Once I was done with my makeup, I tiptoed out of the room barefoot in search of my wolf mate. I had been hoping also to see Aiden but Rafe explained that he had some business to take care of with his clan and was going to join us later.

Still, I was looking forward to spending some time alone with Rafe.

The mouth-watering smell of a juicy grilled steak was what guided me to the terrace where I found Rafe barbecuing. Trust a wolf shifter to be an expert in grilling meat!

I certainly wasn't complaining because as much as I loved fine food and exotic dishes, I was just as happy with a burger or a steak. One thing was sure though- I was never going to be hungry with mates like mine.

"Stop hiding behind the curtain like a stalker, Moreau, and come join me," Rafe waved me over.

"How did you--"

"Super hearing, remember? Speaking of that, how are you adjusting to your new abilities?"

"Good, I guess. I seem to have gotten the hang of switching them on and off whenever I need them."

The barbecue sizzled when he flipped the steaks and the vegetable skewers, and the meat dripped over the fire. I was pretty much drooling as the gentle breeze on the terrace blew the aromatic fumes in my direction.

"I hope you are ready with the food because I am starving," I informed my chef, hoping that he was going to deliver but my words elicited a chuckle instead.

"Aiden did say that you have an appetite for food." Rafe grabbed a plate and filled it up with food from the grill in no time. "That alone makes you our perfect match."

He held the plate right in front of me, tormenting me with all the deliciousness that was nearly in my reach until he pulled me in for a kiss.

I found myself torn- I was dying to dig into the steak, so I needed to pull away but Rafe tasted so good and the way he moved his tongue in my mouth was turning my brain into complete mush to the point that I forgot about my hunger. Or rather, it was a different kind of hunger that was kicking in.

Luckily, my mate showed some mercy because he broke the kiss and gave me the plate instead.

"Come on, let's eat. I wouldn't want Aiden to accuse me of keeping you famished," he smirked.

The gentleness with which he grabbed my hand made my skin tingle. Love, care, protectiveness- the simple touch of this fierce, stubborn, usually too-confident-for-his-own-good Alpha conveyed all of that and more, and it all made my heart full.

We settled at the family-sized dining table in his open-space dining room and tucked into our food. I had to admit that Rafe was just as good as Aiden when it came to cooking. Every single thing that I tried was an absolute perfection of taste and texture. The steak was wonderfully succulent and the smoky flavour of the meat combined with the salty seasoning had me mind-blown.

Without realising, a gustatory groan of delight slipped out of my mouth.

"It looks like I have more than one way to make you moan with pleasure now, mate," the conceited bastard laughed.

But his smile faded slowly and his face became more serious. His eyes were fixated on me, on my lips. There was starvation in his look but not for the food that was on the table.

I stirred in my seat under the intensity of his gaze. It was surprising that I had not melted just from the way he looked at me. I pretty much imagined him pushing everything off the table and screwing me right on top of it. The tension between us was already off the charts since our little sparring earlier and I knew that I was going to combust if we didn't give in to our desires soon.

The damn mark did not make it any easier either. My need to have Rafe and Aiden again, to mate with them, was now embedded in every part of my being. It was like needing oxygen to breathe, water to survive.

I couldn't believe my mate's self-restraint when he cleared his throat and looked away instead. It almost felt like he was stalling. Like he was trying to postpone the inevitable.

"I want to show you something." His voice wavered as he walked over to a nearby chest of drawers and took something out of the top one. "I came across some of my mum's old stuff earlier and I found these amongst them."

In his hand he was holding a few old photos, which I grabbed off him and laid each one carefully on the table. All of them had Michelle in them- she looked just as beautiful back then as she did now. Yet, happiness radiated from her face, the kind of happiness that I had not seen in her recently.

But what made these photos special was the fact that they all had my mum in them too. One of them showed Michelle and my mum enjoying a day out, smiling for the camera with an ice cream in hand. Another one must have been taken in a park or at one of the estates because it had captured them strolling down a paved path underneath thick green trees, two boys surrounding them. Both lads must have been around five years old at that point. I recognised Lucien because of his blonde hair, which had not changed to this day. The other boy was curiously looking at the stroller that my mum was pushing.

My heart skipped a beat when I realised who the little boy was and who was underneath the hood of the stroller.

Yet, if I had any doubts, the next photo clearly showed the dark-headed little boy holding the hand of the silver-haired toddler girl who was smiling at him as they walked ahead of their mothers.

I was lost for words. Overwhelmed by emotions, I allowed myself to let a single tear escape and roll down my face. Rafe's warm hand cupped my cheek and swiped the lonely tear away with his thumb.

"Hey," he muttered, "I didn't mean to upset you." He looked at me, worried, almost guilty.

I shook my head to reassure him. "You didn't. It's just so touching to see that our mothers were close. And it's special to get a glimpse of our connection back then. Christ," I groaned and tittered, glancing at him, "I sound so damn corny."

Rafe's lips met mine before I could continue. The taste of him erased all my thoughts while he addictively invaded all my senses.

I whimpered when he pulled away. My body demanded to have him close again.

"Goddess, I better get around to saying what I want to say before I lose the last of my self-control," he declared, although I had no idea what he was talking about.

I was not really used to seeing him so tense and kind of unsure of himself. Something was weighing on him, or perhaps he was worried about how I would react to whatever he had to tell me.

"I'm sorry for the part that my father played in the death of your parents and in destroying your family, Riley."

Was this the reason that he was anxious?

Did he really think I held his father's actions against him?

"Rafe--" I reached out to grab his hand.

"Just let me finish. Please."

My silent nod told him that I would listen to everything he had to say, although I wasn't sure where this conversation was heading.

"My father was a self-serving bastard who cared about nothing else but power. The pack's interests concerned him only insofar as they aligned with his own needs. He relied on archaic ways to ensure that his force and his stature were maintained.

In his eyes, only wolf shifters counted for something in this world but even amongst his own kind, he looked down on people. He stood in the way of change and modernisation time and time again." He shook his head while he ran his hand through his hair. "He was the exact opposite of everything that your mother stood for. And where did that get him? His family was broken and his pack followed him but only out of respect for the Alpha role, not because they believed in his vision."

Rafe paused for a second, visibly struggling with what he was trying to say. My family had suffered at the hands of Angus Macalister, but Rafe and Natalia were not spared either.

He looked out of the window before he shifted his gaze back to me again.

"I don't want to be that kind of Alpha, Riley. And I am certainly not my father in thinking that loved ones make you weak. I tried to use that excuse before when I was in denial, and I nearly lost you. If anything, you give me strength and make me want to be better. I also want to bring this pack into the future- work with other shifters, learn from each other. No pack is an island and the whole story with Markolf made that clearer than ever."

A smile warmed my face. I was beaming with pride as I listened to my mate share his vision. My mother would have also approved of what Rafe had in mind. "I couldn't agree more with you and I am thrilled that you want to break away from your father's ways," I encouraged him.

I knew that both Rafe and Aiden were going to be amazing leaders. I remembered how back in Philadelphia, I listened in awe to their dreams for a better shifter world- that was when I knew that as long as there were leaders like them, people like Angus and Markolf stood no chance in destroying that world. My mother's hopes for united shifters were going to become a reality one day or another, even if she was no longer around to see it happen.

Rafe turned around to face me, taking both of my hands into his. His voice became softer and so did his expression. "But I can't do it on my own, even if I am the Alpha. I need a strong, like-minded person beside me. Someone to help me guide the pack but also to guide me when I am lost. And the Moon Goddess has already given me the most incredible mate that I could have ever wished for." His thumbs stroked my skin as he held my hands, not breaking our eye contact. "Beautiful. Compassionate. Fair. Strong. A warrior and a true leader, all in one."

My breath hitched as I listened to him intently. And then there was also something about that gaze of his- it was like a bridge between our souls, telling me things beyond the words that came out of him. A tingling warmth spread through my limbs while my knees went weak. Luckily, I was sitting or they would have given in if I was standing.

"The pack needs a Luna and so do I, and we would be lucky to have you," he said as his chest rose from the deep breath he took. "But I can't ask you to be Luna."

Oh. That was certainly not where I saw this going. Did he say all these amazing things about me just to tell me that I couldn't be Luna?

"You are not Luna material, Riley."

Goodness, Rafe, way to make a girl feel better.

My mind raced, trying to figure out how things went 180 degrees in the space of mere seconds. Our bond was the only thing that was holding my back from lashing out at him.

How could my own mate not trust me to be able to handle the Luna role?

I just couldn't grasp it. Okay, it was not like I had ever thought about being one. In fact, it never crossed my mind and becoming Luna was a serious commitment, but Rafe didn't even give me a chance to think about it.

I looked away, hoping that it would help me cool down a bit, but Rafe titled my head to look at him again.

"Bear with me, Riley- I am not finished yet," he pleaded.

I could sense the honesty in his words. I knew that he had not set out to hurt me, I could feel it, so I needed to listen to him till the end before I reacted.

"What I wanted to say is that you are not Luna material because you have all the makings of a great Alpha, mate, and it would not be fair of me to ask you to settle for anything less than that. Yet, the selfish arsehole that I am, I need you. So, here it is- Aurelie Moreau, will you agree to be Alpha with me?"

My mouth fell open and my heart skipped a beat- or maybe two- when he asked that question. His eyes carefully studied every move I made, every breath I took. He was barely breathing himself as he waited for me to speak.

"Be Alpha with you? Rafe, don't packs only have one Alpha?"

"Trust me, I would not ask you something that is not possible."

I blinked slowly, trying to gather my thoughts but it was a hopeless case. My brain seemed to have short-circuited. "I don't know what to say" was the best I could come up with.

" 'Yes' would be a good start."

Questions. I just had so many questions that I could still not wrap my head around. "So we would live here at Windcrest and I would become part of your pack?"

"Were you planning to run away from me otherwise, mate?" he chuckled. "But yes, we would be Alphas of this pack, so this would be our home."

"And what about Aiden?" I was certainly happy and excited that Rafe was making plans for us- but I had two mates and I could not take any decision without taking both of them into consideration.

As if mentioning his name summoned him, I turned around and my dragon mate was standing right there in the middle of the living room.

"Aiden! How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear Rafe's question." He smiled in that reassuring, gentle way that only he could.

I chewed on my cheek as I pondered on what I wanted to say next. I was unsure if I was about to open Pandora's box by doing so but I had to ask. "And what do you think?"

He was still smiling, so that was a good sign, right?

"That I still haven't given him an answer to the question that he asked me earlier."

Oh, I hadn't realised that they had talked about this or something related earlier but I should have known better than assuming that Rafe had decided on our future all on his own. Despite his tough exterior, I knew that my wolf mate cared about his family, Aiden and me above all else.

Something told me that I knew exactly what Rafe had asked his best friend but I had to be sure. "Which is?"

"Whether I would become his Beta."

I was stunned- it's certainly what I would have done if I was in Rafe's shoes but I was no wolf and no Alpha, so I couldn't even imagine the full extent of how bold my mate's move was. A dragon as the Beta of a wolf pack. A human as its Luna...or second Alpha.

Still holding my hand, Rafe got out of his seat, inviting me to follow him. We both sauntered across the room to Aiden. "And what is your answer, Aiden?" Rafe asked expectantly.

"Well, before I reply to that, I have a bit of an announcement to make. As you know, the Fire Dragons clan accounts for 30 men, most of whom had lost faith ever being mated, seeing as female dragon shifters are kind of rare.

But our triad- a dragon, a wolf and a human- has given them hope that they could find their mates at Windcrest. That bringing wolves and dragons together would be better for everyone, strengthening both sides. So, if the Windcrest Alpha would have it, the Fire Dragons would like to merge with the pack."

My eyes grew in disbelief. A day ago we were fighting to save the shifter world and today, our triad was rewriting the order of that very same world just with our mere existence to the point that we gave others hope for a better future. Suddenly it felt like our destiny was so much more than just stopping Markolf.

"That's actually fantastic news," Rafe exclaimed, overjoyed. "Bringing out kinds together, leading by example- it can only help us progress. And it works perfectly with my plan."

I heard Aiden groan. "Oh, for goodness' sake, Rafe- do you have anything else up your sleeve?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."The smug look on Rafe's face was infuriating and intriguing at the same time. He sure knew how to keep Aiden and me on our toes, damn him. "I didn't want to tell you earlier today as I wanted to have all of us together but it's not just Riley that I want to be Alpha, Aiden. It goes for you too.

We would be the Alpha Triad- leading this pack together, each of us having an equally important say, and all pack members, as well as the outside world, would consider us all as Alphas. Of course, for purely pragmatic reasons, we would need to split the duties of Alpha, Luna and Beta but that's easy to do- I would be the Alpha and Aiden the Beta as far as Windcrest matters are concerned. The opposite would be true for Fire Dragons matters. And our magnificent mate would be Luna for both. That is, of course, if the two of you finally give me an answer. So, what's it going to be, Aiden?"

My dragon mate glanced between the two of us, his neutral face not giving anything away until he allowed himself a grin. "I'm in. Not like there was ever any likelihood that I was going to say No- who in their right mind would turn down the chance to lead together with his best friend and the most amazing woman in the world?" He joked, lightening up the mood.

"And you, Riley?" Rafe turned his attention to me. I could feel the tension that had wrapped itself across each of my mates as they stood there, unsure of what my answer would be. "Will you be the heart of our Alpha Triad? Our Alpha Luna and our guiding light?"

It was a simple question but one that bore so much responsibility, so many expectations. And beyond all of that, there was the hidden meaning of what they were actually asking me. That unspoken question that they did not dare say out loud, scared that I might not give them the answer they wanted to hear- will you stay with us?

The old me, the one who lived oblivious to her past and her destiny, would have probably run away in a heartbeat. I wouldn't have blamed her- she didn't know of the happiness it brought to let others into her life. Yes, there was always the risk of having your heart broken when you let yourself be vulnerable but if I had learned something by now, it was that the risk was worth it.