Raine
He acted completely as if he hadn’t just seen us holding hands, as if he hadn’t just thrown a subtle, formal warning into the air.
But the timing of his words told me everything.
He was watching.
He was logging every single detail.
Joshua didn’t react to the provocation.
He didn’t tighten his grip, and he didn’t look at Miguel.
He simply guided me to the passenger side of his sedan, opened the door for me, and waited until I was safely inside before walking around to the driver’s seat.
The moment the car doors closed, shutting out, the suffocating tension vanished.
I let out a massive sigh, slumping back into the leather seat.
“You look like you just escaped a burning building,” Joshua said, his tone shifting instantly into the light, easy voice of a brother.
He pulled the car into the evening traffic, navigating the lanes with practiced ease.
“What happened up there?
I thought the meeting ended at four.”
”He moved into the fourteenth floor,” I said, rubbing my temples.
“And I realized I left one of Leo’s wolf drawings clipped to the easel in the back lounge.
I ran up there to grab it, and Josh…
he was already standing right in front of it.” Joshua’s eyes widened slightly as he checked his side mirror.
“Did he put it together?”
”No,” I breathed, a faint, disbelieving laugh escaping my lips.
“His massive Alpha ego saved me.
I lied and told him the lounge was a temporary daycare space for my staff’s kids.
He actually thought I drew it because I was secretly pining after him.
He thinks the name ‘Leo’ belongs to a logistics manager’s son.”
Joshua let out a low whistle, genuine smirk breaking across his handsome face.
“Unbelievable.
The guy’s arrogance is a literal shield for us.
But man, that was entirely too close, Raine.”
”I know,” I murmured, turning to look at him.
A wave of intense gratitude washed over me as I watched his profile in the dashboard light.
“Thank you for being out there, Josh.
Seriously.
And thanks for getting my car back to the penthouse earlier.”
”Stop thanking me,” Joshua said, reaching over to playfully nudge my shoulder.
“How many years have we been doing this?
You’re family, Raine.
You and the boys.”
He wasn’t lying.
To the outside world, Joshua Slade looked like a wealthy, powerful New York player who was courting a successful tech CEO.
But the truth was entirely different.
We were best friends, bound by a deep, platonic loyalty that had saved my life.
When I first arrived in New York four and a half years ago—pregnant, terrified, and cast out into the cold by my pack—Joshua was the one who found me.
He didn’t see a broken girl; he saw a woman with a brilliant mind.
He had used his vast network to get me my very first client.
He helped me recruit my core team, and he did all of it without ever asking for a single thing in return.
No hidden motives, no romantic strings.
Just pure, unconditional kindness.
“Lena is still at the apartment, right?” Joshua asked as he turned down our street, steering the car into the secure underground garage.
“Yeah, she’s watching the twins,” I smiled, my mind instantly shifting gears as a thought popped into my head.
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.
“You know…
you could stay for dinner.
Lena made a massive pot of garlic pasta.
I’m sure she made more than enough.”
”Free pasta?
You don’t have to ask me twice,” he laughed, turning off the engine.
We took the private elevator up to the penthouse.
The moment the doors slid open, the warm, savory scent of Italian cooking hit us, along with the chaotic, beautiful sound of little feet thumping against the hardwood floor.
“Mommy!” Liam screamed, running around the corner and throwing his small arms around my knees.
A second later, Leo walked out behind him, his dark eyes lighting up as he clutched a plastic dinosaur.
“Hey, my angels,” I whispered, kneeling down to scoop them both into a massive, suffocating hug.
I buried my face in their hair, inhaling the innocent, safe scent of baby powder.
Holding them like this made the entire terrifying afternoon on the fourteenth floor worth it.
“Joshie!” Liam squealed, instantly letting go of me to look up at Joshua.
“What’s up, little man?” Joshua grinned, effortlessly lifting Liam onto his broad shoulder while reaching down to gently ruffle Leo’s dark hair.
Lena stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“Dinner is just about…” She froze mid-sentence, her eyes landing squarely on Joshua.
Instantly, a bright, rosy flush crept up her neck, coloring her cheeks.
Her fingers nervously gripped the edge of the dish towel, and she quickly looked down, trying to smooth her hair with her free hand.
“Raine said I could crash dinner.
I hope that’s okay.”
”Oh!
Yes, of course,” she stammered, her voice a little higher than usual as she gave him a shy look through her eyelashes.
“There’s…
there’s plenty.
Take a seat.
I’ll get the plates.”
She practically bolted back into the kitchen.
I stood up, watching her retreat, and then turned to look at Joshua.
He was completely blind.
He was currently distracted, letting Liam use his nose as a button, totally unaware that a beautiful, fiercely loyal woman was completely losing her mind over him just a few feet away.
I shook my head, hiding a smirk.
I desperately wanted them together.
Lena had been my rock since the day the twins were born, and Joshua was the finest man I knew.
They were a perfect match, but Joshua was too stubbornly focused on his work and his protective duties to realize what was right in front of his face.
If he doesn’t realize it on his own in the next few months, I am absolutely taking up the matchmaking job.
I’ll force them into a movie date if I have to.
A few minutes later, we all gathered around the large wooden dining table.
The room was loud, messy, and full of life.
Liam was loudly explaining how his green dragon drawing could defeat a T-Rex, while Leo quietly and logically corrected him about the laws of physics.
Joshua was laughing heartily, helping Liam cut his meatballs, while Lena sat next to him, turning pink every single time his shoulder accidentally brushed against hers.
I sat back in my chair, twirling some pasta on my fork, and just watched them.
The warmth of the room, the sound of my children’s laughter, the safety of my best friend, and the loyalty of Lena made my heart melt and swell all together.
My chest felt incredibly full.
I had lost a pack, family, mate, and had been thrown away like a piece of trash…but look what I had built over the ashes.
This was my real pack.
This was my sanctuary.
As I looked at Leo’s bright, happy smile, a fierce, protective coldness settled over my heart.
I had survived Miguel today, and I would survive him tomorrow.
I had worked too hard, cried too many tears, and sweated too much blood to let anyone disrupt this peace.
Nothing was going to come between me and my family.
Not the Vance Group audit, not the past, and certainly not Miguel Harrison.