The living room smelled like stale beer and expensive cologne. The same five chairs pulled into a loose circle. Same low table with rings from too many glasses. Same shadows thrown by the same floor lamp that had been there since my father's time.
They were already waiting when I walked in.
Jax sprawled like he owned the place, boots up, fresh bottle in hand. Kade tapping on his phone—probably pulling data on my own fucking heart rate from the last hour. Marcus in the corner armchair, quiet, watching. Rico sitting forward, elbows on knees, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
I didn't sit.
I stood in the middle of the circle and looked at each of them once.
"Bet's off."
Silence hit like a slap.
Jax laughed first. Short. Disbelieving.
"Come again?"
"Bet's dead. No winner. No payout. No more side pots. Done."
Kade stopped tapping. Looked up slow.
"You're serious."
"Dead serious."
Jax swung his boots down. Stood. "Bullshit. She got under your skin. That's all this is. You're folding because she finally bit back hard enough to make your dick twitch different."
I met his eyes. Didn't blink.
"She read the chat. She read Marcus's messages. She took the anklet off. She had my spare phone in her hand. She could've run. She could've called anyone. She didn't."
Marcus spoke then. Soft. Careful.
"She stayed."
"Yeah."
Rico shifted. "So… she won?"
I exhaled through my nose. Felt the weight of the word before I said it.
"She didn't need to win. She just needed to keep being her. And I'm tired of pretending that's a game I can control."
Jax barked another laugh. This one edged with something ugly.
"You're telling me the big bad alpha who carved his name into half the northern packs is tapping out because his little luna made him feel things?" He stepped closer. "That's pathetic, Aiden."
I didn't move.
"You want to call it pathetic, call it pathetic. You want your ten grand, take it out of my account. You want to keep score, keep it. But I'm not playing anymore."
Kade leaned back. Crossed his arms.
"Data says her cortisol levels dropped thirty-seven percent in the last three days. Heart rate variability improved. Oxytocin spikes during contact. She's bonding. You're bonding. Statistically, the bond is solidifying faster than projected."
I looked at him.
"That's not data anymore. That's us."
Kade shrugged. "Same thing."
Marcus stood. Slow. Walked over. Stopped in front of me.
"You're ending it because you're scared," he said quietly. "Not of losing the bet. Of losing her. If you keep pushing, she might actually leave. And you can't risk it."
I didn't answer. Didn't need to.
He nodded once. Like he'd heard everything I didn't say.
"I'll handle the council," he said. "Tell them the mating is progressing naturally. No need for public displays right now. They'll back off if I vouch for it."
Jax threw his hands up. "You're all fucking insane. She's got you wrapped around her finger and you're calling it love."
I turned to him.
"Call it whatever you want. But the next time you speak to her—or about her—like she's still the prize in a poker game, we're going to have a different kind of conversation. One that ends with your teeth on the floor."
Jax stared. Then laughed again—lower this time. Less sure.
"You're really done."
"I'm really done."
Silence again. Thicker.
Rico cleared his throat. "So… what happens now? She just… stays? You just… what? Date her?"
I almost laughed at that.
"I don't know," I admitted. "We figure it out. Without an audience. Without bets. Without chains."
Jax shook his head. Grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair.
"Fine. Your funeral. But when she rips your heart out and walks, don't come crying to me."
He walked out. Door slammed behind him.
Kade stood. Pocketed his phone.
"I'll delete the chat. All backups. No records."
Marcus nodded. "I already did."
They left too. Quieter. No slamming.
Rico lingered a second longer.
"She's lucky," he said softly. "Not many get to see the real you."
I didn't answer.
He left.
House quiet again.
I walked upstairs. Opened the bedroom door slow.
Gabriella was sitting on the edge of the bed. Wearing one of my shirts again. Anklet gone. Hair messy from running her hands through it.
She looked up.
"Heard the door slam."
"Jax."
She nodded. "He didn't take it well."
"He'll get over it."
I crossed the room. Sat beside her. Not touching. Just close.
"They're gone," I said. "Bet's gone. Chat's gone. Tracker's gone."
She looked at me. Searched my face.
"And us?"
I took her hand. Turned it over. Traced the faint pink line where the cuff had been.
"Us is whatever we decide. No rules. No game. Just… you and me. Figuring out what the hell that looks like."
She exhaled. Shaky.
"I don't know how to do that."
"Me neither."
She leaned her head on my shoulder. Small movement. Huge.
"Then we suck at it together."
I wrapped an arm around her. Pulled her closer.
"Yeah," I said. "We'll suck at it together."
She laughed—soft. Real.
First time I'd heard it without pain underneath.
I kissed the top of her head.
"Stay," I whispered.
Not an order.
A question.
She lifted her head. Looked at me.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Not surrender.
Not victory.
Just truth.
I kissed her then. Slow. No teeth. No claim. Just us.
And for the first time since she walked into my life—
It felt like enough.