Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Strip Right Now, I Want You Naked

Over the next few days, Maya threw herself into research and observation.

She watched the pack members during training sessions, noting the way they moved with supernatural grace and strength. She talked to Brynn about what transformation had been like, what the adjustment period involved, what being part of pack hierarchy actually meant day-to-day.

She even cornered Damian one afternoon and asked him directly: "If I asked to be turned, would you do it?"

Damian had looked at her with those intense Alpha eyes and said, "In a heartbeat. You’re already pack in everything but biology. Making it official would just be a formality."

"Even though I’m human? Even though I’d be a liability during the transformation period?"

"You’re Eve’s friend. That makes you our family. And we protect our family." He’d paused. "But Maya, this has to be your choice. Not because you feel pressured. Not because you’re afraid of being left behind. Because it’s genuinely what you want for yourself. Understand?"

She’d nodded, but the question remained: what did she want?

The answer came unexpectedly during a pack bonfire two nights before her lease decision was due.

Maya sat on the outskirts of the gathering, watching the pack interact—the easy camaraderie, the physical affection, the sense of belonging that permeated everything. She watched Eve laugh with Brynn, watched the Alphas move through the crowd with casual authority, watched pack members of all ages simply existing together.

And she realized: she wanted this.

Not just proximity to it. Not just observation from the edges. She wanted to be part of it. Wanted the bonds and the belonging and the certainty that she had a place in this world.

She wanted to be pack.

The decision settled over her like a weight lifting. It wasn’t about keeping up with Eve, though that was part of it. It wasn’t about fear of mortality, though that played a role. It was about choosing the life she actually wanted instead of the life she thought she should want.

Maya found Damian talking with Silas near the fire. She waited until they’d finished their conversation, then approached with her heart pounding.

"I’ve made my decision," she said without preamble.

Damian’s eyes sharpened. "And?"

"I want to be turned. I want to join the pack. Officially." Maya’s voice was steady despite her nerves. "If you’ll have me."

A slow smile spread across Damian’s face. "We’d be honored."

Silas stepped forward and pulled her into an unexpected hug. "Welcome to the family, Maya."

Eve appeared out of nowhere and threw her arms around Maya from behind. "You’re sure? Absolutely sure?"

"I’m sure." And she was. For the first time in months, Maya felt completely certain about something. "I want this. I choose this."

"Then let’s make it official," Damian said. "The full moon is in three days. We’ll hold the bonding ceremony then. Give you time to prepare, say any goodbyes you need to say to your human life."

Maya nodded, feeling tears prick her eyes. "Thank you. All of you. For accepting me."

"You were always pack," Damon said, appearing with Brynn. "We’re just making it official."

That night, back in her guest room, soon to be her permanent room....Maya called her parents.

"Mom? I need to tell you something."

The conversation was difficult. Her parents didn’t understand the supernatural world, couldn’t comprehend what Maya was choosing. But they trusted her judgment, trusted that she knew what she was doing.

"Are you happy?" her mother finally asked.

Maya looked around the room that had become home. Thought about Eve and the pack and the life she was choosing. "Yeah, Mom. I’m really happy."

"Then that’s all that matters."

After she hung up, Maya lay in bed and thought about the transformation ahead. Three months of sickness. Learning to control a wolf. Adapting to pack hierarchy and supernatural senses.

It should have terrified her.

Instead, she felt excited.

This was the right choice. The brave choice. The choice that led forward instead of backward.

And in three days, under the full moon, she’d become what she was always meant to be.

Pack.

***

POV: Eve

Eve was trying to pack for their return trip to the Seraphim Court.

Keyword: trying.

"I need the formal gowns," she said, attempting to move past Damon to reach the wardrobe. "And the ceremonial jewelry. And...."

Damon caught her around the waist and pulled her back against him. "What you need," he murmured in her ear, his hands already sliding under her shirt, "is to stop pretending you’re going to get any packing done tonight."

"We leave tomorrow morning," Eve protested, even as she felt herself melting into his touch. "I need to be prepared...."

"You’re always prepared." Damon’s teeth found her earlobe. "What you are right now is tense. Nervous about the Court visit. And we have much better ways to handle that than obsessing over which gown to bring."

His hands cupped her breasts through her bra, thumbs circling her nipples, and Eve felt heat pool low in her belly despite her intentions to be productive.

"Damon...."

"Say yes," he interrupted. "Say yes and let us take care of you properly."

Eve opened her mouth to argue, to insist that she really did need to pack, but then Silas appeared in the doorway and the look in his eyes made every rational thought evaporate from her brain.

He looked... hungry. Predatory. Like something barely leashed was straining at his control.

"Bedroom," Silas said, his voice rough. "Now."

It wasn’t a request.

Eve felt a shiver run through her. Silas was usually the gentle one, the patient one, the one who took his time. But right now he looked like he wanted to devour her whole.

"I should pack...." Eve tried weakly.

"Fuck the packing," Silas growled, and the raw aggression in his voice made Eve’s knees weak. "You’re not leaving this room until I’ve had my fill of you."

Damon’s laugh was dark with promise. "I think our brother’s patience has finally run out."

"Months," Silas said, moving into the room with deliberate intent. "I’ve been patient for months. Waiting through political crises and assassination attempts and endless Court bullshit. Holding back because there was always something more urgent." He reached Eve and caught her chin, tilting her face up to meet his eyes. "But we’re done with the pressing matters now. The Court is stable. And I’m done waiting."

The intensity in his gaze made Eve’s breath catch. "Silas...."

"Strip," he ordered. "Right now. I want you naked."