Lyon nodded, then glanced down as Kara joined him, slipping his arm around his own mate. He turned back to Jag. "Olivia's good for you. Her strength and unique skills are going to benefit all of us."
Kara slipped out of Lyon's hold and came to Jag, lifting up on tiptoe to place a soft kiss on his cheek. When she pulled away, a sweet smile wreathed her face and he felt a swelling of affection and pride for their beloved Radiant.
"I'm so happy for you, Jag." She turned to include Olivia. "For both of you."
Jag grinned at Kara even as he pulled Olivia tighter against his side. "Guess I'm going to be a good cat after all."
Kara grinned.
Olivia laughed. "Goddess, I hope not." She looked up at him, and as their eyes met, he melted inside, reborn by the depth of a love he'd never known existed. Deep in his mind, his jaguar purred.
Delaney joined them, her face pinched from worry for her mate, yet her eyes, as she looked at Olivia, were warm and welcoming. Skye joined them, a soft smile on her face.
Kara took Olivia's hand. "Jag, we need to borrow your wife. There's one more ritual we need to perform before we get out of these gowns and get comfortable."
Olivia's brow rose. "What kind of ritual?"
Kara lifted her eyebrows impishly. "No blood involved, I promise. The Feral sisterhood initiates with champagne."
"In a glass," Delaney clarified.
"The Feral sisterhood?" Olivia asked, her voice taking on a note of soft vulnerability that made Jag's chest ache. So many years she'd been alone with her secret. Years when necessity had required her to keep others at a distance, emotionally if not physically.
Delaney smiled. "You thought you were just getting a mate in this deal?" She shook her head. "You just got yourself three sisters."
"If you want," Skye added softly.
Olivia glanced at him, her eyes filled with tears and wonder. They knew what she was.
They knew what she could do. Yet offered her sisterhood.
She slid out of his hold. "I want." Her words caught, a pair of tears escaping to roll down her cheeks.
As one, the other three women enveloped her in a feminine group hug. All, he saw, had tears in their eyes. And the last piece clicked into place. She'd be happy here. He knew it, now. And there was nothing he wanted more than Olivia's happiness.
As if hearing his thoughts, she turned to him as the hug ended, pressing her palm to his cheek.
"Do you know how much I love you?"
"A shitload." He grinned at her, but damn if he didn't feel water in his own eyes.
"Maybe even as much as I love you." He blinked back the moisture and gave her a quick kiss, then cleared his throat. "Now, go do your sisterhood thing, just don't forget about dinner, you four! Pink's preparing a feast up there."
As the women left the room, arms linked, Lyon and Paenther joined him, one on either side, watching the women go.
"They make you weaker than you ever thought possible," Lyon murmured, slinging his arm across Jag's shoulders in a surprising move of friendship.
Paenther nodded, draping his arm over Lyon's. "And stronger."
Slowly, with a feeling of rightness, Jag lifted his hands to embrace each of their shoulders as well.
Teammates they'd always been. Fellow warriors and little more. But with the crumbling of his inner walls, friendship had taken root. And more.
"She makes my life complete," Jag said.
And the other two made sounds of agreement, understanding.
Friendship.
Brotherhood.