“Y-yeah.” How does he know that?
The first time I attended, I hadn’t been expecting much. At eighteen, the joy of carnivals and fairs had long worn off by then.
But I’d never seen a carnival like this one.
We’re standing where the enchanted carousel goes, with creatures that come to life and soar in the air. The food stalls were on the far end of the courtyard, and all the drinks doubled as potions with various effects. Games took up most of the space, classics like ring toss and a shooting gallery, though all had a magical twist.
The carnival represents everything I love about Concordia, a place where the supernatural is celebrated and embraced instead of hidden.
Even now, it still holds a special place in my heart. My favorite attraction is the petting zoo.
Bane gestures to an area off to the side. “The petting zoo was over there.”
“Yeah.” I smile just thinking about it. “The first time I went to the carnival, I held a baby dragon in my hands. It blew my mind. I’ll always remember it.”
“Why did that mean so much to you?” he asks.
“Um, it was cool? I petted a dragon and fed it a baby carrot?”
“Had to be more to it than that.” He sounds so sure, like he already knows.
Just like he already knew I loved the carnival and still enjoyed it whenever they came back.
Sharing this story with him feels weird given our current circumstances. The last time we had an important conversation, he rejected me. Emphatically. But we’re talking now, and I’m on the verge of getting answers. I can’t back down now.
“I guess I’d been feeling a little lost,” I begin. “Out of place. By then, Mom and I had moved into Clover Pack territory and become official members. We settled in, but I felt like I didn’t belong. The pack was perfectly nice, but every single wolf my age had grown up together. They had so much history together.”
I look down, scuffing my shoe against the pavement. “And thinking I had no magic while living in this amazing magical city full of witches… it was like looking into a world I couldn’t be a part of, not the way I wanted to. We’d been living here for two years, and the shine was wearing off. I thought, ‘Sure, I like it here, but do I really fit?’”
It’s strangely easy to talk to him. Even though my last attempt at opening up to him went so terribly, the words pour out easily once I start. Have I ever said so many uninterrupted words to Bane in a row? Is he even listening?
Whoa, yeah, his gaze is fixed on me, his expression no longer hard but attentive. He’s almost patient and it’s like… like how I’d imagine it would be when talking to my mate.
“So, um, when a tiny dragon curled up in my palm and let me pet its scaly back, that’s when everything clicked. This is where I belonged. I hadn’t found my people yet, but this was the right place for me. It still is. Concordia is my home.”
“Yeah,” he says softly. “That would do it.”
“Do what?” I ask.
He remembers this moment for a reason. He still remembers seeing me all those years ago when we didn’t even know each other. A suspicion floats around in my mind, but he needs to say it out loud.
For it to be real, I have to hear it from him.
“Until just now I wasn’t surewhypetting the dragon was important to you,” Bane says. “I only knew itwasimportant. That’s when I Recognized you.”
“Oh my god.”
“I was looking for my favorite potions stand,” he continues, sounding lost in the moment playing out behind his eyes. “Scanning the carnival, I saw you with the dragon. I moved along, and I’m not sure why, but then I looked back at you. When I did, I couldn’t look away.”
“Oh my god,” I repeat. A million questions float around in my head. “You already knew? You’ve known we were connected for so long. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well, that’s the thing. I was here with Wynn and his family. When I told them who you were and that I was gonna gointroduce myself, his dad stopped me. We could tell you were a wolf, and you weren’t from our pack.”
“That matters?” I wonder.
“It’s complicated. We have rules for these situations, official mating customs. They aren’t really followed anymore, though my dad and some others think we’ve gotten too lax about our ‘time-honored’ traditions. Going by the book seemed smarter in our case since I’m eligible to become Alpha and you’re from the closest thing we have to a rival pack.” He takes a breath and moves to sit on one of the nearby benches. “Being true mates and going through the official process meant nobody would have any legitimate grounds to object.”
I nod and drop down onto the other side of the bench. Wow. The Iron Pack is not what I’d call friendly, and some members judged my pack for not being as aggressive and old-fashioned. Some of them would definitely hate the idea of the Alpha’s son being with a Clover wolf.
