Bane rolls his eyes. “Of course he’s invited. There are just a few things we need to talk about first. Will you get out of here?”
The alpha drops my hand to shoo his cousin away. Wynn tells us goodbye and then it’s just me, Bane, and the elephant in the room. So much for our leisurely walk after the movie.
I state the obvious. “You’re gonna be twenty-three soon. Really soon.”
What comes after Bane’s birthday could change everything. He and his siblings will duke it out to determine who becomes the next Alpha.
Bane requires a partner for the fight, but he found me instead. I’m not the ideal choice for the battle against his siblings, but I’m the right manfor him.
“You should come to my party,” he offers. “You can meet more of my family. I didn’t bring it up because… because of what happens after my birthday. Guess we need to talk about this.”
I muster up a smile, but it feels shaky. “Why did you even stop us in the hotel room? We should have just bonded—”
“No, stop right there.” Bane slides in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and staring at me seriously. “We aren’t sealing our mate bond on a timetable. And there’s no reason to. For you to fight with me, we don’t have to be mated.”
“But I thought…”
“The important thing, from a pack standpoint, is beinginthe fight. Fighting with me basically makes you my intended. If we win, only you can be my Alpha Mate, since you’re the only one who earned the right.”
“Oh,” I say, thinking it through. “So we can fight together and meet the pack’s requirements while still making it official later on our own terms.”
“Exactly.” He eyes me, frowning. “Why don’t you look happy about that?”
When I open my mouth to respond, my gaze lands on a passerby sporting a red mohawk. It reminds me we’re on a public street discussing our private life and our future.
“Hold that thought. Come on.”
Snatching his hand again, I lead us toward the small park on the next street. It’s not exactly private, but fewer people linger here after dark. Mostly couples like us, reluctant to end their evening and wandering beneath streetlights. A busker strums his guitar near a bench, a happy melody drifting through the cool air.
It’s romantic, but what I need to say isn’t.
We reach a small fountain near the entrance and I stop, tension knotting in my stomach. Despite the joy of finding each other against all odds, guilt gnaws at me. Bane has spent years training to battle his siblings for the Alpha position. His siblings have done the same, preparing their whole lives for this moment.
Me? Not so much. I’m getting ready at the last minute. Walking into the most important fight of his life completely unprepared.
“I’m not sure I’m the best choice to fight with you,” I admit quietly, staring at my reflection in the fountain.
“What?” He recoils like I sucker punched him, then masks the hurt with a fierce scowl. “You think I should abandon you and choose someone else?”
“No.” I pin him with a warning glare. “You better not.”
“Good.” Bane crosses his arms, his shoulders rigid with lingering tension. “Almost sounded like you agreed with Elias.”
“God, no.” I shudder, pacing in front of the fountain. “He had no right to keep us apart, and he created a self-fulfilling prophecy. If he’d let us find each other and get together five years ago, we’d have been training together for years. I’d have more experience.” Both as a fighter and as a witch. “But that ship sailed. I’m just sorry that our relationship might jeopardize your chance to become the Alpha.”
I fret, staring into the fountain’s depths. A few coins lay at the bottom of the water below. If only I could throw in some of mine and wish for a better outcome.
“Josh, look at me.”
“What if I can’t give you what you need?” I whisper, staring at the water.
“You’re what I need,” he insists fiercely.
“I hate holding you back. You’ve seen me fight. I’ll do my best, but…”
Bane’s hand settles on my shoulder. “Not gonna lie, beating my siblings won’t be easy. We need to fight twice as hard, and it’ll be rough, but I know we can win.”
“Wish I could share that confidence.”
