“Would you, in my position?” The moment of quiet observation passes, and now he bares his teeth. “We’ve wasted enough time. We want her back.”
“That’s too bad.” That quip came from one of mine. I would rather not look away from the wolf staring holes through me, so I leave that to Lucas, who even growls a warning.
“Too bad?” It must be Tara’s twin, the one with Nora. He lowers his brow, green eyes piercing me from a distance. “If that’s the way it’s going to be, we can settle this here and now.”
“Don’t,” Tara says in a whisper. “Please.”
“Your sister crossed the border and broke the law by doing it.” My heart’s not in this, nowhere close. It all seems empty, performative.
“And she deserves to die!” someone shouts from farther back in the crowd.
“Touch her,” Declan warns, “and you die. That goes for every single one of you.”
“She did break the law,” I point out. I’m being torn to pieces, and it’s getting worse by the minute. Hedging, weighing my options. Unable to sentence her to death, unable to let her go. I can’t bring myself to do it. I never could have.
“You know why she did,” Declan retorts. “It couldn’t be helped. There must be room for extenuating circumstances in a situation like this.”
That much we can agree on, but I would rather keep my thoughts to myself for now. What do I do? When I look at their numbers, the safest move seems to be handing her over. I have no doubt that hothead twin of hers only wants an excuse to start a fight, no matter what his brother commands.
“She broke the law,” someone pipes up behind me. Lydia. “And she is on our land. You don’t get to decide what to do with her now.”
“Exactly how do you get to decide?” Cole barks, ignoring his mate when she quietly reaches for him to calm down. “We didn’t come here to talk to you. We came to talk to him.”
Tara’s desperate plea rises over the voices now shouting. “Please, stop. Please.” The energy in the air turns hot and dangerous. A fight is brewing. I feel it. It was inevitable. Something has to stop it. Tara looks up at me, and I meet her gaze. I know in my heart her fear isn’t for herself. It’s for them. She’s lost so much already.
“What’s it going to be?” Declan demands. “Either you make this simple and allow our pack member to walk away, or we can declare war for her.”
This is it. My bear knows it, and I know it. No turning back. “That won’t be necessary.” A soft gasp erupts behind me, but quickly falls to silence when I lift a hand. “There’s no need for war. I’ve decided to accept fate.”
Tara’s strangled sob is almost drowned out by the uproar that erupts, ripping through my clan. “What?” Lydia screeches, and she isn’t the only one. “You can’t do that!”
“Fate has decided,” I remind everyone, raising my voice until it’s close to a bark. “And who are we to deny that? I accept fate’s decision. The mating ritual will take place this weekend. End of discussion.”
Declan’s face falls, along with those of his brothers. It isn’t their faces I’m worried about. It’s hers.
And she’s beaming. “Are you sure?” she whispers, tears standing out in her shining eyes.
“If you’re brave enough, I’m brave enough,” I tell her, and we share a smile.
“Tara…” Declan is so sorrowful, but resigned, staying in place while his pack begins to wander off behind him. “Are you sure about this?”
“You know there’s no choice. I love you,” she whispers. “But I am being called to do this. Would you rather me feel tortured the rest of my life because I can’t be with my mate?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m sorry it had to be this way, but I’m happy. I really am.”
The other brothers look shell-shocked, like they fully expected to bring her home tonight. She is home now. With me, where she belongs.
If only my clan saw it that way. I turn to face them, clocking the disbelief and even disappointment. “This is over now,” I announce, taking Tara’s hand and drawing her close. “And as your alpha, I expect understanding if not support. I can’t force you to like this. I only ask that you trust I’m making the only decision I could make.”
A few of them look accepting, nodding, and even offering Tara a brief but appreciated smile. Unfortunately, they’re outnumbered by those who can’t possibly understand. I hope they never do, because what I’ve been through is nothing short of torture.
“Let’s get back to the cottage,” I decide. “Let them process this for themselves.” I need to be alone with her. There are no more walls between us. No more questioning. Now that I’ve decided, I can’t remember why it took me so long to make up my mind. This is the only thing I could do.
“I’ll take care of this,” Lucas promises, approaching a cluster of anxious-looking bears and walking with them. This isn’t the ending they were hoping for. No violence, no death. They’ll get over it, and if they don’t, that’s their problem. It’s their choice. I’ve made mine.
“I can’t believe it,” Tara whispers. She sounds giddy with relief. “I really didn’t know what you were going to do. You kept me hanging there.”
