A true leader.
He lifted an arm for a hug, and I stepped into his embrace like I used to when I was young. For just a breath, I allowed myself to feel vulnerable, to be the kid from my youth and accept my father’s affection.
And then I returned it, my wolf brushing his beneath our skin, giving him the reassurance he needed.
I’m here.
We’re going to fix this.
We’ll avenge Tyler together.
My dad clapped me on the back, his signal that he felt my words more than understood them, and then he released me to pull my mother into a hug.
Savannah stood beside her, looking lost.
I almost stepped toward her, but Makayla took my mother’s place and wrapped a comforting arm around Savannah. They didn’t know each other. However, it didn’t matter. Makayla’s alpha pheromones provided a blanket of peace and comfort that instinctually soothed Savannah’s wolf, allowing the two women to bond.
This is why,I thought.This is why I grabbed her hand.
She belonged here.
In this moment.
With us.
Family.
Her bright blue eyes met mine, a current of understanding falling between us. Even if we chose not to continue into the future together, I would forever know that fate had delivered her to me at precisely the right moment.
A gust of wind caressed my cheek, my brother’s presence all around us, his spirit blessing this precious second.
There and gone in the space of a blink.
“Goodbye, Tyler,” my mother whispered. “We’ll see each other again.”
“We will,” my father agreed, kissing the top of her head.
Savannah sniffled, her gaze on Tyler’s gravesite. “Fate might not have called him mine, but I did.”
“Then that makes him yours,” Makayla replied quietly. “Always.”
“Yes.” Savannah looked at her. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Makayla replied, giving her another squeeze.
Savannah cleared her throat and took a step away. “I actually think I’m going to… run back.” She swallowed. “I feel like being alone with my wolf, just for a bit.”
“Are you sure you don’t want company?” my mother asked.
“I’d be happy to run with you,” I interjected, innately disturbed by the prospect of leaving Savannah to mourn on her own.
But she shook her head. “No, no. I really… I just need to do this… by myself. For a little while.” She winced. “I… I need to grieve. With my wolf.”
Makayla moved to my side, her hand finding mine and giving it a squeeze. My hackles immediately smoothed—hackles I hadn’t even realized were raised. But the notion of just leaving a packmate to hurt…alone… unsettled my wolf.
“Please,” Savannah pressed, the word soft, a packmate seeking permission from those she saw as alpha. “I need this.”
“Of course, Savi,” I told her, using the nickname I knew she preferred. “But if you need one of us, don’t be afraid to seek us out, okay?”
