“I’m not the glue, Mona.Youare most definitely—”
“Baby, you’re the glue. You take care of all of us. I’m a hot mess half the time, and I’m still figuring everything out. But I feel like I can figure it out because I’ve got you. The others—you know I love them all so fucking much. And we all have roles to play. Grayson protects us. Silas keeps us grounded—somehow,” she adds with a chuckle. “Ghost is our guide. I think he’s going to help us navigate this life, since my visions don’t seem to be going anywhere.”
Mona had another vision when we stayed in the motel room last night. She said she could tell it wasn’t a bad one, and it had nothing to do with the witches, but she’d yet to figure out what itmeant. Some vague message from the Moon Goddess, and Ghost was determined to help her learn to read her magic better.
“But you, Orion, you are our glue. Thank you for everything you do.”
I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from tearing up. I kiss her roughly, and when we pull apart, I notice her smile is finally reaching her eyes.
“Now, go, alpha, you’ve got meetings to attend and wolves to whip into shape.”
I laugh, turning down the hallway to where Grayson is waiting in the living room. He’s got a giant, stupid grin on his face.
The fucking beast pulls me in, to rub his knuckles into my head like I’m a child. I shove him off, and for a moment, I feel like a kid again. Like we did when we were young. He and Silas weren’t the only ones who fought when they played.
We leave the cabin and find Ghost waiting for us, all serious, needing to make a plan.
Needing to find a way to fit into our clan, since he’s here to stay.
He told us his real name on the drive here, but I’ve yet to use it. I think it’ll still be some time before he feels like he’s in a place to let his guard down.
That’s okay. That’s why we’re a pack. He can take all the time he needs.
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Chapter 41: Mona
The mattress sinks beside me, the weight of a body pulling me from sleep. I blink slowly and roll toward the warmth, suddenly remembering I’m in the nest—I’d avoided it since that disastrous attempt at channeling visions, but something about tonight had drawn me here, like my body knew where it belonged.
While we were putting the bedroom and nest back together—blankets and pillows tossed, drawers turned open—Silas explained how they’d searched every corner of the rooms looking for me. When I tried to apologize again, he pressed his finger to my lips, shaking his head. Silas wouldn’t hear of it, just helped me clean before climbing into bed together.
Silas is always my sanctuary. Even though my omega senses the shadows he carries inside him—not because they’re dark, but because they’re his—something has shifted in him since we returned. He's a little lighter.
I can’t pinpoint exactly why—maybe it’s whatever happened with Deidre that he still won’t tell me about, or that the ordealis over, or because our pack is finally complete. Maybe it’s all of those things. Or maybe it’s just time. It can blunt the sharp edges, and eventually, with time, his pain will feel less acute. And he has his brothers to lean on. And me, always.
I fell asleep and noticed, physically, for the first time in a long time, I felt great.
And I had plans.
Which I must have been dreaming vividly about because they’re at the forefront of my mind the moment Grayson wakes me.
“I’m sorry, honey, go back to sleep.”
The muscled bulk of his thighs through the thin gray sweats catches my attention. Fresh from the shower, yet that unmistakable cinnamon-and-campfire scent of his alpha still clings to his skin, wrapping around us both. I reach out from beneath the blanket, my fingertips tracing a deliberate path across his leg.
He makes a low sound in his throat. “You don’t seem very sleepy, mate.”
I laugh softly, shaking my head against the pillow. “I missed you.”
The blanket slides away as he lifts me, settling my weight across his thighs. “I missed you too, Mona. Every second without you feels wrong, and I’d keep you right here forever if I could.” His lips quirk up at one corner. “But I know if I tried to tie your ass to my side you’d throw a fit—”
“Rightfully,” I gripe.
“Rightfully,” he concedes with a half-smile. “But remember this—no matter how busy you get with your other mates or your Luna or omega duties with the clan, just know that I’m always here when you need a place to land, always here, waiting for you to come home. I won’t clip your wings, baby.”
My fingers tangle in his hair as I shift in his lap, claiming his mouth with mine. I tug at the leather tie holding back his dark strands. Orion enters the nest, freshly showered, moving quietly as though expecting me asleep, yet unsurprised at finding me wrapped around Grayson. I reach toward him, and he bends to meet me, his kiss gentle as his fingertips trace the line of my jaw. Chocolate and hazelnut, a perfect combination.
Beside us, Silas stirs from sleep, pushing himself upright while Ghost lingers uncertainly in the doorway.
