Page 47 of Fated to Her

I take it, warming my hands on it, and Eli sits next to me, grabbing his own. Cyrus also takes a mug off the tray, his eyes on Maverick who sits across from us.

“And how have you been, Cyrus?” Maverick asks.

“Oh, you know my name?” Cyrus says.

Maverick shakes his head. “Can’t we just leave the past in the past and move forward? I’m not the person you remember, Cyrus. I know I have done some questionable things in the past, but my intentions here are good.”

“Well, that would be a first. I’ll just take your word for it,” Eli says, sitting back on the couch, draping his arm around me, and pulling me against him.

“I do have an idea, and before you say no, just let me have a say,” Maverick says.

“The only thing I will let you have a say in is how you die, old man. By Cyrus or me,” Eli spits at him.

“Can I choose a third option, like life?” Maverick says, rolling his eyes at his son.

“Let me take Addie home. She will be safe with the pack,” Maverick says.

“Like fuck are you taking her back to those savages,” Cyrus says, standing.

“Cyrus, just hear me out. And they aren’t savages. No more. Clara is dead. She no longer runs things, and I run everything differently now. You would probably be quite surprised if you came over,” Maverick explains, though I don’t like the idea of going anywhere with him.

“No!” Eli says firmly.

“Eli, they can protect her. She will be safe out there. Hunters won’t come near my pack. You know this. We have always lived off-grid and don’t have any hunters assigned to us, given our location and ways of living, though, that has also changed,” Maverick tells him. “You would be welcome to come.”

“Yeah, because I was planning on leaving her alone with you,” Eli says sarcastically.

“Think about it, Eli. The safest place for her is out there. You know this. It is sacred ground. Not even humans dare go out there,” Emery tells him.

“Yeah, because even they know stepping into those woods means they won’t come back out,” Eli retorts.

“She will be safe from Sam until they catch him,” Maverick says, and I look at Cyrus who genuinely looks like he is thinking it is a good idea.

“Maybe ask Addie. Let her have some input,” Emery says, looking at me.

I furrow my brows. I have no input on this. I don’t even know the man, so why would I want to go off into the woods with him?

“I’m not going anywhere without my mates,” I tell her, and she nods, looking at Eli.

“I swear, son, I’m not who you remember. I just want to make things right,” Maverick says.

“Really? How did Mom die, then?” he asks.

Emery looks away from him.

“I killed her,” Maverick says with a sigh. Eli chuckles like he’s known the answer all along.

“You know she wasn’t of sound mind. I couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t watch my pack suffer anymore, and I wanted you kids, back.”

“We would never have left if you didn’t try selling us off,” Eli snaps at him.

“You know that wasn’t me. That was all your mother, Eli.”

“Yeah, and you still went along with it. You hunted us. Fuck, how many times did you nearly kill me? I gave you a chance before, and I’m not stupid enough to risk my human mate’s life. She isn’t as durable as Cyrus,” Eli says, standing, his face twisting in anger.

I reach up, grabbing his hand. “Eli…”

His eyes dart down to me, and he squeezes my fingers. “We can discuss this tomorrow. I’m taking her to lie down,” he says, pulling me up.