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He tilted her face up, toward him. “I’m not going to figure this out overnight. I need you to show me how to do this. I need you in my life to remind me of the good. To keep me from living in the dark.”
She wanted to believe him. “Then why do you keep trying to shelter me from things? This is my life now, too. I’m not some weak, incapable creature.”
He groaned. “You’re not weak. You’re stronger than me. You look monsters in the eye and stand your ground.” One warm hand cradled her cheek. “And it scares the shit out of me. Not because you can’t take care of yourself, but that you can. That you won’t need me anymore.” He broke off, swallowing. “I will always try to protect you, Olivia. Always. Not because I doubt you, but because I’d rather filter out whatever bad I can before it gets to you.”
Her wolf was satisfied. Olivia wanted to be, too. “Don’t lie to me again, Mal. There have been too many lies in my life. I don’t want them between us.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He nodded once. “All I could think about is you in that cage, what might have happened if I hadn’t been there,” he whispered, leaning forward. “I didn’t want to leave you. I’ll never want to. But I told you I’d do what I could to make sure no one else ends up there. If I have to leave, next time you’ll go with me. No more lies, okay?” He clenched his jaw, his voice raw. “Forgive me.”
She had no choice. “I do.”
He melted into her, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. “You were fucking amazing today.”
She stroked the side of his face. “Today was hard. But I’ll do whatever I have to to keep from losing you.”
“Never going to happen,” he said, leaning forward. “I’ll never let you go.” He kissed her softly. “Never. You hear me?”
She nodded. “I hear you.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “I love you, Olivia. I know this life isn’t what you imagined living, but I’ll do my best to make you happy.”
She ran her nose along his and up along his brow. “In every way possible?” she asked, her lips soft on his.
“Every fucking way,” he said against her mouth.
Epilogue
“How’s the kid?” Mal rubbed the towel over his head, drying his hair.
“She is great. Jessa is, too. I think she and Finn are having the talk.” She took the towel from him, running the thick fabric over his broad shoulders and down his back.
He chuckled. “Considering they have a kid, I think it might be a little late for the talk.”
“I meant the turning Jessa into a wolf talk.” Her lips replaced the towel, pressing feather-light kisses over each scar.
“Bother you?” The vulnerability in his dark eyes was worse than the scars.
“Only knowing what you went through.” She moved to stand in front of him, sliding her arms around his neck and smiling up at him.
“Took three Others down, who-the-hell-knows how many more to go. It doesn’t make what happened better or erase what they’re doing, but we’re going to stop them. It’s a start.” His fingers traced the side of her neck. “Your skin is so soft.”
She arched into his touch.
His hand paused. “Jessa wants to be a wolf?”
She giggled. “You just caught that?”
“You distract the hell out of me.” His eyes bored into hers. “Why would she want that?”
She shook her head. “Because she wants to be a part of Finn’s world. Every part of his world.” Her fingers slid through Mal’s thick, damp hair. “And their children. It’s got to be hard not to be there for them, too.” It was beyond imagining. “It would be unbearable not being a wolf, not running with you. I wouldn’t want to.”
“So, you’re happy?” There was that vulnerability again.
“Yes.” Her grin widened. “I love that my wolf is faster than yours. And that I’m learning to be as stealthy as Ellen—”
“No one is as stealthy as Ellen.” She didn’t miss the hint of frustration in his tone. Ellen was still a mystery—but at least she wasn’t their enemy. In the weeks since Byron’s failed kidnapping attempt, she and Ellen had developed a friendship. Sort of. “Glad she’s on our side.”
She nodded. “Glad she’s going with you guys to Chicago.” She wanted to go, too, but Finn wouldn’t let her. Chase was a bad-guy, and stupid, but he was still her brother. He held the key to ending Cyrus’s trafficking, something none of Finn’s pack was prepared to sweep aside. She couldn’t jeopardize that. Mal had offered to stay with her, but she’d insisted he go. Mal needed to go—for those girls and their families.
