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“Do they?” Draven scoffed and started to pace the length of the beach, needing the movement to channel the frustration bubbling in his chest. His wolf matched his movements and together they unleashed their fears on their mate. “I have given my life, my soul, to that pack, and the moment they found out I was a hybrid they turned against me. They might be accepting of my kind in every other situation, but they couldn’t possibly be led by one. They no longer see me as one of them.”
“That’s not true. Your secretary, Donna, sees you. And I’m sure there are many others like her. Give them time. I’m sure they have already come around to the idea.”
“Only if I marry Darcy.”
Flora winced, and he wished he could take away the sting of his words. Draven stopped in front of her and fell to his knees. He cupped her face and let his fingers trail down to his mark on her neck. “Don’t worry, Bubbles. You are the only one who will wear my mark on your skin and my ring on your finger.”
Flora sucked in a breath and smiled. “I figured as much, but you hadn’t said it out loud.”
“You need the words?” How had he missed that? He’d been so wrapped up in his own turmoil, he’d missed that his mate needed reassurances of their future too. She may want to go back, but that didn’t mean it didn’t scare her.
Flora nodded. “Just as you need them when you fuck me.”
He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I like hearing your filthy little mouth tell me exactly what you want from me. I love you, Flora. With everything I am, and everything I’ll ever be. You are my moon, now and forever.”
“I love you too, Draven...” She paused.
Pauses were never a good sign. It meant something more was coming and more often than not, what came after the pause didn’t bring joy.
Flora cupped his cheek and worked her thumb through his stubble. “We’ll figure it out together. But we have to go back. You are the next leader of our pack and as much as I need you, right now the supernatural world needs you more.”
Draven’s mouth fell open. Though he wanted to protest, he was more stunned by what she’d said. “Our pack.”
“Yes, ours. You didn’t think you were going to do this alone did you?”
Did he?
He knew she’d be at his side, but he also needed to keep her safe. He was training her to fight, but it was more as a last resort. He would be the one to fight for her. But she wouldn’t let him. She wanted to fight for him. With him.
Draven felt as though he’d been slapped in the face. He’d fucked up. Subconsciously he’d been thinking like he wasn’t mated. He wanted all the benefits of being mated, but didn’t want to share the burden with her. She didn’t understand though. It wasn’t as simple as doing it together. She wasn’t ready for what that entailed. And he would die if anything happened to her.
Draven softened his tone, and tried to convey the severity of the situation. “They’ll make me choose between you and my pack. You are my mate, Flora. I will choose you every time.”
“We’ll make them see we are the future.” She spoke as if it were that simple.
“It’s not that easy, Flora.”
“It is. You’re just too stubborn to see it.”
“Am I?” Draven tried to keep his frustration in check, but his voice wavered and grew cold. “Because you won’t be saying that when they exile us. You won’t be saying that when our children are forced to grow up without a pack. I am carrying the weight of our future on my shoulders along with the weight of Moon Ridge, and honestly I couldn’t care less what happens to the pack. You are my mate, Flora and while I want to do this with you as my equal, I will not hesitate to do what’s best for you even when you don’t see it. You are my world.”
Her eyes watered, and he wasn’t sure which part of what he said had made her cry but he knew he had to fix it.
“You want children with me?”
“I want an entire fucking pack of our own with you, Flora.”
“Then fuck them.” She bit out. “If they can’t see your heart and the fact that you want to better the pack then fuck them. We’ll go to your brother. We’ll create our own pack where hybrids are welcome and our children can thrive.”
Draven let out a sigh. It felt like they were talking in circles. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is. You just have to let go of all the dreams you’ve held. You need to be the new moon. Start fresh.”
“And what does that look like?” he asked, humoring her.
“You told me once you wished hybrids had a place in the world. We start there.”
“But my parents—”
