AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“When? If would be overstating it.” He frowned. “It’s not exactly the norm. Nobody outside of the Evans family has met somebody they believe is their actual, fated soulmate. I doubt it even exists. It had to be a quirk of magic to do with the curse on Nathan’s family.”
“But it’s still possible,” I persisted. “I mean, you all say the pack went through a period of change and growth, and now that’s beginning to settle down. What if soulmates were always supposed to be the norm? What if everybody starts finding theirs?” My thoughts went in a million different directions. “If you found your soulmate, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself, would you? I’d be out of the picture completely. The pack wouldn’t have a reason to protect me, and the harbingers would—”
“Whoa, hold on.” He took my hand into his and held it under the table. “Where’s all of this coming from?”
I stared back at him. “Just working through outcomes in my head.”
“Outcomes? Margo, what the hell?”
“Maybe I’ve been holding everything in for too long.” I looked away, feeling like I might cry, as though everything I had bottled up was about to explode out of me. “I only feel safe because I have your pack backing me up. That could go away. Things could change between us, or the pack could get hurt because of me. Either way, I—”
“Stop.” He squeezed my hand. “For starters, the pack will never abandon you to the harbingers. It doesn’t matter what happens between us. The pack will make sure you’re safe.”
“Byron has to do what's best for the pack, right? If the harbingers are as dangerous as that premonition I had made me feel, then keeping away from me is best for the pack. Keeps you all safe. I should prepare for that.”
“For starters, Nathan’s family would never abandon somebody who needs help. As if Perdita would ever let them hear the end of it anyway.”
I sniffled and tried to smile, but my heart hurt. As much as I wanted to rely on the pack, it was selfish of me to put them in danger. They were already scared of me. The first time Vira had shown up, Jorge’s brother had attacked me out of fear. What would happen if more of the harbingers showed up? The pack could be torn apart.
Dorian touched my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I’m on your side, always. I choose, and I say we’re in this together. What happens to you happens to me, so we’ll deal with one real problem at a time. But I need you to stop creating new problems for us to think about. It’s pointless.”
“But what if—“
“When all of this is over, and we’ve dealt with this problem, then you can have all the time you want to make up scenarios. Know this, Margo Harding, I knew the moment we met that you were somebody I wanted in my life. I don’t care about soulmates and whatnot because I care about what I already have.”
He looked so sure and serious that the panic began to recede. I had been putting on a brave face in front of everyone else to reassure them, but I couldn’t seem to manage that with Dorian.
“No more holding in what you’re feeling,” he said gently. “No more taking everything onto your shoulders. And don’t even think about trying to push me away because I’ve proven by now that I won’t ditch you when things get tough. We’re going to get through this together, so promise me you’ll talk to me when you’re feeling overwhelmed.”
I let out a great gush of air. “I don’t know how I feel anymore. One minute I’m up, the next I’m down, and I don’t even know why. I’m so confused.”
“That’s all right, too. Why don’t we head into town after school today? Just us. We’ll have fun and forget everything else.”
I swallowed hard. “Aren’t you worried that something might happen to you? What if somebody tries to run you over because you’re with me?”
“That’s what’s bothering you? What am I saying? Of course it is.” He moved his chair closer to mine and lowered his voice. “Listen, we can’t give up on everything on the off chance that something goes wrong. We can’t prepare for failure all of the time. We need to enjoy life, too.”
“What if I can’t save you next time?”
“You’re not responsible for anyone else’s life, Margo.” He brushed my hair behind my ear. “We can’t let those harbingers scare us off. We can’t let them stop us from living. So are you in?”
“I forgot. I have rehearsal today.” Dorian and the girls could so easily have been hurt, and Mam had been so scared earlier. How could I let them keep taking risks for me? “I can’t miss rehearsal.”
“You could skip it.”
I forced a smile. “Tammie’s way scarier than the harbingers.”
“I miss you.”
“Would you like me better if I had been born a werewolf? At least then we wouldn’t have to worry about harbingers.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I like you. I don’t care if you turn into a slug or nothing at all. Did somebody say something to you?”
I shook my head. “It’s not that. I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff lately. It must be so weird for Perdita, not knowing if the child she’s carrying will be a shifter or not. That must be so stressful. Imagine what we would have to worry about.”
He looked mildly startled. “What’s with you thinking so far ahead?”
“I don’t even want kids. What if they turned out weirder than me?”
