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I catch it as it starts to close, and she tilts her head at me quizzically. “Stay where I can see you,” I demand.
She hesitates for a second, and I prepare myself for an argument. Instead, her face softens, and she nods before turning to clean herself up.
I fucking love this woman.
31
Tasha
Four months later…
I blow out a frustrated breath as I clear the last of the ruined flowerbeds of debris and weeds. My soul aches to replant the garden. A few weeks ago, I came to see the progress of the house and was visited by the former Luna Sovereign in this very spot. She didn’t speak, but she brought a comforting energy that felt like approval. This time when she left me, it felt like it was really for good.
Now, I desperately want to give this land a symbol of rebirth in her honor, but it’s too late in the season to try planting the things I would like. The cold weather has already swept in, robbing me of the chance to properly exercise my green thumb again until spring.
I imagine I’ll spend the rest of winter baking far too much instead. With Paxton adamant that he can’t keep gorging himself on sweets, I need to consider who else might appreciate a care package of baked goods.
I bet the East Terrace Green Pack would be happy to take their fair share, and with several Glass siblings visiting regularly from there, it would be easy to send the food safely with someone on the next visit.
Callum was an absolute godsend offering to take in the Glass family. Poppy, Peter, and Gabe passed on the offer, but the others have finally been given the opportunity to settle somewhere for the first time since their family went its separate ways.
Tobias, in particular, has visited a lot. I have my suspicions that he’s holding onto guilt from not keeping Paxton safe when he was attacked on Sovereign Pack land. Paxton doesn’t have so much as a scar left from that attack, but I know the guilt siblings can feel over things that were never really in their control in the first place.
Just look at how easily guilt drove Tess away after Jimmy’s death. I hope in time, Tobias will realize there was nothing else he could have done.
Rogues are perpetually unpredictable.
“Tasha.”
I startle, jerking my head up to see Paxton staring at me from a few feet away, his foot bouncing impatiently. I’m not surprised to see him on edge. Convincing him to give me any time alone has been a battle, even when I’m only right outside our front door.
I stand and wipe my palms together as I beeline toward him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He drops his head for a quick kiss and then nods toward the house. “The paint in the library is finally dry. I thought you’d like to do the honor of turning the shelves back around with me.”
I’ve waited months for this day to come. Dominic did the best he could to rush the rebuild of the Luna Sovereign house for me, but it slowed the crew down having to work around the bookshelves that were left standing after the fire, immovable.
The books are the only things that truly survived the fire. A few paintings made it out with nothing more than some discoloration from the smoke, but I had them taken to a shifter museum near Florida to see if the genius woman who runs it can do anything to salvage the art. At the very least, I hope she can preserve what’s left.
I’ll spend the rest of my life with a sadness deep inside of me at having lost so much history… But at least we saved the books.
Books are the most sacred thing we have.
“There’s nothing I want more than to finally turn the shelves again.” I slip my hand into his as we head into the house. It’s hard to believe that when this man first showed up I couldn’t picture him here with me.
In spite of the tattoos, and slightly terrifying scowl when he’s angry, I can’t picture him anywhere else. I know he misses training, traveling, and fighting, but we’re still figuring that out. The idea of him being away from me makes me physically ill. Maybe I’m as neurotic as he is about not wanting to be apart.
“You’re quiet today,” he points out as he releases my hand, letting me walk into the library first. It’s still uncanny to come in and see a far more modern house than the one I moved into all those months ago.
“I don’t mean to be. I’m distracted with trying to clean up that mess in Virginia. Rogues are much easier to deal with when they run solo. If they keep linking up and forming these makeshift packs, I’m afraid fights will keep breaking out. I can’t figure out why there’s so much fighting between rogues when, for so long, most of them existed peacefully.”
It’s a problem that’s plagued me for weeks. The calm after the storm didn’t last long before fights between rogues started to break out all over the place. I thought the root of the problem was eliminated, but the unrest seems to have only grown.
“Are you still meeting with Quinn next week?”
“Yes, though I think we’re going to change up the plan. One of her mates has an issue he’s dealing with up in Maine, so they’re going to come to us on the way there. She warned me that she might not be able to help, though. The lifelong rogues are nearly as reluctant to talk to her as they are to deal with me. A lot of them are worried they’ll be held responsible for all of the conflict.”
“What a mess.” Paxton groans. “I’ll see if Peter can ask around again. I know he didn’t find out much last time, but he mentioned he might be traveling this month. Maybe he’ll pick something up while he’s on the move. People like him; they tell him shit.”
