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“Kayden.” He gently gripped my chin and tilted my face up to his. “I have no intention of sending you home. Ever. You’re mine, and I want you here with me. I thought keeping Jenna here was enough to show you that, but I’ll repeat it just in case. We will find a way to be together.”
I released a deep breath—the heaviness washed away by his words.
“I need to select a woman to go home now, though.”
“Who will you choose?” It was too much to hope he’d send Sydnee packing.
“I think Abbigail this time around. She hasn’t expressed much interest in politics, classes, or PT. She hasn’t done anything to stand out, and sometimes I wonder if she even really wants to be here,” he said.
I nodded. It made sense. “How do you make such difficult decisions?”
He sighed. “It isn’t easy, I can assure you. But at this point, I’m observing the women to see who might be a good fit for the council. Several council positions are coming available with the transfer of power from my father to me. I already have a rough idea of who I might want to keep as an asset to my administration.”
It was so much to balance, yet he handled it all with such grace and ease. He’d been born for this role.
“You’re a good leader, Holden,” I told him. “A good man. I didn’t want to recognize that at first because I wanted to hate you for everything. For all the pain and suffering you’d caused my family—or rather, that was my perception then.”
“Not anymore?” he asked, a hint of hope in his tone.
“I see you for who you are now. The kind of alpha who inspires loyalty. Who looks out for others and puts the pack above all else.”
He nodded, swallowing, and fell silent. My words hovered between us, an echo of my fears from before. He must have sensed where my thoughts were heading because he cupped my face in his hands and lowered his forehead to mine.
“I will figure this out. Honestly, I’ve had my eyes on you from the very beginning. Even if we weren’t mates, I would still have kept you around. But you have nothing to worry about, Kayden. Your place is here, with me, and I’ll find a way for us to be together. I swear to you.”
His voice was full of passion, and I leaned into him, unable to resist the pull. When our lips met, it wasn’t the same wild desperation as usual. This time it was soft, sweet… tender.
And I poured myself into it, hoping I could show him with my body what I couldn’t yet put to words—that I was falling for him, hard. And that I was just as determined to find a way for this to work as he was.
He pulled me close when we finally broke apart, cradling me to his chest. We sat like that for a long time, just enjoying the quiet moment alone, away from the craziness that had become our lives.
“I should get back,” I finally said, knowing I needed all the rest I could get if I wanted to feel well enough for PT in the morning. My sides still ached, and my bed was calling. “Too bad you can’t spend the night again.”
Holden groaned. “You have no idea how tempting that is. Unfortunately, I have a meeting with my father tonight, plus a dismissal letter to write.”
I nodded, threading my fingers through his as we stood from the fountain. “I understand.” I hated it, but he was the future alpha. If we were to have a future together, I’d have to give him plenty of space to do the things that came along with his role.
Even if parting tonight was even harder than before, I longed to bring him to my room and spend the night curled up next to him.
He caught me around the waist as we stopped in front of my door, holding me tightly and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I watched his back as he retreated down the hall, my heart full of emotion. Somehow, I’d gone and done the one thing I’d told myself I couldn’t do. I wasn’t just starting to fall for Holden. I’d already taken the tumble. But for the first time, the fear about what that meant began to recede.
And in its place, a new hope of what the future held for me. For us.
25
HOLDEN
“It looks like we’re all here. Who’s ready to get started?” I looked at the ten remaining contestants standing in a line on the beach, offering them a smile. Today, I was running PT alongside Kyle and Dalton. Leading it, actually, to get a better idea of what they were capable of.
The women before me were all eligible for council positions. My eliminations must be chosen strategically from here on out, as I’d be offering the positions to each woman I let go if they proved themselves.
Ten pairs of eyes stared at me, some in excitement, some in trepidation. “This training will be a physical challenge, unlike anything you’ve done up to this point, as we’ll be incorporating the water.” I gestured behind me to the open sea, the waves crashing rhythmically.
It was a warm day, and the ocean was calm, so I wasn’t too worried, but a couple of the ladies shifted uneasily. Being comfortable swimming was one thing, but I could understand how facing the ocean if you hadn’t before, might be intimidating.
“We’ll start on the beach for our warmup.” I bounced on the balls of my feet, ready to get my blood pumping. My regular exercise routine had been thrown off with the Contention and dealing with Branson. It would feel good to challenge myself.
