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"You're both suffering from it." Rowan nodded.
"Yes, but more him than me. And it's my fault that he's suffering. I was the one who turned him into a berserker in the first place. All because of that dumb prayer."
I sighed heavily. Just when I thought we were making progress, Kai found another reason to blame himself for his misfortune. "First of all, you really need to stop putting all the blame on yourself. Second of all, you prayed for strength, not knowing that praying to the Blood Moon would curse you. Nobody could blame you for that. You were a child, Kai. A literal child who was in pain, and suffering, and was praying for it to stop. What became of it was an accident."
"An accident that could kill everyone, including the two of you," Kai countered, looking from me to Rowan.
"If you're so worried about the Berserker Wolf, then do something about it," Rowan said flatly.
"How?"
"Your biggest concern is losing control, right? Then learn to control it. Your wolf may have changed, but he is still your wolf. Turn this curse into a gift."
"But... how do I do that? How can I control it?"
"We'll help you," I said. "You seem to forget that you're not alone in this. We're pack, Kai. We look out for each other. And if helping you learn control will benefit you in the long run, then it's worth trying. I mean, I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I still need to learn how to use the Wolf Moon's gift." I reached out and laced my fingers in his before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Stop acting like it's you against the world. You're not alone, Kai. You and Kao will never have to save the world alone anymore. You have us now. That's what it means to have a family."
Kai tightened our joined hands, feeling the loved I poured through our mate bond. He started sniffling as he eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. I looked back at Rowan, directing my words to him as well. I may not know if I could see him being my fourth mate, but that all depended on what he wanted to do. I could want him, but if he didn't want me, then I wouldn't force it on him. The least I could do was assure him that he could be a part of our family if he wanted to. When Rowan looked up at me, I saw the heat in his eyes, sensing what I wasn't saying to him.
He looked away and cleared his throat. "It's getting late. We should head back to the lodge. I'm sure we have guests waiting for us."
I didn't understand why, but something in my gut felt disappointed. What was I expecting to happen? Rowan kissing me? Declaring his love to me? Volunteering to be one of my mates? I mentally chastised myself for getting my hopes up. He was an older man, twice my age, who was here to help us. Regardless of what I was feeling about him, he may not feel the same way about me. I didn't know if that was true or not, but only time would tell. Sooner or later, I would have to make a choice. For now, I had a pack to form.
12
BYRON
"Guys!" I rushed down the stairs and over to the living room area where Javier's group, along with Roxanne, Sabina and Kao were huddled together. "Have either of you seen Rosie and Kai? I looked in the office and upstairs, but I couldn't find them anywhere."
"Calm down, big guy," Kao said waving his phone in the air. "Kai texted me about an hour ago, they went driving around with Rowan. They'll be back soon."
I sighed heavily, relieved that nothing bad has happened to them. For a moment, I was assuming the worst. I walked over to the sofa, sitting next to Joaquin and patting him on his back. "You look pretty damn good considering a few days ago you looked like you were inches from death's door. How are you feeling now?"
"Different," he said. "I'm not in any pain, and I know I'm healed, but… I don't know. I feel like something's different about me."
"A bad kind of different?" I asked, suddenly concerned.
Joaquin shook his head. "Not bad, I don't think. Just odd."
"It might be the effects of the Wolf Moon's gift," Sabina piped in from where she sat off to the corner. "Rosie tapped into the Wolf Moon's gift to heal you. Maybe it sparked your fragment of the gift and it's currently flowing through your system."
"You think?" Joaquin lifted his arms inspecting his wrists as if he could see through the new layer of skin and find the flow of energy inside him.
A part of me was still trying to wrap my head around the Wolf Moon's gift being a real thing. For most of my life, I thought it was nothing but a children's fairytale, but now to see it in person, that beam of turquoise light shining through a crescent moon-shaped mark on Rosie's forehead, watching it healing Joaquin's wrists when it should've been impossible, it was tough to grasp. On top of her newly discovered powers, Rosie was also deemed the Queen of Wolves. A shifter who could influence any shifter in existence, including alphas. I thought she was trouble, but now I realized she was extraordinary.
"Joaquin," I called to him. When he looked at me, I said something I should've a long time ago. "I owe you an apology."
"For what?" he asked.
"For giving you and Rosie hell. I was so wrapped up on Rosie being fated to Pierce that I never considered what you both wanted. It never occurred to me that just because you're fated to someone, that doesn't mean you actually want to be with them. I saw you and Rosie getting close, and all I could think of was how wrong it was. But I was wrong. It doesn't matter who you, Rosie, or the twins are fated to. If you guys want to be with each other, you should have that."
"Wooow," Sabina drawled out. "Look at you, all grown up and coming to your senses. I'm impressed, Byron."
"So am I," Joaquin said before pulling me into a bro hug. "Thank you, my friend. It means a lot to me."
"You're welcome." Looking to Sabina, I added, "I guess I should be thanking you too. If it wasn't for you nudging me in the right direction, I don't think I would've come to this realization."
Sabina shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. I may have had you questioning whether or not following Pierce was good for you and the pack, but you discovered that answer all on your own."
