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Well, I won’t.
I refuse.
I won’t live in a world without my mates.
Rook stares at me like he can read my thoughts, my inner monologue. “Kick everyone out and claim me,” he whispers.
“No! Rook, no! I won’t have this!” Emilia stands, shouting at her brother before turning her fury at me. “And I bet if I tell your sister, she’ll have some pretty strong feelings about it as well.”
“She’ll understand,” I breathe.
Emilia shakes her head. “Well, I don’t! Do not do this, Rook. There must be another way.”
Rook takes his sister’s hands, looking down at her with love in his eyes. “There isn't, Em. You know it just as well as I do. You’ve done the research yourself. If your friendcanbreak the bond between Willa and Drago, I won’t force her to live without him. And I won’t be forced to live without her.”
She pulls him down to her level by the back of the neck. Tears and anger roiling in her gaze. “Then run,” she whispers. “Take your mate and her mates and leave. Go somewhere the scourge won’t find you.”
“And risk the lives of every wolf on this mountain and the next? I can’t do that. I won’t, Em.”
Emilia shakes her head, tears flying off her face with the motion. “You bastard,” she whispers before slapping him across the face. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”
He pulls her close, hugging his sister so tight she lifts off the ground. “You will. You’ll forgive and move on and have a wonderful life. But I won’t. Not without Willa.”
“I hate you,” she cries into his shoulder.
Rook squeezes his eyes shut. “No, you don’t. You love me.”
When Emilia stops crying, Rook puts her back on her feet. She stares up at him, swallowing over and over before she can get her words together. “I’m glad you finally found love. I’m glad she healed what that awful witch did to you. And if you get to the afterlife and don’t kick Claudia’s ass for pulling that stupid move and getting herself killed, I’ll kick yours when I get there.”
Rook smiles, a sad, bittersweet sort of thing that only reaches halfway to his tear-rimmed eyes.
He doesn’t get to say anything more before Emilia pushes past him and dashes to the front door. She bursts into her crow form and flies out, bleating out a mournful caw with every flap of her wings.
“Well,” Sunny says, standing and dabbing at the corner of her eyes. “I think that’s our cue to leave as well.”
Eden hops up as well, sniffling right behind her friend.
Lily meets my gaze. “I’ll be here for a few days after the retrieval ceremony if you change your mind.”
I nod. “Thank you, but I won’t,” I say and watch the three women leave. As the front door closes behind them Jonah finally makes an appearance, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“What’d I miss?” He glances at everyone’s red eyes. “Shit, who died?”
“Me, motherfucker!” Rook says with a ridiculous grin. “I’m finally joining the cool kids.”
Chapter22
Bonded Or Not
No one speaks.None of us needs words.
Rook and I crash into each other in a whirlwind of breathless kisses and groping hands.
I only have one thought in my mind. Making him mine.
It might not stick.
The wolf claiming rite might not work on a mage, but I’m going to try my best to get him claimed and bonded to me.
