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It’ll have to wait.
My mate needs me.
I follow the group out of the ship after they load Javi onto an oversized stretcher, Soledad and Akari never leaving my side. Cicadas sing in the early spring night, their cadence a welcome change from the drift of ocean waves against the steel girders of the Rig. Stars sparkle overhead, and a gentle wind plays across the grass. It feels surreal to be back here, where I wished so often that I would find my mate and have a sweeping love story.
It was…it is.
I have to tell myself my love story is still happening.
He can’t be gone for good.
We walk as a group into the den, hushed voices coming to me from all around. I catch sight of friends waiting to approach, treating me with reverence and caution. Someone must have told them not to bother me when I came back…Reyes, probably. He’s good at that—taking care of people, making sure that everyone feels safe and welcome.
Charlotte appears near the door to the clinic, more pregnant than the last time I saw her. She has to be due soon, but she’s stillherewaiting for me, ready to welcome us home. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and I have to wonder what I look like—but I ignore that as she reaches for me and pulls me into a hug. Her brown hair tickles my face as I start crying again, trying to hide my tears.
“I came to ask you if you want anything to eat,” she says. “You should try—even if you’re not hungry.”
“I’m not—” I pause, realizing she’s already figured I would say no. “I would love whatever you have. Thank you.”
She nods. “My pleasure.”
She turns to go down the tunnel to the visitors’ center, where the kitchen crew is probably already busy with breakfast preparations. I feel this strange sense of familiarity at the same time that everything feels wrong, my stomach twisting and my throat tightening. I wander toward the door to see that they’ve moved Javi to one of the cots, his wolf form spilling over the edges, too big to fit. Suyin is ready to treat him, taking out all her diagnostic tools and listening to his pulse, checking his oxygen levels.
I slowly walk in…and for the first time, I truly see what he’s been turned into.
A shell.
Something that’s weak and vulnerable when he’s been protecting me this whole time.
It shakes me up, my world tilting.
“Help him,” I breathe to no one in particular. Suyin seems to hear me, though, lifting her head to meet my eyes.
“I’m going to take good care of him,” she says. “You should go get some food and try to rest—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I cut in.
Will looks from me to Suyin, understanding in his gaze.
“They’re mated,” he says. “I think it would be best if we didn’t separate them.”
Her expression softens. “Understood,” she says. “Peaches—I assure you I’m going to treat him just like I would anyone in our pack.”
I bite my lip. “Thanks, Suyin.”
“He’s pack now,” Will says.
I come to stand on the opposite side of the bed, resting my hand on one of Javi’s legs. I wish he would shift back—it feels like I’m here with an alien, which I guess, in some ways, I am. I never really saw him shifted before, and I miss the way he looked at me, the way he’s so hesitant to smile…
I want his arms around me.
I sniffle and feel Akari at my side again, her hand on my shoulder. She doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to. I know she’s here.
Suyin turns around and grabs something from the counter, then reaches back for Javi with a needle in her hand.
“Suyin, don’t!” I say, alarm bells ringing in my head. “He was an addict, any sedative will make it worse—”
“It’s not a sedative,” she says. “I’m just going to draw some blood to figure out what’s happening to him. Will…I hate to ask, but can you be ready to hold him down if he reacts poorly?”
