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Dad hurried off, ready to be away from two pissed-off women.
Crew and Eli had led all the survivors off the helicopter and were now getting them into a group. Crew continued acting as their de facto leader, and all of them accepted it, even though they were back home now. The way he moved among them, calming them and getting them settled, told me why. Wiccans, fae, demons, humans—all of them looked to Crew for guidance.
Mom and I strolled over arm-in-arm to see what was going on. Crew and Wyatt pulled Dad aside.
“Mr. Durst?” Crew said. “I want to thank you for your hospitality, letting me and my people come here. I know it’s a dangerous time, and you didn’t need to allow this. Thank you.” He put his hand out.
Dad nodded and shook Crew’s hand. “You’re welcome. I couldn’t turn people in need away. That’s not how the Eleventh Pack does things.”
“It’s common courtesy to defer to the alpha of the land you’re in,” Crew said. “I am asking for your blessing for sanctuary for my people. To stay in your lands long enough to heal and figure out where to go from here.”
My father mulled it over. He glanced at Wyatt, who gave him an encouraging nod. But rather than smile at Wyatt, Dad’s frown deepened.
Finally, he said, “That’ll be fine, I think. You’ll need to abide by our rules, and pull your weight when it comes to defense, but that should work for us. Can’t have too many allies these days.”
Crew’s face broke into a relieved grin. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
From the edge of the field, a few of our neighbors appeared, carrying bags and boxes of supplies. As they drew near, I noticed it was all food, clothing, and medical supplies. August and Kolton must have radioed ahead while I was asleep. They’d had time to prepare for our arrival.
Mom took a box from a friend and moved forward to help the survivors.
“I’ll carry that, Mrs. Durst,” Wyatt offered.
Mom glanced at Wyatt and gave a dismissive sniff before turning away, ignoring him. I cringed at the sight. Wyatt, not realizing I was watching, slumped his shoulders and stared down at the ground. I hadn’t seen him look that downtrodden in a long time. My mother had changed her mind about the show, but apparently, her old-school ideas about lone wolves hadn’t changed. She obviously wasn’t excited that I’d proclaimed my love for a lone wolf on live television. If I had to guess, Dad probably felt the same way.
Wyatt had always been a secondary concern to them. Just a valuable ally, with his unofficial pack helping to improve our defenses. And he was Kolton’s best friend. They’d alwayslikedWyatt as a person, but that was very different from welcoming him as a mate for their daughter.
I remembered Chelsey and Crew’s story. How silly it all was to think someone was below you and not worthy of mating, even if you loved them.
The dejected look on Wyatt’s face didn’t last long. He shook it off and walked over to me, looking as carefree as ever. “I’m gonna go check on my pack,” he said. “August says they’recamped with your pack’s best fighters. They’re guarding the perimeter.”
“I’ll stay here and help get everyone taken care of,” I said.
“But first, there’s something I need to do.”
Before I could ask what that was, he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me flush against his chest, and kissed me. Hard.
The group of survivors hooted and cheered, and in my daze, I could make out Zoe, Chelsey, and J.D.’s especially loud voices. Wyatt’s show of affection surprised me, especially in front of everyone. My parents, my brother, and a bunch of pack members? All of them seeing this for the first time, understanding that it wasn’t a show for TV. That we really did love each other.
The kiss brought me fully back to reality, as though our connection here in safety had finally severed the part of our life that had been on Bloodstone Island. The real world.
It should have been a happy moment, but if we were in the real world again, that meant real problems now stared us in the face.
Regardless of what Wyatt said, I couldn’t shake the thought that we both might havetruefated mates out there somewhere. Would he still love me and want to be with me with that knowledge?
As good as we were together, could it be even better with a fated mate?
“I’m sorry about my parents,” I whispered as he finally pulled his lips from mine.
He winked at me. “No big deal. I’ve got what I want. They’ll come around.”
“See you soon?”
“Sure thing. See you in a bit.” After squeezing my hand one last time, Wyatt shifted and sprinted off to the west.
Standing there, I gazed out, watching Wyatt until he vanished into the forest. Even when I couldn’t see him anymore, I kept staring off into space. There was so much running through my head, it was hard to figure out what to worry about first.
Zoe tore me from my thoughts by wrapping her arms around my neck. “You need to chill,” she said with a grin.
