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Then his eyes widened. “I know where—” He stepped away from me, turning toward the stack of boxes near the closet. He set aside two of them, reaching for the one on the bottom. I waited, wondering what the hell could be so important that it’d caused him to almost lose himself to his wolf.
He sliced the tape with a single claw and opened the box, rifling through it until—“I knew. I knew it was here.”
I had no idea what he was on about. “What are you—” And then I couldn’t speak.
He turned toward me.
In his hand was a little box.
I knew that box.
The last time I’d held it, our hearts were breaking.
He took a step toward me, watching me like I was something revered. Something beautiful. Something he couldn’t believe he got to call his own. I felt the faint pulse in the scar on my neck, a perfect indentation of the teeth of a wolf.
“I just—” He coughed, shaking his head before trying again. “I know it’s dumb. It’s—you’re already my mate. I know that. I can feel it. Between us. Okay? I can. I know it’s not how it should be, but I know it will be one day. But even if it never gets better than it is right now, then that’s okay. Because I get to have you. I get to love you. I get to be loved by you.”
“I swear to god,” I said roughly, “if you bring me dead rabbits or a basket of mini muffins, I’m going to skin you myself.”
“Duly noted,” he said dryly. Then, “Can I give this to you? Please? Gordo. I just—can you take this? From me?”
He opened the box.
Inside, lying on a blue cloth, was a stone wolf.
It looked just as I remembered.
I gently took it out of the box. It was heavy and ornately carved. The tail was long and thin, and the head was cocked, the wolf’s lips curved as if it was smiling secretly.
“Yeah,” I told him, because he needed to hear it said out loud. “I’ll take it.”
He tackled me onto the bed.
Outside, I could hear Carter and Kelly shouting in joy.
And in the distance, the howling of wolves.
WE GATHERED in the office at the house at the end of the lane.
All of us.
Ox sat in the chair behind the desk where Abel and Thomas had once been.
Joe stood at his side, hand on his shoulder.
Carter leaned near the doorway, the timber wolf lying at his feet.
Kelly sat on the arm of the sofa against the wall. Robbie was next to him, biting his bottom lip nervously, gaze focused on the tablet in his hand.
Elizabeth sat next to her son, eyes closed as she waited.
Rico and Tanner sat on the edge of the desk.
Jessie and Chris were against a bookcase, arms crossed over their chests.
Mark and I stood near the window.
Ox said, “Robbie. It’s time.”
