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So, I told him everything, from the discovery that Ayla was my mate and that she’d cursed me to keep us apart, to the coven and how they treated her, and of course her own curse. The words tumbled out of my mouth, one after the other, in a seemingly endless stream of consciousness.
When I finally finished, my mouth was dry, and my throat was just starting to get scratchy. But as wild as the tale was, Oren seemed to take it in his stride. I really was lucky that he’d become my best friend, despite how horrendous my family was. He was one of a kind.
“It sounds like she’s incredibly devoted.”
Huh. I thought I’d have to defend Ayla and her unconventional behavior, but it sounded like my by the books, incredibly selfless second in command was on the same wavelength as me. Was that just the type of person I gelled with?
“She was willing to suffer for three years while she thought you were living in blissful ignorance, and she doesn’t seem to resent you for it. Also, from what you’re telling me, she was planning on spending her entire life that way and did it with no qualms.”
When he put it that way, gods, that sounded like the worst torture. I'd never want to wish that on anyone, let alone my own fated mate.
“She is incredible,” I said. “Now you understand why I can’t just give her up.”
“I can understand that.” Uh-oh. I’d known Oren plenty long enough to hear the ‘but’ coming before it was even out of his mouth. “But perhaps you should tell her who you really are. Right now, she’s operating under the assumption that you’re just an ordinary captain. Respectable, but it doesn’t quite translate just how important it is that you actually found your fated mate.It’s not just for the two of you, it’s basically for the entire country and the future.”
“I know, I know. I considered telling her before, but I was hesitant because, well… you know.”
“Because your family’s reputation is one of a bunch of selfish, inbred grifters who bloat themselves on ill-gotten gains while those around them are starving, and the land is being ravaged by war?”
“You didn’t need to hit the nail quite so squarely on the head.”
“I find that transparency is best in these sorts of situations.”
“I’m sure you do.” We shared a small chuckle together, and I realized how much I’d missed bantering with my best friend. I wished that he’d come on the mission with us, but the fort wouldn’t have been able to function with both of us gone. Besides, the idea of losing him made me want to invert myself right out of existence. “Still, I just don’t want Ayla to think I only care about our bond for external reasons or for gain. I want to be her mate because she’sincredible.Everything else is just a bonus.”
Besides, I liked that she only knew me as Kai, the shifter I’d built from the ground up. There was no family history, no wealth to influence people’s opinions, just everything that I'd earned on my own.
“I can understand your hesitation. It certainly is a…complex matter.”
That was one way of putting it.
Grateful at last to have another voice of reason that wasn’t in my own head, we talked longer before the conversation naturally started to turn.
“So, your brief mentioned Officer Khan was injured a couple of—”
“It was nothing Medic Everton couldn’t handle.”
“I see. Her skills are indeed impressive.”
“They are, but what’s even more so is your determination to pine at a distance from the woman you’re clearly interested in.”
“Kai—”
“Nah, don’t ‘Kai’ me. Shoot your shot, man, before it’s too late and you realize you’ve wasted what could be an amazing connection. Sergeant Khan is an excellent soldier and friend. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t eventry.”
“I’ll, uh, I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”
“Make sure that you do. I want to see you happy, Oren. I want to see all of us happy.”
“If we survive this battle, maybe we’ll get the chance to be.”
“Yeah,” I said, chuckling again.
If.
Chapter 24
Ayla
