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“But she is strong,” Atlas said. “She walked away from her pack before. She doesn’t take any messing.” He worried that part of her would now surface again. She ran before, and she could do it now.
“Then let’s give her a reason not to. We’re nothing like that asshole who just threw her away. We wouldn’t do that.”
Atlas leaned forward. “So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying one out, one in. We got rid of a pack member today. Maybe it’s time we talked about some commitment after all.”
“You mean asking her to join the pack?” Just hearing Colt say it brought some sort of relief to Atlas. Sure, he’d done as she’d asked and what Colt had suggested, keeping this low-key despite everything that was screaming at him to make her theirs.
She’d been hurt, disappointed, and lost trust in men. But he knew with a certainty he couldn’t explain he’d never do anything to hurt her. Colt too. He was a good guy—the best. She’d want for nothing if she agreed to stay and become part of Gravecrest—if she followed her natural instincts to be with them and not give in to her fear.
“I think you’re right. We should do it. We’ll ask her to join us, show we mean this,” Atlas said.
Colt smiled and nodded. “I’m with you, bro. I think it’s for the best. We got this. She knows we’re not like them, she must.”
It felt as though Atlas could breathe again, like he was finally on the right path. Even if she was still angry with him, he knew he could be trusted with her. He’d never hurt or deceive her in the way the Hollow Grove pack had done.
Suddenly it all started falling into place, each brick landing perfectly in his mind to create the foundation of what he knew was the truth for him, probably for all of them. It was his job to show leadership now, not shy away from the hard stuff.
“It’s the right thing,” Atlas said. He noticed the way Colt was looking at him, as if he wasn’t quite used to the person who sat across from him now. But it was too late to go back. He’d unleashed a part of him that he’d kept locked up and hidden away from himself and the outside world for most of his life; it was time to be honest about how he felt.
“She should be with Gravecrest because she belongs here. We need to be real. I need to be real here.” His heart thudded in his chest, and his throat felt hoarse as if his body was battling with his heart and mind. But he wouldn’t stop now.
“No point in putting this off anymore. I can’t speak for you… But I know she’s the woman for me. She’s my mate.” Atlas felt the shift in his body, starting in the pit of his belly and moving up to his chest—an expansion of space that no longer felt coiled up and tight.
“Woah, what happened to Atlas?” Both of Colt’s eyebrows were raised, and he pulled his head back before blowing out a breath.
“Suppose he grew up,” Atlas replied. “No point in not being honest about this anymore. Things have gotten way out of hand as they are. Harlow’s my mate, and I want her. Perhaps I even love her already.”
Colt scrubbed his hands down his face. “You’re right. Just never thought I’d ever see the day when—”
“When I admitted having feelings?” Atlas interrupted. “Yeah, I know. Looks like she’s really done a number on me.”
“It’s good, bro. And for the record, I’m all in too. This girl belongs with us. I just know it. I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like she’s a part of me, you know?”
Atlas nodded. “Yeah, I get it.” He placed his glass down on the coffee table in front of him. “We need to go get her, bring her home.” Nothing else mattered apart from that. Harlow was the most important thing in both of their worlds.
She needed to come home.
Chapter 25
Harlow
Harlow woke up in darkness with a pounding headache radiating from what she suspected was a nasty lump toward the back of her skull. She blinked and considered the possibility that she had become blind. After a moment, however, her eyes adjusted beyond the pulsing pain, and she saw a crack of light underneath a door in front of her.
Testing her limbs for range of motion, she found her body to be sound but tied firmly to a chair with positively no lumbar support. Her original bonds had been replaced with tight plastic that felt like cable ties. She could cut them, but she would need time to work them a little looser, and, judging by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, time was something she didn’t have.
She smelled Vincent before he entered, and her stomach lurched. The naked bulb above her snapped on before she could school her features, and Vincent smirked in the harsh light. “Adjusting to our new surroundings, are we?”
Blinking in the brightness and breathing through her mouth, Harlow tried to keep up the confidence to fire back. “Is it just me, or are you infinitely more pretentious than I remember?”
Vincent rolled his eyes. “If anyone has changed, it’s you. But then, you were never a satisfactory judge of character.”
A sneering laugh came from the hallway behind him, and Harlow’s head snapped up. Fighting dizziness that she resolved they wouldn’t know about, she directed her next comment to the owner of the laughter. “You can come in now, Isla. My nose isn’t broken yet.”
Still chuckling, Isla rounded the doorway and leaned against Vincent with sickening familiarity. Harlow found the conversation distracted her from the nagging headache and continued, “What’s so funny?”
Isla tossed her hair and gave a sultry smile, clearly believing herself to have gained the upper hand. “Hmmm?” she breathed coyly.
