"I'm not asking you to let me in." He moved closer, just outside her space. "I'm just telling you I'm not going anywhere. Not until this thing with Hector is settled. Not until you're safe."
"I don't need?—"
"I know." His mouth curved. "You don't need anyone. You've made that clear. But maybe I need to stay anyway. Maybe watching you build this life alone for ten years taught me something about what matters."
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
"Dante." His name escaped before she could stop it.
He paused, glancing back.
"Your coat," she managed. "It's upstairs. I should return it."
"Keep it." His eyes held hers. "Looks better on you anyway."
He left, the door closing softly behind him.
Maeve stood in her tavern, cocoa going cold and her body remembering things it had no business remembering. The solid weight of him. The taste of his kiss. The way her lioness purred when he was close.
The way every instinct screamed that letting him in would only end in hurt.
But her body didn't care about logic or walls or ten years of protecting herself.
Her body just wanted him.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.
16
DANTE
Dante found Callum at the ranger station on the edge of town, right where Emmett said he'd be.
The building sat small and weathered among the pines, more cabin than office. Smoke curled from the chimney, and through the window Dante could see movement inside. His lion stirred, recognizing pack. Recognizing the male who'd once been closer than a brother.
Ten years was a long time to avoid someone who mattered.
Dante knocked before he could talk himself out of it.
The door opened. Callum Cross stood there in work clothes dusted with snow, his blue eyes widening with shock before shuttering into something carefully neutral. He'd aged well. Filled out through the shoulders, the boyish edges worn away by time and responsibility. His sun-kissed skin had deepened from outdoor work, and his shaggy brown and gold hair looked lighter than Dante remembered, streaked by years of mountain sun.
He looked good. Happy. Settled in ways he'd never been back in their old pride.
"Dante." Callum's voice came steady. Controlled. "Took you long enough."
"Yeah." Dante shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can I come in?"
Callum stepped back, gesturing inside. "Might as well. Been expecting this conversation for a week."
The ranger station was exactly what Dante expected. Maps on the walls. Radio equipment. A desk covered in paperwork. Coffee pot that smelled like it had been brewing since dawn. The space felt lived-in, comfortable, like Callum had made it his own.
"Coffee?" Callum moved to the pot without waiting for an answer, pouring two cups.
"Thanks." Dante took the offered mug, buying time with the ritual. "Nice place."
"It's functional." Callum leaned against his desk, studying Dante with those alpha eyes that missed nothing. "Emmett tell you where to find me?"
"Yeah. Said you'd be working."
