"What if," I say carefully, "you contacted Julian? Before we go back. Before your parents find out."
He looks at me sharply. "Why?"
"Because maybe he can tell you how he survived it. How he made it work." I brush my thumb across his cheekbone. "And because you need to reconcile with him. You abandoned him when he needed family. That's not who you want to be anymore, right?"
"I don't even know if he'd talk to me."
"Only one way to find out." I lean forward, pressing my forehead to his. "You keep saying you want to be better. Prove it. Make amends with the people you hurt, starting with your brother."
He's quiet for a long moment, and I can practically hear him thinking, calculating, weighing options.
"What if he hates me?" The question is small, vulnerable.
"Then you apologize and accept it. But what if he doesn't? What if he's been waiting for you to reach out?"
Dorian pulls back to look at me, really look at me. "When did you get so wise?"
"When I started believing I deserved better than what you were giving me." I smile. "Now I'm holding you to the same standard. Be better. Do better. Starting with family."
"You're terrifying," he says, but he's smiling too. "You know that?"
"Good. You should be a little afraid of me."
He kisses me then, soft and sweet and nothing like the desperate claiming kisses from weeks ago. This is something else. Something that feels like promise.
When he pulls back, there's determination in his eyes. "I'll call him. Tonight."
"Good."
"And when my parents inevitably lose their minds about the claiming?"
"Then we deal with it. Together." I squeeze his hand. "You're not Julian. You have a pack. You have me. And unlike your brother, you're not going into this alone."
"No," he agrees. "I'm not alone anymore."
We sit there as the sun sets, hands intertwined, facing the reality that's coming. School starts in two weeks. His parents will find out about the claiming. My return to campus will be complicated and messy and probably painful.
But right now, in this moment, we have peace. We have each other. And maybe that's enough to face whatever comes next.
"Vespera?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For pushing me to be better. For not accepting the Alpha I was." He looks at me with something that might be awe. "You could have settled. Could have just accepted the claiming and lived with whoever I was willing to be. Instead you demanded more."
"Because you're capable of more," I tell him. "All three of you are. You just needed someone to hold you accountable."
"Well, you're terrifying at it."
"I know." I stand, pulling him up with me. "Come on. Let's go inside. I want all three of you tonight."
"Demanding," he observes, but his eyes are heated.
"You made me this way." I start walking toward the house, his shirt barely covering my ass. "Now deal with the consequences."
I hear his sharp intake of breath behind me, feel his gaze tracking my every move. Then he's following, and I'm smiling because this is what we are now. Not perfect. Not without complications. But real.
And when we face reality in two weeks, at least we'll face it as a real pack.
