“Start with Menace.” Her eyes were sharp, too sharp. “Something’s happening. He’s concerned.”
Concerned was an understatement. Terrified was closer. My voice trembled as I spoke, each word dragged up from the pit of my stomach.
“I’m not who you think I am.” The confession clawed its way out, ripping me apart. I watched Juliet’s expression shift, her breath catching as I explained who I was. “I understand you’re new to our world and the politics of it. You’ve probably heard of the Supernatural Council and the territory kings.” She nodded her head slowly in understanding and some confusion as to where this was going. “My real name is Savannah Calloway. I am the daughter of Declan Calloway, King of the Eastern Territory. Princess Savannah Calloway, if I’m being official.”
“Oh, fuck,” she whispered. Her surprise morphed into comprehension, and I could almost see the gears turning as she repeated. “King of the Eastern Territory.”
“I never meant to endanger anyone.” The words tumbled over each other, desperate to explain. “Once Menace rescued me…”
“You fell for him,” she finished. The knowing in her voice cut through my shame, laid me bare.
I nodded, the movement feeling like defeat. Her gaze held mine, waiting for more. I struggled to find a beginning that wouldn’t betray my heart as much as the end would.
“I know this will sound somewhat familiar to you. It’s not that I know exactly how your life was, but I understand you had similar struggles. My entire life, I never had a moment of freedom,” I started again, the words stained with the taste of my past. “Everything in my life was planned, orchestrated. Every class I took, every person I met, was part of his agenda.” My father’s shadow stretched long over every memory. “My father groomed me as a political pawn. I was going to be his key to the Midwestern packs.”
“An arranged marriage?” Her voice held a note of something like pity, but stronger, as though she understood too well.
“King Dominic.” His name felt foreign on my tongue after so long, a relic of another life. “My father’s big move.”
Juliet absorbed it all, her presence an anchor I didn’t know I needed. “And you’ve been running from it.”
“From him.” My hands were fists on the table, shaking as I held on to something she couldn’t see. “I thought I was safe in the Ozarks. I thought I could be a new person. Then Harrison’s men found me, and you know how that ended.”
“What did Menace know?” Her question was gentle but unyielding.
“Nothing. I just gave him the name Sawyer Galloway, Juliet. I thought I could just start a new life. Be her. Then Lucia came through your door.”
Her eyes lit with the remembrance of that night. “Oh stars, that’s why you both were acting so strangely!”
“Yes. She recognized me. We’ve known each other since we were children. At first, I thought my father had sent her. But her father hates my father. And I saw how much she loves you, so I knew it was just an awful coincidence. But she told me my father had so many men looking for me. I realized it was just a matter of time. He just hasn’t made it public because it will embarrass him.”
I was staring down at my hand. “I still was delusional enough to think I could hide here. But Menace told me I had to be productive. He asked me what skills I had. The only honest answer I had was that I was a certified music teacher. Then, he excitedly took me to the elementary school and introduced me to the principal, and they showed me around. I got caught up in the moment. Saw the music room, played the piano. The thought that maybe I could have this life entered my mind and heart. I wanted it so much. Menace offered me the job, and I foolishly accepted. I knew I had to tell him the truth. And here we are.”
My heart pounded, reckless in my chest. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. But I can’t imagine being without him.” The admission left me hollow. My secrets spilled between us like shattered glass.
Juliet watched me closely, her eyes a mix of caution and compassion. “Does he know how you feel?”
“Yes.” I looked down, unable to hold her gaze any longer. “He’s afraid I’ll run again. But I’m out of options. He doesn’t understand what my father is capable of. Now my greatest fear is for the pack.”
The room seemed to close in; the warmth suffocating as I waited for her to say something, anything.
She reached across the table, her hand warm on mine. “Declan’s not the only one with power,” she said, her voice firm. “Menace is Bronc’s right hand, his brother. If Declan comes for him or you, he’ll have to answer to the entire pack.”
I wanted to believe her, wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything. “You don’t know my father. He’s ruthless.”
“He’s not the only one.” Her smile was fierce, a promise more than a reassurance. “We’ve faced worse than him before.”
Juliet’s hand squeezed mine, pulling me back from the edge of despair. “You’ll have to show Menace you’re not too scared to stay,” she said.
“Even if it puts you all at risk?” My voice was barely a whisper, my fear laid bare.
“We can handle the risk,” she replied. “Can you handle losing him?”
I couldn’t. I knew that now. Knew it with every frantic beat of my heart. “I’ve only ever belonged to one person,” I said, the words slipping out before I could catch them. “And that involved physical chains. I never want to feel that way again. I’d rather be soul-bound to Menace than any physical chain.”
“He’d never hold you against your will.” Her eyes met mine, steady and unwavering. “Be with him because you long for him. Because you’d die without him. Not because you’re running from something else.”
The truth of it settled into me, deeper than I thought possible. It took root, growing past the fear, past the doubts that had chased me halfway across the country.
