Noa falters, her mouth opening like she’ll deny it, then closing again. For a heartbeat, I see the war in her face. Finally, her shoulders drop with resignation, and she nods. When her gaze drifts over her shoulder to me, her answer comes out like a quiet surrender.
“Yeah…I’m going too.” She may be answering Amara, but really it’s me she’s telling. “If we want to keep everyone safe, we have to stand together. It’s the only way we’ll have a chance against that other coven…and I can’t lose anyone else.”
“No,” Amara agrees, her voice carrying quiet grief. “We can’t lose anyone else.”
The relief that crashes through me is staggering, almost enough to knock me on my ass.
I had already surrendered to the thought of following her anywhere, even if it meant betraying the oath etched into my blood—to guard my land, my people, my lineage. That sacrifice had already been carved into me, a wound I would have learned to live with. For her. And yet, because of Noa, because of that viciously selfless heart of hers, I won’t have to. It’s just another reminder of how far beyond me she is, of how little I deserve her light. Her grace.
Feeling triumphant, my wolf all but purrs at the thought of her returning to my home where I can place her under my roof and protect her in the way I always should have.
Amara’s attention shifts to me, her eyes so black they seem bottomless. It pulls me from reveling in my quiet relief over Noa’s decision. “Okay then, Alpha,” she starts. “We need to get our people moving. It’s late now, and it’ll be later still when we reach your territory. We can’t afford to linger.”
Amara’s words detonate through the air like a starting gun, and everything lurches into motion. Canaan’s hand claps my shoulder, and he and Rhosyn move off toward Noa’s home, no doubt to gather the supplies she’d already pulled from the cellar and to help Seren organize the new arrivals for departure.
Noa catches the High Priestess’s hand before she can slip away to see to her own affairs.
“Why?” My mate’s question is simple, but it carries the weight of what isn’t spoken aloud.
Amara’s lips curve in a sad half smile as she closes her fingers over Noa’s. “Because Lowri believed in what we built here,” she answers softly. “And she would never forgive me if I abandoned it now.” With a final nod, she pivots smoothly and drifts down the dim street, her white shawl glowing faintly in the dark.
The human stares at us, bewilderment stark on his face. “Wait—you’re leaving? What about the sanctuary? You’re shutting it down?”
Noa’s answer comes fast and fierce, leaving no room for doubt. “No.Never. This is just a temporary move to someplace safer. You’ll still be able to contact me as usual, and if more omegas are found who need a haven, there will always be a safe place waiting for them with us.” She casts me a sideways glance and I can almost feel the challenge in them when she adds, “Right, Rennick?”
She’s testing me. Pushing to see how far I’ll bend. She doesn’t yet understand there’s no limit where she’s concerned. My wolf hums at the defiance in her tone, purrs at the way she utters my name like a gauntlet being thrown. It’s an unnecessary challengesince I’d burn every inch of my land before I denied her this or anything else, but still, I let her have it. If she needs me to back her vow before this stranger, I’ll do it a thousand times.
“Of course, sweet one,” I murmur, a smile ghosting across my lips. The sharp breath she draws at the nickname doesn’t escape me, and though I don’t call it out, I still savor how deeply it affects her. “Pack Fallamhain stands with Noa’s mission and we’re ready to help in any way we can. Tell whatever connections you have the same.” I direct this toward the transporter.
The man nods. “All right. I’ll be sure to remember that.” His gaze flicks to the back of the van, toward the cage. “And her? What should I do with her?”
I step forward before Noa can. “She’s under my protection now. I’ve got her.”
For the briefest of seconds, I swear I see the corner of Noa’s mouth twitch before she ducks her head.
Baby steps, I remind myself.
Chapter 9
Noa
Everything after Rennick lifts the sedated omega and her wire crate from the van becomes a blur of movement and noise.
The house seems to pulse with urgency. Voices overlap, doors repeatedly open and slam shut, footsteps pound across the creaky floorboards. Some people haul out the supplies that were set aside earlier in the day, others keep darting back inside for whatever last-minute necessities they can think to grab.
It’s madness, but the kind that hums with purpose.
Seren, always ten steps ahead of me, already had her and Ivey’s things packed before the funeral started. She stays holed up in the kitchen, out of everyone’s way, with the new omegas and her sleeping baby. She keeps them calm, reassuring them of their safety and making sure they understand what is happening. Each time I rush past the arched doorway, I catch glimpses of them sitting at the old round table. They are still wide-eyed and anxious, but no longer trembling. That’s something.
With Seren holding things down on that front, I scramble to do my own packing.
Upstairs, I toss things into bags without rhyme or reason. My approach is more of anif my eyes land on you, you’re coming with memethod, which will no doubt bite me in the ass later. Clothes, toiletries, small creature comforts, are all shoved in. Then I sweep through the house, gathering bottles and bundlesof herbs curated from our apothecary, Potion & Petal, and stuff them into a canvas backpack until the seams threaten to burst.
It was messy and disorganized, and if I hadn’t spent most of the day straddling the fence about leaving and joining everyone in Rennick’s territory, I might have the luxury of being precise about it.
Up until that moment outside when Amara asked me point-blank if I’m joining them, I still hadn’t been sure. Canaan’s talk earlier did a lot of the heavy lifting in convincing me, but it was seeing Elio’s hollow stare, Hattie’s shaky bravado, and that she-wolf curled up in the cage that tipped me fully over.
I can’t stay behind and send them off into the unknown without me. That’s not who I am. It’s my duty to walk alongside them during this time. Not wave and cheer them on from a distance.
