Amara declaring she will also follow us to Pack Fallamhain’s territory helps quiet whatever lingering doubts I still have. If she can walk away from Ashvale after everything that has happened, after all she’s lost, and still be strong enough to stand with the rest of us, then I can swallow my fear, put on my big girl panties, and do the same.
Overloaded with more bags than me and my worn-down body have any business trying to carry, I clamber down the narrow stairs from my attic room and find Rennick already waiting at the bottom.
He doesn’t speak or bother asking if I want help. He just steps forward and takes everything out of my hands, lifting the weight like it’s nothing. He doesn’t even blink at the ridiculous number of things I’ve decided to bring.I’m a chronic overpacker, sue me. What undoes me is the warmth in his gaze when he meets my eye. Like he’s simply pleased he can help me. That look ignites a flutter low in my stomach, one I sure as hell didn’t invite, before he turns and carries it all outside.
While I’d been upstairs collecting my things, Rennick had been anticipating more of my needs.
By the time I join him at the carport, he already has the back seats of my army green four-door jeep collapsed and the omega’s cage loaded. He knows without me having to say the words that I don’t want her far from me. He’s also made sure to leave space for my luggage around the wire crate, and when I try to help load them, he gently brushes my hand away before I can reach for one of the bags.
I step for the driver’s side door, and he doesn’t even bother pretending like me driving is an option. He plucks the keys straight out of my hand and tucks them into his jeans pocket.
My scowl earns me nothing but an infuriating smirk. The distrustful skeptic residing in my heart tells me to smack it off his unfairly attractive face. Instead, I end up staring too long. Long enough for him to notice, and my cheeks to warm.Dammit.
Rennick’s wandered off to check in with Canaan and I’m now standing at the passenger side of the car, my fingers draped limply over the handle, as I stare up at the maroon Victorian manor. My home for all these years. The refuge that housed and healed me after my world fell apart. The ache that swells in my chest nearly has me running for the welcoming front door. The one I’ve already double-checked I locked.
I’m not abandoning it,I remind myself for the millionth time tonight.This isn’t forever. I’ll come back. I’ll repair the Nightingale sanctuary, get Potion & Petal open for business again, and get everything back to the way it’s supposed to be. This is only temporary.
Distracted by trying to force myself to believe this mantra, I nearly come out of my skin when a hand lands lightly on my shoulder. My dulled senses have once again failed me and didn’t pick up on someone’s approach.
I whirl around and my heart lifts and sinks at the same time. “Edie…”
Her big dark eyes glisten, already shining with tears, as she gives me a watery smile. “What? You really thought I’d let you leave without saying goodbye?” She laughs but it’s a thin, cracked sound, and I frown.
Behind her, standing under a lamppost, is Lena. Edie’s new scent match and the reason Edie isn’t also climbing into one of the waiting vehicles. My jaw feels tight. I don’t want to resent Lena for pulling Edie away, but it’s hard. Edie’s been mine—my responsibility, my Nightingale—for so long. Letting her go right now feels like tearing at scar tissue.
“I wasn’t sure,” I admit, my throat tightening already. “But I’m happy you’re here. I’m going to miss your face so much, love.”
And just like that, her composure crumbles and she’s throwing herself at me. I press my hands to her back as she clings tight.
“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I’m so sorry I’m not going with you. I can’t—I can’t leave Lena, and she won’t go.”
I hush her, palm rubbing small circles across her shoulder blades. “Hey, no apologies. Not to me. This was always what this was about, remember? Getting you strong enough that you wouldn’t need me hovering over you like some mother hen forever. While I’d selfishly love to keep you forever, that was never my mission. My role was to not only help you remember who you are but also help you discover who youcouldbe. And you are someone who is worthy of a life that doesn’t hurt and a love that heals. You’ve found that, Edie, and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Her arms crush tighter, and I swallow a grunt from the force. “I wouldn’t be here without you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for saving my life.”
“No thanks needed,” I whisper. “Seeing you happy is enough. It’s what makes it worth it.”
She pulls back reluctantly, wiping her cheeks with the heel of her hand.“Lena and I are going to her cousin’s pack an hour or so away. So, I’ll still be close. I can check in on Potion & Petal if you want. Open for a couple hours on weekends if things stay quiet around here. That way I can at least keep your regulars happy.”
“You don’t have?—”
“I want to,” she insists, and this time the smile that blooms on her face is genuine. “For you, but also for me. I love that little shop and I want to keep learning. When this is all over, you’ll come back and teach me more.”
I laugh softly, tugging one of her curls. “Deal.”
She glances past me then, and I follow her gaze. Rennick’s returned and he’s standing near the hood of the jeep. Edie gives him a nod, and he returns it, some silent understanding passing between them that I can’t name.
Edie turns back and hugs me one more time, her voice a whisper at my ear. “Don’t write him off, Noa. He’s a big idiot of a man, yes, but it’s clear he’s trying. Make him earn it, but don’t shut him out completely. Promise me.” Before I can respond, she’s pulling away, backing toward Lena’s waiting arms. “You’re our North Star, Noa Alderwood. Don’t ever forget that!” she calls out suddenly, loud enough for everyone standing on the street to also hear.
Heat rises to my cheeks as heads turn. I force a smile, and it grows wider when she blows me a kiss before disappearing under Lena’s arm. I allow myself to watch the pair walk away for a few seconds before forcing my eyes away so I can take quick stock of the others.
Siggy, Seren with baby Ivey, and the two new omegas are piling into Yrsa’s Suburban. Rhosyn, Canaan, and Zora areloading into one of Fallamhain Pack’s black Escalades that’s also packed to the brim with more supplies. Craddock wolves and Amara’s witches split among their own cars. The street is alive with quiet goodbyes and the thud of doors closing.
Everyone’s ready.
My skin feels tight from the weight of it. Of what we’re about to do. This alliance we’ve scrounged up between us all, it’s unprecedented. Two different wolf packs and a coven of witches in one territory. Under one leadership, too. Rennick’s.
“Noa?”Speak of the Devil. My name draws me back. Rennick stands at my side now, his mouth tipped in one of those small smiles that refuses to let me breathe properly. “What do you say? Ready to go home?”
