The meeting continues. Viktor discusses security protocols. Investigation updates. Plans for rooting out the traitor. I listen. Process. Assess threats and variables like I was trained to do.
But part of my attention stays on what just happened.
Two weeks ago, I was Syndicate. Following orders. Killing for dragon supremacy. A weapon pointed at whatever target leadership chose.
Now I’m here. Accepted by people who should hate me. Fighting alongside wolves for a cause that protects all supernaturals. Not just dragons.
And I have a mate. The bond pulses. Nadia is beside me, her mark on my shoulder, mine on hers.
I touch the mark unconsciously. Feel the slight ache. Fresh claiming.
She notices. Her hand finds mine. Squeezes once.
The meeting wraps up. People filter out. Merric clasps my forearm once. Warrior acknowledgment. The pack says goodbye, promising to stay in touch.
Then it’s just us. Walking back to her quarters.
The corridors are busy. It’s the end of a shift change, and people are moving with purpose. A tactical passes us, heading toward the training facilities. Someone calls out to Nadia about scheduling. She responds without breaking stride.
Normal. We’re just part of the daily rhythm now.
“You okay?” Nadia asks when we’re in a quieter section.
“Yeah.” And I am. “Just processing.”
“Merric’s offer?”
“That. Everything.” I stop walking. Turn to face her. “It feels surreal. Not long ago, I was the enemy. Following orders. Killing for a cause I thought was righteous.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m here. Accepted. Valued.” I pause. “Mated to someone who should hate me but chose me anyway.”
She steps closer. Her hand touches my mark. Possessive and tender at once. “I chose well.”
“So did I.”
She smiles. Small. Genuine. “Life couldn’t be better?”
I think about that. About everything that’s changed. About the people who embraced me despite my past. About the mate bond connecting us. About having a purpose that actually matters.
“No,” I agree. “It couldn’t.”
And it’s true.
Chapter 35
Merric
My pack’s loading up to get the hell out of here. Rook and Sienna throwing gear in the trucks like we’re escaping prison. Dane’s checking weapons for the third goddamn time—paranoid bastard, but that’s why he’s still breathing. Briar’s got us mapped on back roads where we won’t run into any more of Aurora’s bullshit.
Home. Thank fuck. Two days in this concrete coffin is about two days past my limit.
I suck in recycled air that tastes like exhaust and too many bodies sweating their secrets. Makes my skin crawl. My wolf’s been clawing at my ribs since we rolled in, wanting dirt and pine needles and space to run without hitting a fucking wall every ten feet.
Nadia’s staying behind with her dragon. Her call. Can’t exactly throw a strong female over my shoulder and haul her south, especially when she’s already marked her territory. And thatscaled bastard Jericho—he fought hard, bled beside me when it counted. That earns respect. And I don’t give that easily.
Some Aurora kid approaches, all twitchy and smelling like anxiety sweat. Human. Young enough to still think protocol matters. He stops far enough back that I can see he’s worried I might rip his throat out. Not sure why. Maybe it’s my sunny disposition.
