“Fine.” Remington sighed with a hint of amusement. “I don’t want to get lectured every time, anyway.”
“Good, then we have an understanding.” I clapped him affectionately on the back and resumed our journey. He caught up with me and linked his arm in mine. He rested his head on my shoulder as we walked, as if to apologize for creating a fuss.
But I didn’t totally blame him for being anxious. If I saw any sign of Klimt, here or anywhere, I would put a permanent stop to all of Remington’s worries. I hated that I let that bastard get away the first time but I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I knew I’d been reckless in the past, but there was nothing reckless about the way I felt now. My personal determination to stop Klimt was brought forth by my dedication to my new family—both to Remington and our baby.
We travelled all day until we found the abandoned cabin again. By the time we reached it, it was evening. I turned to Remington and asked, “Do you want to stay there for the night?”
“I could use a break,” Remington admitted. “And it would be nice to stay in a house with a bed while we have the chance.”
Before he could walk in, I scooped him up in my arms, one arm beneath his back and one beneath his knees. He let out a surprised yelp, then laughed.
“Since you’re pregnant, I better get used to carrying you around like this,” I said with a grin.
“Nautilus told us literally only last night. It’s not like much has changed. I still look and feel the same, except for the fact that I know there’s a baby in me.”
I put my hand to his belly, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to feel anything. Still, I liked to imagine the baby kicking under my hand. It would only be a few months before it really would.
“I also want to carry you as much as possible before you get too heavy,” I said.
“Excuse you,” Remington said, raising a brow.
I puffed up my chest again. “Sorry, I forgot I’m a big strong alpha. I can definitely carry you even when you’re close to your due date.”
Remington snorted. “Acceptable apology. As long as you actually follow through with that. I’m gonna be really disappointed if you don’t.”
“Consider it done,” I said, kissing his forehead.
15
Remington
As we approachedthe pack’s territory, I began to grow increasingly nervous. I’d been thinking about the way I ran away and feeling ashamed about it. It was so sudden and abrupt. Had I upset the others? If I was in their position, I knew I would’ve been.
“Something on your mind?” Nero asked.
It surprised me that he picked up on it, since I wasn’t frowning deeply or sighing or anything. I knew I wasn’t the best at hiding my feelings, but he seemed to have a supernatural ability to tell when I was upset. Once again, Nero bypassed the annoyance I usually felt when people constantly asked me if I was okay. Probably because he was so spot on about it. Besides, I was trying not bottle up my feelings anymore, especially with my mate.
“Just thinking about the way I left,” I said. “I probably seemed like a little brat about it.”
“How so?”
I bit my lip. “I didn’t give it much planning. It just… happened one day. Like suddenly everything became too much to handle. Every day, I watched the alphas and omegas be in love with each other, raise their kids together, and basically go on with their lives like everything was perfect. And itwasperfect.” I turned away from Nero so he couldn’t see my expression. A rush of shame flooded me. “To be honest, I was jealous. Really jealous. I wanted what they had so badly but I didn’t think it would happen if I just sat there and waited for it to happen. So I left.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” Nero asked casually. “You know, Remmy, there’s a lot of people who don’t have that kind of courage. They just let life happen instead of going out and living it like you did.”
I stopped and stared at him, blinking in shock. “Courage? I wasn’t being courageous, I was running away.”
But Nero shook his head. “Sure, youliterallyran away on all four paws. But what would you have gained by staying? Instead, you grabbed the bull by its horns. Or in this case, the shark by the dorsal fin.” He smiled as he caressed my cheek. “I’m so glad you left that day, because if you hadn’t, it would have taken us a lot longer to be together. It’s because you made a choice to find your own destiny that our paths collided that day.”
I’ve never thought of it that way before, but when Nero said it, it made sense. I knew my pack mates wanted me to be happy. Each of them went on their own journey and found their fated mate in the process. None of them had found happiness just by sitting and waiting, so why would they judge me for it?
This new realization made me smile. “If that’s the case, then I’m glad I took the risk.”
“That’s the spirit.” He ruffled my hair. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t regret my sudden burst of inspiration to leave the canyon, either. If I hadn’t been so impulsive, I might not have run into you when I did.”
I didn’t want to think about what would happen if Nero wasn’t there at the exact moment he showed up. The thought of being alone with Klimt was terrifying. But that was a useless thing to think about because it wasn’t going to happen ever again. Nero would always be by my side, protecting me. I refused to fall into the anxiety trap anymore unless it was truly necessary.
And it wasn’t just my mate. I had the pack, too. They were my family in the way that Dr. Pine, Nishiki and Nautilus were Nero’s family. Even if we weren’t related by blood, the wolf brothers thought of me as one of their own and had told me as such back when Len was still pregnant with the twins. All this time, I’d been tangled in my own negative feelings, unable to see what was right in front of me.
