"Yep."
Farley rubbed the back of his neck. "Quinn. That thing you said. About... You know."
"About fated mates?"
"Right." Farley cleared his throat softly. "I don't—I mean, I've never thought of it as a thing."
My heart fluttered. Did he not believe me? Or was he afraid to believe me, after what he'd been through?
"So what does that mean?" I asked gently.
Farley gave me a serious look. "I like you, Quinn. More than any other alpha I've met."
I tried to reign in the proud, satisfied smile on my face.
"I just need time. Because it's scary as fuck to like someone," he said. "Is that okay?"
"Totally. It wouldn't be the first time a member of my family has needed time to accept being part of a fated pair."
Farley smirked. "A member of your family, huh?"
I blushed, realizing what I'd said, but I wasn't willing to back down because I meant it. "Yeah. And what about it?"
Farley chuckled and ruffled my hair. "Nothing. It was sweet. But still, I doubt your family's gonna jump to welcome a foul-mouthed asshole like me."
I cackled. "You obviously don't know my family. And you're not even that much of an asshole. You just have like, a crumb of assholeness. Most of the time it's well deserved."
His expression softened around the edges. It made me happy to see him lower his guard around me. Maybe my fox was right after all. Sometimes it took time for fated mates to accept their destiny, so I wasn't going to rush Farley into anything. He'd been through enough alpha-induced crap. I'd extended my hand. Now I just had to let him come to me.
Farley suddenly stood up straighter. "I forgot to tell you what I found at the mountain peak."
I was so caught up in my feelings that I'd completely forgotten about our quest to find Mistral. "Right. Go on."
A serious air fell over Farley. "Mistral's there, but... it's complicated."
"How so?"
He blew out a breath. "I didn't see or speak to him. There was somebody else at the top of the mountain. Some spirit named Animus."
The name was like a slap in the face. I sucked in a sharp breath. "Are you serious?"
"I am. Why?"
"He's, like, an evil spirit," I blurted out. "Or at least, that's what I gathered from what my cousin and his mate told me."
"Evil spirit?" Farley echoed, raising his eyebrows. "Guess that explains his weird aura. And the big black horns. And the claws."
"What was he doing there?" I asked.
"Not much. Just sitting outside of a glass house. Waiting." Farley shrugged. "I think Mistral was inside the house, refusing to come out. I guess he's scared of Animus. Not that I blame him. The guy's creepy."
A storm of emotions raged inside me. First of all, Mistralwason the mountain peak. That was amazing. It was a load off my shoulders knowing there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
But I hadn't expected to run into Animus, the spirit that Kamari warned me about. What if he didn't let us pass? If I couldn't speak to Mistral, I wouldn't get my wings.
And I didn't accept that destiny.
A growl built in my throat, but it was cut off as Farley took my hand.
