Cade continued, “The packs are territorial and despise Arca, for good reason. But I suspect they’ll take in deserting shifters looking for asylum.”
“We’re deserting!?” I blurted.
“Yes,” Cade said without a shred of hesitation.
“Why?”
“There’s nowhere in New Arca that is safe for youanymore. Our job is to protect you, and we can’t guarantee that here. We also can't protect you on our own. There's four of us against an entire military. We need allies.”
“I could just leave. You could stay. None of you need to throw your life away for me. You’ll all be criminals.”
Ryker snorted. “Kitten, I was already walking the line. You’re just giving me the final push.”
I glared. It only made him grin harder.
“Do you know what happens to mates who separate?” Talon asked quietly.
“No… I guess they miss each other?”
“It’s worse. It feels like torture, Rowan. The bond keeps pulling, demanding closeness, punishing distance. It's beyond painful, and even without the packmate-bond, you’re part of this unit. We don’t abandon each other,” Talon explained.
My chest tightened.
“What about the shifter colony?” I asked, turning to Cade. “I’m a shifter and Talon is too, but what about Killian, Ryker, and you? What if they don’t take you? What if—”
“We’ll deal with it if it happens,” Cade said. “They may accept us as your mates. Pack structure is sacred to shifters. For now, we prepare. We'll move through the old base on foot. Pack light. Ammo and essentials only.”
Ryker mumbled, “Nothing like a scenic hike with a backpack full of bullets through terrain infested with direworgs, wraiths, and rabid shifters!”
I ignored him.Mostly.
Cade continued, “But you can bring one or two personal items. Choose wisely. Maybe you'd like to bring this, Rowan…”
He stood, walked to the kitchen, and returned holding something tiny in his hand.
A cactus.
For me!
A stupid little potted plant, like the ones I used to nurture. Like the ones they had left to wither and die when they kidnapped me. I had mourned them!
Except… this one was alive. Small, bright green, and thriving.
“A present, for putting up with… us,” Cade said awkwardly, offering it carefully, as if it were fragile or sacred.
The breath left my body.
I wrapped my hands around the pot, feeling the cool ceramic against my palms. My emotions surged so fast they nearly drowned me.
He must have gone through hell to find it. A cactus wasn’t something you stumbled upon at the Border Front Base. He had to have searched, bargained, or traded to get it for me.
Cade, who was always stern, stoic, and disciplined to the bone.
Cade, who carried the weight of command as if it were stitched into his spine.
Cade, who did not do sentimental.
He was allowing me to make room for something that had no tactical value, no purpose, nothing to help our survival.
