The fire in the living room crackles invitingly, and I see that Drake has indeed transformed the couch into a nest of comfort for her. The pillows are arranged to support her various injuries,plush blankets folded neatly beside them, a mug of something steaming on the coffee table.
Carefully, I lower Francine onto the couch, arranging her limbs with the utmost care. I’ve done this countless times in the weeks since her accident, but this time feels different.
“You’re soaked,” I say, reaching for a towel Drake must have left nearby. “Let me help you dry off before you catch a chill.”
I expect her to refuse, to maintain the distance between us. But to my surprise, she allows me to gently pat her hair dry, to drape a warm blanket around her shoulders, and to elevate her broken foot on the pillow.
When I’m done, I step back, reluctant to push my luck by lingering too long.
“I’ll give you some space,” I say, turning to go.
“Kieran.”
Her voice stops me in my tracks. I turn back slowly, afraid to hope.
Francine’s hand is outstretched toward me, small and pale against the dark fabric of the couch. I move closer, drawn by that hand like a moth to flame. When I’m within reach, she touches the side of my face, her fingers cold against my skin but so, so gentle.
“I forgive you,” she whispers, those three words undoing me completely.
Tears spring to my eyes, hot and sudden. I try to blink them away, but they spill over anyway, tracking down my cheeks to where her fingers still rest against my jaw. Her skin is like ice, but her touch burns through me, setting fire to parts of my soul I thought had died when I sent her away.
“I don’t deserve it,” I say, my voice raw. “I don’t deserve you.”
“I’m choosing to forgive you. And I’m choosing to stay. Not because I have to, but because I want to.”
I turn my face into her palm, pressing my lips against it, a desperate need to be closer to her in any way she’ll allow.
“I’ll never break your heart again,” I promise, the words inadequate but all I have to offer. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you, if you’ll let me.”
Her lips curve into the smallest smile, but it’s genuine, and it makes my heart expand painfully in my chest.
“I love you,” she confesses quietly.
I lean down, giving her every opportunity to pull away, to change her mind. When she doesn’t, I press my lips to hers in the gentlest kiss I can manage, despite the wolf inside me howling for more.
Her eyes flutter closed, her cheeks flushing that delicate pink that has haunted my dreams since the moment I first saw her. The kiss is brief, chaste, but it feels like coming home after being lost for an eternity.
When I pull back, she opens her eyes, and for the first time since the accident, I see something like peace in her gaze.
“Rest now, love,” I murmur, brushing a strand of damp hair delicately from her forehead, as she smiles at me. I fucking feel complete now.
She’s our omega, I can feel it. My forever.
Thirty-Four
FRANCINE
Three Months Later
The forest isbeautiful today as I walk between Elias and Rowan, my hands clasped in theirs. It’s a peaceful day while Kieran and Drake are out with Nora at a park.
The fresh air fills my lungs, and I can’t help but smile at the simple pleasure of being able to walk without crutches, without pain shooting through my ribs with every step. Three months of careful healing, of being coddled and protected by four alphas have left me feeling restless being at home.
“How are you feeling? Think you can keep going?” Elias asks, his amber eyes studying my face behind his rectangular glasses. His thumb traces gentle circles on the back of my hand.
“Good,” I say, squeezing his hand. “Better than good, actually. I think this is the longest I’ve walked without needing to stop.”
“That’s amazing, sweetheart,” says Rowan, meeting my eyes.
