I nod as I pour him his beer. “I think so, but there’s one thing I don’t get. Lyall told me about what my father did to your pack. He said everyone thought I’d betrayed them. So why did you help bring us together?”
Anders takes a gulp of his beer. “I learned that we were wrong. I’d let grief and rage cloud my judgment of your character. I owe it to my brother to help make things right.”
Jamie smiles at me. “It’s great things are working out for you guys.”
“How’d your dinner go? Lyall said he was visiting.”
Anders frowns and Jamie coughs. “It was… fine,” Jamie says, not convincing me for a second.
“I wish I could have been there.”
Anders shakes his head. “It isn’t safe.”
There’s an ache in my chest at the reminder. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to meet Lyall’s family or if we’ll always have to hide our relationship.
Always. Am I really that far gone for him already?
“There’s really no way you can convince the rest of your family that I didn’t betray them?” It’s not fair that Lyall has to keep such a big secret from his family.
“That would be risky at best and dangerous at worst,” Anders says. “Wulfric has let go of a lot of the guilt he carried from that day thanks to Kieran’s help. But Gunnar…” He shakes his head, brows furrowing as if just thinking of his brother pains him. “It would destroy him. He would go berserk.”
“Berserk?”
Jamie clears his throat. “Wolves from an Alpha bloodline like Anders and his brothers are stronger than most regular shifters, but that power comes at a cost. They can lose control of themselves and be taken over by their wolf if they don’t claim a mate.”
I’m shocked Lyall didn’t tell me this. “Is Lyall in danger of that happening?”
Anders shakes his head. “No. But Gunnar is. I fear if he learned that you two were seeing each other, it would push him over the edge.”
“What would happen then? Could he ever be helped?”
The sigh that shudders from Anders’s chest is so pained, I wish I hadn’t asked. “There are two options a berserker has. The Council can strip them of their wolf. Or their Alpha can kill them.”
My stomach twists painfully. “That’s it?”
“Aye. So you understand why you must keep things secret, don’t you?”
I do, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less, for me or Lyall.
He should be here any moment. My heart races in anticipation, as if it’s been months since I’ve seen him. Whenever we’re apart, he’s all I can think about, and when we’re together, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. How long will these feelings last? Willwelast?
My worries turn the fluttering in my stomach into painful, nervous cramping. Best not to think about it.
“Soren!” Lyall waves at me as he squeezes through a pack of tourists.
I can’t help but grin. I meet him halfway, holding him tight as if we haven’t seen each other all week. His shoulders are tense, but as I bring him close, his body relaxes and he leans into me with a quiet exhale.
“Missed you,” I tell him, squeezing him. “You okay?”
“I am now. Gods, I missed you too.”
I wonder what’s been troubling him, but before I can ask, Lyall grasps the nape of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. I can’t help my contented hum as the sweetness in his kiss makes my head spin. Our bodies fit together perfectly, and he kisses me with the familiarity of long-time lovers. Like we’ve done it a thousand times before.
When he pulls back, it’s to rest his forehead against mine. “How are you?”
“After that kiss? Pretty fucking amazing. How about you?”
He chuckles, brushing his knuckles along my cheek. “Better now that you’re here.”
