“Bastian said you betrayed us for a woman.” Jonas’s voice has lost its edge. Now he just sounds tired. “He said you threw away everything we built because some Llewelyn female spread her legs for you.”
“Bastian is a liar who says whatever serves his interests. You know that.”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “I needed to hear you say it. I needed to know that all those years of you telling me family comes first actually meant something.”
“Caelan is my mate. My true mate. The bond between us isn’t something I chose or planned. It just happened, and once it did, I couldn’t ignore it any more than I could ignore my own heartbeat. But that’s not why I left Thornridge. I was alreadylooking for a way out before I ever met her. She just gave me a reason to stop waiting and start acting.”
“Because you love her.”
“Yes.”
I can see my brother turning that information over in his mind, trying to fit it into the framework of everything he thought he knew about me. About us. About what loyalty and family actually mean.
“I don’t know how to do this,” he admits. “I don’t know how to be someone other than a Thornridge wolf. It’s all I’ve ever been.”
“That’s not true. You were a Silverbend wolf first. Our father’s son. You just don’t remember it.” I reach out and rest my hand on his shoulder, the first physical contact we’ve had since the battle. “Reeyan is going to help you learn about pack history. About where we really came from. About the kind of wolves our ancestors were before Mordaunt’s father destroyed everything. You might find that the person you’re supposed to be isn’t as far away as you think. I’m not leaving you again, Jonas. Whatever happens next, you’re my brother. That hasn’t changed. It never will.”
His eyes glisten, but he blinks the moisture away before it can become anything more. Twenty-four years of Thornridge conditioning taught him that tears are weakness, and that lesson won’t disappear overnight. But the fact that he’s feeling anything at all tells me the boy I knew isn’t completely gone.
“I don’t forgive you,” he declares. “Not yet. Maybe not for a long time.”
“I know.”
“But I’m willing to try. To see if there’s something on the other side of all this that’s worth fighting for.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
The guards knock on the door to signal that Reeyan has arrived. Jonas straightens his spine and composes his face. The vulnerability I caught sight of disappears behind a mask I recognize all too well. We both learned how to hide ourselves in Thornridge. We both learned that showing your true face was an invitation for others to exploit your weaknesses.
Maybe someday, neither of us will need those masks anymore.
Reeyan enters and nods to me before addressing Jonas. “Your quarters are ready. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
Jonas follows him out without looking back. I watch them go until they disappear around the corner, then I release a breath.
Caelan is exactly where I left her, leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself. She straightens when she sees me.
“How did it go?”
“About as well as I could have hoped. He’s angry, hurt, and confused. But I think he’s willing to try.”
“That’s something.”
“It’s everything.” I take her hand and press a kiss to her knuckles. “Thank you for waiting.”
“Always.”
Footsteps sound down the corridor, and I turn to find Maeve approaching us. The Hysopp seer looks even moreunsettling than usual, with her pale eyes fixed on Caelan like she’s seeing something the rest of us can’t.
“I need to speak with you,” Maeve says. “Both of you.”
Caelan frowns. “About what?”
“About what I saw. What I finally understand.” Maeve stops a few feet away from us. “When Evangeline married you in the Hysopp territory, I told her she had to proceed despite your protests. I said you were the glue. I couldn’t explain what that meant at the time. The visions don’t always make sense until after the events they predict have come to pass.”
“And now?” I ask.
“Now I understand.” Maeve’s eyes move between us. “Your bond with Patrick created a bridge, Caelan. A path for wolves who wanted out of Thornridge but didn’t know how to leave. They saw Patrick choose you over his pack. They saw him risk everything for something other than power or survival. And it showed them that another way was possible.”
