“Your animal is stronger than you give him credit for. Trust him. Half-bloods usually have those side effects because theycan’tshift, remember? You can. You have full shifter blood in you too.”
He hums weakly. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I nod.
He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Once I got past the shock of it, I kinda loved being a fox. I mean, until when I really wanted to shift, anyway. But the time in between? I enjoyed it.”
I laugh. “I could tell. You were seriously the cutest thing.”
He pinches my side, earning a soft laugh.
“It’s the tail and big ears.”
He looks at me then, eyes full and open. “You were so patient when I got here, Rowen. I mean, all of you were really, but you especially. I was skittish as hell. Even hid in the stupid closet. I didn’t know how to trust anyone.” His fingers trace small lines against my chest. “Except you.”
“Me?”
Tobias nods. “I never understood it, but I trusted you from the beginning.”
My throat tightens. “Your heart must’ve known.”
“Mmm.” He kisses my chest.
I bury my nose in his hair, breathing him in. All his warmth, his familiarity, his friendship—it’s all home to me now. Sure, this house and the pack are too, but this… right here… thisis where I belong.
In this fragile, quiet peace, I know exactly who I am now. The world outside is fractured, with threats lurking and shadows gathering, but I know where my place is in it. And I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, thanks to him. More certain now of my path. My purpose isn’t on some stage, or wrapped up in some destiny. It’s right here.
In my arms.
With this man.
“I love you, Tobias,” I whisper.
He smiles, brushing his lips against mine. “I love you too.”
And for the first time in what feels like forever, everything is right.
We’ll regroup and save our brother, but for tonight, for this moment, everything is as it should be.
44
ROWEN
The woods are still scarred from the fight. I can see it in the broken branches and churned-up soil, the faint ash-scent that clings even after the rain. But in the light of late afternoon, with gold spilling between the trees like honey, it almost looks peaceful. Healing.
Tobias walks beside me in silence. We haven’t said much in the last couple of days. Not because we don’t want to, but because time doesn’t feel so borrowed. He still moves like a man half-ready for battle, his shoulders coiled, eyes sharp, like the animal inside him is always scratching under the surface. Maybe soon he’ll be ready to shift again, I don’t know.
But there’s something new in him too—something softer. Warmer. A peace now that makes his gray-blue eyes a little lighter. It’s a good look on him.
Every few yards, he reaches out to brush our fingers together, giving me a shy but unguarded smile. It makes joy bubble in my chest. What did I do that fate would decide to make this man mine?
The air smells of pine and damp earth, the soil softening and preparing for spring. Birds flicker through the canopy and I’ve seen a few pregnant deer running through the trees. It’s refreshing and calm, though still a bit chilly.
William and his pack run past us through the trees. They’ve been sleeping in the forest as wolves and only coming inside to shower or eat. They’re clearly heartbroken, and my heart aches for them, yet their willingness to stay and fight has not gone unnoticed. Even Bronson has voiced his appreciation, inviting them to stay on their land if they want.
The sound of the shutter pulls me back to Tobias, and I chuckle when I see he’s looking at me.
“Why are you taking a picture of me?”
