His brow furrows. “Why?”
I look away, pressure building in my throat. “Because I’m a hybrid.”
The silence stretches between us, heavy and painful. Then, his fingers find my chin, gently turning my face back to him. “I understand why you thought that. But Violet, you shouldnever doubt my feelings for you. What I feel for you goes beyond the fated mate bond. Even if I hadn’t discovered the truth about the massacre, I would have come for you.”
My heart stutters.
“You’re mine, hybrid or not. You’ve always been mine.”
I take a shaky breath, trying to process his words, trying to believe them.
“Violet.” His voice drops lower, becomes more intense. “I love you.”
I blink as emotion pricks at my eyes.
“I’ve made mistakes,” he continues, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. “And I wish I knew how to fix them. But I love you with every breath in my body, and my place is always going to be beside you. I’m sorry I made you feel like I would abandon you. I’m sorry I made you doubt me. I’m sorry that I made you believe you would be nothing more than a secret.”
I stare at him, seeing the truth written plainly across his face, in every line of his body. He means it. Every word.
I lift my hand and press it over his mouth, cutting off whatever else he was going to say.
“I don’t want you to apologize anymore,” I tell him.
He looks surprised. Against my palm, I feel him say, “I don’t know what else to do.”
“I want to know what our future is.”
He takes my hand from his mouth and kisses the back of it with a tenderness that makes my chest ache. “It’s whatever you want it to be. I’m the alpha of the pack now, but if you want to leave, I’ll give the position to somebody else. I’ll go wherever you want to go.”
My eyes widen. “You would leave the pack for me?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. “I would leave everything for you.”
The weight of that promise settles over me, and I don’t know what to do with it. This man, this alpha who just claimed leadership of his pack, is offering to walk away from it all. For me.
“I’ll think about it,” I whisper.
He kisses each of my fingers, his lips lingering against my skin. “Take all the time you need.”
A different worry suddenly surfaces. “My mother?”
His expression goes neutral. “Ryker got her to safety, but her wounds were bad. She’s in another room, recovering.”
Relief washes over me. I knew Ryker rescued her, but hearing that she’s here, that she’s being treated, makes it real. “I want to see her.”
“I’ll arrange it.”
He stands, still holding my hand for a moment longer before letting go. The loss of his touch leaves me cold, but I don’t say anything as I watch him go, his shoulders set with determination.
Twenty minutes feel like an eternity. I lie there, staring at the ceiling, my mind spinning with everything that has happened. Alaric is dead. Zion shot me. The truth about the massacre is out. Darius loves me.
I don’t know what to do with any of it.
The door opens, and a nurse brings my mother in. She’s in a wheelchair, bandages visible beneath her hospital gown. The moment she sees me, she starts to cry.
“Oh, Violet,” she sobs.
I try to sit up, but my body screams in protest. Strong hands catch my shoulders, and I realize Darius followed her in. He eases me back down gently.
