I didn’t know how they all ignored the naked thing, but maintaining eye contact with Declan’s blue eyes wasn’t exactly a hardship. All the siblings had them, as well as a lithe but muscular frame that filled out into gentle curves on his sisters. I guess when you grew up as a shifter there was different etiquette around such things.
I edged across the churned forest floor where the wolves dug in their claws. Ned kept pace, the stuffed bear back in his mouth, guarding me like I was the weakest member of the pack. I stepped over the border and that connection to Declan tugged me to his side. Magicitched under my skin, wanting out. No wonder Declan hesitated. Sombermane seemed to have magic living in the air.
“We thought you might have forgotten how to get back here.” She turned to me. “You must be the one with the sense of direction.” The tallest sister shoved Declan’s shoulder.
Declan quirked a smile. “Missed you too, Briggs.”
“The pack will be ecstatic that you’ve returned,” she said.
“I already feel better,” the youngest, Eilie said.
“And Momma, well, she’s going to fly over the moon when she meets…”
I blinked into the pause, realizing they were all staring at me. I wiped my face just in case I had dirt all over it.
“My mate,” Declan chirped.
My WHAT?!
Chapter 5
Declan
The stomp of Fallon’s feet echoed in the forest. Anyone could tell Fallon was madder than a dry salamander. I thought there would have been more time as we made our way up here for me to somehow explain the minor hurdle to my plan. She had slept for a good portion of the journey. Perhaps I had been too dazzled by the fact she splayed on my back. And too worried about what the Old Magic would do when I had a mate in tow.
Those letters were right. It returned with me.
Not that it stopped my siblings from being nosey as hells.
Briggs approached first and I didn’t miss how Fallon kept her eyes glued to my sister’s face. Ward’s shifters generally kept their clothes on at all times. He even put baskets of them around the Keep for those of us whodidn’t have the magic to create them ourselves. The Old Magic probably would have whipped something up for Briggs, so she actively chose to make Fallon uncomfortable.
I couldn’t stop a soft growl from slipping out. Briggs hesitated, but put Fallon between us.
“We didn’t think Declan would ever find his mate, even if we hoped. You must be one brave woman.”
“Brave or stupid, it’s hard to tell some days.” Fallon maintained eye contact with me the whole time.
Briggs snickered as we started off toward home. My anxiety didn’t lessen with the welcoming committee. In fact, I had more to be nervous about. Sombermane wasn’t like other places in the Harrowlands. Maybe it was the isolating geography, or the wolves that kept the old traditions. Perhaps we were just too stubborn to conform. We maintained a connection to the Old Magic for generations until my father broke its trust. Crossing the border had it filling me to the brim in greeting. By the shine in my siblings’ eyes, it did the same for them. They couldn’t have had it easy with it missing all these years, when it had been part of the fabric of our lives.
“Scout ahead, wolves. I need to speak to my mate.”
Cosomo whistled and drew his finger across his neck like I was about to be murdered, but they did as I asked.
Fallon was definitely more of a lone wolf, reliant only on herself. It would be a Goddess’ miracle if I could drawher closer to me while walking the fine line of my obligations. The stubborn woman tromped on as I searched for words. It didn’t matter that the towering pines didn’t have so much as a game trail for her to follow. Godds knew she was going to get to Nightfell under her own power even though she was tired, hungry, and covered in road grime.
My siblings were far enough ahead of us as we trekked through the territory that I whispered to her.
“I can explain, Honey.” Just not fully when the magic that returned with me remained so fickle. With our bond incomplete, how would it judge us? Full mates whose broken bond sent it into hiding? Unfinished mates who needed completion for the Old Magic to answer our prayers?
“I don’t think you could possibly explain why you said the M-word regarding me.”
Setting aside all of our wolfie secrets, I wasn’t sure if I should take that personally. “Am I really that bad?”
She reluctantly uncrossed her arms. Ned nudged her, wanting to play and she threw a stick rather forcefully into the woods. At least it wasn’t at my head.
“There’s a plan, Declan. It might have been a hastily sketched plan, but it didn’t include me being mated to you.”
There always was a plan with Fallon. She would checklist anything to death. I just had to make her see that checking a few of my boxes was also checkinga few of hers. The Old Magic was my problem. Her magic was her problem. We would work on it together.
