I’d never be able to forgive myself.
“They don’t think you’re a danger. But if we leave here, I’m a danger to both of us. Becoming part of this pack, staying together… Honestly, I think it’s the best way. If I was alone, maybe I wouldn’t stay, but I’m here with you, and I don’t want to separate. Ever.”
“You’re my mate. I will always be by your side.”
We went back and forth, both feeling the same about which direction we should choose, but still going over the same information ad nauseam. We leaned back, lying on the bed with our legs dangling off, still holding hands. We didn’t speak, both of us thinking about everything that had happened and the choice before us.
“Roland,” I finally said, “I have a decision. Let’s stay. Let’s be part of this community.”
“That’s what I want, too.” He rolled onto his side, and I did the same. “Should we go tell them now?”
“Let’s tell them at pack dinner.”
We arrived early, giving me an opportunity to tell them about the horse I’d scented. I explained everything, and to my surprise, they weren’t mad, like I’d have been in their place. They collectively agreed that if I was going to work, we were going to have to figure out a way to keep me safe there and back. They believed the same way I did, that being at work wouldn’t be a safety issue with so many humans around. It was the traveling to and from that made me vulnerable.
After the pack all arrived, we told them that we’d made our decision, that we wanted to become part of the pack at Stoney River. Auden hugged me, telling me how happy he was that I decided to stay. And our meal was filled with people telling us how excited they were to have new members.
Dinner wasn’t fancy, but it was perfect. There was homemade mac and cheese, salad, garlic bread, and a few veggie sides. I noted that the meal was vegetarian, despite so many carnivores in the mix.
All the meals I’d had here always had vegetarian options, but this one was exclusively so, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew when they were cooking that this was going to be a celebration of our decision.
For the first time, when I was around the entire pack, no one asked me weird unicorn questions. They just talked to me like I was a person. It was so normal, which was exactly what I longed for.
As we ate our dessert, homemade cookies, we discussed plans for the big ceremony. I was nervous and excited, but most of all thrilled that I was going to get to become a part of this pack forever, something I hadn’t dared to dream of fully before this moment.
18
BRYDEN
I was up early and showered before the sun was up.
The ceremony wasn’t until ten, and we were having breakfast in our room, not the dining hall. The ceremony would be in Creven’s office. It was nothing fancy, with only a handful of shifters present.
Taking a deep breath, I boiled water for coffee and got milk from the fridge for cereal. I sat outside on the porch eating and watching the pack wake up. The guards were changing shifts, and they acknowledged me with a head bob. Of course they knew who I was, who we were, because the heightened security was for our benefit.
School began early in the pack, so the kids would be done by lunch time and avoid the heat of the afternoon. Flustered parents brushing their child’s hair or asking if they’d done their homework raced past me toward the school. The pack members assigned to catch fish were returning with their haul, and knowing I was a bear shifter, they told me to make sure I ate dinner in the dining hall this evening.
The fruit pickers wandered toward the orchard with their baskets, and Evelyn, who was an early riser, bustled toward the library, muttering she’d have to do all the reshelving today.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, Evelyn.”
“Just make sure you’re there for story time.”
With everyone going about their day, our ceremony, which was so important to us, would be just another workday for most of the pack. And that was how we preferred it. Neither of us wanted to make it a big deal.
“There you are.” Roland was holding a mug, and he kissed my cheek and slumped into the chair beside me. “I thought you’d raced off to the ceremony on your own.”
That was a joke, but I wasn’t in the mood for laughing. I wanted the formalities over so we’d officially be part of the pack and could move on from the will they or won’t they let us join.
“Maybe once we’re pack, you can suggest that the dining hall make more vegetarian options.”
Roland agreed because he and the zebras were at war.
“Have you decided what you’re wearing today?” He blew on this coffee.
“Just a tee and jeans. There’s no reason to dress up. I’ll remove the T-shirt before Creven makes the cut.”
Roland was disappointed because he wanted to take photos and frame them, and my T-shirts were all secondhand.
