He looks like he’s going to continue this argument, and I really need him not to. There’s only so much fight I have in me before I drag him off that bike and inside. “You need to go,” I whisper, stroking his jaw, stubble rough under my thumbs.
“Do you want me to?”
“No.” I don’t have it in me to lie. “But it’s what I need. What webothneed.”
He stares at me for the longest time, and I get lost in eyes that hide nothing, until I have to look away.
“Okay,” he says eventually, and even though it’s what I know needs to happen, I’m still gutted by that one word. “But I’m coming back.”
I nod, because I don’t want to say the words in my head. Once he’s away from me, it’ll all change. As I take one last look at my fated mate, I force myself to accept that this might be the last time he stares at me like I’m something he wants.
Am I making the biggest mistake of my life?
Maybe.
But Morgan didn’t ask for any of this. He fell into my life again because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I need to let him go.
“Goodbye.” I go to step back, but he pulls me forward into a bruising kiss that I feel fucking everywhere. It’s rough and demanding, and for this one blissful moment, I sink into it, letting myself feel what it would be like.
It’s both the worst and the absolute fucking best.
For a few amazing seconds I have everything I’ve ever wanted.
And then Morgan pulls back and reality surges back in. “Not goodbye,” he hisses, prodding me in the chest. “This isn’t fucking finished.”
Despite everything I’ve just told myself, I cling to his words and hoard them close as I move back so he can straddle his bike.
I watch the four of them ride out, stealing myself for the pain headed my way. We might not be bonded, but I’m so far along this fucking road that it hurts almost as much to be separated.
Callum comes to stand beside me, and I grip his shoulder as my legs threaten to buckle. He wraps an arm around my waist, holding me up. “I hope you’re right about this,” he mutters, pulling me to his side.
So do I.
Otherwise, I’ve just pushed my future out the door for nothing.
“The only people who know he’s here are the hunters, and Ash. Pretty sure his best friend isn’t a threat to his safety, and we’ve got eyes on the Black Arrows. They haven’t left the house as far as we know.”
“What about the Silver Blades?”
“What about them?” I force myself to look away from the gate. He’s gone. I need to fucking accept it. “As much as they piss me off, we’ve never had a problem with them.”
Cal sighs and runs a hand through hair that’s had a rough couple of hours. “True, I guess.”
“When everyone realises Morgan isn’t going to cause any trouble, he can come back.” Of course, I can’t guarantee that, and the look Cal shoots me as he sets me back on my feet, confirms it.
“That wasn’t what I meant, anyway,” he says quietly, toeing at a loose stone on the ground. When I don’t say anything, he sighs again. “We could’ve found a way, Lynx.”
“No, we couldn’t.”
He rounds on me, lip curling in a snarl. “Fuck off.” He jabs a finger in the direction of the gate. “That was yourmate.”
“Well aware.” I snarl back, getting in his face, but Cal stands his ground.
“If the two of you wanted to complete the bond, we would’ve found a fucking way.”
I close my eyes and tip my head back as the fight drains out of me. “He doesn’t want it.”
Cal scoffs. “You sure about that?”
