It’s a question I never thought I’d be able to ask again. Not from a place of hope. Not with so many secrets pressing against my ribs, bruising me from the inside out. I killed someone. Malrik molded something inside of me I don’t fully understand. And I left—no explanations, no goodbyes, no trust.
Part of me expects Cade to hesitate or to pull away.
But he doesn’t.
“Soon,” he promises, placing a kiss on the back of my hand that he still clings to.
Elias holds up the heat gun like a weapon of vengeance, adding dryly, “Right after I fry a vampire.”
Liz kicks him hard enough to have the shifter stumbling a few steps as she snarls. “I heard that.”
Oh, these two are going to be a nightmare, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“How are we getting back?” I ask no one in particular.
“Liz, Elias, and I drove before, but Iris is sending a helicopter for us now,” Cade says as if that’s completely normal.
I blink several times. “My grandmother owns a helicopter?” This shouldn’t surprise me, but…
He nods, clearly not impressed. “Or she at least has immediate access to one.”
“When did you even talk to her?” I’m growing more confused by the second. I haven’t seen him on a phone once since he entered the cave, and he hasn’t left my side.
Cade taps the side of his head. “My alpha connection to the pack. I can communicate with those still at NightShade. It’s not something I took advantage of before, but…” He glances at Elias, then back at me. “We’ll talk about it more when we’re back.”
Right. While his tone is calm, steady, and sure, a knot pulls tight in my chest.
Thane mentions something about feeding those that he can, which I take to mean they aren’t willing to bring Liz a cup of blood. But I can’t tear my gaze away from Cade even while the others talk around us.
He’s clearly changed as well. Not in a bad way. Just in one that tells me he’s been through a storm during my absence, and he’s carried more than his share of the weight to get to this moment.
Guilt floods me, trickling into places I’ve kept sealed. Did I force Cade back into a role he never wanted? Did my disappearance shove him into a leadership position he isn’t ready for or even wants?
He was born to be alpha,Wolf murmurs.He would have found his way eventually.
Maybe.
But that doesn’t make the worry any lighter on my heart.
Chapter 16
ROWAN
The helicopter touches down on the front lawn with a thrum that vibrates through my ribs. Wind kicks up flakes of frost and torn pine needles, scattering them across the grass like confetti for a celebration I’m not sure I’m ready to attend. The world blurs for a moment, and then the blades slow, and reality catches up with me.
NightShade Manor.
Something in my chest recognizes the place instantly, pulling taut like a cord that’s been stretched for too long. But another part of me recoils. It feels foreign now—too open, too bright, too alive after weeks of being captive. Like I’ve stepped out of the shadows and sunlight is a razor scraping across my skin.
Cade helps me down, his palm warm on my lower back. Marius stays close but respectful, hanging back with the awkwardness of a father who desperately wants to protect but doesn’t know the rules yet.
Wolf’s presence piques.Why are you not sure you want to be here?
I don’t know, I answer honestly.I’m not the same person I was when I left.
That’s a good thing, she reminds me gently.
I know she’s right, but it doesn’t lessen the uncomfortableness coursing through me.
