Still, my gaze finds hers. She isn’t watching the others. Her eyes are on me.
There’s no question in them. No uncertainty. Just quiet understanding with something fiercer beneath it.Pride and the unshakable faith that wherever this path leads, we’re walking it together.
Because this was never just about her alone.
This is about making sure there’s never another chance for someone like Malrik to hurt us again.
And this time, I intend to see it through.
Chapter 28
ROWAN
It’s been over an hour since the council meeting ended, and the alphas were taken back to their packs. Yet, I’m still reeling from the tension as I stare up at my ceiling, like I expect it to explain what just happened. Not only from the intensity each of them brought to that room, but also because of how it ended.
There was a moment near the close of the meeting that no one spoke about. An unspoken agreement that passed between them as something ancient and deliberate moved through the room.
Approval. Acceptance. Purpose.
For a handful of seconds, their collective energy felt so tangible that it brushed against my skin.
No.Throughme.
Their wants, their fears, and even their hopes threaded together until I could feel each one like it belonged to me. All I wanted in that moment was to protect it. To make sure nothing ever shattered them like before.
Just like that, I was an observer again, standing on theoutside as handshakes were exchanged, alliances solidified, and wolves began to leave. The weight lifted, but the echo of it lingered.
You’re bonded to the most powerful alpha in all the packs, Wolf reminds me.There’s bound to be some residual effects.
Themostpowerful?I question. I don’t doubt Cade’s strength, and never will, but that feels like a bold claim even for her.
I’m guessing,she admits,but the fact that he walked away from a council seat out of spite speaks louder than brute force. There’s more than one reason his place was never filled.
Interesting and certainly noted.
A knock sounds at my door, pulling me from my thoughts, and Cade steps inside. His smile twists something warm and reckless in my chest.
“Iris has demanded a family dinner,” he says. “She’s not thrilled with how little she’s seen her granddaughter since you got back.”
That doesn’t surprise me in the least. And honestly, I’m relieved.
I’m starving for food, yes, but also for connection. For something that doesn’t involve councils, prophecies, or one sorcerer-like Ashmark with control issues.
Something tells me we won’t be staying in one place for long now that the council is settled. So, one night of normalcy before we start planning Malrik’s downfall feels necessary.
I sit up and reach a hand toward him. “Show me the way, handsome.”
The word comes out so naturally that I don’t think anything of it until Cade’s cheeks flush, making mebelieve that maybe nobody has ever called him that before.
That might be something I need to change because he deserves to know how incredible he is, inside and out.
Murder tendencies aside.
When Cade helps me to my feet, I end up pressed flush against his chest, the solid warmth of him mending in a way I didn’t realize I needed. NightShade seems to settle around us, as if it approves of the closeness.
“I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet,” he says, stroking the soft spot along my collarbone. “For being so calm and understanding in that meeting. I couldn’t have made that work without you.”
“Happy to be of service,” I promise him with a wide smile. “But let’s not talk about business for the rest of the evening. I actually like Iris’s plans for a family dinner.”
