“I thought proving myself meant enduring it and fighting harder regardless of what it did to me,” Naia continues, taking a deep breath as resolve surrounds her now, making her look more open and less restrained by something she didn’t yet understand. “But it didn’t. It just made it easier for them to use me.”
I hold her gaze, heart softening while I digest her words and feel the honesty in them. “You never had the chance to see it sooner. It’s hard to recognize conditioning when you’re still in it.”
“I know,” she says gently with a conceding nod. “But you helped me see that my life could be different. That I’m more than what they think of me, and more than whatever fickle purpose Hayes had for me.”
“And now?” I ask as a new sort of pride washes over me.
Even back in Wraith Peak, I only ever wanted to help her, and to know I’ve had this much of an impact is surreal in a way.
Naia doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t want that life anymore, and I don’t want to be a weapon. I refuse to spend my life trying to earn something I didn’t need in the first place.”
With every word she speaks, I feel the knots in my stomach coming loose, and my shoulders relax while I look down at her. “And what do you want now?”
Her eyes soften while she looks up at me, as if not a day has gone by since our last time sitting together in the woods while she talked for hours on end, and I could hardly get a word in. That alone crumbles whatever remains of the walls I’ve had up for years.
“You,” she says, hitting me so hard with such simplicity. “And the pack. This life you’ve been working hard to build.”
The bond surges with comforting warmth as it pulls tight between us.
Without thinking, I step closer and reach for her hand. “Yeah?”
She nods once, and a small smile plays at her lips. “I mean it.”
I believe her, not only because of the bond or anything instinctual, but because I can see and feel it right in front of me. She’s not trying to get away from me or to fight for a fruitless cause. She’s being vulnerable and exceptionally clear about what she wants.
I pull her closer by the hand, watching as she gladly moves with it.
“Good,” I say quietly, using my opposite hand to gently brush her cheek. “I’m not running anymore.”
Her brows pinch together lightly in silent question, and I continue.
“I spent a long time walking away from things…From Wraith Peak and everything that tied me to it. I struggled for so long to find my place there, so I had to find it somewhere else. But you’re not something I can walk away from. You’re not something I’ll leave behind when it gets complicated,” I tell her honestly, leaving myself open and raw emotionally. “You’re it for me, Naia.”
Her breath catches quietly, and I feel it through the bond. I feel that mutual affection between us, and it’s more grounding and satisfying than anything I’ve ever experienced before.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her as I lean in a bit closer, wanting to be as near as possible. “Not now, not ever. If you stay, then it will be us from now on.”
Naia’s pulse spikes from the proximity, and she makes no move to pull away. “I already said yes,” she reminds me with a subtle lift in her brow.
“Say it again for me.”
Without missing a beat, she rises to the challenge, lips parting while our breath mingles. “I choose you, and us.”
The bond snaps tighter now, like it’s locking into place in a deeper, more complete way.
Immediately, everything in me settles, and my inner wolf nearly preens beneath that notion.
My thumb skims gently along her cheekbone while I drink her in, savoring every second of this. “That’s all I need. And I choose you, too.”
Naia doesn’t pull away or hesitate.
When I close the distance between us, there’s no anger or resentment left to be found. Instead, it’s just us, the warm press of her lips on mine, and the certainty that neither of us is going anywhere.
Chapter 30 - Naia
The water is warm as it surrounds us both in the bathtub.
Zane sits behind me with his arms loosely around my middle, cheek pressed against the side of my head, while he soaks it all in.
