Gods, he’smy—
“I can take him.” It’s Wulfric’s voice. He’s close by. Too close. “He should lie down inside.”
No. No one is taking him from me.
He is—
He’s—
A snarl tears from my throat. Fangs slice into my lower lip. In this moment, Wulfric is not my brother. He’s another wolf, come to take away what is mine.
I hear Lyall say, “Gunnar, what’s gotten into you?”
“Stay away from my mate.”
“Mate? The witch is his—” says Anders.
Wulfric’s eyes widen, and he freezes, one hand raised to urge me to stay put.
Pack or not, I will rip into him if he thinks he can—
Arlo’s body thrums with a low laugh. “My, my. What big, strong arms you have, stud. I’m all right.” The relief that hits me when I look into alert brown eyes leaves me breathless. Tension seeps from my shoulders. He’s all right.
Wait. Why does it matter?
Did I truly bare my teeth at my brother? MyAlpha?
Gods! What has come over me?
“I… What happened?” I look from one brother to another. They don’t answer, but the shock on their faces makes my stomach twist painfully.
“You said that I was your mate.” Arlo gazes up at me, wetting his soft-looking lower lip. “Did you mean that?”
We’re so close. All I can smell is the ocean.
My heart leaps in my chest.
My mate.
Arlo is my mate.
But—No. Ihada mate. One I loved. One I chose myself.
I promised Leif that I would never forget him.
I don’t deserve the promise of forever in his scent. I forfeited that right the moment I let my mate and child die.
With a gasp, Arlo falls from my arms. I stumble back, trying to breathe as my heart shatters. “No,” I croak. “I have no mate. Not anymore.”
The hurt that twists Arlo’s face will haunt me until the day I die.
I turn away, unable to bear the sight of the pain I’ve caused, and run into the woods. My fur comes to life as my wolf roars in my soul, trying to make me turn around. I want to give in. To let the beast possess me and do whatever he wants. And gods, he wants Arlo.Needshim.
Tearing the gray fur cloak from my back, I leave it in the dirt and run.
For a time, things quiet down.
Anders goes to live with his mate in the future. Wulfric and Kieran govern the pack and make sure everyone’s healthy and happy. I stop in at the longhouse from time to time just so they know I’m still alive, but most of the time, I’m at my cabin on the outskirts of town. It’s close enough that I have a view of the town below the mountain, but far enough away that I can be alone.
