'Yes, it is.'
He closed his eyes at the starkness in her voice. And knew that for now, it was.
Neva winced as the needle slid into her forearm. 'Sorry,' the doctor said, much too cheerfully. 'But I can't do much about it. Tetanus shots are never pleasant, no matter how careful we are.'
She nodded vaguely, her attention more on what was going on in the other room than what the doctor was doing to her arm. They'd been at the rangers' office f or over an hour now. Because of the fire at the hospital, the emergency doctors had come to them, looking after her, Duncan, Iyona and Betise. Only
Rene had gone on to the emergency room.
She hadn't seen Duncan since they'd come here, and she desperately needed to see him, to talk to him.
Needed to make him understand why she'd come to the decision she had. Savannah was probably talking to him, as she couldn't see her sister, either. But Betise and Iyona were visible--the older wolf cursing and fighting every order, the younger wolf catatonic, not responding to anyone or anything. A living, breathing zombie.
Neva closed her eyes, not wanting to see what she'd done. And yet part of her didn't regret it. Betise had killed without remorse, and would have killed her and Duncan, and anyone else who got in the way of her mad scheme. 'Don't go lifting anything heavy for the next couple days,' the doctor said. 'And if there's any sign of soreness or infection, go straight to the emergency room.' She nodded and slipped off the table, walking into the other room. That's when she saw her parents. She stopped and met her father's gaze for a moment, saw the relief and worry haunting the green of his eyes. Her mother started towards her, tears on her face and one hand outstretched. Neva spun away, not ready or willing to talk to either of them just yet, and walked down the passage to Savannah's office. Her sister was there. So was
Duncan. Savannah rose and walked around her desk. 'I'll leave you two alone.' She placed her hand on
Neva's good arm, and squeezed it lightly. Then she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Duncan rose from the visitor's chair. Neva let her gaze travel up the long, lean length of him, etching it into her memory. Though in truth, it already was. His left arm was in a sling, and there were scratches across his beautiful face.
He didn't step any closer, just reached out, cupping her cheek with his palm, letting his thumb brush warmth across her trembling lips. She briefly closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him, battling the tears that suddenly threatened her control.
'You haven't changed your mind?' he asked softly. 'No.' It came out little more than a tortured whisper.
He stepped closer, his dark eyes holding hers, shimmering with deep determination. And love. 'I won't give up on us, you know that, don't you?'
'Yes.' The word seemed to stick somewhere in her throat. She swallowed, but it didn't ease the burning in her throat. Didn't ease the burning in her chest. 'I have no choice, Duncan, not with my father's ultimatum. I can't walk away from my family.'
'Nor do I expect you to. But I intend to come back to Ripple Creek, and I intend to make your father see that we were meant to be.'
'My father will never accept you.'
'I won't give up,' he repeated, his breath warm against her lips. 'You are mine, Neva. You always will be.' He kissed her. Softly. Sweetly. Then he turned and walked out the door.
It felt like her heart had shattered. Pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before welled, and she raised a hand to her mouth, holding back the sobs. Holding in the need to cry out his name as the echo of his footsteps grew softer, until all that was left were the caress of his scent on the air and the taste of him on her lips. A sob escaped. She closed her eyes and slumped back against the desk. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she swiped at them impatiently. She wouldn't cry here. Wouldn't cry in front of her parents.
Heartbreak could wait until she was alone.
And alone was something she'd be for the rest of her life.
She bit her lip and pushed away from the desk. Savannah was standing next to their parents, and all three were standing near the exit. As much as she didn't want to talk to anyone right now, she had no choice but to approach her family.
The relief so evident in her father's expression had Neva clenching her fists.
'It is for the best,' he said gruffly. 'You deserve far better than a man with a past like his.'
'Father, you have no idea what you're talking about,' Savannah said, voice sharp and impatient. 'Why don't you just get over--'
Neva touched her sister's arm, stopping her from saying anything else, and met her father's gaze squarely. 'Did you marry your soul mate?'
He frowned. 'You know I did.'
'And don't you wish both Savannah and me the same happiness?'
'Yes, of course, but--'
'There are no buts, Father. And you've made me choose between my family and my soul mate.'
And with that, she pushed past them and walked out the door.
Chapter Sixteen
'I'm really tempted to give the old bastard a piece of my mind,' Ari said as she plopped down in the booth seat opposite Neva. 'I mean, how dare he spout words of tolerance to the council when he's not even practicing it in his own backyard?'
Neva smiled as she swished the straw through the froth of her strawberry shake. 'He'll fire you again.'
Ari airily waved the comment away. 'He's fired me three times this week already. We both know he can't afford to lose me. You and I are the only ones crazy enough to work for peanuts.'
That was certainly true. She sipped her drink and glanced out the diner's window. Nearly two months had passed since Duncan had left, and spring had truly come to Ripple Creek. But the warmth hadn't touched her heart. And wouldn't. Not until he came back into her life. And that couldn't happen soon enough. She blinked back the sting of tears and tried not to think about him. Tried not to think about the long nights of dreaming about his touch and waking to nothing more than loneliness and despair.
But at least not seeing or talking to him for so long had convinced her of two things. The first being the fact that she loved him, heart and soul, and wanted him in her life no matter what the cost. And the second being she was the biggest goddamned coward on Earth for letting him walk away from her that night. They should have confronted her parents together. Should have given them the ultimatum to accept their relationship if they wanted to be a part of her and Duncan's future. But even when her heart had been breaking, part of her had still ref used to believe love could happen so fast. Nor had she believed the ritual they'd performed was real--not until the next full moon, when the moon's heat did little more than make her ache for his caress. They were one, now and forever, committed to each other heart and soul.
And if her parents couldn't accept that, too bad. She had come to the point where she was more than willing to walk away--except when it came to Savannah. A hand slid across Neva's, and her gaze jumped to her friend's.
'Your father is a fool,' Ari said softly. 'But I'm beginning to think you're a bigger one. If you love this man so much, go after him, babe. Your parents will come to their senses once they see how happy you are together.' Neva's smile was slightly bitter. 'It's not quite as simple as that.'
'Crap.' Ari leaned back in the seat and crossed her arms. 'Do you love him?'
'Yes.'
'Does he love you?'
'Yes.'
'Then what else is there to worry about? Go get your man, and to hell with your parents.'
'My father swore an oath to the moon that I'd be evicted from the pack should I continue my relationship with Duncan.'
