Whatever held the witches back long enough for us to reach Archer’s pack was a godsend. Because as much as it sucks to admit, Cleo is right—the East Pack is the weakest, the smallest, and the easiest to overtake.
We slow outside Archer’s small house. Only when I’m no longer running does the pain kick in. The pads of my paws are on fire, and my joints ache. I want nothing more than to fall onto Archer’s couch and crash for days.
Not gonna happen. The day’s not over yet, and I gotta be ready to run again.
In the cool, dim living room, we all shift back to human form, and it’s almost funny how we all look just as strung out in our human forms as we did in wolf. Archer has dark circles under his eyes, and Trystan’s slumped over like his shoulders don’t even want to hold him up. Dare limps casually to the couch and sinks into the cushions, oblivious to the fact he just put his bare ass on another man’s sofa.
Sable looks between all of us. “What now?”
Her eyes are red from sleeplessness, and she stands gingerly as if her feet hurt. I want to gather her into my arms and fix it all. Take away the pain from running, take away the worries she harbors over the witch she’s been psychically bound to. I just want to fucking rip all that away and leave her with only the good stuff.
That’s impossible though. So the next best thing I can do is fight for her. Keep pushing until we come out of this one the other side—hopefully all alive and whole.
“I have to go prepare the North Pack for war,” I tell her, a note of apology in my voice. “But I’ll be back.”
Trystan holds up a finger where he’s still hunched over catching his breath. “Yeah. Same. My pack.”
I draw close to Sable, breathing in her scent, now coupled with sweat and sunshine and fresh earth. It’s an intoxicating smell. I tuck her long, wild hair behind her ear, wishing I could stay longer. I haven’t even left yet, and already I’m worrying about her. Plus, she looks sad, like she’s carrying the weight of something even heavier than everything else.
“What’s wrong?” I say softly. “Other than the obvious, I mean.”
Her gaze drops to the floor as she catches my hand in hers. Our fingers entwine, and she clutches my arm to her chest, tears wetting her eyelashes.
“I’m sorry,” she says with a shuddery breath. “I never meant to come between you and Lawson. Or for any of this to happen.”
I stare at her, stunned by what she’s implying. “You think Lawson challenged me because of you?”
“Didn’t he? He used me as an excuse to make members of your pack rise up against you. You were gone with me at the cabin when he tried to take over, when he challenged you…”
She trails off, still avoiding my gaze.
“Sable.” I disentangle my hand from hers and then cup her face, forcing her to look at me so I can gaze into her beautiful blue eyes.
It’s hard to remember the delicate, frightened girl I found in Devil’s Ditch, battered all to hell and smelling like every dream I’ve ever had. She’s grown so much since that night. I’ve loved watching her reclaim her strength and find the power and drive inside herself that I knew was buried beneath everything her uncle did to her.
I kiss her lips, slow and sweet, trying to channel my emotions into it. I love this woman, but that’s only the half of how I feel. I’m proud to have her as my mate. I’m proud that she’s found her strength and discovered who she is, and fought tooth and nail to get where we are right now. But I’m also proud that despite it all, she still maintains an openness and vulnerability about her.
I hope she never loses that sweetness.
“My issues with Lawson go back long before you came into my life,” I assure her when our lips part. “Back to before our father died and I took over to lead the pack. He supported me, but over the years, he got more and more bitter. Seeing me as alpha made my brother feel like a lesser man. His issues aren’t yours. None of this is your fault.” I kiss her cheeks, one at a time. I kiss her forehead, both eyelids, and her nose until she’s smiling. “I don’t regret a single moment since I met you.”
Then I kiss her mouth again, wrapping her tightly in my arms. She’s warm and safe, her lips as delicious as a top shelf whiskey.
I know I have to leave. It’s imperative I get back to my pack and mobilize them before the witches breach our protective boundaries. I know it’s just a short time we have to be separated, but every moment I’m away from Sable is painful. My heart aches at the thought of leaving her, and the way she clings to me, kissing me with a kind of desperation, tells me she doesn’t want me to leave any more than I want to go.
I finally break the kiss, though it takes every last bit of my willpower to do it. “Stay safe.”
“You too. Come back to me,” she murmurs, her fingers brushing lightly over my stubbled cheeks.
I relinquish her to Trystan for another goodbye, since he’ll be racing off toward the West Pack soon. I don’t even recognize myself at this point—passing her off to another man willingly, knowing he’s about to kiss her the same way I just did. I hate letting go of her, but I don’t have an urge to rip Trystan’s heart out as he tugs her against his naked body and kisses her thoroughly. It’s something about the bond that keeps my possessive nature in check. My wolf recognizes that Sable belongs to all four of us. I trust Sable with Archer,
