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“Brittny.”
I look up at Ollie.
“No.”
Pouting, I sip my bubbly fruit drink. Okay, fine, I’ll admit that adopting any kids in order to form a pack so I can see my family after I’m fully werecanine is an absolutely terrible plan. Children shouldn’t be used like that, and I’m not even sure I’m ready to have one, much less four.
“Are there any other options, Cael? I’m not alpha material, and ethically I wouldn’t know where to start. A pack is meant to be a family. I can’t approach creating one with ulterior motives.”
Cael’s amber eyes fix on Ollie, staring a little too deeply for a little too long. At great length, he hums. “Why don’t you just be irresponsible and choose love above all else?”
“What?” Ollie grits.
“Humans lose everyone eventually anyway. Just take the plunge. All parties will get over it. Grief is a cycle. Best start it spinning.”
My mouth drops open.
“Cael. That’s inappropriate to say in front of someone who was raised human.”
“Is it? Interesting. The human aversion to the truth perseveres. Here’s the way I see it…” Cael looks at me. “No one else is going to match your soul or make you feel as complete as Ollie. He is going to be your best friend and your family and your forever. If you love him, choose him. Regardless of what you might lose.”
“No.” Ollie’s voice breaks. “Cael. Don’t.” Agony stretches into his eyes. “Don’t you dare tell her that, because I’m the one who will refuse.”
“Then maybe you’re the one I should be talking to.” His eyes close, and he releases a breath that fans across a dozen or more wings and loose pages. When his eyes open again, the pressure in the room changes into something dire and heavy. “You are not robbing her from the world she’s known. She has our blood in her veins. This is her world. Her people. Her future. Denying her the simple choice of loving you more than everything she’s known so far is cruel, because everything she’s known so far is alien. If she wants you more than what she’s leaving behind, you should not impose your opinion on her and refuse. If you are actually scared that she won’t choose you over everything else, say. that.”
Ollie’s lips part, but nothing comes out.
I can hardly breathe.
“Go on,” Cael murmurs darkly.
“I…” The word leaves Ollie’s lips dry, hoarse. “I…can’t picture it, but if it were possible, I cannot imagine… She has a sister, Cael. A sister we saw just yesterday. A sister who loves her so much. A sister who relies on her. If I were by some miracle that lovable— ” His head begins to shake. “—I just don’t know how I could possibly allow myself to be selfish enough to accept it.”
“It’s selfish not to.”
“You have not watched her undermine her needs for everyone else as long as I have.”
“And now you do her the disservice of assuming her soul is capable of treating yours like everyone else?”
Ollie’s clenched fists shake. “We want a solution to the problem—if there is one. If there isn’t…I will take your words into consideration at the point in which they become relevant.”
Cael hums. “It is amazing how well you would handle yourself in matters of court and extraterritorial disputes. Speaking of.” He pulls open a drawer and plucks out an ornate card before handing it to me.
I blink at the letters, utterly uncertain what language I’m looking at, only that they are raised and gold. Not gonna lie. The paper might cost more than my mortgage. Seems…sturdy. “What’s this?” I ask.
Blood rushes from Ollie’s cheeks as he looks down, scanning the foreign letters.
His eyes meet mine, then he presses his hands flat against several pages strewn over Cael’s desk. “No.”
“Yes.”
“But…” He looks back at me. Squaring his jaw, he growls at Cael, “No. Banish them.”
“That’s a terrible business decision, isn’t it?”
“I… I don’t…”
“Care. You are trying to say you don’t care, but you do. So you can’t. So I’ve said it for you.” Cael smiles. “You’re welcome.”
