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Thorne sighs and pulls out a sheet of glass from the satchel at his side. It glints and glimmers in the light. It almost looks… fae.
He taps it, and I gasp.
Letters start scrolling across it.
Thorne holds it up. “I received this after Evander and I first came to scout out Oakwood. We found it right before we found your cottage. And by found… it appeared in my truck and scared the hell out of both of us. It names you as a very important faerie and says that for keeping you safe, I would be able to call upon a favor from the faeries. Blank check. Anything I want.”
My heart sinks a little.
“I’m sorry I lied to you and made a bargain with you, even though I would have protected you anyway. The prospect of an open-ended favor from the faeries…”
“I understand,” I whisper. I do.
The missive that he’s holding in his hands is, essentially, permission to ask for anything. No stipulations, no weirdrequirements. Nothing that would be damaging or dangerous. It’s a favor. Not a bargain.
I don’t even think he knows how rare it is.
“I want to give you the option to leave,” Thorne continues.
Tensing, I step closer to Nolan.
“If you stay with Oakwood, I want it to be because we welcome you. Because you and your fated mate are part of our pack,” Thorne says gently. “Not because I’m holding you here because of this.”
“Thorne,” I say, stopping him. “That’s… what you’re holding… do you know how rare it is?”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. Packs aren’t built on secrets and lies. Packs are built on the people inside them. We trust each other. We keep our word. And that’s more valuable than anything I can take from the fae.”
The pack whispers around us.
I look at Nolan, who presses a kiss to my cheek. “It’s your choice, Coral. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I’ll always be there. I’ll always support you. You’re my mate, and that’s all I need.”
Nolan is perfect. And he wants someone who chooses him instead of him always choosing someone else.
I touch his face, smiling. Turning back to Thorne, I give him a wink. “Keep the favor, Alpha. I’m happy to be part of the pack.”
I’m surprised by the loud cheer that comes from the crowd around us. Lyra runs up to me, hugging me, followed by Amara and her mate, Jasper. Slowly, more wolves come forward, introducing themselves to me one by one.
One by one, I smile and shake their hands, nodding at them. I meet the foxes. I meet the other fated mates.
Iris comes up to hug me, and I sag with relief at seeing someone I know.
“It’s nice to see you out and about,” she says.
I shake my head. “I think this might be too much out and about.”
“Come visit Thorne and me soon. We want to see you. Socially,” she says, giving Nolan a glance.
I laugh. “Socially. I will.”
Iris drifts away, and there are more hands, more people, more names. Soon, I’m actually kind of tired, because it’s a lot of people to meet.
Nolan’s hand tugs on mine. “I think Coral and I are going to head home. We’ll be around, though. Thank you,” he says to Thorne.
Thorne shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Nolan. I had it all wrong.”
“You did. But it’s okay. Life has a way of working out, I guess.”
He rolls his eyes but walks away. Nolan and I get back into his truck, and I wave at the pack as we go.
