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I take his hand. His skin is running hot. “My father has already contacted Valek. Our home will be finished soon.”

He grunts at the frame with a thin thread of smoke leaking from his ears.

“Will you both stay for dinner?” Lauren asks.

“Yes,” I answer, at the same time Ezra says, “No.”

He draws me against him. “Another time, Aunt Lauren.” His arms lock around me. “I have a celebratory hunt to complete with my mate.”

My wolf is all for it. I duck my face with Lauren standing there watching us.

She plants her hands on her hips. She’s all business now. “I expect you two back here in a couple of days. We have much to discuss. Politics. And as the next alpha pair of this clan, you need to be more present around here.” She aims a finger at Ezra. “You know how sensitive the clan is. You leaving after your fallout with Valek has caused problems. I expect you to fix this.”

I narrow my eyes at Ezra when he sighs. He better not say the wrong thing to her. He glances down at me and straightens. “I’ll make it right, Aunt Lauren.”

“Good.” She turns to me. “And aren’t you supposed to be resting, Aya? I heard you had a run-in with the Mer.”

I wave that off. “I did, but it wasn’t⁠—”

Lauren puts her hand up. “When Ash Clan tells you to rest, you listen. Or they’ll make you listen. We don’t play around when it comes to our own. Understand?”

Ezra presses a kiss against my cheek when I nod. He smells pleased with himself.

Lauren walks home with her ponytail swinging and her daughter’s slippers scuffing the dirt. I wonder if she was this terrified when she first came here. Did she stand where I am and keep walking?

Ezra tugs me toward the trees. “Ready to go home?”

I raise an eyebrow at him. He catches his own words too late and winces.

“The community lands are not my home,” I snap.

He rolls his eyes. “Temporary home.”

“No.” I pull free. “I want to see the Mer. Where are they?”

“At the Academy,” he says. “It’s closest to the lake, and the Mer need access to water at all times. They’re staying in the dorms until Kade, Damon, and King Amir figure out proper placement.”

I turn around. “Let’s go to the Academy, then.”

He grabs my arm. “Did you not hear the order from your luna?”

I freeze while he waits me out with more patience than I’ve earned. Lauren is my luna now, not Tami. I don’t belong to House of Zorah anymore. My wolf figured that out hours ago—I’m the slow one.

Ezra pulls me into his arms and tucks my head under his chin. “It’s my turn now,” he tells me. “And I want to pamper you.”

I cling to him. His heartbeat thuds steady under my ear. I see my mother on the porch every time I close my eyes. I can still feel my father’s hands on my cheeks and Kane’s grip when he peeled me off and told me to go.

I’m going to be luna to a clan of dragons as a wolf who hasn’t even completed the mate bond. I don’t know how to do any of this. I wish I’d had more time with Lauren to learn how things work here before I was standing barefoot on ground that’s supposed to be mine.

Ezra spreads his wings and lifts us into the air. Wind roars past my ears as the village drops away below. I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in.

I won’t tell him I’m scared. I’m too stubborn for that, even if he already knows. But my wolf lies down quiet and sure. She’s what keeps me from falling apart.

22

EZRA

Aya doesn’t bother hiding her pout when I pull her out of the cabin. She drags her feet down the steps like a pup.