Chapter 29
It was only when Kira had stopped shivering and begun to trace letters onto Jayden’s chest, hoping he might figure them out, did he speak.
“He wanted you to go back to the city with him?”
Kira nods.
“He’s right. With the information he has, I should go back. I couldn’t even argue with him, because how would that be fair? He doesn’t know the truth. Will doesn’t know what we do in the woods, who all these friends are to me. He says I hardly know you and how can I tell him that there’s a soul inside me that has known yours for generations before we were even born?”
The outward acknowledgment of her wolf makes a merry fire light up inside her, and it begins to warm her too from the inside out. Is this why Jayden is so hot all the time? Is he so in tune with his wolf that he never has to fear the cold?
“Is that how you feel?” whispers Jayden. “Like your soul knows mine?”
“Even though I’ve only known you for weeks, I feel like I could never leave you,” she says.
Maybe it’s the toll of all the upheaval she’s faced since she arrived here, but she can’t lie. The truth pours out of her in waterfalls, beautiful but unrestrained.
Jayden swallows. “I felt it on that first night. I snarled, almost as wild as you, when you changed. I told them that if anyone hurt you, I’d kill them. I’ve never said something like that to my pack before. It haunts me even now.”
“Would you still?”
“Kill, if anyone hurts you? Yes. It’s not even my choice. My wolf chose you, and he has far more power than me.”
Kira shivers at the thought, but it makes her feel safe in a way she never has. As a child, her mother would take her in her arms and whisper that she’d keep her safe, but she couldn’t, not really.
In Jayden’s arms, she’s more secure than she’s ever been. No one can break through his embrace. They’d regret it if they ever even tried.
Though she swore to herself not to cry, Kira wakes up with a puffy face and red eyes, and she realizes that in sleep her body might have betrayed her.
Jayden is awake already, stroking her hair, and she tucks her face into his neck in shame. Her whole body hurt because she fell asleep on the couch and Jayden must have been nervous to move her to the bed lest he woke her up.
A crick aches in her neck and the muscles of her legs felt tight when she kept them tucked up in Jayden’s lap.
“You didn’t patrol last night,” she whispered against Jayden’s skin. “I had more important things to worry about.”
“Don’t say that,” groans Kira. When she thinks back to staggering here in the rain like her world had just ended all because of a fight with her friend, she feels more embarrassed than ever.
The thought of Will makes her sit up, pressing her hands to her burning cheeks, and she shakes her head as he crawls from Jayden’s lap.
“Shit. Will will be leaving soon, and I need to apologize. I have to get back to the inn.”
“Okay,” Jayden nods. He doesn’t argue with her, nor try to comfort her with promises that she has no need to say she’s sorry.
“Let me get you some clean clothes. You just slept in there.”
“There’s no time,” she says. At the door, she fumbles for her boots.
“I’ll drive you in my truck. That’ll be quicker.”
Kira accepts gratefully. The inside of Jayden’s truck is familiar and now that she’s aware of it, she can smell his scent over the fresh pine of the air freshener.
There are hard candies in the glove compartment that Kira doesn’t think they sell in the cities anymore.
She picks out an apple green one to moisten her mouth because her throat is scratchy, and she can’t remember the last time she drank anything.
Jayden drives fast, possibly too fast, but Kira doesn’t think the town even has a police station.
What do they have to worry about? If anyone caused a disturbance, the wolf pack would deal with them quickly enough.
He pulls into the street with a screech of tires and parks up against the sidewalk, because up ahead Will is leaning against his car, watching the early morning foot traffic with cool eyes.
Kira jumps out of the truck. Jayden doesn’t follow.
“Will!” She shouts.
Will turns and gives her a small wave, but her face is resigned. His gaze flickers from Kira to the truck and back to her.
“It’s nearly seven-thirty,” Kira exhales as she reaches the car.
“You waited.”
“Of course I waited,” William sighed. He fiddles with his sleeves and glances up once more at Jayden’s truck.
“You’re not coming, are you?”
Two cars pass in the space of time before Kira answers. “I’m sorry. I feel awful about the way we spoke yesterday. You’re my best friend and I know you’re only looking out for me. I understand why you’re worried, and I meant it when I said I was grateful. I can’t explain this; there’s no way to put into words why I need to stay, but I do. For now, my place is here.”
Will nodded, like he knew this answer was coming.
“I’m sorry too. You were right: it is your life and I let my worry cloud my judgment. I’m not going to say that I get it but I respect it, and I hope that you find what you’re looking for. And if you don’t, then I’ll be waiting back in our apartment for you. I’ll even change your sheets for you while you’re gone so that your room is nice and ready for you when you get back.”
“You know I hate changing the sheets,” Kira laughs softly.
“Of course I do. I know everything about you.”
Not everything, Kira thinks, but she just smiles.
“Thank you for waiting.”
Will shrugs. “I wasn’t going to leave town without us reminding each other that we’re still best friends.”
“Come to visit. And I’ll visit you soon too.”
“Answer your phone,” Will says in response, before pulling her into a crushing hug.
“And tell your boyfriend that if he messes with you, I’ll knock his teeth out. He might be huge, but I can be very speedy – swift as a fox.”
Kira laughs, trying to imagine Will confronting Jayden, and then squeezes him in return.
“I’ll call you every night.” This time she meant it.
He won’t make the same mistake again. The thought that Will was up in the city worrying about her each day floods her with guilt.
“I’ll give you daily updates on the puppy-eyed-Schwarzenegger, and maybe you’ll start to like him eventually.”
Will narrows his eyes at the truck, but then he nods.
“Keep me updated.”
Saying goodbye to her friend is the only fleeting moment in which Kira questions her decision to stay, but as she waves, watching the car disappear down to the end of the street before turning in the direction of the woods that house the maze back to civilization, Jayden steps up behind her and wraps a warm arm around her waist.
She settles back into him, breathing out her worries, and Jayden kisses her cheek. They’re getting more physical with each other in public now.
“Everything okay?”
Kira nods. “Like it never even happened.”
“Do you want to stay, Kira? You’re not staying because you think I want you to or because you think I should because of the pack? Because I know you have a life in the city and if you want to go then we won’t make you stay. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“I’m happy here. Happy in a way I haven’t ever felt happy before.”
“Good,” Jayden exhales. “I was acting cool, but I don’t know what I would have done if you’d said you were leaving.”
They have breakfast at the inn together. If anyone notices that they’re both wearing yesterday’s clothes, no one mentions it. Everyone who passes says good morning to Jayden, and then to Kira in turn, like some kind of chant.
The ones that stop to talk to Jayden ask about everything in town as if he is the mayor, ready to dole out solutions.
And he does.
They ask about a collapsed roof in the school gym, and he promises to take a look at it by the end of the day.
They ask for help digging up the last of the fall harvest under the hard, frosty earth, and he tells them he’ll get the pack to drop by this afternoon.
They ask him whether he can drive some of the kids up to the city for a trip, but he has to apologetically delegate, and Kira sees genuine regret in his eyes.
She wished that Jayden wouldn’t bear the whole weight of the town on his shoulders.
Jayden is ready to field another request when they both look up to see that their latest visitor is Liam, and he looks furious.
“Liam?” Jayden says lightly.
“Where the hell were you last night?”