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Albin was the only one who seemed surprised by the idea. “What’s this about merging?”

“He called me earlier today,” Gavin said, then looked at Albin. “It was something Aislin and Everett discussed as a way to mitigate the risk of David isolating and attacking us.” Then his attention traveled back to me. “We’re not merging packs permanently. But we agreed we could both serve as Alpha over our own packmates while sharing a living space, at least until it’s safe to return home again.”

“I didn’t expect you two to come to an agreement,” I admitted.

“Our best chance of surviving is to work together.”

Maybe I underestimated the two of them. “Did you talk about… me?”

Gavin’s expression softened, his arms falling to his sides. “A little. I think it’s best that you talk to Everett when we get to his place.”

Our argument last night had burdened me all day, making me feel heavy. The tone of Gavin’s voice warned that their conversation might not have had a positive outcome regarding me. Suddenly, I feared that Everett had changed his mind about what he wanted, and that he was done with me.

“If we’re staying in Eastpeak, what about the humans in town here?” Billie spoke up. “Will they be in danger from David?”

“It’s possible, but… I don’t know how we can protect them and protect ourselves, too,” said Gavin.

“The Mythguard can keep watch, can’t they?” I suggested.

Billie nodded. “We should try that.”

“Okay,” agreed Gavin.

My faith in the Mythguard had faltered lately. But surely they wouldn’t be at risk being stationed here as much as we would. I wanted to believe that the Mythguard could still redeem themselves in my eyes, and I was willing to give them another chance, even if they had rejected me over and over again. It was time for me to be the bigger person.

The four of us loaded up into Gavin’s car. I didn’t ask how he’d reclaimed it after he had to abandon it the night of the attack. But evidence of the violence from that night was beaten into its chipped and dented exterior, the crumpled bumper and license plates bent in both the front and back. After stopping at each other’s apartments, houses, and the hotel to gather our belongings, we left Grandbay behind and arrived at Everett’s house in the cold, moonless night.

The door opened with Everett backlit in cool white light. Billie was the first to step inside, greeting him quietly, with Gavin’s hand on her waist, giving a nod to the Eastpeak Alpha. Albin followed with a polite hello, and then there was me, and the moment I met Everett’s gaze, my heart skipped a beat.

He looked tired. His long hair hung down to his shoulders and his cheeks were grizzled with stubble. Where usually his muscular body was stiff and alert, now it sagged under the weight of everything he had endured, his dull grey eyes evocative of a rainy day. Everett’s mouth tightened like he wanted to say something to me. Instead, he just gestured at me to come inside.

His packmates were all here too. Our two packs came face-to-face in their entireties, a strange mixture of the xenophobia of Eastpeak and amicability of Grandbay, yet it was our universal trauma that bound us together. Fatigue was shared between all of us. Lyssa was among the first to take us in, clutching Billie’s hands and introducing herself formally to the mate of Grandbay’s Alpha, and showing them to the spare bedroom that would be hers and Gavin’s. Albin sat down to speak with Everett’s packmates. That left Everett and me hovering on the sidelines with a million words to say to each other, and lead tongues that wouldn’t move.

Finally, he turned to me. “Can we talk?”

I realized that I’d wanted to talk to him all day, but at the risk of coming off as desperate or too eager to forgive him, I chewed on my answer first. “Sure.” I still didn’t know how this was going to turn out and wasn’t about to get my hopes up.

He led me back to his bedroom, the familiar arena where our relationship had grown the most, and where all of our trials had unfolded. I both hated and loved this room. It punched me in the heart to stand here.

Everett lingered in front of me, looking like he wanted to touch me, but refrained by keeping his balled fists at his sides. “I was wrong to lose my temper with you last night. I’m sorry,” he murmured.

As alleviating as it was to hear him say that, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something worse was to follow.

“I’ve realized that our time together might be limited because of David, and I don’t want to waste it arguing when I could just compromise. So no matter what your decision is, whether you stay in Grandbay or with me in Eastpeak… I want to be with you.”

Unseen apprehension coiled around me like a snake, squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe. I expected bad news, so hearing Everett say that seemed unreal, like there was a caveat attached to it that he hadn’t yet approached. I stared at him for long, silent seconds, waiting for more to come. But when he met my eyes and his visage softened completely, I recognized that he had finally lowered all his walls for me. He made himself vulnerable, telling me exactly what he wanted with no other stipulations, and now he looked to me for my decision. The ball was in my court. He had no control over what I would say or do in response, and it must have taken a lot of humility for him to accept that.

If only to prove his concession to me, Everett drew in a slow breath and said, “I love you, Aislin.”

Heat rushed to my face. I never thought I would hear those words from him—from anyone, really, but especially from him. It hit me so hard, it left me trembling. “You… You do?”

“Yes. I’ve felt it for weeks, but I was afraid to admit it,” he said. “I love you and I want you to be my mate. Wherever you choose to be in the end, I want to make it work. I can’t stand the thought of either of us being with someone else. You fulfill me in ways I’ve never experienced. You’re always teaching me how to be a better person and that’s what I need. I’ll never stop needing that, or you.”

Disbelief fixed me in place. Everything he said directly contested what I had expected from him. This big, stoic, independent Alpha who had never needed anyone else in his entire life suddenly needed me. Not only did he need me, but Everett wanted nobody else except me, too. We complemented each other in the way that we both had so much to learn, and nobody could help us grow better but the other. Maybe that was why we were fated mates.

“Aislin?” he urged gently.