Chapter 30 Moving Forward
Aunt Clara moved in on Saturday.
We spent the whole day transforming the guest room into her space. Lycian hired movers for the furniture. I hung her favorite photos. Made sure her medications were organized. Set up the TV the way she liked.
By evening, she was settled in the armchair by the window. Cast on her wrist. Looking tired but happy.
“This is too much,” she said for the tenth time. “You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”
“You took care of me for fifteen years,” I said. Tucking a blanket around her. “It’s my turn.”
“But Lycian, this is his home. I’m intruding.”
“You’re not intruding.” Lycian appeared with tea. Set it on the side table. “You’re family. Family doesn’t intrude.”
Aunt Clara’s eyes got wet. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“You’re welcome.” He squeezed her good hand. “Now rest. Doctor’s orders.”
She fell asleep within minutes. Exhausted from the move.
I closed her door softly. Found Lycian in the kitchen making dinner.
“Thank you,” I said. Wrapping my arms around him from behind. “For this. For her. For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He turned in my arms. Kissed me. “I meant what I said. She’s family now.”
Through the bond, I felt his sincerity. His love. Not just for me but for Aunt Clara too.
It made my chest ache in the best way.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too.” He pulled me closer. “Now come on. Pasta won’t make itself. And this time, you’re actually helping properly.”
We cooked together. Him teaching. Me trying not to burn anything. The kitchen filled with the smell of garlic and tomatoes and something warm.
This was what home felt like. Not a place. People.
By Monday, we’d fallen into a routine.
I’d check on Aunt Clara before class. Make sure she had everything she needed. Lycian would work from home in the mornings to keep her company. Then I’d come back between classes. We’d have lunch together. The three of us.
It was nice. Normal. Like the family I’d always wanted but never quite had.
“How’s school?” Aunt Clara asked over lunch on Tuesday. Her cast was propped on a pillow.
“Good. I got an A on my biology exam.”
“That’s my girl.” She beamed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Couldn’t have done it without Lycian. He’s a good teacher.”
“He’s good at a lot of things.” She looked at him. Knowing. “You make her happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
Lycian’s hand found mine under the table. “She makes me happy too.”
Through the bond, I felt his contentment. Warm and steady. Like sunshine.
After lunch, I had pack training. Wednesday evenings were mandatory. Even for me now.
“You don’t have to participate,” Elena reminded me. “Just observe. Learn.”
“I want to try. At least the basics.”
“You sure? Some of these exercises are intense.”
“I’m sure.”
Training was brutal. Maya taught self-defense. Not wolf fighting. Human fighting. How to use an opponent’s strength against them. How to escape holds. How to survive.
I got thrown. A lot. Bruised. Sweaty. Exhausted.
But I was learning.
“Not bad,” Maya said. After pinning me for the fifth time. “You’re quick. Just need to commit more.”
“I’m committed.”
“No, you’re hesitant. There’s a difference.” She pulled me up. “When you strike, strike. Don’t pull back. Don’t second-guess. Just do.”
We went again. This time I didn’t hesitate. Struck fast. Hard.
Maya grinned. “There you go. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Lycian watched from the side. Eyes tracking my every move. Through the bond, I felt his pride. His protectiveness. His barely controlled urge to step in when Maya threw me too hard.
“Stop hovering,” I called to him.
“I’m not hovering.”
“You’re absolutely hovering.”
“I’m observing. There’s a difference.”
Everyone laughed.
After training, we went to Elena’s for dinner. Aunt Clara came too. Her first pack event.
She fit in immediately. Talking to Elena about recipes. Laughing at Thomas’s terrible jokes. Letting Emma show her the entire Barbie collection again.
“Your aunt is lovely,” Elena told me while we did dishes. “She raised you well.”
“She did her best.”
“She did more than that. You’re kind. Hardworking. Brave. That doesn’t happen by accident.” Elena handed me a plate to dry. “And she clearly adores Lycian.”
“She does. She’s been telling me for weeks I’m lucky.”
“You are. But he’s lucky too. Don’t forget that.”
Through the living room door, I could see Lycian and Aunt Clara talking. Her laughing at something he said. Him looking at her with genuine affection.
My heart felt full. Overflowing.
This was what I’d always wanted. People who loved each other. Choose each other. Built something real together.
That night, Lycian carried Aunt Clara’s purse to the car. Helped her into the passenger seat. Made sure her seatbelt didn’t press on her cast.
“He’s good to you,” she said on the drive home. “And to me. That’s rare.”
“I know.”
“Don’t let him go.”
“I won’t.”
At home, I helped her get ready for bed. Made sure she had water. Her medications. Everything she needed.
“Goodnight, baby,” she said. Already half asleep.
“Goodnight. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I closed her door. Found Lycian waiting in the hallway.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
“Perfect. Happy.” I took his hand. “Thank you again. For letting her stay. For taking care of her.”
“Stop thanking me. This is what we do. We take care of each other.” He pulled me toward his room. “Now come on. I barely saw you all day. I need quality time.”
“Quality time?” I grinned. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Among other things.”
We fell into bed. Exhausted but happy. The bond hummed between us. Content.
“Can I ask you something?” I said. Head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat.
“Always.”
“Do you ever regret it? Choosing me? All the drama and complications I brought?”
“Never. Not even once.” His hand traced patterns on my back. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Drama and all.”
Through the bond, I felt the truth of his words. Complete. Absolute.
“I feel the same way,” I whispered. “About you.”
“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now. Bond and all.”
“I can live with that.”
We fell asleep tangled together. The bond a steady warmth between us.
I woke up around three AM. Thirsty. Lycian was still asleep. Breathing slow and steady.
I got up carefully. Padded to the kitchen.
The penthouse was dark. Silent. Just the hum of the refrigerator and the city lights through the windows.
I poured water. Drank it standing by the sink.
My phone lit up on the counter. Message notification.
My stomach clenched. Not another threat. Please not another threat.
I picked it up slowly. Unknown number.
Time’s up. We gave you a chance to leave. You didn’t take it. Now you’ll regret staying.
My hands started shaking. Water sloshed in the glass.
This was different from the others. More specific. More dangerous.
We gave you a chance. That implied multiple people. Not just Sarah being petty. Something organized.
Something worse.
I should wake Lycian. Show him. Let him handle it.
But then I felt something. Through the bond. Not from him. From somewhere else.
Wrong. Something was very wrong.
I moved to the window. Looked down at the parking garage.
Someone was there. Moving through the shadows. Heading toward our building.
My blood went cold.
They weren’t just threatening anymore.
They were here.