“Yeah.” However, his obvious despair belied such good news. “I know it’s crazy, but she does. She swore she did. But we don’t have a Pride, and even if we did, I’m not Alpha material. I know that. But I love her, and I love Des, and I want him to be mine. I want to give her more, if she wants, to make up for what she lost.”
I put one arm on his shoulder. “Owe, that’s not crazy. That’s love, and love doesn’t always make sense.” It didn’t ever make sense, in my experience. “And you do have a Pride. You have this one. And you both always will.”
“But we already have a tabby,” he pointed out, obviously meaning me.
“No, you have an Alpha bitch. And even if I become a dam someday, so what? We’re already the weird Pride. Why can’t we have two tabbies? Or three? This is a brave new territory now, Owen. Manx and her children will be safe here. We’ll all protect them. And you will love them.”
And maybe someday, if Bert Di Carlo was willing to institute a similar compromise, depending on her own romantic interests, Kaci might see fit to give his territory a second chance at life. At a new generation.
“You’re serious?” Owen’s expression hovered on the edge of a smile, as if he didn’t dare make that leap.
I grinned. “Are you questioning your Alpha?”
“Hell, no.”
“Good. Make your phone call.”
Owen was grinning from ear to ear, already dialing when I stood to make my way back to Jace, my heart thumping painfully. I dreaded the next moment with every cell in my body. But the universe had delivered my miracle—given me a second chance—and I could not mess this up again. Not and live with myself.
Jace leaned against the back porch rail, alone, and I stood close enough that my arm touched his. “Are you okay?” I asked, and he only hesitated an instant before nodding.
“Calvin’s dead. I’m better than I’ve ever been. With one exception.” He looked up, and I followed his gaze toward the woods. To where the strays and the bruins had congregated. With Marc.
I sighed, and my heart felt so bitterly, unbearably bruised. “He came.”
“Yeah. He did.” Jace stared at the ground and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Jace…”
“Don’t.” He turned to face me and ran one hand down my arm slowly, as if to make the contact last. “I know. I knew the moment you saw him. You were happier that he came back than you were that I stayed. I know when I’ve lost.”
I sniffed back tears and reached up to hug him. “I’m so sorry, Jace,” I whispered, as his arms wound around me for the last time, squeezing me hard enough to hold my fractured heart together, even if just for the moment.
“Don’t be.” His cheek scratched mine, and I breathed in his scent, trying to memorize it. “We do what we have to do.”
“This doesn’t mean I don’t—”
“Stop.” He pulled away from me, and the pain in his eyes echoed deep inside me. “Don’t say you still love me. That’ll just make this harder.”
I nodded, swallowing the words that wanted to be said. “What are you going to do?”
He sighed. “I’m going to take Cal’s body home to my mother. Then I’m going to kick Alex’s ass and take back my father’s Pride. Someone’s going to have to run things until Melody eventually has a husband qualified to take over. Who knows, maybe I can undo some of what Cal did to her. Show her that she has options.”I smiled. “If anyone can do that, it’s you. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Jace glanced at the ground, then met my gaze again. “Yeah, if you believe in me, recognize me. As Alpha. I’ll have to be confirmed, even for temporary control, and I could use a few votes…”
“You’ll have mine.” And I was sure my own allies would help too. We could all use the extra support a Jace-controlled Appalachian Pride would represent.
Jace’s smile faded, and his gaze intensified. “Thank you, Faythe.”
“For what?”
“For giving me a chance. It was all worth it. Every single minute. Even this one.”
I couldn’t stop tears then, even when Jace kissed me, for the last time. When he pulled away, he leaned with his forehead against mine. “Damn, this is harder than I thought, and that doesn’t seem possible.”
“I know.” I was shivering, and not from the cold.
He let me go, and I stepped back. “Go on. He’s waited long enough.”
I nodded and made myself turn away from him, my shoulders shaking. I’d only gone a few feet when the back door squealed shut behind me, and Jace was gone.
I took a deep breath and headed toward the tree line.
There were six toms, other than Marc, and two bruins—Elias Keller had brought a friend.
I owed them my life. My Pride. My eternal gratitude. And I had no idea how to say that.
Marc saw me coming and met me halfway. My heart thumped as I watched him walking toward me, wearing nothing but jeans, in spite of the cold. He had a gash in his left arm and blood had soaked through the material over his right calf, but other than that, he looked good. Very, very good.
“Hey,” I said, when he stopped less than a foot in front of me.
“Hey.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, and his glittering brown gaze bored into mine.
“Thank you.” I sniffled and blinked away tears, but my eyes just filled again. “If you hadn’t shown up…”
He crossed both arms over his bare chest, half covering the clawmark scars. “I made a promise.”
“How did you know about the orange tape?”
Marc shrugged. “I called the Flight and made them swear not to tell you. My name was on the list of approved phone calls, remember?”
I did remember.
He hesitated, then glanced at the men he’d brought. “You want to talk to them?”
“Please.”
“Come on…” He led me to the others without taking my hand or my arm. Without touching me at all.
“Hey, kitten,” Elias Keller said as soon as I was within hearing range. The trees at his back swayed beneath a frigid breeze, including the one he’d knocked over during his grand entrance.
“Elias…I can’t thank you enough.” I cleared my throat, choking back a sob of gratitude, so I could at least aim for composedly appreciative. “You guys…you’re all amazing. I don’t even have the words…”
“And you don’t need them.” Keller’s massive, warm hand swallowed mine, and he squeezed gently. “Cat or bear—or evidently bird—we fight for what’s right.”
I didn’t think the birds really gave a damn about our ideas of right and wrong, but I wasn’t going to argue. “Who’s this?” I asked, glancing at the other bruin, who was every bit as big as Keller, though not quite so tall.
“This is Evert.” Keller slapped one massive hand on the other bear’s broad shoulder. “I needed a ride, and he said he’d only drive me if he could get in on the action. Worked out well for everyone, don’t you think?”
“Very well.” My smile could not have been wider. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. Evert.”
“Likewise,” the new bruin boomed, pushing long, pale hair from his face. “I haven’t had exercise like that in years, even if it did interrupt my nap.”
I smiled and turned to the only stray I recognized: John Feldman. “Mr. Feldman, I am in your debt. If there’s any way I can return the favor, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I won’t.” His voice was hard, but still as smooth, and dark, and gorgeous, as his skin. “Marc assures us that any Pride run by you will be stray-friendly, and we figured it can’t hurt to establish a good relationship with our neighbors.”
“I completely agree.” And my relief had no limit. I’d been afraid that after what Malone had done to several members of the stray population, they would think the rest of us beyond redemption. “And you’re all welcome here as our guests. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us.”
We chatted for a few more minutes and I invited them all to stay over. Then I said goodbye and Marc followed me across the yard for a little privacy.
“I don’t…I don’t know what to say, Marc.” The guesthouse cast its early-morning shadow over us both, and the winter air was several degrees chillier there than in the sun.
“Yeah, me, neither.” He glanced at the berry-laden holly bushes, then back up at me. “I couldn’t let you down. Couldn’t let the Pride down. But nothing’s changed. You don’t owe me anything. But if you want me…I can’t share you, Faythe. I won’t. It’s all or nothing, for me. You’ve always known that.”
“I know.” The tears wouldn’t stop, and I felt like a fool, because I had nothing to wipe them on. “I want you. I want you so badly I can’t stand it. When you left, it felt like the world got darker. Like I couldn’t truly see anything. Couldn’t feel anything.”
“Faythe…” His frown was dark enough to eclipse the sun, and I realized he’d seen me kiss Jace. “This doesn’t matter, if you still love him. So please stop—”