The moon hung bloated and heavy in the night sky, its light casting everything in a deathly pallor as if even the heavens mourned the Midnight prince’s passing. Noble pulled the boat alongside the dock, and Justice and Rage worked together to tie us off. Unlike my last trip to Dark Row, no one approached as we disembarked and made our way toward the busy market. Heavy incense, yeasty breads, cardamom, cinnamon, and seared steak perfumed the air.
At least, I hoped that was steak. Given the illegal nature of the activities here, the smell could be any kind of meat. The thought made my stomach roil, and I shivered as the wind picked up. Nothing like an icy wind to add to the creepiness factor.
“You do not leave my side,” Rage growled, tucking me closer into his body with possessive force.
I wiped away a stray tear, letting him guide me as we walked down the torchlit path. Shadows danced in tandem with the flames as a cloud lumbered over the moon, blocking its light.
The vision of Honor howling and writhing in pain … the sensation of holding his burned wolf in my arms … I couldn’t stop the scene from replaying in my mind.
Honor is dead.
“I can’t believe you want to deal with the dark witch again,” Rage grumbled. “She and this place are not safe.”
I straightened and pulled away from him. “I don’t see how it could be worse than Alpha Academy right now. Besides, this is the only way to bring Honor back.”
His brow furrowed, and I knew my harsh tone had struck home. Was I mad at Rage? Or the world? Too tired and overwhelmed to analyze those emotions, I gritted my teeth and slogged forward. With zero doubt, I was 100.9% pissed with the alpha king.
Mostly, I just wanted Honor back.
“I just want to make sure you’re safe,” Rage replied, his tone softer. “It’s my role as your mate and shield to provide and protect.”
I blushed at his casual use of the M-word. Total 180 from two days ago. Or was that yesterday? Either way, I shook my head and held out my hand to stop him. “I’m your equal, Rage. If you can’t respect that … our bond is going to suffer.”
His jaw hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. I didn’t need our mate bond to know he was upset, so I scooted nearer to Noble to make conversation when Rage snaked out and grabbed me gently. When I looked back, orange fire danced in his eyes.
“Nai, you are my equal and, in case I wasn’t clear before, I’m madly in love with you. The last thing I want is to hurt you.”
The breath whooshed out of me in a rush as my cheeks flushed. Justice gave Noble a knowing grin, but Rage didn’t even look up at his brothers.
My mate moved closer, capturing my attention. “Everything I do is because I love you. You know that, right?”
Love. Madly in love.
Whoa.
His words pinged around my head until I felt dizzy.
We stopped in the market, clogging the main thoroughfare. People grumbled as they passed, their gazes boring into us, but I didn’t care. After months of uncertainty and strain, I needed things between Rage and me to be semi-okay before venturing into more unknown peril.
Maybe I’d heard him wrong. “Say it again.”
A grin pulled at the corner of his lips. “I love you, Nai Crescent.”
I took a breath and grinned, my body suddenly light, free, and filled with joy, even if only for a second. He captured my hand and then coaxed me closer until I was flush against his body. Tingles of … energy … danced over my skin as he reached up and cupped my face. Slowly, giving me plenty of time to pull away, he lowered his head and captured my mouth in a kiss.
Gentle and soft, his kiss was more reassurance than passion, the perfect way to punctuate his statement.
“Focus,” Justice growled, and Rage swayed from his brother’s shoulder check, which broke us apart. My eyes popped open, but my sharp reprimand died in my throat at the pain etched on Justice’s face. Rage offered me a small smile that seemed more of an apology for his brother’s actions.
Rage and I still had stuff to figure out, like how to build trust, share feelings, and not be deceitful, but those conversations would have to wait. Getting Honor back was more pressing.
My gaze jumped to Noble, his head hung low, and I pulled