reassuring. It reminded me of a new day. Which was fitting considering his new beginning. “You won the Cup.”
“I did,” he replied, his arms sturdy and strong around me. “Fuck, it’s good to see you again. I know I just saw you a week ago, but it didn’t feel real then. It does now.”
“I know what you mean,” I whispered.
We fell into a comfortable silence, holding on to each other as our history flourished between us, culminating in a beautiful moment of completion. “We’re still alive, S.”
“Yeah we are, W,” he returned, knowing exactly what I meant. “And so is Rae.”
Tears prickled my eyes, and for once, they weren’t born of sadness or pain. Except that wasn’t true, either. Pain and sadness were what had brought us to this moment and allowed us to truly live.
We’d been through hell together.
And we’d survived.
Finally.
His grip tightened, his emotions rivaling mine. I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent, as he did the same to me, our wolves strangers to one another, and yet, my beast knew his. I felt it in my very soul. Perhaps because his mate had turned me. Or maybe because this was our destiny all along.
But we’d worked hard for this moment.
So many lives were lost.
So much blood spilled.
So. Much. Pain.
I shuddered against him, the moment more powerful than I could have imagined, and only when we pulled apart did I realize we stood outside alone. The others had given us this moment, allowing our hearts to break and heal without their intrusive gazes, and I felt more than a little grateful to them for recognizing that need.
Silas cupped my face, his forehead falling to mine. “You have no idea how agonized I was to watch them take you away that day. You should have been with us. Not at the camps. And after the footage… I…” He choked on a swallow, his guilt painted in every line of his face.
“You couldn’t have done anything, Silas. You know that. I know that.”
“But that doesn’t make it any less true. Shit, Willow, what they did to you…” He trailed off again, his anger and grief vibrating through his features. “Fuck. I want to kill that bastard all over again.”
I frowned at him. “What bastard?”
“The one who bit you,” he said through his teeth. “I ripped off his head.”
Now I gaped at him. “What?”
“I spent twelve hours ensuring he felt every bit of the agony you expressed in those films before I ended him.” His statement came out with a low growl in his voice, his wolf roaring behind his blue eyes and allowing me to see the alpha he’d become.
This man, the one I grew up training with, had become a lethal immortal. And that knowledge made me smile. Because it was so perfect for him.
“Lycan looks good on you,” I admitted, shaking my head. “Goddess, can you believe this is our life?” I’d heard what he said about the lycan who bit me, understood that he was dead, but that truth paled in comparison to the joy thriving through me now at our existence. “We did it, Silas,” I said, an emotional wreck all over again. “We… we did it…”
He pulled me into another hug, holding me while I cried, all the misery from my former life pouring out of me on a wave of agony that had built inside me for so many years.
All those tests.
All those courses.
All those fucking games.
To finally—finally—become a superior.
“I always said we could do it,” Silas whispered.
“You did,” I agreed. “And you were right.”
I held him so tightly I swore I heard something wheeze inside him, but he never asked me to stop. Instead, he held me through it, my emotions spiraling in a chaotic rhythm I gave up on organizing.
Fury. Relief. Sadness. Loss. Joy.
“I’m a mess,” I whispered, laughing a little.
“I get it,” he promised.
And I knew he did.
Hours probably passed while we stood outside, hugging as though our lives depended on it. Making up for all the years we were forced to swallow our emotions, to stand up and fight, or die trying.
We’d never experienced peace. Until now. This moment. Just us, breathing in fresh air, our bodies more alive than they’d ever been.
“I love you,” I whispered to him. “You know that, right?” I’d never been allowed to admit that out loud, but I felt it in my heart and knew it to be true. He was my oldest friend. My only family.