she should do that. She feared that Judah and I would hate her for going, but I assured her that wasn’t the case. I told her that Zach might be my mate. She was so happy, she threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. I explained to her that her mate might be waiting for her, and if she wanted to go, she should. She told me she doesn’t want to leave forever, and she would need a home to come back to. And Judah? He’s never had stability. I can’t take him on a plane and travel all over the world.”
After realizing how Lydon was where he belonged, Quinn understood that need. “Have you spoken with Zach?”
“What? Oh no. I’m not even sure I’m right. How would it be if I said, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re my mate,’ and he laughed at me?”
Rupert and Quinn were similar in many ways, but so different in others. “If you’re his mate, I think Zach will already know. And even if he isn’t, after seeing the two of you yesterday, I don’t think he’d laugh at you.”
“Do you think he might be my mate? Can we have mates that aren’t wolves?”
“Mother said that their mates are out there, or here in Lydon. No one said we had to be the same.” Quinn put a hand atop Rupert’s. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up. I mean, I have a son, so what if Zach doesn’t want us?”
“Then you go slow. Find out if he’s willing to stay in Lydon. You’re working yourself up for things that might not occur. It would be better, I think, to see if the two of you are on the same page before deciding your life.”
It shocked Quinn that he was able to put aside his own past to focus on Rupert’s present. Still, Mother did say he had a gift. Maybe this was it.
“I think… I think you’re right. Thank you, Quinn. I know you have other things you need to worry about, so I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.”
“If I’m honest, I believe this is what’s meant to be my place in Lydon. To listen, and maybe help others with their problems.” Because he’d seen enough on his own. “And I think I like that idea.”
Rupert stood. “I should go rescue Dani, I think. And for what it’s worth, I believe you do have a gift, because I feel better already.”
He leaned in and gave Quinn a brief hug, then headed out to the deck. Quinn heard Judah chattering about the animals that Dani told him were in the forests, and how he wanted to see all of them. Rupert was right; Judah needed a home, a place to belong, and Quinn knew with certainty there wasn’t anywhere better than Lydon.
DEKE CRACKED open an eye and groaned. His whole body ached, and he was famished. Shifting and fighting had taken a lot out of him. He tried to sit up, but his body wasn’t having it. He rested against the pillows again, determined that in five minutes he’d get up.
Maybe ten.
The door opened and Quinn came in. “Deke?”
“Quinn!” Deke struggled to sit up. “How are you?”
“You’re looking better,” he said, bringing in a tray laden with food. “I could sense you were hungry, so I thought I’d bring you food.”
“Oh, you are my hero,” Deke said, holding out a hand for the plate. “I haven’t shifted much, and it took a lot more out of me than I thought it would.”
“So fighting all those other people wasn’t the problem?” He walked around to the other side of the bed and sat beside Deke, then reached out and ran a hand over Deke’s back. Deke couldn’t bite back the groan. “Why did you go with them?”
Deke paused, the fork halfway to his mouth. “Because I couldn’t let them get you. You’re my whole world, and the thought of them having you scared the crap out of me.”
“And how do you think it made me feel when I realized you were gone? This only works if both of us do things together.”
Deke shook his head. “I won’t apologize for protecting you.”
“You’re in a wheelchair. Should I have to protect you too?”
“I don’t need…. Oh. I see what you’re saying. You don’t need me to fend for you.”
Quinn chuckled. “No, you don’t understand what I’m saying. When I realized you were my mate, it felt as though someone had