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Evelyn sucked in a breath. “Oh, Kade . . .”

He pushed past her, leaving the letter in her hands. “Vampyrs. They attacked his convoy from a pack meeting.” Kade recounted Eldrick’s words, more to himself than her. Maybe if he heard them out loud, he’d believe them. Stars above, his father was dead.

For years, Kade had assumed his father would die from his broken heart. He never imagined the vampyr would take down his strong, wild father.

He began collecting his things, moving without thinking. “I have to go home. I’ve been gone for too long.”

Evelyn said something, but a ringing began in his ears. He folded his cloak, retrieved his boots, ignored Maxie as she danced between his legs, meowing over and over.

Father is dead. As your new Alpha, I command you to come home. Our pack and all of Sorin need you.

Kade had been wrong. He’d deviated from his duty, had dismissed what needed to be done. And now his father was dead. Like when his mother had died, Kade had allowed what he wanted to get in the way. He was Son of the God, prophesied to defeat the vampyr, and it was time he began remembering that—

“I love you,” Evelyn said.

The words didn’t register as Kade continued to gather his things, throwing them into his worn-out pack. His father, dead. The leader of the Drengr pack. Eldrick would take over as Alpha, and Kade would need to be there, to help and support him. He’d also need his cloak and boots. Where had he put them last?

“Kade, I love you,” Evelyn said. “And I’m coming with you.”

He stopped. His heart quickened, and Evelyn’s words touched his soul.

She loved him.

He turned, inch by inch, to face her, as if turning too quickly might fracture the moment or reveal it to be entirely an illusion.

Evelyn’s silvery gray eyes glistened with tears, and she stared at him, waiting for a response. Those words . . . Kade felt them deep in his bones. They were true for him, and Evelyn meant them, too.

“I wish I’d told you sooner or at a different time entirely, but I need you to know the truth, Kade,” Evelyn said. “I need you to know I’m with you through this.”

Moons, he’d lost himself. He’d let his grief get the best of him. He’d lost who he wanted to be and what truly defined him. Love, loyalty, friendship, and hope. Not duty. Duty was not what drove him to pack his things and rush home. It was love for his father, loyalty to his pack. It wasn’t duty commanding his soul as he stared at Evelyn. Moons, she was a beauty, and her love grounded him in the present.

His brave mate.

In two long strides, Kade grasped hold of her hands. “No, I needed you to say them. I needed to hear them. Stars above, Ev.” He rested his forehead on hers.

“I’m so sorry, Kade,” she said, squeezing his hands.

He shook his head, the threat of tears stinging his eyes. His father’s health had been declining for years. He, his brothers, and pack knew the inevitable: his father would die from a severed mating bond. Never had he expected his father to be killed. Not like this. His grief snuck up on him, given the circumstances of how he lost his father.

“Oh, Kade,” Evelyn said, cupping his cheek.

She pulled him down into a hug and held him.

“Losing a parent is not easy,” she whispered. “But I swear it to you, Kade, you will get through this.”

Kade found himself listening to Evelyn’s heartbeat; it grounded him again. Her touch, her arms holding him close. Her cedar and vanilla scent.

He wasn’t okay, but she made him feel safe.

He believed in her and in them. Whatever they faced, may it be Eldrick’s transition as Alpha, her coven’s scrutiny, the demands of the Elders and Alphas, or the threat of the vampyr, they’d face it together.

Chapter Fifty-Six

Evelyn

Evelyn and Kade had packed all their things, and with the funds between them, they’d purchased passage across the Sapphire Sea on a ship that left at sundown destined for Nua. She had an hour before she joined Kade with Maxie at the docks. They’d already said their goodbyes to Miss Patricia and Commissioner Doyle, and they’d even written a letter to Aster’s parents with the last month’s rent for her Callum apartment.

Evelyn, though, had one more goodbye before she left, and she hurried her way through Callum to make it. She’d miss the cobblestones, the forever promise of rain in the air, and the sweet, warm smiles of its people. None of that mattered, though, not with Kade’s father dead. Evelyn frowned and blinked away tears, sadness for her fated still fresh.