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I nodded, still doubtful. “Okay, but let’s hold off on telling her about the pack coming soon. At least until we know what to do about them.”

“Any thoughts on that yet?” he asked.

I shook my head, and it felt heavy on my shoulders. “No.”

“I don’t feel good about lying to her,” Tannin lamented.

I hopped back onto the bed and put a hand on his back. “It’s for her own protection. Until we figure out how to handle the relations between her and the pack, it’s best for her not to know about them. For now, we just need to make amends with her and prove ourselves to her. If this is fate, then the rest will reveal itself in due time.”

He nodded. “Okay. I can live with that.” Then he turned and smiled at me. “Thank you.”

I frowned. “For what?”

“For not killing her,” he said. “For being the Alpha I always thought you were.”

My heart squeezed. I really did love Tannin like a brother. We’d been through so much together, and the thought that I’d almost lost both him and Aliya because of my arrogance and pride brought me great shame. I’d never let that happen again.

“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations,” I said sincerely. “And hers. From now on, I’m going to do right by her. Both of you.”

He hugged me, and though we’d shared brief embraces in the past after battle, this one felt different. I didn’t truly know if I could share the princess without some adjustment, but if I had to share a mate with anyone, I was glad it was Tannin.

I just hoped it wasn’t too late for either of us. Our fate hung in Aliya’s hands now. And I didn’t like our chances.

Chapter 15

Aliya

BY THE TIME I FINALLYcame back inside, I was exhausted and covered in sweat. The sun had fully set, and night was creeping up the eastern sky. I had managed to hone my targeting and narrow my impact, causing only as much damage as I wanted.

I’d practiced first on shrubs and trees in the forest, then on birds I spotted in the branches. I only killed the first one, then afterward I’d learned to soften my blows to merely knock them off their perches.

I felt bad for the dead dove. She hadn’t deserved to die for my training, and I’d felt compelled to honor her sacrifice. So I picked up her body when I was done and brought her with me inside. I could add her to dinner. Though, at this point, I didn’t care if Jax and Tannin ate or not.

To my surprise, both of them were busily working in the kitchen when I walked in. Tannin was chopping vegetables, and Jax was stirring something in a big pot on the stove.

They both paused their work when I entered and turned to smile at me.