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He’d taken Dakota’s life, his family, a future he might’ve had.

And no fucking way was I surrendering the one he could build here, now, with us. He was pack and magic and miracle all wrapped up in one, and it didn’t matter that half a dozen people were in there, waiting for some kind of answer about what was happening. I kissed him again, reveling in the sweetness of his every breath.

Even when we broke the kiss, I couldn’t pull away from him. I shut my eyes and tipped my forehead against his.

“I chose you,” he whispered into the space between us. “I’d choose you again. This feels...”

He reached up and traced my bottom lip with his fingertips.

He didn’t have to say another word. I knew how it felt. The mating bond was as much a revelation to me as it was to him.

The rest? Being a wolf... Okay, maybe he was more overcome than me, but I was never going to let him face it on his own. Not now.

“I know,” I whispered back.

He shook his head, like I couldn’t possibly understand, even when I felt it now. He wanted this.

“I’d pick this over magic,” he confirmed. “I’d pick this over anything. I fucking love you, so no more torturing yourself, jerk.”

“I love you too,” I said. My heart flipped over in my chest.

“He’s... both? That’s impossible,” Minori was gasping behind us. “He can’t be?—”

Was she upset, or simply shocked? When I glanced at her, I couldn’t tell beyond the paleness of her face.

“Darling,” Prudence said, “you’ve not been around long enough to know what is and isn’t possible.”

She reached into her quilt bag and pulled out a book. It was old, bound in faded leather, the pages yellowed.

Dakota stepped back from me just enough to look at her, but even then, his arm stayed looped around my hips, his head on my shoulder.

Prudence offered the book to him. “It’s from my collection. When I heard what happened, I hoped...”

Her smile trembled. I wouldn’t have been the only one lost if Dakota had died, but I’d never seen Prudence’s emotions riding so close to the surface.

Dakota took the book. His brow puckered. “Tales of the Witchwolf?”

“An old legend about a mage who was bitten and kept her magic. No one in my family ever put much stock in it, but you—you prove it true.”

Dakota bit his lip, his fingers tightening on the book. “Thank you.”

Prudence nodded, patting his hand fondly.

Then, she rounded on Minori. “Crescent will be making no restitution, young lady. You can deal with your own family drama. Dakota is ours.”

Ours, my wolf echoed.

I dragged him in again and kissed his temple as he turned the book over in his hands.

39

Dakota

Tokyo was beautiful, but I didn’t want to move there.

Jiro had been extradited to Japan, but thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with him, and my other cousin wasn’t so bad.

Once Minori had learned the truth, she’d helped bring her brother to justice. Since then, she was turning out to be a decent person after all, putting us up in her home and treating my wolves with the respect they deserved.