Page 28 of Fighting Fate

There’s a sense of wonder that floods my heart when I place my hand on Nora’s stomach. I don’t feel anything—no kicking—but there is an energy that flows from her. The presence. I can’t wait to meet my niece or nephew. Now that crossing the border isn’t a crime punishable by death anymore, I don’t have to worry about being able to see them whenever I want.

“You are going to be so spoiled,” I promise them. “I am going to be the best aunt in the entire world.”

Kyran winds his arms around me from behind. I know what he’s thinking, and the idea makes my cheeks flush. He wants toknow when we’ll have one of our own. I’m definitely a fan of the idea, though I’m not exactly sure what our child would be. Wolf or bear? Or maybe some hybrid. There’s so much we still don’t know, mostly because we’ve been kept apart by the ancient laws, which he and Declan are working together to dismantle one by one. It’s about time we started living in the twenty-first century.

Cole groans dramatically. “Could you please not spoil my kid too much? It’s all fine and good for you to do it, when you get to hand them off at the end of the day and send them home to us.”

“Oh, shut up,” I retort, sticking my tongue out and making Nora laugh. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to be an aunt. You are not going to ruin this for me.”

In the middle of all of this, I can’t help but notice how far away Zeke seems. He’s here, but he’s not totally disconnected from the conversation. When he finally notices me staring daggers at him, he shakes himself a little. “What were you talking about?”

Declan notices, too. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

“It’s your turn to cook dinner,” Cole informs him. “Remember? You’re going to cook for everyone tonight?”

“I can do it if he doesn’t mind,” I offer. I’ve missed cooking big meals, as much fun as it is to share smaller meals with my mate. We have our own little version of domestic bliss going, and it gets better with every month that passes.

“She’s been doing really amazing things with fresh bread lately,” Kyran announces. “Though I guess you would need the time to pull that together, wouldn’t you?”

I can barely respond, still staring at my brother. He’s looking out the window like he’s waiting for something. Is he in trouble? I would ask, but Declan’s phone rings and grabs my attention.

The way his eyebrows draw together tells me this is not a good call before he ever says a word. “I’ll head out, see if I can track them.”

“Track who?” Cole asks when the call is finished.

“Apparently, a lone wolf has been scented in our territory. I have a general location.” Frowning, he adds, “I guess dinner will have to wait, anyway.”

“We can help you,” Kyran offers. I love that he’s so eager to work together and forge a stronger bond. Cole stays with Nora while the rest of us head out, shifting so we can pick up the scent more easily.

And it is easy. The scent stands out over everything else that’s as familiar to me as the back of my hand. A lone wolf. I wonder what brought them here. Where they came from. What it all means.

For some reason, it isn’t Declan who leads the group. It’s Zeke. He moves at a trot, with purpose, hardly bothering to pause and make sure he’s heading in the right direction. The scent grows stronger the further we walk until finally, he stops short, and brings us all to a stop behind him.

Now I see what he sees. A pale, naked body curled up at the base of a towering pine around a mile from the house I grew up in. A girl, covered in bruises and what looks like welts around her wrists and ankles. She’s asleep—or unconscious, it’s tough to tell from a distance.

Instinct makes me move toward her, but Zeke gets in my way.“Leave her. Leave us.”

“What? Why?”I ask.

Looking over my head, he repeats himself.“Leave us. Go home.”

“I don’t understand.”

His body heaves a sigh.“She’s my mate.”