Page 37

37

TILDA

I would think last night was a dream if Reyes wasn’t here beside me.

His eyes are open when I wake up, staring into mine as he shelters me from the sun with his broad shoulders. I don’t know when the sun rose, but I wonder if he’s been here the whole time, making sure that I get some sleep.

“You’re real,” I whisper, reaching up to touch his face. I stroke the soft, bushy salt and pepper of his beard, running my thumb over the planes of his cheekbones.

“I’m real,” he confirms. “This…this is real. It’s everything.”

He bends to place a sleepy kiss on my lips, his mouth soft against mine. My hair is mussed and spread out across the grass, the two of us having cleared out a circle with our lovemaking last night. It’s tall enough that it must have blocked the first rays of dawn, but it still appears to be fairly early; the sky blushes pink with sunrise.

“How did you find me?” I ask. “I remember getting out, and then you were just there.”

He smiles, stroking my hair. “As soon as I was healed enough to run, we made a plan. Frankie scouted the settlement, found a way in. The others…they didn’t even hesitate when I asked. Everyone wanted you back, Tilda.”

“Everyone?”

“Me, Frankie, Grant, Charlotte, Elijah, Mateo and Peaches. Will and Suyin wanted to come too, but they stayed behind in case something happened.” He chuckles. “A whole damn pack came to rescue you, but you couldn’t just wait for us, could you? No, you had to save your own stubborn self first.”

I can’t resist the laugh that bubbles out of my chest as I stare up at him in wonder. “Sorry,” I mumble. “It’s kind of who I am.”

“And I love you for it,” he says.

He kisses me again, and I let myself enjoy the sensation of his body pressed against mine. We’re completely naked. I have no idea where I left my clothes. I really don’t even know where we are.

“Where are we?” I ask. “If we’re close to Homestead…aren’t we in danger?”

“I’m not sure,” he says. “You led the way. Made me chase you.”

“Seems like it’s your fault you didn’t catch me faster,” I tease.

“I was a little out of sorts.”

“You were horny.”

“Fine,” he deadpans. “I was horny. You do know it’s more than that though, right? The rut…I can’t even explain it.”

I nod. “Is it always going to be like that?”

“I think so,” he says. “Not that I’m sure. I’ve never indulged in a rut before.”

A distant voice distracts us both, and our heads snap toward it. Reyes shifts, lifting himself up on his muscular arms to get a better view, the movement making his shoulders flex and ripple. I can’t resist the urge to run a finger down his bicep, the warmth of his skin grounding me in the here and now.

“The moon isn’t out, but I’m still so fucking turned on,” I mutter, half to myself. “I wish we were just back home at the den.”

His lips curl into a soft smile, and he glances down at me with a mixture of amusement and wonder. “I think you might be in luck,” he says, his voice low and rumbling.

He kneels, peering out over the grasses, his sharp gaze fixed on the horizon. I push myself up to join him, squinting at the faint outlines in the distance. Over the rolling prairie, I see a fence rising against the dawn light, its worn edges as familiar to me as the back of my hand. A lone watchtower looms just beyond it, a guard silhouetted against the brightening sky.

“It’s the den,” I whisper, a wave of relief washing over me.

“How…?” I ask, my voice trailing off as I try to piece together how we could’ve ended up here.

Reyes lets out a soft scoff, shaking his head as if he can’t believe it either. “I guess I must have run us here last night,” he says. “You told me to take you somewhere safe, and I didn’t know where else to go.”

“So we’re home,” I murmur, the words feeling foreign on my tongue but warm in my heart.

Reyes crouches beside me, his amber eyes searching my face. His large hands gently cradle my cheeks, the touch so tender it nearly breaks me. “Is it your home now?” he asks, his voice quiet but filled with a raw, vulnerable hope.

I reach up, covering his hands with my own as a smile spreads across my lips. “It was all I could think about while I was trapped in Homestead,” I whisper. “You’re my home, Reyes Garza.”

The tension in his face melts away, replaced by something soft and unguarded. He stands, gloriously naked, his silhouette almost otherworldly against the dawn. With a playful grin, he extends his hand to me. I take it, letting him pull me to my feet, feeling lighter than I have in days.

But as I rise, a flush of heat creeps up my neck. The reminder of last night lingers, impossible to ignore. I glance down at my thighs, slick from our time together, and groan in embarrassment. “Oh my God,” I mutter, covering my face with my hands. “I’m so embarrassed. I think I need a bath.”

Reyes chuckles, a deep, warm sound that seems to vibrate through me. “Good thing we’re at home,” he says. “You can…”

His laughter fades abruptly, his expression shifting into something serious. His brow furrows, and his amber eyes take on a contemplative gleam.

“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. “You’ve got that weird look on your face again.”

“Tilda, I don’t mean this to sound weird,” he begins, clearly hesitant.

I cock an eyebrow, folding my arms across my chest. “Everything you people say sounds weird.”

“You’re probably right,” he says with a short laugh, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “But—I should tell you…I don’t think you’re infertile.”

I freeze, staring at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

He scratches the back of his neck, clearly bracing himself for my reaction. “It’s a?—”

“—wolf thing, right, I figured,” I interrupt, trying to keep my voice steady. “But Reyes—how could you possibly know that?”

“Scent,” he says simply, his gaze locking with mine. “I can’t quite explain it, but it’s something about how our scents mingle…and I think the full moon may have done something to you.”

I bite my lip, trying to process the implications. My life has revolved around my sister for so long—raising her, protecting her. The idea of raising someone else, of bringing a child into this chaotic world…it’s almost too much to comprehend.

But then, so was falling in love with a lycan priest.

Before I can speak, Reyes steps closer, cupping my cheek with one warm hand. His thumb brushes over my skin, soothing me with his touch.

“No expectations,” he says softly, his voice steady and sure. “No questions, even. We’ll get in to see Suyin right away.”

“I’m not pregnant, right?” I ask, the words rushing out before I can stop them.

“No,” he says, his lips quirking up into a small smile. “But we’ll double-check. And if you are…we’ll do whatever you need to do. All I need is you, Tilda.”

I put my hand on his forearm, squeezing gently. “Thank you,” I whisper. “And thanks for telling me before we got there. But…can we just sit here for a minute? I don’t know if I’m ready to see everyone yet.”

Reyes lowers himself back to the grass, spreading his knees wide and holding out his arms. I join him there, leaning back against his broad chest, finding that I’m actually a little sore from last night. I look at the sunrise sky, wisps of clouds like cotton candy on the horizon.

“Didn’t mean to spring that on you, but I thought you should know,” he breathes into my hair.

I snuggle into his chest, my hands on his forearms, stroking the soft, dark hair there. “I mean it,” I say. “I’d rather know than be kept in the dark.”

“I would never keep that from you.”

“I know,” I say. “Because that’s who you are.”

We sit in silence for a moment, staring at the sky. Reyes’ hands fall to my shoulders, stroking down my arms and forcing them to lose the tension they’ve been building for…well, a lifetime. “So what are your plans?” he asks. “Do you want to hear mine?”

I nod, closing my eyes. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

He smiles against my hair, kissing the crown of my head. “I’m thinking about proposing to the woman I love.”

I laugh softly. “And who will officiate when the priest gets married?”

“I don’t know,” he murmurs. “I think your best friend did a pretty good job.”

My heart swells at the sense of belonging that fills me. Peaches has become a good friend—maybe the person I’m closest to in the world, after Enid. It makes my heart ache to think of my sister…but I’ll see her at the new moon.

Eventually, I’ll convince her to come to Austin–to live here with me.

I’m sure of it.

“And then what?” I ask.

“Then…I think we’ll need to build more housing around the den,” he says. “More and more folks come seeking shelter all the time. I want our community to thrive.”

I nod, looking up at the sky. It’s so big—endless. The potential here is endless too. “I think I’d like to expand the garden plot,” I say. “Get some livestock and a few horses. Start training them so we can ride.”

“It’s a good plan,” he says.

“I think the bottom line is that we have a bright future ahead of us no matter what we do,” I say. I turn in his arms, meeting his amber eyes, and I reach up to touch his face. “I just want to watch our garden grow.”

He pulls me to him and presses a kiss to my lips, the sun warming our skin. The cicadas sing in the forest just at the edge of the prairie, and a mockingbird cries somewhere in the distance.

“You two coming in or what?” a voice bellows from the direction of the den, loud enough to carry through the early morning stillness. “We know you’re out there!”

Reyes and I break apart, laughter bubbling between us like a shared secret. I don’t need to turn around to know who it is.

“Fucking Grant,” I mutter, rolling my eyes but unable to stop the grin pulling at my lips.

“Hope you’ve got a high tolerance for bullshit,” Reyes says, his chuckle deep and warm. “Because I guarantee he’s got a whole reserve of it ready just for you.”

I snort, leaning into him, and for a moment, the world narrows to just the two of us. The soft dawn light filters through the trees, casting a golden glow over his face, and I press my forehead to his. His breath mingles with mine, his scent anchoring me like a lifeline.

The den is waking up—there’s no mistaking it now. Voices drift toward us, footsteps crunching on the gravel path. They’re waiting for us. Our family. Our home. But I hold on just a little longer, refusing to let go of this moment.

I want to carve it into my heart, make it something permanent that time can’t touch.

“I love you,” I whisper, my voice trembling with the weight of everything that’s happened—everything that’s led us here. “Thank you for capturing me.”

Reyes smiles, his eyes soft with something that feels like reverence. “I love you, too,” he murmurs, his fingers brushing a stray hair from my cheek. “Thank you for trying to kill me.”

We both laugh, and I gently shove his shoulder as I enjoy this moment before the rest of the world comes crashing back in. Grant hollers again from the direction of the den, and this time Peaches joins him, her voice carrying an edge of teasing impatience.

“Any day now, lovebirds! Some of us have lives to get back to!”

Reyes laughs, the sound vibrating against my chest, and I take his hand in mine. Together, we stand and turn toward the den, toward the noise and the chaos and the people waiting for us.

Our home.

With a shared glance, we step forward, leaving the clearing behind. Whatever challenges lie ahead, we’ll face them together. The forest gives way to open fields, the den’s familiar silhouette coming into view, and I feel something settle in my chest.

Peace. Belonging. Love.

Hand in hand, we go home.