Wanderlust With Wolves (Greetings from Monster Town)

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

THE WEIGHT OF FOREVER

Maya

After an entire day wrapped up in Ronan, in his bed, his arms, his scent, I needed to return to my world.

Not because I wanted to leave, but because reality still existed beyond the walls of his secluded cabin in the woods.

We both had responsibilities.

He had his family, his duties, his life here.

I had my work, my travels, my plans to keep moving.

And yet?—

When we parted earlier, it wasn’t really a goodbye.

He expected to see me tonight for dinner.

The way he said it?—

A low, rumbled promise, the kind that sent shivers down my spine and heat pooling low in my belly?—

It left no doubt that he meant to claim me again.

If I let him.

I return to my cabin, calling for Belvedere as I step inside.

He greets me with a slow blink from the couch, sprawled out like he owns the place.

“You’re looking smug,” I murmur, scratching his ears as he purrs deeply.

I check my messages, my work emails, touching base with my freelance assignments.

My life outside of Avalon Vale is still waiting for me, still moving forward.

I remind myself that this is temporary, just a stop along the way.

Right?

I shake the thought off and grab my coat, heading toward the main lodge.

When I walk into the lodge, Luna is waiting.

She takes one look at me, and her knowing smile says everything.

I clear my throat, rolling my shoulders back. “What?”

Luna tilts her head, her golden eyes glinting with amusement. “You look…”

I raise a brow. “I look what?”

She hands me a basket, the one promised to participants of the Sweetheart Wilds Festival.

It’s overflowing with spa treats—scented oils, luxurious bath salts, soft robes.

But Luna’s grin tells me she knows I’ve already been thoroughly pampered.

I don’t confirm or deny.

I just huff and take the basket.

“Thanks,” I mutter.

We fall into easy conversation, chatting about the festival, the turnout, the way the human guests were charmed by the magic of Avalon Vale.

And then?—

I hear something that stops my heart cold.

It’s a casual remark, something Luna tosses out without thinking?—

Something about how wulver knots only appear for their mates.

Their mates.

My brain blanks.

I blink.

I swallow.

And then the anxiety slams into me like a freight train.

Mates mean forever.

Forever means being tied down.

Burdened.

Not free.

I stare at Luna, my hands tightening around the basket.

She notices the shift in my expression, her amusement fading into mild concern.

“You okay?”

I force a small, tight smile. “Yeah. Just… surprised.”

But inside, my heart is racing.

Ronan’s knot.

The way he filled me, claimed me, locked himself inside me.

It wasn’t just sex.

It wasn’t just instinct.

It was a bond.

A bond that, in his world, his culture, his bones, meant forever.

I take a slow, steady breath, but it doesn’t help.

I need air.

I need distance.

Luna says something else, but I don’t really hear it.

Because one thought is ringing through my mind, louder than anything else?—

I have to tell Ronan.

I have to tell him now, before we keep seeing each other, before this goes deeper, before it turns into something I can’t walk away from.

Because I don’t do forever.

I don’t do roots, or staying, or belonging.

And Ronan?

Ronan deserves someone who does.