Chapter 18
ROWAN
The tension in my shoulders has finally started to loosen, and the constant need to look twice around every corner fades into something quieter. Something more like permanence.
We’re home. In Solara. Settled into the pack house.
Previously, I’d been excited for Cade. I’d been eager to see the wolves welcome him as they should have been. I put all my focus on making sure that was the outcome, but I’d buried how I was doing.
Sure, it seems like years now since I stepped into NightShade that first day, but really, it’s only been a couple of months. This is all still so new to me, and for some moments, it’s hard to accept this reality.
Not hard as in I don’t want to be here, just that… holy shit, this is all real.
I’m not living a mundane life any longer, and I never will again.
I have a mate, a pack, and my parents in my life. My ferret, who isn’t geriatric, he’s going to live for decades more. And Iris, the grandmother I didn’t know I needed.
It doesn’t matter that a supernatural war might be brewing beyond the pack territory. I have all of this, and that’s more than enough to get me through what’s to come.
As if confirming my thoughts, the bond pulses warm and steady in my chest, like Cade felt that last thought and tucked it somewhere safe to remind me of later.
Across our new room, he’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as he talks quietly with Elias. They’re making plans for the pack run to take place tonight, but also for safeguarding our people.
Malrik might be quiet right now, but we’re not resting.
First, we’ll connect with our wolves by running together under the moon tonight, and then we’ll start making plans to go on the offense. It’s time to hunt, and there’s only one prey we’re after.
Archie shifts on my shoulder, tail flicking against my collarbone. “You’re thinking so hard it’s making my whiskers twitch.”
I flick his butt. “Maybe you’re just overly sensitive.”
“Only to your heightened emotions. So, maybe simmer it down?”
I shake my head, grinning. “Never.”
Cade casts a glance my way, our eyes lock for the briefest of seconds, and it’s like lightning right to my chest. I forget everything else around me and so easily lose myself in the moment, allowing my heart to race, my mind to be consumed only by him, and the ache deep within to intensify.
And you could have had this weeks ago… Wolf reminds me. Again.
While she’s been quieter, allowing me to adjust to all the changes as of late, she’s never been more smug.
I have reason to be, she adds.
Yeah, yeah, I say. I’m still on Team Everything Happens When It’s Supposed To.
As long as we kill Malrik when we’re supposed to, then I’ll let you have that one.
We’re all hoping for that. I just hope we can find him before he finds us.
As Cade and Elias continue their conversation, I make my way through our new master suite, letting the quiet settle around me like a second skin.
I’ve already unpacked the boxes, though there wasn’t much I brought with me. Enough clothes to fill my boxes. A few photos Iris shared with me. Archie’s favorite stolen sock, which he absolutely denies is sentimental, even though I found it in his hide-y hole out in the hallway.
The room itself still feels…new. Not sterile or empty. Just waiting for us to fully live inside it.
The bed dominates the center of the space—massive, solid wood, hand-built like everything else in Solara.
The headboard is carved with subtle knotwork and wolf motifs that only show themselves when the light hits at the right angle.
The bedding is deep charcoal layered with soft cream throws and enough pillows that I’m convinced the pack assumes we hibernate between crises.
Floor-to-ceiling windows line one wall, overlooking the tree line.
Right now, late afternoon light spills through the glass, turning the hardwood floors warm gold and catching on the faint silver threads woven into the curtains.
When they’re pulled back at night, I know I’ll be able to see the stars.
The same sky Cade grew up under. The same sky our pack runs beneath.
Our closet—that feels weird to say in the best way—is already more than half full thanks to the pack and NightShade’s magic generosity.
Cade’s side is neat, boots lined like soldiers, shirts folded with precision.
Mine is less structured. But it smells like cedar and clean linen and something faintly wild that I’m pretty sure is just Solara itself.
There’s a sitting area near the windows with two worn leather chairs and a low table that already holds a half-read pack ledger and the mug he forgot about the moment Elias asked to talk.
Overall, I thought this might feel foreign or possibly even temporary.
It doesn’t.
There are just a few things I need to wrap up for it to be permanent. Malrik being the first, but also Iris finally signed the papers for the house, and Mom told me to still sell. It’s not like she can go back to that life after my having given her a funeral.
The thought still twists something deep and uncomfortable in my chest, but it’s quieter now. Less guilt. More acceptance.
Because that life isn’t mine anymore either. And standing here, in a room that smells like pine, clean laundry, Cade, and a hint of wolf… Even without all the things I thought were most precious to me…
This feels like home.
More so than I ever thought possible.
I focus on that as much as I can. If not, the anxiety over what’s to come just might strangle me.
Though I’m hopeful Iris is right about her friend who’s coming.
Talira, she called her. A sorceress who is centuries old, but apparently at her prime. Whatever that means.
Without telling her, I scanned Iris a second time to make sure I didn’t sense any darkness in her mind or anywhere else. She came back clear, but still.
Her last friend turned out to be Malrik, and I’m not letting my guard down anytime soon.
Archie yawns and then starts to climb down my shoulders. “It’s time for my afternoon nap.”
I grin, watching his little butt wiggle down to the floor. “Are you good with your new room?”
He looks back up at me, and before my eyes, he grows tall enough to brush his nose against my cheek. “You gave me a whole closet with blankets and snacks and have promised to provide hammocks for your little prince to lounge in. How could I not be happy?”
I grab his face and kiss the space between his eyes. “Love you.”
“Love you more.”
Archie shrinks back down to normal ferret size before he goes to the bedroom door, which I open for him.
When I turn back, Cade and Elias are there and shaking hands.
“I’ll see you tonight.” Elias nods at me. “Rowan.”
One second after the door is closed, I find myself pinned against it, Cade’s body bracketing mine like gravity decided to shift directions.
I look up at him with a raised brow, even as my pulse starts sprinting. “You think so, huh?”
His mouth curves, slow and knowing, before he drags his nose up the column of my throat, breathing me in like he’s memorizing something he never plans to lose.
His lips brush just behind my ear, warm and deliberate, and I shiver despite myself. Though, through all that, he doesn’t loosen his grip where he has my hands held behind my back.
It doesn’t feel like restraint. More like a claiming.
“Elias overstayed his welcome,” he grumbles against my skin, the vibration of his voice sending heat spiraling low through my stomach.
“I might agree,” I breathe, my head tipping back without permission, giving him more access, more trust, more of me than I ever thought I’d hand over to anyone.
Cade’s lips move lower, softer now, slower, like he’s reminding himself I’m here. That I chose this. That I chose him.
“Thank you for picking a closet for that ferret, too.”
A laugh catches in my throat, dissolving into something softer. “Archie deserves the best.”
My words come out breathy, fragile around the edges, and the sound seems to undo something in him.
His tongue traces the curve where my neck meets my shoulder, and when he reaches the bite mark, electricity shoots straight through me, sharp and bright and impossible to ignore.
My knees nearly give.
The bond surges—heat, want, and connection—so loud I swear I can feel his wolf pressing under his skin, just like mine is pacing inside me.
Suddenly, my clothes are too itchy, and the desire to see them ripped from my body is all too consuming. Too much distance between skin and skin.
With his free hand, Cade tugs at my shirt, but he only gets the chance to expose my stomach before the door rattles behind me.
“Stupid non-magical house,” Iris mutters from the other side. “If we were in NightShade, things wouldn’t be broken.” She pounds on the wood like she personally holds a grudge against architecture. “Rowan, I need to speak with you.”
Cade goes completely still against me.
Then, very seriously, “How upset would you be if I killed her again?”
I actually pause to consider it, and when I don’t immediately answer, his mouth finally curves into a real smile.
He releases me, but not before dragging his knuckles down my arm in a way that makes my skin spark.
“Get rid of her.”
He steps toward the bathroom, already stripping his shirt over his head with one hand, then pauses in the doorway and looks back at me—eyes dark and heated, promise written all through them.
“Then join me.”
That I can absolutely do.
I straighten my clothes, forcing my pulse back into something resembling normal, then open the door for her. “Hello, Iris.”
She gives me a long, judgmental once-over, like she’s cataloging every possible life choice that led to this moment.
“What took you so long to answer?”
“Nice to see you again so soon.” I stay planted in the doorway, very intentionally not inviting her inside. “What did you need to share with me?”
She cranes her neck, trying to peer over my shoulder. “Are you going to invite me in, or are you hiding something scandalous and poorly ventilated in there?”
“Iris.” My tone is all warning and very little patience.
“My granddaughter, the wolf shifter.” She clicks her tongue like she’s disappointed in the universe. “Life is always throwing lemons, but it’s a good thing I’m an excellent catcher.”
She waves a hand dismissively.
“Anyway. Talira will be here tomorrow. Your dog said she couldn’t come into the pack, so I’m meeting her somewhere. Where can I do that without either of us getting mauled?”
Behind me, Cade re-enters the room, shirtless, jeans riding low on his hips, skin damp from the shower steam curling out of the bathroom.
“We don’t need help from her kind,” he says, staying where only I can see him.
Iris smirks like she just won something. “I knew I smelled wet dog, and yes, we do. She knew Malrik.”
“Knew him,” Cade repeats sharply. “How long ago? He’s been hiding for decades. Nobody knows him anymore.”
We’ve already talked about this. I understand where he’s coming from. Old information can get people killed if we treat it like the current truth.
But ignoring it entirely? That can get people hurt, too.
It’s a risk to take history and bring it to the present, but it also seems like a risk to ignore any offer of help in bringing this bastard down.
Iris levels her wrinkly gaze on me. “Is this how it’s going to be? Your mate is always coming in and keeping me away?”
There’s more hurt than snark in that statement, and it has me placing a hand on her shoulder. “Cade won’t be keeping you away. It’s just hard to trust people we don’t know when there’s so much at stake. You’re welcome here anytime.”
“Not anytime,” Cade grumbles.
“You’re welcome anytime you need me,” I amend, giving Iris a pointed look that says please don’t abuse that. “As for Talira, we will meet her just beyond the west border.”
Cade already told me it was the most barren, so it seems like the safest bet. It has the least trees to hide any tricks behind and fewer pack members to see our guest.
“That’s all I needed.” Iris huffs. “Wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, I’m going to go shower off this wet dog smell.”
He takes a step forward, but I shut the door before he can go after her. He might want to snap her neck every other hour, but deep down, I’m mostly certain they would protect one another if need be.
Mostly.
I barely get one breath before I’m suddenly lifted, my world flipping as Cade throws me over his shoulder.
“Now,” he says, voice low and pleased, “it’s time to wash the scent of old lady off you.”
I laugh, bracing my hands against his back. “As long as you’re doing the washing, do as you please, mate.”
I smack his ass as he rounds the corner into the bathroom, and he growls—low, playful, and promising things we definitely don’t have time for.
Steam fills the space, warm and thick, smelling like cedar soap and Cade and something unmistakably wolf.
He sets me down, slowly this time, hands sliding from my hips like he’s reluctant to let go.
The bond hums between us, steady and alive.
A fight unlike anything I’ve ever known is coming. Malrik is still out there doing gods know what. Tomorrow, we meet a sorceress who apparently knew the worst man I’ve ever met.
But right now?
It’s just us. Me and Cade. Breathing the same air. Standing under the same roof. Belonging to the same future and…
It’s perfect in a way I don’t quite understand yet feel in my chest with every beat of my heart.