Chapter 24 #2
“I want to clarify that the council has never seen this portion of the memories.” Harding clears her throat.
“During her interrogation, Helena Carwright confessed to tampering with the evidence to show only Soren’s confession of guilt.
Yours was not the only case she had skewed against shifters.
I am deeply sorry for the turmoil her actions have caused your pack. ”
Angry growls rumble from Lyall. Anders leans over the bench and squeezes his shoulder.
“Alpha Erikson. After reviewing this evidence, has your belief in Soren’s guilt changed at all?”
The bench creaks as Wulfric rises, but he doesn’t look at the councilwoman. He looks right at me and says, “Aye. It has.”
“And what is your verdict?”
Wulfric’s throat bobs, his voice shaky when he says, “Soren sacrificed himself to keep our family together, out of love for my brother. He is innocent.”
“And what of the rest of the pack?” Harding asks.
Helga rises, eyes glassy. “Innocent. Soren, you will always be welcome in our home.”
Relief threatens to bring tears to my eyes.
Anders says, “I misjudged your character greatly. Even when we turned against you, you kept our family together. Soren is innocent and just.”
A long silence falls as everyone waits for Gunnar to speak. He lifts his head, exhaling the tension from his shoulders and jaw. “Innocent.”
Harding says, “And what is the judgment of this council?”
One by one, the council members say, “Innocent,” while two abstain.
Harding announces, “All charges of treason are dismissed. For violation of time travel law section 3a, you are barred from traveling until you report to the TTA for proper documentation, after which you must return to the council and present proof of documentation.”
I nod so hard my head throbs. “Understood!”
“I will help him,” Lyall says.
Harding says, “Mr. Erikson, for exposure to the paranormal world and unauthorized time traveling, you will have your traveling privileges revoked for six months. You may only travel if there is another person with you, and they will be expected to report in once a month. If after six months there have been no further violations, you may travel freely again.”
Lyall looks up with hopeful puppy dog eyes. “That’s all?”
I gesture wildly at him to shut his sexy mouth. “They’re letting us off easy! Don’t question it!”
Harding replies, “The penalties are normally more severe but given the unconventional nature of this case, we’re dropping the more serious charges. I trust you won’t make me regret it?” She arches a shaped brow.
Lyall slaps a fist to his chest. “You have my word!”
I slump in my seat, unsure if I’m feeling faint from the magic in my head or from relief.
The doors at the back of the room creak open. “Ahem.” Arlo pokes his head into the room and waves his fingers. “Pardon me. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all. You’re right on time,” Harding says. “Lyall, Soren, and the rest of the pack, you may leave. Gunnar and Arlo and Alpha Wulfric, please stay. There are matters we need to discuss.”
“Come on, stud. Let’s do this,” Arlo says.
Gunnar grunts, glowering at the floor.
Arlo walks to the front row of seats, and Gunnar trails after him.
I spring off the bench and throw my arms around Lyall. He holds me so tight it’s almost painful, and he laughs in my ear. We did it. We won. No more hiding from Lyall’s family, no more secrets. When Lyall claims my lips, I lose myself in his taste, the rasp of his hand over my cheek.
“I love you.” The words are out the second our lips part.
Lyall’s smile makes sunlight look dim by comparison. “And I you, until we’re nothing but ash in the earth.”
I chuckle. “A bit morbid but yeah, same.”
“Does this mean we are not moving to San Francisco?” Lyall asks, tilting his head.
“We don’t have to. I haven’t said yes to the apartment yet.”
Lyall takes my hand and leads me from the room. Anders and Jamie follow. “Do you want to go?”
The idea was exciting once I adjusted to it, but now that we aren’t being forced to leave… I squeeze his hand. “Your family is here. So is mine. Let’s face it, they couldn’t function without us.”
Tossing back his head, Lyall laughs. “Nay, I don’t believe they could.”
“Heard that,” Anders growls, elbowing Lyall in the head.
“Congrats, you two!” Jamie says, slapping my back as he passes. “We should have dinner sometime. Our place.”
“Sounds good,” I reply, loving the sound of an evening with Lyall’s family.
“Anders.” Lyall tugs on his twin’s arm, taking him aside. He whispers something too low for me to catch. Anders hands him a duffel bag, which Lyall slings over his shoulder. I wonder what that’s all about?
Once we’re downstairs, we say goodbye to Anders and Jamie. It’s a beautiful day, even if it is freezing. It snowed recently but the streets have been salted and shoveled. The sky is clear and blue without a threat of more snow.
“Wanna walk around a bit?”
Lyall puts his arm around my shoulders. “You lead, and I’ll follow.”
We spent the rest of the day walking along the Hudson River, stopping for some beers at a bar.
My feet ache, and I’d love nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep next to Lyall, but he insists on a trip to Central Park.
“There’s a spot there where we’re allowed to shift.
The witches have glamoured the area so humans won’t notice. ”
I yawn into the back of my fist. “Okay, but I’m not chasing your fluffy ass around the park.”
A quick train ride later, and we’re walking beneath the canopies of green leaves.
Lyall stops outside Sheep Meadow. It’s a huge open space, perfect for wolves to run.
Lyall examines the trunk of a tree, running his fingers over a symbol carved into the wood.
“Should be the place.” He sets his duffel bag down and pulls out his white fur cloak while I find a spot beneath a tree to sit.
“Have fun, sweetheart.”
The white fur catches the sunlight when Lyall throws it over his shoulders. “Sure you don’t want to join me?”
I snort, resting my back against the tree. “As if I could keep up with you.”
Lyall grabs something inside the bag. “With this, you might.” He pulls out a thick pelt of fur. One I vaguely recognize.
“Is that…” I push myself up, exhaustion forgotten.
Lyall smiles, holding out the fur cloak. I clasp the fur between my fingers, the pelt dense and coarse. “It’s yours.”
How could he still have it? A breathless laugh escapes me even as I blink hard against the sting of tears. “You kept it? All this time?”
He swings the cloak over my shoulders, a warm, comforting weight against my back. “Of course. I never gave up, Soren. I believed the gods would bring you back to me. It was only a matter of when.”
His words break my heart and make it soar all at once. I take him into my arms, pressing my face into his shoulder. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
His hand settles at the nape of my neck, warm as sunlight. “You are worth it, love.”
I never thought I’d find someone like him. After so much heartbreak, I’d convinced myself I would be alone forever. Now I know I’ll never have to be. I’ve found the kind of love I thought only existed in my dreams.
“Ready to run?” Lyall asks, his grin full of mischief.
“Hell yeah. So, how do I do this?” How can a pelt of fur change my whole body into a wolf?
Lyall scratches his chin thoughtfully. “I do not know.”
“Don’t you do this all the time?”
“Aye. It’s like asking me how to breathe. I don’t know how. I just do it. Mayhap, if you lower yourself to the floor… like this.” Lyall gets on all fours. I mimic him, feeling stupid when nothing happens.
“Okay… so what now? Do I have to howl, chase my nonexistent tail—” The colors of the world shift before my eyes. Everything sharpens, like I put on glasses. “Whoa.” The fur on my back shivers, making me gasp when it starts to move. Fur descends over my arms, crawls down my back.
I close my eyes, terrified of the pain I’m sure will come. Werewolf transformations always look horrible in the movies.
“Soren. Open your eyes for me, love.” Lyall’s voice is in my head, and there’s a burning in my chest. Not like heartburn or anything uncomfortable, more like that pleasant feeling you get when you swallow a warm drink on a cold day.
I open my eyes and whimper in delight at the sight of Lyall’s beautiful white wolf.
Lyall wags his tail and bumps his nose against my forehead. I realize we’re the same height, although he should be bigger than me. It’s then that I notice my hands have become paws. Shifting felt so natural, I barely noticed when I’d changed forms.
“This is so cool! I’m a wolf!”
Lyall chuffs, tail swinging side to side. “Aye, that you are.”
I realize he heard me. “How can we hear each other like this?”
Lyall rubs his body against mine. “It’s through our bond. Before, I could feel you, but you couldn’t sense me. Now that you’ve shifted, our bond is no longer one-sided.” He shivers against me. “Gods, how I missed feeling you.”
The pain in his voice makes me whimper. I grab his tail in my teeth and tug, making him yelp.
He spins around and tackles me, and we roll over in the leaves together.
I lick one of his ears. “You’re not alone anymore, sweetheart.
I’m here. I’ll always be here, until we’re nothing but ash in the earth. Just like you said.”
The rush of joy that sweeps through my chest takes me by surprise. It’s his joy. I can feel him, as if we share the same heart.
Lyall drops into a play-bow, his eyes bright and focused only on me. “Then run with me. We’ll leave the aches and pains of the past behind, here and now.”
I snap my teeth playfully, blood pumping. “Let’s see who the faster wolf is!”
The world blurs around me as my paws kick up dirt. Wind roars in my ears, carrying our yips and howls. Side by side, we run, chasing our future.
This is it; I know it. I can feel it stretching out before us.
This is the beginning of our forever, together.