Chapter 25 #2
She shifts her weight, uncertainty creasing her brow. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re—” She stops, color flooding her cheeks. “I just don’t.”
I step closer, close enough that she has to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. “In a real fight, hesitation gets you killed. You understand that?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop apologizing for doing what I tell you to.” My hand finds her chin, thumb brushing across her jaw. “You’re stronger than you think.”
Her pupils dilate, and the pulse in her throat jumps.
Wrong time. Wrong. Fucking—
“Julien!” Ramirez’s voice cuts through the moment. “We got company at the gate!”
We sprint down the path, adrenaline flooding my system, mind racing through possibilities. Wolves returning early? Hostile survivors? Or—
My feet skid to a halt at the sight of two figures on the other side of the gate. Two very familiar figures.
“Cameron?” The name tears from my throat.
“Ju!” My brother’s face breaks into a grin. “About time!”
Sienna stands beside him, face smudged with dirt but unmistakably her. Behind them, two vehicles—not the ones they left in—idle on the dirt road.
They made it.
“Open it!” I shout to Ramirez, already sprinting the last few yards.
My hands fumble with the chain, yanking it free. Cameron rushes through the gap, colliding with me in a crushing embrace that knocks the wind from my lungs.
“You made it,” I breathe into his shoulder, relief flooding my system.
“Thought we’d never find this place.”
“You made it.” I tap his back. “You’re here.”
Sienna launches herself at Dakota, who freezes momentarily before awkwardly returning the hug. “We thought you guys might be—”
“Had to ditch the cars.” Cameron pulls back. “Horde on the highway. Fucking massive. We backtracked, found these cars in a neighborhood, but—”
“Later.” I grip his shoulders. “Everyone okay?”
“Yeah. Amelia’s in the car. We’ve been going slow with her. And Rosa’s ready to murder Nicklas.”
A sedan rolls through the gate, followed by a beaten-up SUV.
Rosa’s face appears at the driver’s window, her eyes finding mine instantly.
The vehicles park, and everyone spills out—Rosa, hobbling slightly but determined; Nicklas, helping Carmen from the back seat, and my hands curl into fists before I force them open; lastly, Amelia, thin but upright.
“Dakota!” Amelia’s voice breaks as Dakota rushes toward her. “I’m sorry. I made you—It’s my fault.”
They collide in a tangle of arms, Dakota’s carefully maintained composure crumbling as she buries her face in her sister’s neck. “You’re okay,” she keeps saying. “You’re okay.”
Rosa marches to me. “Mijo. You scared me half to death.”
“Sorry, Abuela.” I lean down so she can cup my face, her papery hands cool against my skin. “I had to.”
“I should smack you.” But she’s smiling, eyes wet. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“No promises.”
She swats my arm. “And the girl?”
I glance at Dakota. Her father approaches, and I don’t miss how she subtly shifts to put herself between him and Amelia.
“Better.” I straighten, avoiding my grandmother’s knowing eyes. “I’m going to make sure it stays like that.”
The next hour blurs. Getting everyone inside and explaining the situation with the wolves before dividing cabins.
Ramirez and his sister show a cabin to Carmen and Nicklas.
The safest move given Nicklas’ tendency to piss people off.
Cameron, Sienna, and Rosa find their own cabin close to ours. Amelia joins her parents, and Dakota—
I find her helping Amelia settle into her room, fluffing pillows, and arranging medications on the nightstand. Carmen hovers nearby, offering suggestions Dakota doesn’t need.
“Hey, Dakota,” I say from the doorway. “You got a minute?”
She looks up, her gaze flickering to her sister for a second. “Uh—Sure.” She follows me outside.
“You can stay with me tonight,” I say, voice low enough that only she can hear. “At our cabin?”
“I—”
“Dakota?” Amelia stands in the entrance, Dakota’s attention flicking to her.
“I’ll be right back.” She turns back to me. “I’m sorry. I think I should stay with my sister.”
“Right.” I nod, face carefully blank. “Of course.”
“Julien, I—” Uncertainty clouds her expression. “I’m sorry.”
I reach for her, needing to touch her, to feel the connection we had, but she flinches back, my chest tightening. Did I do something wrong? Her hand lifts toward me, fingers curling into a fist before dropping to her side.
It’s a micro-movement. But I catch it. Feel it like a knife between my ribs.
What the fuck is going on?
“No need to apologize.” I step back. “I understand.”
“It’s—”
“It’s fine, Dakota.” I force my voice level, my expression neutral. Now I used that fucking word. “I’ll see you later. Get some rest.”
I turn before she can respond, before I say something I’ll regret. My feet carry me back toward my cabin, our cabin, except it’s just mine now, and I hate it.
Inside, the space feels too big. Too empty. The bed where we slept, where I held her, mocks me. The couch where I touched her last night, innocent and accusing.
I sink onto it, head in my hands.
What did I expect? That one night would erase years of conditioning? That she’d choose me over her sister. Her whole reason for living?
I’m a fool.
But I’m a stubborn asshole.
And patient.
I hope she’s ready for that.