Chapter 17 Hayden
HAYDEN
The clang of the metal door is louder than I remember.
Faith grips my hand tighter as we step into the room, the smell of disinfectant and burnt coffee thick in the air.
Oak’s already at the table, arms folded across his chest, expression unreadable.
“Sit,” he says like a command, his voice rough.
I guide Faith into the chair beside me, then drop into the seat across from her brother. These tables aren’t meant for men my size.
“You’ve got something to tell me?” he says, jaw clenched, eyes locked on me, not even looking at his sister.
Faith shifts beside me. “Oak—”
“I was talking to him,” he growls.
I swallow. Hard. He knows. Fuck. He already knows.
“Yeah. We’re… together.” I brace myself. “It started when she moved in. I didn’t plan it.”
“You touched my baby sister?” His voice is deep now, more gruff. “My baby sister?”
Faith flinches. “Oak, please—”
He leans in, eyes burning holes through me. “Tell me, Wrath… was it worth it?”
I open my mouth. Nothing comes out and I thank the lord for the table between us and the guard at the side.
“It’s not what you think. I love her.”
He smirks.
“Good. Because if you hadn’t touched her, I’d have called you a coward.”
Faith gasps. “Oak!”
He shrugs, relaxing into his chair. “What? You think I didn’t know?”
He points at me. “You’ve always looked out for my sister since she was a kid. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else.”
I blink. “How the hell did you know?”
“Mum came to see me.” His face softens. “She’s going to AA. Wants to make amends. She told me what happened. What you did for Faith. You saved her, man.”
I nod once, still tense, not trusting where this is going.
He glances between us, leaning back in his chair. “You’ve always been like a brother to me. I’d be honoured to have you in the family officially. Someday.”
“Someday,” I echo. “I’ll leave the club if I have to. Whatever it takes. But I want your blessing.”
“It wasn't my choice to keep her away. I thought I was doing what was best. Club’s family.”
I nod in agreement. It’s not even the club, it’s everyone down at the Black Crow. Without Kane, I’d have probably been the one serving time right now, instead of spending time with my girl.
“Mum said you passed your A-levels.” He beams at Faith like he couldn’t be happier for her.
Faith smiles, looking down and twiddling her thumbs. I can tell she’s quietly chuffed—and so she should be.
“Mum might not show it, but she was bragging about you. Said you grafted hard for those results. No thanks to her.”
Oak reaches across the table and takes Faith’s hand. “You’ve done us all proud, sis.”
“Thank you.” She pulls her hand away and fiddles with a zip on her hoodie. “I’m not going to university.”
“What?” I whip my head to the side, my brows knitting together.
She shrugs. “I got offered a regular night spot at the Black Crow to sing. I’m going to apply for an apprenticeship at the hospital like Lilly. I want to be a nurse and help people and I can sing and earn extra cash.”
I stare at her, blinking. “You—you want to be a nurse?”
She nods. “Like Lilly. She said I’d be great at it. And the singing gig pays well. It’s enough for now.”
“You’ve really thought this through?” I ask, my chest tightening in a way I wasn’t ready for. Not with worry—just pure, aching pride.
“I have.” She squeezes my thigh under the table. “And I still want to be with you.”
I press a kiss to her temple. “Then I’m behind you, one hundred percent. Whatever you need, Sunshine.”
Oak’s watching us with a strange glint in his eye. “Looks like I’ve got two siblings chasing good now,” he mutters. Then he smirks. “Better get used to calling you brother.”
Faith laughs. “You going soft in here, Oak?”
He grins, eyes warm now. “Don’t make me take it back.”
The guard taps his watch, giving us the signal to wrap up.
I stand, pulling Faith to her feet with me. “Next time I see you, it’ll be on the other side, brother.”
“Yeah, try to stay out of trouble before then. Don’t want you ending up on this side.”
I offer my hand. He pulls me in for a hug instead.
“You’ve got my blessing,” he says gruffly into my ear. “Just don’t screw it up.”
“I won’t,” I whisper.
Faith hugs her brother, then slips her hand into mine as we walk away. As the door clanks shut behind us, I glance down at her, at the future we never expected but wouldn’t trade for anything.
“You ready to ride, Sunshine?”
She grins up at me. “With you. Always.”
And just like that, we walk towards whatever comes next—together. She thinks I saved her, but the truth is, she saved me. Before her, there was no sun, nothing light in my life. I was ready to leave. Go nomad. A man with no map—just rage and ruin and the road.
But now I have Faith, I’m keeping her.
Forever.