41. Chapter 41
Ash
I always thought I’d carry my pain alone. Even with friends or family, there was always that space between me and everyone else, an invisible line no one could cross. There were parts of me too bruised and too private to ask someone else to share. But all of that changed tonight.
Lying in our makeshift nest, the firelight barely reaching us from the other room, I could feel every thread of the bond pulling through my chest like warm silk.
The bond took root like it had always been waiting, as if it recognized me, like it was fated.
And the pain I’d been holding for years, the quiet ache of uncertainty - it was like it flowed into them through the bond.
Not in a way that would harm them, but in a way that made it lighter.
I felt Rys first. His soul was like a medicine to every pain I’d held onto.
All that calm confidence hid someone just as vulnerable as I was, and when the bond slid into place with him, I knew he’d carry me every time I needed him, and trust me to hold him in return.
Leo was next, warm, resilient and deeply protective.
He didn’t flinch at the weight I passed on.
He just absorbed it like it was just another part of me he was ready to love.
Then Jace, steady and strong, filled me with his adoration.
The way he accepted me without the feeling of needing to fix me…
it made me cry, quietly, into Cassie’s neck.
And when I finally felt Cassie’s little teeth in me, as I bit her in return, well.
The love I felt from her nearly unraveled me.
She didn’t just accept me, she craved me.
So badly, like I was essential. Her bond wrapped around me, fierce and soft all at once, and I couldn’t stop shaking from the happiness I felt.
I kissed her shoulder, her face, her hand, any part of her I could reach.
I couldn’t get enough of her. I wanted her to know I was there for her, now and always. I’m yours, Cassie.
All the fear I had, all the thoughts that told me I’d never find a place, never find someone who wanted all of me, they were silenced tonight. I belonged to them, and they belonged to me.
And as much as I’d never say it out loud, I’d never, ever regret signing up for what I thought was a silly show and a way to make money. I thought Last Pack Standing was a joke. But it was what led me to my pack, and for that, I’d always be grateful.