CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR || THIERRY
“ T hierry, wait!” Jeremy fell into step beside me, following me up the narrow path toward the wolves’ cabins at the top of the ridge. “Just stop, okay?”
“Shan’t, sorry,” I muttered, not slowing.
“Fine. First cabin on the right, then.”
I sighed but turned sharply, striding up to the log cabin. The knob turned easily under my hand.
The place was cleaner than I expected—aside from a few empty beer bottles scattered across the wooden table. Still, the furniture was shabby and mismatched. And it didn’t smell like Jeremy. Not the way it should have, if this were truly his home.
More evidence he’d been living on his own in the woods for the past year.
“Longer than that,” Jeremy said, watching me. “After Ian died, I spent more time as a wolf than a man. Grief is easier that way.”
“Shouldn’t you be down with the rest of the wolves, plotting ways to get yourselves killed?”
He exhaled. “I deserve that.”
I scowled at him—then softened the instant our eyes met. It was maddening how hard it was to remain angry with him.
“I’m not sure you do,” I said grudgingly. “I understand why you don’t want me involved. Of course I understand.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay here, out of harm’s way?”
“Absolutely not.”
He snorted. “I suppose I couldn’t fall in love with someone who’d say otherwise.”
“You can’t trot that out every time you want to wriggle out of a fight. I hope you realize that.”
“Not the reaction I was hoping for.” His brows drew together. “Are we fighting?”
I deflated a little. “Maybe.”
“I mean it,” he said quietly, locking eyes with me. “I wouldn’t survive it if something happened to you, Thierry.”
A hot lump rose in my throat. My eyes prickled. Entirely unbecoming. Worse—he felt it through the bond. Which meant there was no denying it.
“You don’t need to be anything but yourself. Ever.”
In fairness, I’d kept everyone around me at arm’s length for the majority of my life. But still, I had never really been enough before, had I?
Jeremy’s voice roughened, which meant he must have caught those thoughts through the bond. “Is that really what you think?”
“Of course not, I’m perfect. Let’s talk about something else. Anything else.”
He didn’t let it go. He frowned, then said, “I think you’re the one with illusions about yourself. You’re outrageously kind, for one. You care about people in a way most folks can’t fathom.”
“Jeremy—”
“Sure, you’re sarcastic and, yeah, you do keep people at arm’s length. But you’d walk through fire for the ones you love. You’re loyal to a fault, Thierry. And I’m pretty sure you’ve got more courage than anyone else I know.”
I swallowed, forcing in a breath. Was that really how he saw me?
But then I felt it—saw myself through his eyes. And yes. He meant every word.
“Plus,” Jeremy added, a grin tugging at his mouth, “you’re a noble, do-gooding hero who literally changed the world because you saw it was broken and knew if you didn’t fix it, no one else would.”
“Stop being a ponce,” I whispered. The urge to push him away was mostly reflex now. One that didn’t quite make sense anymore.
“I’ve been called worse.” His rueful smile matched the shine in his eyes. His jaw clenched, throat bobbing, fear flickering through the bond—the fear of what I might say in return. That was the moment I knew I was lost. And then he plunged in.
“Look, I told you all this because I need you to know it’s not just chemical or magic or destiny. That’s not why I want to be with you. That’s not why I’m in love with you. It’s because of who you are, Thierry. We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Before Jeremy, I might have eviscerated anyone else for saying that. But right now, I couldn’t remember why I ever would.
Instead, I let him wrap his arms around me and rested my head on his shoulder. The safety of him, the rightness, overtook me. His scent enveloped me. Warmth. Comfort. A kind of belonging I hadn’t felt since I was human.
“I’m not letting you run off and get yourself killed,” I murmured against his shoulder. “You’re not doing this without me, and you know it. I wouldn’t be okay either, you know.”
“Yeah, I do know that. But you’re not going alone, Thierry. Because that would get me killed. I wouldn’t be thinking. I’d just charge in after you.”
I scowled into his shoulder. He chuckled.
You’d do the same, he said in my mind. Unfair. True. But unfair.
When I pulled back, we just looked at each other. Raw and exposed.
And somehow, that was okay.
Night was falling. Soon, the pack would hunt a monster that had already taken two lives. And we’d both be in terrible danger. I’d given the wolf my heart—and let him do the same. Which meant I now had far too much to lose.
I swallowed everything else I might have said. Instead, I met his gaze and said simply, “I love you, too.”
And whatever else came next, I meant it with all my heart.