Chapter 16 Rowen
ROWEN
Tobias never came back down after Taren’s announcement. Or “discovery,” as she called it.
Whatever. It changes nothing. We already knew Rip thinks Tobias is his. But he’s wrong. Tobias is no one’s. He belongs to himself. And, moons above, something in me snarls—and to me.
My wolf whines, pacing behind my ribs like he’s trapped.
Everyone sort of drifted back to the gingerbread houses after he left, but the mood was gone—dissolved into the air like sugar melting on the tongue. Taren abandoned her house and dove right back into research, books spread across the floor as she muttered near the fireplace.
It’s like the whole pack is holding its breath now. Waiting. For what, none of us know. Another clue? Another threat?
I can’t stand it.
My chest has been tight all evening—like a band wound too tight around my ribs.
And I swear I can feel Tobias’ anxiety through the walls, like static under my skin.
It crawls down my arms, up the back of my neck, settling behind my teeth.
Every time I look toward the stairs, my body just moves—like I’m already halfway to him.
But Forest put a hand on my shoulder, told me to give him space. As if space as ever brought Tobias anything but darkness.
I skip dinner to go to my room, but keep the door open in case Tobias comes out. I sit on the edge of my bed, waiting for him to come to me, like he has every other night.
But I end up waiting.
And waiting.
Tobias never comes.
My wolf is restless, pacing and pawing inside me. Go to him, go to him, go to him.
He’s one of us. That alone should be reason enough to comfort him. Pack protects pack.
But it’s not just that anymore.
I can feel it. I’d felt it tonight as Taren explained the dangers of the sigils. It was unmistakable. Real. Deep.
I just don’t know what to do about it.
When the house finally goes quiet for the night, I slip out of my room and cross the hall, unable to hold back any longer. The floorboards are cool under my bare feet, the air chilly. His door creaks when I nudge it open, and his head jerks up from the pillow.
“What are you doing?” His voice is rough and thick with exhaustion, but I doubt he’s slept. If he has, he’s probably had more nightmares.
I close the door and crawl onto the bed, sliding under the covers behind him. “Please let me hold you.”
He’s freezing as I wrap an arm around his stomach, like fear has turned him to ice. Damn Taren and her impossible timing. Tobias had been doing so well until tonight. Now he’s right back where he started.
I tuck my knees behind his, folding us together. “You okay?”
“No.”
One word, yet it guts me. “I’m not either.”
I don’t even know what’s happening to me anymore. This need, this pull toward him—it isn’t logical. It’s instinct, pure and raw, something that goes deeper than I can reason with.
“Want me to go?”
Tobias threads our fingers together. “No.”
I kiss his shoulder. “I’m going to keep you safe,” I whisper. “I don’t know how, but I will. I promise you.”
He exhales shakily and curls inward, clutching my arms tighter around him. His body molds against mine, finally softening, and that’s when I know Tobias trusts me—not just in the moment, but fully. Deep in his heart, Tobias trusts me. Even if he can’t say it. Even if he doesn’t understand why.
I hope I never betray that trust.
I hold him there, feeling his heartbeat slow against mine. My muscles finally relax, and eventually, we both drift off.
The next morning, I jolt awake to the sound of Red’s voice echoing through the sleepy recesses of my mind. “Morning, sunshines.”
When I open my eyes, I see Forest standing behind Red. Oh, shit.
I scramble upright, heat rushing to my face. Tobias sits up too, hair a mess and eyes wide. Thank the moon we’re both wearing sweatpants.
Red doesn’t seem fazed or even surprised to see me in here. He steps closer and holds something out to Tobias. A bracelet. Not just any bracelet—the bracelet. The leather one I’d found in the clearing.
“Rowen found this a few weeks ago,” he says. “Do you recognize it?”
Tobias’s whole body goes still, and he scrambles back. “That’s—”
“Rip’s, we know,” Red says gently.
Tobias’s expression twists, fear flashing in his eyes. He doesn’t reach for it.
“It must’ve fallen off the night Rip killed our friends,” Red explains.
“I’ve been trying different tracking spells on it hoping we could use it to find the coven, but—” He sits on the bed and blows out a frustrated breath.
“Either I’m not good enough with that kind of magic, or it’s been too long since Rip touched it. I don’t know, but nothing stuck.”
Tobias hasn’t looked away from the small thing, staring at it like it’s a viper ready to strike.
“What I was able to do,” Red continues, “is charm it with a nearing spell. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner, but after last night’s talk about ownership and—well. Never mind. The point is, it gave me the idea.”
“A nearing spell?” I ask. I’ve never heard of it.
Red nods. “It’s actually similar to a tracking spell, but in reverse. It makes an item get warm if someone is near it.” He pauses. “Which, I know… is awful after what you’ve already endured since it’s a bracelet. I would never ask you to—”
“Then don’t!” I snap, knocking the bracelet from his hold. “Don’t you dare ask Tobias to wear something that’s going to burn him again!”
Red takes a calming breath. “It won’t burn him. It will just get warm, like it’s been in the sun for a few hours.”
“Like a… warning?” I ask.
“Exactly. If it gets warm, we know he’s near Toby.”
“How near?”
Red hesitates. “A hundred yards, give or take. It’s not much, I know, but it’s the best I could do.”
“How did you attach it to Rip?” I ask.
“His DNA was all over this bracelet, so it wasn’t hard. The point is, this is our best defense against Rip. If he gets close, we’ll know.”
Tobias stares at the bracelet, but doesn’t touch it.
I reach for his hand, gently squeezing. My chest eases a little at the contact. To my relief, he doesn’t pull away. His gaze meets mine, swirling with confusion and fear, but there’s something else too. Something lighter. Something that almost—almost—wants to trust this, even if he isn’t sure.
I brush a thumb over his hand. It’s cruel that the bracelet is going to get warm against his skin after he’s been burned on his wrists already, but… if Red is right? If this gives us a warning that Rip is close? It could save Tobias’s life.
He chews his lip, exhaling slowly. It makes hope flare. Maybe he feels it too—the possibility of protection.
“Would Rip know?” I ask.
Red shakes his head. “No. Not at all.”
Tobias sinks back against the wall, rubbing his arms.
Forest taps my shoulder. “Ro. A word?”
Oh, boy. Here we go. He’s probably not thrilled about finding me in Tobias’s bed.
I cast Tobias one last look before following my alpha down the hall.
Forest’s room has always smelled of cedar, pine, and something sweet. His slippers sit on the floor beside his partially turned-down bed, covered in a thick green bedspread. He closes the door behind us and turns to face me, arms crossed. His expression is unreadable.
“You want to tell me what’s going on between you and Tobias?”
My ears burn. “Nothing’s going on.”
His brow lifts. “And yet you’ve been slipping into each other’s beds for two weeks.”
I rub the back of my neck. “It’s not what you—”
“Isn’t it?”
“He’s been having nightmares,” I say quickly. “He can’t sleep.”
“Has he asked Red for a sleeping draught?”
“He doesn’t want it. He thinks he won’t be able to wake up from the dreams.”
Forest studies me for a long moment, his gaze heavy but not unkind. When he steps closer, I brace myself for a lecture about Tobias being our guest and to keep my distance. Instead, Forest says, “Be careful, Rowen.”
I frown. What does that mean? “I know he’s a half-blood, but—”
“Not that.” His voice softens. “We all know the risks of having him here. I accepted them, same as I accepted Red being half mage.”
“Then what—?”
“I’m saying, be careful with his heart. And yours.”
The words land like a warning and a mercy all at once. My chest tightens. Shit, my uncle really has seen how I feel for Tobias, hasn’t he? Does he know what I know?
“That man has been through more than any of us,” Forest says. “He might not be ready for a relationship.”
“I know that.” I shuffle my toes against the carpet, feeling like a little kid again. “I haven’t been pushing for anything. I’ve just been there for him. That’s all.”
He nods slowly. “I know. I’ve seen you holding back. But after how you reacted last night… you know what this is, don’t you?”
I swallow hard. Fuck. How can my alpha see it? I’ve only started to accept it myself.
“He’s your mate, Rowen,” Forest says simply. “Your fated one.” He pauses, as if allowing me the time to catch up. Then his eyes fill with pride. “But you know that, don’t you?”
“I just realized it last night, yeah.” The pull to return to Tobias is unmistakable. Not a need exactly, but a yearning. A quiet ache behind my ribs. I long to be near him.
He nods. “Sage and I have seen it. I think even your mother has.”
I stumble back, disbelief coursing through me. “You’ve—you’ve talked to my mom about this?”
Forest laughs quietly. “She brought it up last week, only because she has the same concerns I do. We don’t know if Tobias is ready for anything.”
I scrub my face, unsure of what to say.
“For what it’s worth, we both think he’s a good match for you. He grounds you, gives you purpose. And you give him a sense of safety.”
His words soften something in me, cracking open the truth just a little more—daring me to examine it.
I turn away, tracing my finger against the iron markings on his dresser.
“I felt like I was drifting before him, Uncle. Like, since Dad died, I didn’t have a light anymore, you know?
I knew I had a family and a pack, and that you guys meant everything to me.
But Toby…” God, Toby. I’ve felt it for a while now, even if I didn’t understand it.
The need to provide for him. Comfort him.
He gives you purpose. That rings truer than anything else. Tobias is my purpose.
Forest studies me for a long moment. “It’s funny you bring him up.
Your dad. I haven’t seen you smile since he died.
You’ve laughed, sure, but not like you have this past month.
Jer and Evan thawed that ache a little, I think.
Actually, I think they thawed it for all of us.
But you, Rowen. No, I haven’t seen you smile like you do with Tobias in a very long time. ”
His words hit me deep. I can’t deny them.
Forest squeezes my shoulder, turning me to face him again. “Trust your instincts, nephew. That’s all I’m saying. It’s not leading you astray. Just be careful, okay? He is a half-blood, like you said, which means he probably doesn’t feel it as strongly as you.”
“I know.”
Forest surprises me by pulling me in for a hug. He’s never been an affectionate man. His voice rumbles low in my ear. “Love you, Ro. If your father could see you now, he would be so proud of you. I have no doubt about that.”
My eyes burn. I needed to hear that. “Love you too.”