Chapter 48
Chapter forty-eight
Ashwiyaa
“The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.” -Nikos Kazantzakis
Aloud banging startles me awake the next morning, the sound reverberating through the room and jolting me upright.
I blink against the soft morning light filtering in, my gaze sweeping across the empty bed.
Kai is already up, and I immediately sense the presence of several shifters outside.
Their distinct energies are familiar, and I realize the pack is here.
A rush of nerves hits me unexpectedly, my chest tightening as if invisible strings are pulling me taut.
My heart hammers against my ribs, picking up speed as I slip out of bed and hurriedly pull on my clothes.
The morning light filters through the curtains, gentle but unrelenting, a reminder that I can’t hide here forever.
Things between Kai and me are official now—a thrilling thought, but one that comes with its own shadows.
What if I don’t belong? What if the others don’t accept me as part of their pack?
The fear gnaws at me, sharp and persistent.
They’ve known each other for so long, fought together, bled together.
And me? I’m still an outsider, no matter how much Kai insists otherwise.
My hands fumble with the buttons on my jeans, my pulse racing in tandem with my swirling thoughts.
Then, like sunlight breaking through a storm cloud, Kai’s voice cuts through the chaos in my mind.
“Don’t be silly. They love you. Now get that sexy ass down here.”
His words float through the bond between us, a mix of teasing warmth and quiet reassurance. I can’t help but smile, the tension in my chest loosening as his presence wraps around me like a comforting embrace. Somehow, he always knows exactly what to say to pull me back from the brink.
“Be there in a second,” I reply, my voice steadier than I feel. Even as the nerves linger, Kai’s confidence in me bolsters my resolve. I suck in a deep breath, letting it fill the spaces where doubt has taken root. Maybe he’s right. Maybe they’ll see me as he does.
Without giving it another thought, I call on my shadows, letting them envelop me in their cool embrace. In the blink of an eye, I fade into the darkness and reappear downstairs, my feet touching the ground silently behind the group that is gathered in Kai’s living room.
“There she is,” Kai says, pushing past Felix and wrapping his arm around my waist to face the pack.
Everyone’s mouths drop open in stunned silence, and it’s Salena who finally breaks it, her voice loud and filled with excitement. “Oh my god, you’re mated!”
The sheer joy in her tone takes me by surprise. As the alpha, Salena has always been cautious around me—not afraid, but certainly wary, and rightly so. But now, all I see in her eyes is pure joy and excitement.
“I have a sister!” She laughs, practically rushing toward me and wrapping me in a tight hug. Kai’s arm falls away, and after a moment of shock, I gradually return the hug.
This is not what I was expecting.
“What were you expecting, beautiful? They care for you.” Kai’s voice echoes softly in my mind through the bond.
I blink, quickly clearing my eyes. I’m a fierce worldwalker, not someone who shows emotion or cries in front of the pack. I pull back, and Salena grins at me, her warmth infectious. “Welcome to the family, Ash.”
Logan steps up beside her, shaking Kai’s hand. His usually cold, artic eyes meet mine, and for the first time, there’s a warmth there I wasn’t expecting.
“Congratulations, you two,” he says, sincerity evident in his voice.
I can’t help but smile, a warmth settling in my chest that I hadn’t anticipated. This is more than acceptance; it’s belonging.
Logan and Salena step back and the rest of the pack comes into view. I hold my breath as I meet everyone’s eyes. Lucy and Grady, the oldest members in the pack, step up next. Lucy’s warm mother-hen gaze meets mine, and she smiles, drawing me into her arms.
“Welcome, Ashwiyaa.”
When she steps back, Rose is there, a shy smile on her face. “I’m so happy you’re safe and alive.” Her eyes dart to Kai, who’s talking with Grady. “I don’t think he would have survived losing you.”
I blink and look over at Kai.
“She’s right,” my mate replies down the bond.
I give her a smile. “If Kai hadn’t found me, I’d probably still be stuck with that old-ass vampire.”
Rose snorts. “Doubt it. You’d have found a way. You’re a warrior.”
Once again, I’m taken aback.
Have I walked into a twilight zone?
Felix’s big bright smile fills my vision as he gently shoulders Rose out of the way. “Let me greet my new sister,” he jokes.
One by one, each member of the pack greets me and welcomes me to the family. The last one to stop in front of me is Mercy, her long blond hair pulled back in a tight ponytail highlighting her feminine features. She really is a bombshell.
“I’m glad Kai found you, and I don’t mean in the Outlands.”
“Oh, well, technically I found him,” I say with a chuckle.
Images flash through my mind, overwhelming in their intensity.
I see a small child who bears a striking resemblance to Mercy, sitting alone in the forest, her tiny frame shaking with sobs.
Her cries for her parents echo through the trees, filled with fear and desperation.
A knot of anxiety twists in my gut, and a deep sadness settles over me as the realization dawns—apart from the Cartwrights and Lucy and Grady, the younger pack members have all been orphaned or abandoned.
The weight of their collective pain presses down on me, and I struggle to push it aside.
I’ve always known about their pasts, but seeing a glimpse like this, through the eyes of a frightened child, makes it all the more real, all the more devastating.
The images fade, leaving behind a lingering ache in my chest.
As I look at Mercy, I catch a glimpse of something deeply familiar in her eyes—longing. It’s the kind of longing that goes beyond simple desire; it’s a yearning for a mate, for someone to call home. I know that feeling all too well.
Without thinking, I step forward and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. At first, she stiffens beneath my touch, her body tense as if unsure how to respond. But I hold her close, letting my warmth surround her.
“You will find your mate. I’m sure of it,” I whisper into her mind, my voice soft yet filled with conviction.
For a moment, there’s silence. Then I feel Mercy’s shoulders loosen, the rigid tension in her body dissolving as she slowly melts into my embrace.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “Take care of him.”
“I will.”
In my two hundred years, I haven’t felt like this since I was a child, before my magic manifested.
Back then, I was just a kid—innocent, unaware of the power lying dormant within me.
It was a time before people found out what I was, before they saw how shadows clung to me like a second skin, how the magic flowing through my veins was dark and untamed.
Those early days were fleeting, swallowed by the reality of what I had become.
But now, standing here, that long-lost sense of normalcy creeps back in, a strange comfort I thought I’d never feel again.
“Right, who’s hungry?” Kai says, clapping his hands.
A grin stretches across my face as everyone agrees, the sound of laughter and lighthearted banter filling the air as they head toward the kitchen.
I watch them file out of the living room, their joy contagious.
Kai walks over and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close.
His blue eyes sparkle with a warmth that makes my heart skip a beat.
“You are beautiful. Have I told you that?” His voice is soft, filled with adoration.
“Every day,” I whisper, sliding my hands around his back and running them over the taut muscles beneath his shirt.
“Good, because I plan to tell you every day from now on.” He leans in, dropping a gentle kiss on my lips, his movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring every second.
My heart swells with a fullness I’ve never known before.
I’m free, I’ve found my mate, and I have a new family.
For the first time in a long time, everything feels right.