19. Rafael
Rafael
The Paranormal Police showed up late that afternoon. They arrived in two sleek black SUVs.
No license plates, no identifiers, just rows of shimmering enchantments laced into the metal. Wards strong enough to make the fur on the back of my neck rise.
You never wanted to see them. Not even when you needed them. But this time, we did.
I’d spent the morning pacing in the bakery like a caged animal, waiting for the moment they’d arrive.
James had spent the night at my place after we’d made sure Avery and his crew were locked up tight. Neither of us had slept much.
Now that they were here, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tear their throats out or hand them coffee and thank them for finally showing up.
“Rafael Kingsley?” the taller one asked, flipping a thin ID folder open.
His name was Agent Corwin. His shorter and serious partner with fey eyes too pale to be natural was Agent Walker.
Both were dressed in tailored black suits that didn’t belong anywhere near a small-town shifter bakery.
“We’d like to speak with you and James Monroe. Separate interviews,” Agent Corwin said.
My bear growled low in my chest, but I forced it back. “Why?”
“Procedure,” Agent Walker said coolly. “It won’t take long. We just need to confirm your version of events before we process Mr. Avery and his associates.”
“And if we say no?” I asked.
“Then your lead alpha can take it up with our Director,” Corwin replied, voice clipped. “But you won’t like the outcome.”
James was sitting on the bench near the back door, a paper cup of lukewarm coffee in his hands. He looked pale under the bruises, tired in a way that hadn’t lifted since the alley.
The moment they mentioned separate interviews, I felt him tense. I crossed the distance between us in two strides.
“You don’t have to talk to them,” I told him.
“I do,” James said softly. He looked up at me, eyes shadowed. “I want this over with. Officially.”
I clenched my jaw, but nodded.
Agent Walker gestured for James to follow. They disappeared into the office upstairs Beau used for book keeping.
Agent Corwin remained with me, flipping open a slim enchanted tablet and setting it between us on the metal prep counter.
“This recording is magically sealed,” he said. “Only authorized officers will have access. Do you understand?”
I nodded once. “Yeah.”
“Let’s begin. Walk me through what happened yesterday, starting from when Mr. Monroe left the premises,” Agent Corwin said.
I did. Every second. Every detail. From waking up alone and finding the note, to the pit that formed in my stomach.
And Callum calling to confirm a gas station attendant had seen James speeding toward the outskirts of town after filling up.
I even told him that by then, my bear was already clawing to the surface.
“He left because he thought it would keep us safe,” I said, my voice low. “That’s the kind of person he is. Selfless. Stupidly brave. He didn’t tell me where he was going, but I knew. Once I arrived at the gas station, I followed the scent.”
“His?” Corwin asked.
“James’ scent was faint, but I got lucky.”
Corwin scribbled something down with a silver-tipped pen. “You arrived before anyone else?”
I nodded. “They had him surrounded. Avery and his hired goons. James had just handed over an envelope. The final payment. I could smell blood in the air. Not his, not yet, but it was going that way fast.”
“And what did you do?” Agent Corwin asked.
I stared at the agent. “I shifted.”
I could still remember my bones breaking and my instinct taking over. I became rage wrapped in fur when I saw Avery and his goons circling James.
“Go on,” Corwin said with a nod.
I told him about the fight, not leaving any detail out.
“They didn’t stand a chance,” I said. “Not when the others arrived. Beau, Rowan, even Leo. Callum and the wolves were right behind.”
“Why do you think they were targeting Mr. Monroe?”
My spine stiffened. “Because he was the one paying his brother’s debt. Because he was vulnerable. Avery saw him as leverage.”
Corwin glanced up, something almost human softening in his eyes. “You sound angry.”
“I am angry,” I growled. “He should’ve never been in that situation. He’s been carrying this debt since his brother died. He’s been working himself to the bone, keeping it secret to protect everyone else. And what did he get for it? Threats. Blood. Pain.”
Corwin typed something into his tablet. “Understood.”
The interview lasted another twenty minutes. I answered every question, even the ones that made my stomach twist.
I didn’t care how I looked on paper. Angry, dangerous, possessive. I was all of those things. Especially when it came to James.
When Corwin finally shut off the tablet, I stood immediately. “We done?”
“For now.” He glanced toward the office where James was still inside with Idris. “He’s doing well.”
That didn’t ease the knot in my chest.
I left before I said something that would get me in trouble. Walked around to the side of the building, leaned against the bricks, and waited.
Minutes passed.
I heard the office door opened. I went back in just as James came downstairs. Agent Walker gave me a nod, and left the bakery with his partner.
Hopefully, they would drive to the station right after this.
He looked okay. Pale, yeah, but his hands weren’t shaking. He gave me a small smile when he saw me, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes but tried.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I answered, crossing to him in two strides.
“Sorry,” he added quietly, “for running. I thought it would help.”
I exhaled sharply. “Next time, talk to me. Or scream at me. Or write it down in angry frosting on a cupcake. Just don’t disappear.”
James looked up at me, and there it was again. That bone-deep weariness. The look of someone who’d finally laid down a burden he never should’ve carried alone.
“I think it’s really over now,” he said.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I think it is.”
He leaned into me then, just a little, like he wasn’t sure he deserved to but couldn’t help himself. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple.
“They’ll process Avery and his crew soon,” he said after a moment. “Callum’s making sure the sheriff keeps the human paperwork clean for the Paranormal Police.”
“Good.”
James was quiet, then: “Did I do the right thing? Selling the ring?”
I looked down at him, then at the ring. His mother’s. The one he’d held onto all this time. The only heirloom she left him.
I didn’t lie. “I hated it. But yeah, you did.”
He nodded, tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. “I just wanted it to be over.”
“It is,” I promised. “You’re safe now.”
But as I held him, I knew it wasn’t just about being safe.
It was about learning to let someone else carry the weight, too.
And this time, I wouldn’t let him carry it alone.
* * *
It had been a long week, for once, the kind of long that didn’t end with blood or bruises.
Just sore feet, bakery rushes, and paperwork from the Paranormal Police that still gave me a headache.
Still, when I clocked out at Bear and Bun and found myself walking the familiar path toward Wolf & Whisk, I didn’t question it.
I needed to see my wolf. The late afternoon sun spilled gold across the sidewalk, baking the scent of sugar and cinnamon into the warm air. It was comforting, familiar.
My ribs didn’t ache anymore. The bruises had faded. But the memory of James’ tear-streaked face the night I nearly bled out still lingered. Not as a wound now. Just a reminder.
When Wolf & Whisk came into view, the storefront window glowed warm and welcoming.
The hand-painted sign James had redone last month swung gently in the breeze, and laughter drifted from the open door.
I paused outside, heart pounding like I was some clueless teen about to ask his crush out.
Ridiculous. I’d faced loan sharks, broken shifters’ arms, and survived a full-on ambush. But none of that compared to what I had planned today.
Inside, James was behind the counter, surrounded by half his pack.
Cyrus had flour on his nose, Rowan was trying to frost a cupcake and failing spectacularly, and Callum stood in the corner nursing a coffee like it was all beneath him.
James was laughing, eyes crinkling, cheeks pink. He looked good. Healthy. Happy. Whole.
Something in me eased at the sight. For days, I’d watched the tightness in his shoulders slowly unravel. He still had moments where he went quiet, gaze far away. We all did.
But the way he was now, grinning, leaning into Cyrus’ jabs, tossing sprinkles at Rowan like he owned the place, it was worth every bruise on my body to see him like that.
I stepped through the door, and immediately, the teasing started.
“Well, look who wandered in,” Rowan said, wiping blue frosting on a towel. “Didn’t think the bears let you off leash this early.”
Cyrus gasped. “Wait, is this a surprise date visit? James, he likes you!”
James just rolled his eyes. “He’s been liking me. You’re all late to the party.”
I leaned against the counter and gave them my best unimpressed look. “You know, most people charge for this much commentary.”
“We’re a full-service bakery,” Cyrus said. “Fresh bread, sass, and heartbreak.”
James looked over at me, and the second our eyes met, everything else faded.
“Hey,” he said, softer now. “This is a surprise.”
“I like surprises,” I murmured. “Sometimes.”
His brow furrowed just slightly, catching something in my tone, because James always caught the things I didn’t say.
I motioned to the back, and he stepped out from behind the counter without hesitation.
We moved into the little kitchen nook, away from prying wolf ears, though I could still hear Cyrus whispering to Rowan, “Ten bucks says this is a proposal.”
James turned to me once we were alone, eyes searching. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”
I didn’t answer right away. Just reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out the small velvet box I’d been carrying around for three days, waiting for the right moment.
James blinked at it, surprised. “Rafael—?”
I opened it.
Nestled inside was his mother’s diamond ring. The one he’d sold to protect me. The one he thought was gone forever.
His breath caught. “You… you got it back?”
“I tracked down the pawnshop,” I said quietly. “I went back every day after you told me. The owner was stubborn, wanted double what he gave you for it. But I didn’t care.”
James stared down at the ring like it was made of something sacred.
“I only sold it because I was desperate. I never thought I’d—” He cut himself off, voice cracking.
I closed the box and gently pressed it into his hands. “It belongs with you. It’s a part of your family. Just like you’re a part of mine now.”
His hands trembled as he held the box to his chest. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t need to say anything.”
He looked up at me then, eyes glassy. “You remembered.”
“I remember everything about you,” I reminded him.
A beat of silence passed, the kind that settled between people who’ve been to hell and back together.
Then I reached into my other pocket and pulled out a single silver key on a little leather ring.
James blinked again. “Is that—”
“To my place,” I said, voice suddenly gruff. “I mean, technically you already have a drawer. And a toothbrush. And a half-empty bag of coffee that smells suspiciously like sugar cookies. But I figured… if you wanted… this could be more official.”
His jaw dropped. “You’re asking me to move in?”
“I’m asking you to stay,” I said. “For good. I want you there when I wake up. I want your flour-covered hoodies in my laundry and your baked disasters in my kitchen. I want you, James. Not just when it’s convenient. Not just when it’s safe. Always.”
His response was a blur of motion. He threw himself at me, arms tight around my neck, face buried in my shoulder.
“I want that too,” he said into my hoodie. “So much it hurts.”
I held him close, breathing him in. That mix of cinnamon and rain. My safe place. My storm.
“I love you,” I murmured. “Even when you sneak out and try to fight off loan sharks alone. Even when you cry and pretend you’re not. I love all of it.”
James pulled back just enough to kiss me, slow and deep.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “I’m in.”
When we returned to the front of the shop, I was holding his hand, and he was still smiling like I’d handed him the moon.
Rowan took one look at us and groaned. “Dang it. I owe Cyrus ten bucks.”
James snorted. “Told you.”
And me?
I just smiled.
Because this? This was home.
THE END