Chapter 6
Ever
I don’t want to leave.
The thought loops through my mind as silence settles between Russo and me.
I love it here. I love waking up beside him. I love eating breakfast together. I love practicing shifting in the backyard and hearing him tell me I’m doing a good job.
I love him.
The realization startles me.
We’ve only known each other for a few days, but somehow it feels like I’ve known him forever. I don’t want to lose this, but I can’t let those people find me. I can’t let them hurt Russo because of me.
That only leaves one option. I need to leave before they get here.
Something brushes against me, and I freeze.
Did that come from… inside me?
The sensation comes again. Soft. Warm. Like thick fur gliding against my skin.
We can fight back.
My breath catches.
The voice isn’t Russo’s. It’s inside my head.
Tears spring to my eyes.
“My bear?” I whisper.
I’m here.
A sob catches in my throat.
Where have you been?
Waiting.
Waiting?
You couldn’t hear me before. You can now.
I close my eyes, trying to make sense of everything. Why now?
Because we’re safe. We’re finally safe.
The words wrap around my heart. Safe. I’ve never felt safe before. Not until Russo.
We can protect ourselves now, my bear continues. And if we need help… our mate will protect us.
“Ever?” Russo’s voice cuts through my thoughts. His hands settle gently on my shoulders. “Baby?”
I blink, realizing he’s been talking to me. “Sorry.”
His brow knits together immediately. “Are you okay? You kind of… checked out.”
“I heard her.”
“Who?” He glances around.
“Her!”
His eyes widen. “Your bear?”
“Yes! She talked to me.”
A grin breaks across his face. “That’s incredible. What did she say?”
“That—” I hesitate. “That I shouldn’t leave.”
His smile softens. “Your bear is smart.”
I roll my eyes. “She also said she’s here now.”
Russo reaches for my hand. “I knew she’d come.”
“And she said we can protect ourselves.”
“You can.” His thumb rubs across my knuckles. “And you’ll never have to do it alone again.”
I look up at him, weighing my words. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”
Russo steps closer, his body heating mine. “I won’t.”
“You can’t guarantee that,” I argue. “No one can.”
His eyes drop to the ground between our feet for a moment. When he looks up at me again, his expression is dead serious. “I’d leave.”
“What?”
“If you needed to move somewhere else to feel safe, I’d pack my truck today.”
I stare at him. “You can’t.”
“I can.”
“This is your home.”
“You are my home, mate,” he corrects, his eyes never leaving mine.
My heart squeezes painfully.
“Russo—”
“I mean it,” he says solemnly, lacing his fingers through mine. “I searched half the world looking for you. I’m not losing you.”
A tear slips down my cheek. “I don’t want to ruin your life.”
“You’ve done the opposite.” He steps closer until our foreheads touch. “My life didn’t start until I found you.”
Another tear escapes.
“I love waking up next to you.” His voice grows softer. “I love hearing you laugh.” He cups my cheek. “I love watching you smile.”
My breath catches.
“I love taking care of you.” He smiles. “I love you, Ever.”
I choke on a sob. The words steal every thought from my mind.
Love.
No one’s ever said that to me before. Not once.
“I—” My voice breaks. “I love you too.”
His entire face lights up. “Yeah?”
I nod. “So much.”
He kisses me before I can say anything else. His lips are warm and familiar now. Comforting.
Home.
When we pull apart, he rests his forehead against mine for another long moment.
“We’ll figure this out,” he promises.
“We should make a plan.”
His Alpha instincts immediately kick in. “I already started.”
“You did?”
He nods. “The pack knows they’re looking for you. They won’t tell anyone where you are. I trust them.”
“If you trust them, so do I. But if something happens…”
His jaw tightens. “We’ll be ready.”
My bear rumbles in agreement. We’ll fight.
“It’s going to take some time to get used to hearing her.”
“You will,” Russo says as he kisses my forehead and threads his fingers through mine. “Now, come on. We should eat.”
I let him lead me inside, and when he pulls out a chair for me, I don’t argue with him. Instead, I smile at him.
“Frozen pizza okay?”
“It sounds perfect.”
He slides the pizza into the oven before filling two glasses with water. Then he sits across from me.
“All right.” He folds his arms on the table. “Let’s talk about an emergency plan.”
I nod, waiting for him to start.
“First, no one in town is going to tell anyone a thing about you. A notice has gone out to alert me or one of the Alphas if anyone comes looking for you, Ever. We’ll know they’re in town before they can get close to you or our home.”
My heart swells, knowing I have so many people on my side looking out for me.
I grab my water, taking a sip. “And if they spot me or track me here?”
“We leave through the back.”
“You’ve planned escape routes?” I ask, a bit surprised.
He looks affronted. “Of course. I’ve planned six.”
I blink. “Six?”
He shrugs. “I’ve had a few sleepless nights. But I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
The timer goes off, and Russo stands to grab the pizza. He sits down across from me a minute later, sliding half the pizza in front of me.
“What if they catch us and try to take me?” I ask, voicing my biggest fear.
Russo studies me for a moment, his jaw set. “I’ll kill them, Ever.”
“I don’t want you to have to do that.”
“Because you’re worried about them? Or me?”
“You. I don’t want that weighing on your conscience.”
“It won’t. I killed people when I was in the Marines. Killing the two people who have hurt and tormented my mate? Hell, I could do that without blinking. It would be a fucking dream come true to kill them for you.”
I shift in my seat, unsure how to feel about his words.
“It might come down to that,” I whisper finally. “I was hoping that my leaving would get them to forget all about me.”
“You’re impossible to forget, mate.”
We eat in silence, and I pass my plate over to Russo once I’ve eaten as much as I can. I smile slightly as he finishes the last of the pizza and stands to clear our plates.
“My brother lives nearby. I’d like the two of you to meet sometime,” he says.
My smile widens. “A brother-in-law?”
“Yep. Ansel. He lives just over there. If you ever need anything and I’m not here, you can go to him. We need to get you a phone too.”
Russo takes my hand. “Come on, baby. Enough for today. Let’s lock up the house and go to bed.”
That sounds like the best plan. I let him lead me around, then follow him upstairs and into our room. I head into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Russo passes me some pajamas, and I change into them, watching as he goes into the bathroom.
When he comes out, he finds me waiting in bed. Without a word, he climbs in beside me.
His strong arms wrap around me, and my head settles against his chest. His heartbeat is slow and steady beneath my ear.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers.
“I know.”
Neither of us falls asleep right away. My mind is racing, but I can’t seem to focus on anything. Tomorrow is the full moon. Tomorrow, we’ll face the mating heat together.
And somewhere out there…
My old life might already be searching for me.
I close my eyes. Whatever tomorrow brings…
I won’t face it alone.