Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Grace
The fight was over.
Knox was behind bars. The court case was won. Dominic had reclaimed what was his, and for the first time in weeks, there were no threats lurking in the shadows, no messages filled with veiled warnings, no late-night security sweeps looking for hidden surveillance devices.
And yet, I still felt restless.
The penthouse was louder than it had ever been, filled with laughter, music, and the low hum of conversation. The guys had decided that a private celebration was in order, and despite my protests that I wasn’t the party type, I hadn’t been given much of a choice.
Riley had practically shoved a drink into my hand the second I walked into the living room. “Come on, Dauntless. Live a little,” he teased, leaning against the back of the couch with that familiar easy smirk. “We both know you’re secretly thrilled to be here with us.”
I arched a brow. “Thrilled? That’s a strong word.”
Ezra snorted from across the room. “She means she tolerates us at best.”
Riley shook his head, taking a sip of his whiskey. “Nah, she has a soft spot for us. I can feel it.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s probably just the alcohol.”
Theo, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all night, suddenly turned to me, his expression unreadable. “For what it’s worth, I was wrong about you.”
I blinked. “About what?”
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair before looking me in the eye.
“I didn’t trust you at first. Thought you were just another outsider who would either screw us over or disappear the second things got messy.
” He let out a small, almost self-deprecating laugh.
“Turns out you were the only one actually keeping us from falling apart.”
There was a beat of silence before Ezra, never one to let things get too sentimental, clapped Theo on the shoulder. “Wow. Actual gratitude. I think I need a drink.”
Theo muttered something under his breath, but I barely registered it. Because something about what he’d said stuck with me.
I had never come here to be part of their world.
I had come to protect Dominic. To do my job. To make sure they were safe.
But somehow, in the chaos of it all, I had become part of it.
I had come to know them—their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears. I had seen them at their highest and lowest points. I had stood beside them in battle, quite literally, and had fought for them in ways I hadn’t even realized I was capable of.
And now, I was leaving.
Jaden moved toward the grand piano in the corner of the room, his fingers trailing over the keys before he settled into the bench. The conversation quieted as he began to play, a soft, haunting melody filling the space.
It wasn’t a song I recognized.
And then, he started to sing.
It was a song about finding a home in unexpected places. About people who come into your life when you least expect it. About walls breaking down, about learning to let someone in even when it’s terrifying.
My chest tightened.
Jaden didn’t look at me as he played, but I knew.
The song was for me.
When he finished, a heavy silence hung in the air, thick with unspoken words.
Ezra let out a low whistle. “Damn. That was… something.”
Riley took a slow sip of his drink, unusually thoughtful. “Yeah. That hit a little too deep.”
Jaden just shrugged, as if it hadn’t meant anything, as if it hadn’t cracked something open in me that I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
I swallowed hard, suddenly needing space.
I made my way toward the balcony, pushing the glass door open, letting the night air cool the warmth that had settled in my chest. The city stretched out below, lights flickering in the darkness, a constant hum of life that never really stopped.
Footsteps behind me.
I knew who it was before I turned.
Dominic leaned against the railing beside me, his eyes fixed on the skyline. “You’re leaving.”
It wasn’t a question.
I exhaled slowly. “Yeah.”
A long pause. Then, softer, “For good?”
I hesitated. “For now.”
His fingers tapped absently against the railing. “Your sister?”
“She needs me.”
He nodded once, as if he had already known that would be my answer.
We stood there for a moment, the air between us heavy, thick with something neither of us wanted to say.
“You could stay,” he said finally.
My breath caught.
I turned my head, meeting his gaze, and for the first time since the night we kissed, I saw it—the same pull, the same tension, the same want that neither of us had dared to voice.
But I couldn’t stay.
If I stayed, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to leave.
And that terrified me.
I forced a small smile, ignoring the ache in my chest. “You’ll be fine without me.”
His jaw clenched. “That’s not the point.”
The words hung between us, sharp and unspoken, before he exhaled, shaking his head slightly. “You’re impossible.”
I smirked. “You’re just figuring that out now?”
He let out a low chuckle, but there was no amusement in his eyes. Just something else. Something deeper. Something that made me want to run before I did something reckless.
I turned back to the city, inhaling the night air, letting the moment settle around us.
I had never expected this.
Never expected them.
Never expected him.
I had come here to protect them.
I never expected them to feel like home.