Page 77 of Cold Moon

Was I getting Skye kicked out of his own pack?

His hand closed on mine under the table. He glared at Claudia.

Alexis groaned, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Jesus, Claud.”

At the head of the table, Linden cleared his throat. “What Claudiameansto say, is that we decided, Skye, that you’ve been in Grovetown your whole life. We know you love us, and we love you, but that’s also been... hard. We think, with Dante, you have the support you need to—to think about going to school. I know it’s something you’ve always wanted, but never thought you could take for yourself. And Dante”—he looked at me—“you never got to finish your degree. And even without it, you’ve done so much for our pack, for werewolves everywhere. You deserve to finish your education.”

Claudia sighed, dropping back into the chair with her husband’s broad hand on his back to steady her. “Lin’s right. What we’re saying is, if you want to go out into the world and try something new, you have the pack’s blessing. We’ll take care of it, support you, always.”

Linden nodded. “And you always,always, have a place here. If you decide not to go, or want to put it off a few years and decide later, that’s fine. I love having you both in the clinic. You make me sharper, have so much to give to our pack already. But I know that won’t change, no matter what.”

My pulse was racing, but Skye’s hand was there in mine, his presence beside me steadying, calming, keeping my head from flying right off my shoulders.

“That’s incredible,” Skye whispered. “Thank you.”

He turned to look up at me, and finally, I unfroze enough to meet his eyes.

“What do you think?” he asked.

I stared around the table, at the faces of friends and family. This was what pack was—not people who took from you, who you owed allegiance and violence to, but people who lifted you up and helped you reach your full potential, because that could only benefit the whole pack.

“I think—”

Brook sat right across the table, grinning at me like he was the happiest damn man on the planet. And maybe all that trauma—it was okay to let it go and feel all the good that was around you.

“I think we should get some brochures.” I looked back at Skye, meeting his shining blue gaze through the lenses of his glasses, marking the high, soft, healthy color in his cheeks. “And I think I could do anything, if you’re there with me.”

Skye surged forward, claiming my lips right there at Claudia’s table, in the middle of a pack I could’ve been at war with only months ago, and when he kissed me, the whole table cheered.

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