Page 30 of Vexing the Grumpy Orc

“My father...” I started, then stopped, unable to find words for the tangle of emotions choking me. Anger. Grief. Relief. Shame.

The wall I’d built around myself—years of rigid control, of swallowed words and buried feelings—crumbled all at once. My face crumpled with it, a sound escaping my throat that wasn’t quite normal.

Hannah didn’t hesitate. She opened her arms.

I slid from the step to my knees before her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and buried my face against her stomach. Her fingers found my hair, gentle and sure, as I shuddered against her. Everything I’d held back for years poured out in silent, shaking waves.

We stayed like that, neither speaking, as the last light faded from the sky outside. Her heartbeat steady under my ear. Her scent surrounding me. Her touch anchoring me when everything else felt unmoored.

In her arms, the choice I’d made didn’t feel like loss. It felt like the first step toward something new. Something real.

Something mine.

CHAPTER NINE

HANNAH

Istood with my fingers tangled in Galan’s hair, his face pressed against my stomach. His massive shoulders trembled under my touch. The mountain air turned cool as night settled in, but I didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not while he needed this.

How far we’d come from that first night in the woods. Me arranging mushrooms, him barking territorial orders to fuck right off. The memory almost made me smile. Almost.

I didn’t push. Didn’t pry. Just held him as darkness settled around us like a blanket, waiting for whatever storm had driven him to my door to pass. I traced the contours of his face, the sharp angle of his jaw, the curve of his ear. I’d learned enough about him to know he’d speak when ready, not before.

Digby circled us warily before settling on the porchsteps, his dark eyes fixed on Galan. Even my familiar had come to accept the orc’s presence, if not entirely approve.

Minutes stretched into what felt like hours before Galan’s breathing steadied. His grip on my waist loosened, but he didn’t pull away.

“My father burned down Miranda’s workshop,” Galan finally said, his voice rough. “Destroyed her winter remedies.”

“Shit.” The word escaped before I could stop it. “Is everyone okay?”

“She wasn’t there.” He exhaled slowly. “But Osen... he ordered Coth to the cells.”

I brushed my thumb across his cheekbone. “And you?”

“I turned my back on him.” His voice cracked. “In front of everyone.”

The weight of that choice hung between us. I knew enough about orc culture now to understand the gesture meant a complete severing of ties. They were no longer blood, no longer clan. Coth was no longer even worthy of acknowledgment.

“He crossed a line,” I said softly. “You had no choice.”

“I had every choice at every step.” He insisted, hands tightening on my hips. He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting mine with a wild light. “And I let him lead me down a road to becoming the same hateful, bitter shell of an orc as him. Clinging to traditionsthat were never about honor, just about control and fear.”

The confession felt ripped from somewhere deep inside him. This wasn’t just about his father or clan politics. This was about something fundamental shifting within him.

I bent to press my forehead against his, our breath mingling in the cool evening air. “What happened?”

“I chose you.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “Me?”

“I told him you were my mate. My fated mate.” The words tumbled out, as if he needed to say them before courage failed him. “The one person in this world meant for me. The one I’m meant for.”

The world tilted beneath my feet. Mate. Everyone knew the stories, even if they didn’t believe the tales. Witches had their own legends of rare pairings where magic recognized its complement in another soul, where power called to power across impossible distances. My grandmother had spoken of a great-aunt who’d found her mate in a selkie, how their magic had twined together until neither could exist without the other.

Something that terrified and thrilled me in equal measure.

“Is that...” I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Is that what this is? Between us?”

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