Page 39 of Vexing the Grumpy Orc

“Which probably means it’s exactly right,” Osen finished, understanding in his eyes.

I nodded, something loosening in my chest. For so long, I’d measured my choices against what Coth would want and what would earn his approval. Even after his exile, his shadow had loomed large. Too large.

Not anymore.

When we returned to the table, Zral was hunched over his phone, thumbs tapping rapidly across the screen. Torain set down the drinks and peered over his shoulder before Zral could hide the screen.

Torain’s eyes widened comically. “Holy shit, Zral’s on MythMatch!”

The table erupted. Miranda lunged across the table, grabbing for the phone. “Let me see your profile!”

Carissa leaned in, all business. “I can help you optimize your metrics. It’s all about the right keywords and photo selection.”

Zral snatched his phone back, but his usual scowl had softened into something almost resembling amusement. “It’s just for fun,” he insisted, tucking the phone into his pocket. “Not all of us are looking to get domesticated like you sad bastards.”

“Sure it is,” Torain grinned, dropping back into his seat. “You need a better profile picture. That one makes you look constipated.”

Zral’s phone lit up with a notification just as his gaze darted to the door. A slow smile spread across his face as he spotted whoever had entered.

“Don’t wait up,” he extracted himself from the table and crossed to greet his match.

Hannah leaned against my side. She tilted her head to look up at me, her green eyes reflecting the warm lights of the bar. “Glad we came?”

I glanced around at the table—at Miranda and Osen, heads bent close in conversation; at Carissa showing Torain something on her phone that had him laughing so hard he nearly spilled his drink; at the clan members who’d nodded to me in respect, not pity, when I entered.

“It’s not as terrible as I expected,” I admitted.

Hannah smiled, pressing closer. Her scent—winterair and mint—wrapped around me, as familiar now as my own. The mate mark on her neck seemed to pulse with our shared heartbeat.

For years, I’d defined my territory by what it wasn’t—not Grimstone, not the human world. I’d carved out a space at the edges, convinced that’s where I belonged.

Now I understood. My true territory was the space between worlds, where Hannah and I belonged together. Where magic and mundane coexisted, where witch and orc created something new.

My father had taught me that a warrior defined himself by what he guarded against. What he kept out. Hannah had shown me something different—that strength came from what you let in. Who you let in.

Hannah’s fingers traced lazy patterns on my thigh, her touch inching higher with each circle. “What do you say we follow Zral’s example?” she murmured, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. “Make an early exit?”

Her smile—wicked and sweet all at once—was all the territory I’d ever need.

I drained my glass in one long swallow and stood, pulling her up with me. “Lead the way, witch.”

---