Page 83 of Threads of Fate

You OK?

3:36 PM - from Leo

We’re coming home. You missed the check in

3:41 PM - from Ro

You better not be dead or Jay is going to freak out

On our way now with Nix

Fuck, the last text was ten minutes ago. Nix would be in his house—in his safe space—any minute, and Grayson wasn’t ready. He could feel the vortex of panic and excitement rising, and it had his wolf pacing in anticipation, even while Grayson only wanted to hide. There’s nowhere to hide. The part of Grayson that feels cornered wants to flee and run into Nashville this evening to delay what he’s sure is going to be a bloodbath, with him taking Nix away from his beloved Jay by force.

He drops to the floor, pulling his knees up, the inevitability of impending doom settling heavily on his mind while his heart nearly beats out of his chest. It’s panic, pure and never simple.

There’s the quietest of knocks, and he hesitates, thinking about whether he should let anyone in. Thanks to the suppressants, his senses are so off he can’t even tell who it is, but if he had to guess, the gentle tap would belong to Finn.

“Come in.”

Finn enters, dropping into a crouch beside him. Even if he can’t scent Finn the same, it isn’t true for his mate. He must smell of fear and sadness. “Oh, Gray.” There’s a hand in his hair and a kiss on the top of his head. “Can I sit?”

Finn is one of the few people who would ask and actually wait for permission. “Mmmm.”

“Nix is downstairs. Jay is telling him about us. I think he’s taking it well so far. Do you want to come lurk with us onthe balcony? I need an extra set of hands to prevent Leo from throwing himself into the fray.”

Grayson shakes his head. “I can’t. What if I fuck it up? What if I scare him worse, or I try to take him from Jay?” It could all go so terribly, terribly wrong.

He hadn’t thought he’d said the last part out loud, but Finn replies, “What if it doesn’t? I know you’ve been dealing with some stuff on your own, and I won’t pressure you to share it now. But you can talk to me anytime. I won’t say it won’t be hard, but I want you to think about what life would be like without him in it. Isn’t the chance at a beautiful life worth the risk?”

The fear surges, causing tears to flow down his cheeks. He lays the side of his face on his knees, as Finn gently wipes away them away. “I’m not going to push, but let us help you, love. Please give Nix the chance to love you. Trust in yourself. Just think about it, okay?” He kisses his cheek again and closes the door.

Images of a beautiful life swirl through his mind. He lets them go from the fantastical to the simplistic and back again. They’re vivid, like memories rather than creations of his desperate mind. He finally understands that there really is no choice at all.

Finn said that any life with Nix in it is worth the risk, and because they have this second chance, he needs to be brave. Slipping out of his room, he heads toward the balcony to join Finn and Leo, though he can hear that they’re now in the living room with Rowan and Jay—with Nix.

His new mate is unhappy, his deep voice strained and, above all, exhausted. Finn had said things were going well.What happened?Maybe it’s because he’s only been awake for half a day, and he’s dealing with finding out he’s no longer human. It’s so clear he’s at the end of his rope, and Grayson has had enough. He’s on the stairs when he hears:

“This is going to take some time to get used to, okay? I’m not saying I’m mad about the—what did you call it? The transition. But I don’t like not knowing about who or what I’m capable of like this. What if I hurt someone? I don’t know anything about what I am. Whoyouare.” There’s a tired sigh and then a faint, “Fuck, I’m tired.”

“Is there anything you want to ask right now? Then you can take a nap, we can swim and eat later, then we can answer some more questions?” Jay asks.

Grayson feels a brief surge of affection for his leader; he’s a caregiver above all else. He is shocked, stopping in his tracks when he realizes he has no desire to fight Jay for Nix’s hand. Has he been hiding for nothing? He’s so close, that in that moment Grayson’s wolf is more interested in getting their arms around their mate than anything else.

He’s standing just out of sight when Finn says, “Here, this is a popular Were history book. I’ve had it since I was in middle school. Never knew why I hung on to it. Guess now I know. You don’t have to read it, of course; we’ll answer any questions you have to the best of our abilities. But just in case?”

Nix is on the floor in an instant as his legs give out. All of his mates are on their feet, though Rowan gets there first to scoop him up in a bridal hold, and still, Grayson’s wolf is only thinking about how he’s missed Nix for far too long. Maybe it’s the suppressants, but there’s not one thought about fighting.

“One more thing, and then I want a bed and quiet. Where is Grayson?”

Stepping into the room, Grayson only has eyes for his omega.

“Here—I’m right here.”

Nix wiggles until Rowan puts him on his feet and he hands a book to Finn. Jay puts out a hand to steady him, ready to catch Nix if he falls, or for anything at all if Grayson has to guess.

He meets Nix halfway, and as soon as Grayson is close enough to touch, Nix does. Grayson squeezes his eyes shut and turns his face away, ashamed that he’s been hiding in his room like a child afraid of the boogeyman. But he shouldn’t have worried. There’s a cool hand on his face, one over his heart, and a deep voice whispering, “Hello.”

He holds that soft hand against his face, turning it to press a butterfly-soft kiss into the palm. Sliding his other arm around his mate’s delicate waist, he pulls him as close as possible. When their eyes meet, he finds a small, matching smile on Nix’s face, quiet and tender.

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