Page 78 of Fetch Me A Mate
Rowan nodded. "I'll be there."
Diana retrieved the first aid supplies and settled on the floor beside his chair. Up close, the damage looked worse. Claw marks across his ribs, a deep bite on his forearm, scrapes and cuts from what must have been a brutal fight.
"This is going to sting."
"Everything already stings."
She began cleaning the worst of the cuts with careful efficiency. "Want to tell me what 'ended it' means?"
"Challenged the alpha. Won."
"Won how?"
"The old way. Claws and teeth and moonlight on water." Rowan hissed as antiseptic hit a particularly deep scratch. "He's alive. Broken, but alive."
"And the others?"
"Kael will lead now. Handle the Sarah situation without violence, keep the pack away from Hollow Oak." Rowan's eyes found hers. "It's over, Diana. Really over."
"Why didn't you kill him?"
The question surprised them both. Diana hadn't meant to ask it, but something in Rowan's tone suggested he'd considered it.
"Because that's not who I am anymore." He caught her hand as she reached for another antiseptic pad. "Because you taught me there were other ways to be strong."
"I didn't teach you anything."
"You taught me everything. How to belong somewhere. How to build instead of just surviving. How to choose love over fear."
Diana set down the first aid supplies and really looked at him. "Is that what this was about? Fear?"
"Three years' worth. Fear that my past would destroy anything good I tried to build. Fear that I didn't deserve a second chance. Fear that loving you would get you hurt."
"And now?"
"Now I'm done being afraid." Rowan's thumb stroked across her knuckles. "Done running from fights that matter. Done pretending I don't belong somewhere just because I made mistakes."
Diana studied his battered face. "Where do you belong, Rowan?"
"Here. With you. In this inn, in this town, with this life we're building together."
"Even knowing I'm stubborn and independent and sometimes tell you to stay away when I actually want you close?"
"Especially knowing that."
"I was terrified tonight," she admitted. "Standing in front of the Council, defending everything I've worked for, proving I deserved to stay."
"You did prove it."
"But part of me wanted you there anyway. Not to fight for me, just to... be there. To know you believed in me."
"I always believe in you. You fight for what matters, Diana."
"So do you, apparently." She gestured at his injuries. "Though next time, maybe try the talking approach first."
"Next time there won't be a pack threatening what's mine."
"What's yours?"
