Page 86 of Never Tamed
The camp is quiet in that heavy way after chaos, when exhaustion settles over everything like a blanket. Fires burn low, smoke curling into the night, and the scents of blood and sweat hang sharp in the air.
It’s almost…normal. In a way that things haven’t felt normal in a very long time.
The hush is sovereign and peaceful.
For once, we aren’t feeling grief or loss. Hope whispers in the slight pulse of wind and it’s a feeling we all collectively cling to.
I cross my arms over my chest and watch from the edge of the camp. The delta, one of Torin’s, helps Flora out of the back seat of the SUV. She stumbles toward the waiting arms of her children with her new son nestled against her.
I still can’t fucking believe it. The emotions of the moment were too powerful, too many, for me to tune in through the bond and see what Ren was doing. When Torin told me how he and Ren helped her deliver the boy in the damn car, it blew my mind.
And Torin! Although he seemed a little shaken, he’s never seemed prouder to be a part of it.
Relief is so acute it sends my heart into my throat.
Flora’s little ones swarm her, clinging to her shirt, sobbing into her chest while she weeps against their hair. She bends low, pulling them in close, and kisses every face she can reach. And when she shows them their new brother, their chorus of gleeful cries and awes echoes through the forest.
This. This is what we fight for.
It’s the kind of happiness that almost hurts to look at. But it’s bright and blinding against the shadow we’ve been living in. My chest tightens, and I force myself to breathe through the sensation.
We saved them. We actually saved them. The stolen omegas from my pack and Torin’s are receiving the medical care they need amidst reunions with their families.
For so long it felt like I was failing them.
I stood by watching helplessly while Andras stipped away everything my family and I built, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. My home is gone. My lands are gone. The walls that once kept us safe are nothing but rubble and smoke.
My chest aches and I adjust to scrub my hand across my heart.
Now, with Flora’s laughter breaking through tears, her children’s squeals, the way relief ripples through the others as they gather around the reunited mother—this feels like the beginning of something big and hopeful.
Jaw tight, I swallow hard because gods, I want that… the wholeness. The love and family.
I want it more than I can stand.
The cries sharpen and more of them lift to color the air. Sensation rips down my spine and I turn in time to catch movement in the trees. My gaze narrows.
Owen pauses at the treeline before sprinting full speed toward his family.
“I’ll be damned,” I mutter.
The wayward wolf found his fucking way home, didn’t he?
He nearly knocks Flora over with the force of his embrace. He clutches her like if he lets go, she’ll evaporate into thin air. She laughs and cries all at once, her free arm looping around his neck as their children jump up and down, while pressing in against them both.
I can’t look away.
Owen presses his forehead to hers, whispering something that makes her laugh again. His hands tremble as he reaches for the baby between them.
My jaw clenches and the muscles in my neck go tight.
That’s what I want. It’s the only thing I’veeverwanted. A mate to come back to. A family to fight for. A reason to keep walking through this life.
The ache in my chest deepens, but I hold onto it. I have Ren, and through her, Noble and Torin. If we win this war then we might come home to carve out our happiness, too.
It will just look a little different.
I’ve never heard of a situation where a single female has multiple mates. She really has been chosen by the goddess and the rest of us are there making room for the changes.
