Page 37 of Their Crowned Mate
"Yeah, that sounds lovely," I said dryly. "Can't wait."
Marcus smacked me on the ass on his way back to Lavinia and skirted past her too quickly for me to have the opportunity to lob my bottle at his head. Smug son of a bitch.
As I watched Lavinia and the others—including Marcus—laughing and conversing about the future, though, it was hard to hold any ill feelings. I wasn't sure exactly what the future held, but she was finally stepping forward into her destiny, and I'd do whatever it took to make that happen.
As long as I got to stay by her side.
And I couldn't have been more proud of her than I was.
CHAPTER19
AURELIUS
"Are you sure about this, man?" Damon asked, staring at me as we stood on the outskirts of our pack territory and I prepared to go back to the city to meet Lavinia and the others to finish moving my things to the fae realm.
"I'm sure," I answered for what felt like the hundredth time. It probably wasn't too far off. "You guys have things handled here."
"We're a triad," Jax protested, far less diplomatic about his feelings on the matter. "We were supposed to bring the pack together."
"And we did," I countered. "Besides, with Paul in prison—and his secret compatriot dead—I don't think his loyalists will be giving you two trouble anytime soon."
One of the first orders of business after returning had been to act on Alexander's intelligence and have the former alpha apprehended. He was bitching about it, of course, but the fae mirror he had been using to conspire with the emperor had been proof enough he wasn't solely loyal to the pack.
"That's naive," Jax growled. "There will be other challenges. You know that."
"Sure there will," I agreed. "And if you're both the men I believe you to be, you should have no problem dealing with them, like any other alpha would." That seemed to take the wind out of his sails, so I continued. "I'm not completely disappearing, Jax. I'll always be around, and I'll come back plenty with Lavinia and the others to visit, but my place isn't here anymore. It's with her. It always was."
If I didn't know better, I'd think there was a hint of guilt in his eyes. And that was saying something, for Jax.
"We understand," Damon said, putting a big hand on my shoulder. "Can't say I'm not gonna miss you, but I get it. She's your mate, and you have to put her first."
"Yeah, I do," I said, relieved he was being more understanding about the matter, even though I knew he had his own feelings. The truth was, I loved them both like brothers and I always had, but it was time for me to go out on my own. Time for me to grow the fuck up. "I know the pack is in good hands. Just keep this one in line."
"Oh, fuck off," Jax grumbled half-heartedly.
I gave Damon a hug, and even though Jax was sulking, the bigger wolf grabbed him and pulled him in. "Come on, bring it in," Damon said gruffly.
Jax rolled his eyes, but he reluctantly patted me on the back before pulling away. "Yeah, whatever. Enjoy your new life in fairy land, I guess."
I chuckled.
"I'll try." I said, already feeling a pang of sadness. I'd miss them more than I could ever say. "Take care, you two. And keep an eye out for troublemakers. God knows you're trouble enough on your own."
With one last wave, I turned and set off down the path that led to the city. My heart was heavy with emotion as I went, but it was also full of hope and expectation for what lay ahead in my new life. The road before me felt like an adventure, and even though it had its dangers, even though I would be leaving my pack behind, I was gaining so much more in return.
When I arrived at the bar, the regulars were there, and so was Sam. When she looked up, she didn't glare at me quite as fiercely as she usually did, so I figured we were making progress.
"Hey, Red. You're just in time. The rest of us did all the hard work packing," she said dryly, wiping down the bar.
I sighed. "I had some things to finish up with the pack. It wasn't intentional."
She rolled her eyes. "So you're really leaving it all behind, huh?" she asked as I came over to the bar.
"Yep," I answered.
"No regrets?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I could feel her scrutinizing me closely, and all things considered, I couldn't blame her for being wary of me. I had abandoned Lavinia when she needed me most, and then more or less stalked her.
Okay, I had literally stalked her. But I was desperate. That was an excuse, right?
