Page 219 of Knotting the Firefighters
No more fear.
No more looking over shoulder expecting violence.
My pack surrounds me—appearing from smoke and chaos, converging on my position with coordinated concern.
Bear reaches me first—massive arms pulling me against his chest, his heartbeat steady and reassuring against my ear.
"You're okay," he confirms rather than questions. "We're all okay."
Silas performs a rapid medical assessment—checking for injuries with professional efficiency while maintaining physical contact that communicates emotional support.
Calder appears with Aidric—both of them soot-covered and singed but functional, moving under their own power.
We survived.
All of us survived.
Pack intact despite Gregory's best efforts.
Aidric's arms close around me—pulling me from Bear's embrace into his own, grip tight enough to border on painful.
"Never do that again," he growls against my hair. "Never sacrifice yourself. Never offer yourself as trade. That's an order from your Alpha and your Chief."
Alpha command without compulsion.
Request framed as an order.
Because he knows I'll actually listen without biological coercion.
I nod against his chest—agreement and apology, and promise all communicated through gesture.
Emergency vehicles arrive—fire trucks from neighboring districts, ambulances, police units converging on a disaster that's simultaneously a personal tragedy and a criminal investigation.
But standing there—surrounded by pack, watching Station Fahrenheit burn to the foundation, knowing that Gregory is neutralized and everyone is safe?—
Peace.
Profound, overwhelming peace.
Despite destruction and trauma, and loss of physical home.
Because Gregory is dead or captured—his threat eliminated, his power over my life terminated, his ability to harm those I love destroyed.
Free.
I'm finally free from his control, his manipulation, his shadow over every decision.
Everyone in my life is safe now.
Everyone I love survived.
And that's what actually matters.
The sun rises fully over burning remains—new day dawning literally and metaphorically, light illuminating destruction while promising reconstruction.
We'll rebuild Station Fahrenheit. We'll recover from trauma. We'll move forward together rather than separately.
Because that's what packs do.
