He glanced down at my finger, and his smile skewed. “I understand it now.”
“Understand what?”
“Why the captain likes teasing you.” Callum lifted his hand to the curve of my jaw. “This feisty side is awfully adorable.”
Adorable? That took me by surprise.
Callum’s eyes widened a fraction, and he cleared his throat before dropping his hand from my face. He then took a small step away from me. “I’m meeting with recruits of sorts at the Guild. Sometimes, the knighthood requests aid from the higher ranked adventurers, such as ones with fighting experience or those with other skills suited for specific tasks. They assist withescorting caravans of merchants or other smaller duties that aren’t combat focused but where the risk for it is still present.”
“Being an adventurer sounds fun.” Fantasy novels, anime, and video games had been my crack in my old world.
“Perhaps you should submit an application then,” he said, and I was happy to see the humor back in his expression. Even if it was at my expense. He then looked toward the trees. “Your wolf waits for you. I saw him following us on our way back from the castle.”
I had seen him too. A familiar flash of his silver hair through the tree trunks. The faint glow of his purple eyes. But more so, IfeltLake. I’d know he was with me even if I closed my eyes.
Callum ruffled the top of my hair before swinging back up into the saddle and heading toward the market. He glanced back once and smiled, then continued on.
Lake wouldn’t show himself with so many people nearby, so I made my way over to the cluster of trees and shrubs. Once I was within the cover of the forest, he appeared in front of me.
“What did I say about following me to the castle?” I stepped into his embrace. Peaches and spring water tickled my nose, as did his unique musk.
“That it’s dangerous,” he responded.
“Mhm. Very dangerous.” My tone was calm, but the thrashing in my heart was anything but. As a demi-wolf—the one type of demi-human still seen as an enemy of the kingdom—Lake could be imprisoned and even killed just for being seen by the wrong person.
“Nothing is too dangerous when it comes to you.” His tail wagged as he nuzzled my neck. “I’ll always be there to protect you.”
Fear bristled at my sternum. The thought of Lake being discovered scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t think of anything worse than losing any of my men.
“Protect my sanity instead, okay? You have to be more careful, Lake.”
“The one time I let you out of sight, you were captured, remember?” A low whine sounded in his throat, and he brought me closer. “Never again.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“Yet, I blame myself for it anyway.” He placed his palm over my heart, then smoothed it over to my necklace. “If discovery is what I face in order to keep you safe, I take that risk without hesitation.”
“But I want to keep you safe too.”
The slight curve of his lips showed a peek of his white canines. “You’ve done far more than keep me safe. You’ve given me a home.” Lake dropped his face to my neck and skimmed his teeth along my jugular. “No one can take me from you now.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” I turned my face into his silver hair. “My wolf.”
“My mate.”
A cold wind swept through the trees, causing the branches to creak and groan. Many of the leaves had fallen, and more joined their fallen brethren, detaching and drifting to the ground. The evergreens around us kept theirs though, providing coverage from outside eyes.
“Do you hear it, Evan?” Lake stared up at the trees as another breeze sang through them. “Autumn’s final exhale.”
An end of a season.
“Endings are sad,” I said. “Like reading the last line of a great story and closing the book. Why can’t the story go on forever?”
“I used to believe my story would end with me alone,” he responded. “Then you came along, and I found myself in a new story. A happier one. So not all endings are bad. Sometimes, they’re the beginning of something greater.”
We held each other in between the two seasons, autumn’s end and winter’s first breath. And as his lips brushed my cheek, I turned my face to capture them in a gentle kiss, knowing I could handle anything in this life as long as he, Maddox, and Briar stayed by my side.
