10. Rylan

In the locker room after the fight, Ember pronounces me healed. Miraculously.

"That fated mates stuff is no joke," she says as she looks over the places where my stomach has knitted itself back together.

Yeah. No kidding. I feel stronger than ever, and I have no doubt that, mating ceremony or not, Terra is my mate, and I'll be able to shift for the rest of my life.

I always knew she was the one for me. Confirming it like this? It's just icing on the cake.

Ember continues, poking at my pec. "I could literally see your heart beating in your chest earlier."

I grimace. That means Terra saw it as well. "Well, bet you never thought you'd be that close with a pack exile," I joke.

It's a stupid joke. We both know it.

Ember straightens. She levels me with a very serious stare, and her amber eyes send a chill down my spine. "No. I also never thought I'd be that close with my best friend's fated mate. But let me tell you something. Now that I've seen where your heart is, I know its exact location. Which means I'll know precisely where to reach into your chest and rip it out if you do anything to make Terra sad again. Got it?"

Damn.

I nod, almost before I'm even aware that I'm doing it. That's odd. The compulsion to follow every one of Ember's commands is almost as strong as if she were an alpha.

But that's impossible. There's no such thing as a female alpha, at least to my knowledge.

Ember's eyes flash at me.

"Got it," I say automatically.

The urge to say, Got it, Alpha is strong.

"Stop scaring my mate, Em," Terra says. She floats over to me, a new shirt and pair of sweatpants in hand. I put both on and tug her close.

"Hi," I say, my lips ghosting over hers.

"Hi." She smiles as she puts her hands around my neck.

I kiss her softly. Terra moans, opening her lips…

"Gross. Get a room. But not here, because I think all these rooms come with herpes."

I pull back. "Shifters don't get herpes, Ember."

"Still, as a medical professional, I'm not going to recommend you bang on this dirty-ass bench."

We both laugh and rise. I loop my arm around Terra. "Let's get out of here."

Outside of the warehouse, Thorne is waiting. There's no sign of Chet.

Terra's hand tightens in mine. "Thorne," she says, her voice icy.

"Terra. Rylan." He levels a look at me.

I bristle.

Thorne gives us both a sharp nod. "Let's get back to Oakwood, and then we'll talk."

"Thorne…"

He holds up a hand. "I'm going through a lot of thoughts right now, James. None of them are good. I want to talk, and I think you deserve that from me, but not here. Not now," he says with a meaningful glance over at the warehouse.

That, at least, feels very, very fair.

We ridein separate cars back to the pack lands. Ember and Thorne are in Thorne's truck, and Terra and I take the SUV that Ember has been using to get to Denver. When we arrive, there's a crowd gathered in front of the alpha's office. Waiting.

His beta, Evander, as well as some of the other enforcers, are lurking around. Rhea is nearby, too, and I see her visibly slump with relief as Terra and I get out of the car.

Thorne unfurls himself from his truck. After he chats briefly with Iris, he turns to the crowd.

"Rylan James," he says. "We need to talk."

I grip Terra's hand. "Okay. Here I go," I whisper.

She holds me tight. "No. Not alone. Whatever happens, we do it together."

I nod. Through our mating bond, I can feel her nerves, but I do my best to send soothing images her way.

Thorne clears his throat. "You led not one, but two of our most valued pack members to an illegal shifter fighting ring. Ember participated in a sport that is not only illegal, but highly dangerous. You yourself have often been there, as evidenced by your name and familiarity with the place."

I straighten my back. "Yes, Alpha."

"You put your mate and her friend in danger, James," he growls. Terra opens her mouth to speak, but Thorne shakes his head. "I'm not finished."

We all wait for him to speak again.

Thorne looks at his mate, then back at me. "You also came back to the pack, even when I had banished you… and when I previously had not believed you. You showed us that there was a traitor in my inner circle, and you sacrificed yourself so that Ember wouldn't be hurt."

"I wasn't going to—" Ember protests, but Rhea lightly taps her on the shoulder.

"You have gone above and beyond, and I would like to formally rescind your exile. And," Thorne adds with a wry twist of his lips, "I'd like to extend a formal apology. I should have listened to you two years ago, Rylan. I should have listened to you a month ago. I'm sorry."

The whole crowd sucks in a collective breath. An apology from an alpha is no small thing.

"If you would like to continue to live in Oakwood, we would be blessed to have someone with your particular skill set," he says, giving me a look. "And if not… I understand as well."

Next to me, I hear Terra make a noise. I look up at the alpha and grin. "I think my mate would prefer if we stayed here."

"Then I will do my best to make up my errors, and welcome you as part of our pack," Thorne says. Then, he winks. "Now, let's get you two officially mated, shall we?"