9. Ember

Chapter 9

Holy shit. The space between Leander and me is… glowing.

I watch, partly horrified and partly fascinated, as the glow engulfs both of us. I feel weird, kind of tingly, and I can feel my hair starting to float around me. Leander's eyes are wide as he watches me.

"Ember," he whispers. "What…"

Suddenly, I feel his doubt. His concern. But most of all, I feel his love.

He's such a liar. He wasn't falling in love with me. He already is in love with me.

And that's a good deal, because I think I love him, too.

His eyes widen, like he heard my thoughts.

I know what's happening. Through the glow, I reach forward and grab his hand. I tug his mouth to mine again, but this time, it's just a quick kiss. When I pull back, I smile.

"You're my fated mate, Leander. I think I'm falling in love with you, too."

He looks down, then back up at me. "I thought… My mom told me about fated mates happening out West, but I had no idea…"

"I know, right?" I hold my hand up, watching the glow as it starts to fade. "Who would have thought that it would feel like this?"

Gently, he takes my hand and puts it on his chest. "With you, Ember? Everything is amazing."

I return his smile.

As the light fades, I settle. I can feel Leander through the bond, kind of an echo. It's like I can't read his thoughts, but I can sense them. I feel like my heart is a torrent of emotions and concerns right now, and I know Leander wants me to come back with him…

I'm not so sure. There's just so many changes. Yes, I want to be with Leander. I definitely don't want what we have to end. But do I want to meet my dad?

"Leander," I say, some of the joy fading as the questions plague me again. "Why can't we stay here?"

I'm not sure that I'm ready to meet my dad yet. I've been alone for so long. Ember Greene against the world.

His alpha—my dad—could be nice. Or he could be a huge jackass.

Leander shrugs. "We could."

I look over at him. "Wouldn't you lose your position as beta?"

"I would."

Through our bond, I look for any reaction to that. Is he upset? Wouldn't he be pissed about losing that power?

But I don't find any of that. Instead, I'm rocked by the honesty and clarity I find.

Leander wants to be with me. He really means it when he says he would stay here. He would do anything just to make me happy.

It's… shocking.

I look deeper. Through the bond, I can feel that he really does care about me. He didn't hide who my family was on purpose, and he didn't lie about it. He does want me to come back to Florida with him.

I sigh. "Florida is so far. Where did you say the pack is? Fort Myers?"

He nods. "Yeah. Southwest Florida. It's so pretty, though, Ember."

I wrinkle my nose. "I've never known anything but the mountains."

"I know. You'll love the beach," Leander says softly.

"What if I don't?"

"Then we'll leave," he says simply. "I just want to be where you are, Ember. I don't care where that is."

I take a minute. There are so many feelings swirling through me. Love for Leander. Questions about my father. Worry about leaving Terra behind.

I look through for feelings of sadness. Of a longing to stay here. Surprisingly, though, I don't find them. Instead, I find something else.

Hope.

"I've been… I've been such an outsider. My whole life."

"Not to state the obvious, but I think your dad wants to end that," Leander says.

"What if he doesn't?"

He leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead. "Then we'll come back."

What he's offering seems almost too good to be true. The chance for a family? To meet my father? To belong?

It's so enticing. But what Leander says next seals the deal for me.

"I just want to be with you, Ember. If it's here, great. If it's in Florida, great. I want you to meet my family and my pack, and I want you to meet your dad. But if you don't want any of those things, they're all negotiable. The one non-negotiable?" He presses a kiss on my lips again before finishing. "Us."

Fuck it.

"Let's do it," I say, the rush of the decision making me giddy. "If I hate it, we're coming back."

"I'd drive across the world if you needed me to." He smiles.

I roll my eyes. "That's a little dramatic."

"I've done it before, Ember. I'd do it again. You're worth it."

I'll love wherever Leander is, and doing this together? That makes me feel a lot less worried. "So, when should we go?"

"Soon. I think. Do you want to explain everything to Terra?"

I nod. "Yeah. Then we'll start the long-ass drive."

"But at least we'll have plenty of time to talk."

I laugh at that. Leander straightens, cracking his neck as he steps back. I look down at his shin, where the kick I landed is already starting to bruise. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry. Not everyone can say they went up against someone as strong as you and won."

I cringe. My chest, that's been so filled with warmth and light just now, feels like it drops.

"Ember?"

I look up at him. "What if my dad doesn't accept… who I am?"

Leander sighs. "I promise you. James Rodoff is going to be thrilled that his daughter is just as strong as he is."

"Is he?" My ears perk up.

Leander smiles and starts back toward the cabin. "Oh, yeah. He's also insanely strong. I probably should have put those things together earlier. Would have, if I hadn't… you know. Been hit by a tree."

"Tell me more about my dad," I say softly.

He takes my hand. We walk back to the cabin, and he tells me everything. By the time we get back, I feel like I know him.

It doesn't make me any less nervous. However, with Leander by my side, I feel something else. Happiness. Belonging.

No matter what, I can do anything with him. He believes in me, he knows that I'm predisposed to being an alpha. And he accepts me for it.

Meeting my dad, finding the pack that he runs, sounds scary.

But with Leander, I think it's something else, too.

It sounds really… exciting.

Dinner with Terra is the hardest part. First, explaining that I'm leaving sucks. Terra gives me a look with a lip tremble that I know all too well, but I power through while giving her a hug.

Explaining that my mom and Leander's alpha are my parents? That takes longer.

By the time Leander and I are done sharing, both Rylan and Terra look shocked. Rylan looks us over and walks out of the cabin. Terra watches him, then turns back and smiles.

"First, I want to say that I'm super happy for you."

As my best friend, I'd expect nothing less. "I'm sensing a ‘but.'"

She sighs. "I mean, this is just all very sudden. Haven't you been happy here, Ember? Are you sure you want to go to Florida and not just, like… video chat with your dad?"

I glance over at Leander, who shrugs.

"I want to meet him, Terra. I know that you are, and have always been, my best friend. But honestly…" I hum a little, thinking of how to tell her. "I just… I've always felt… different."

"Because you'd be a good candidate for an alpha?"

I shake my head, the shock of hearing her words totally erased now that I'm not worried about who I am. "More than that. Oakwood is a great pack. It's just not… mine."

It's putting a name to something I've always felt, and saying it feels hard, but right.

Leander's hand rests on my shoulder. His strength shines through the bond, and I look at my best friend.

"I love you, Terra. I always will. But I need to do this. I need to go see if this is the feeling I've been looking for. If this is what it means to truly belong," I whisper.

There's a long moment where Terra studies us. Finally, she looks at Leander.

"Take care of her," she says, her voice thick with tears. "Or I'll kick your ass."

"I think you'll have to get in line," Leander says with a smile. "Ember would kick my ass first. Her dad would finish me."

Terra laughs at that, then sighs. "Well. Have fun explaining to your alpha that you've mated his lost daughter. If you do survive, then I can't wait to plan all my winter vacations to visit."

I lean forward and hug my best friend.

Terra and Rylan leave, and Leander and I watch them go. When their car disappears into the darkness, Leander turns. "I guess I do have to explain to my alpha that I've been banging his daughter," he grimaces.

I laugh and pull his hand to my lips. "We could stop."

Leander's eyes widen with horror, and I laugh again. The laugh changes to a squeak as he lifts me up, growling as he bites at my neck. "Don't say that kind of stuff to me, Ember."

"What kind of stuff?"

"I never want to stop," he murmurs as he kisses a line down my neck.

When he tosses me on the bed, I tear at my clothes. Leander leans down and swoops me up for another kiss, and against his lips, I tell him, "I never want you to, either, my mate."