"And yet here I am."
"Not by my doing." His voice is firm. "I never told anyone where you were. Never reported back to Kade or the pack. Your location was your secret to keep."
I believe him. I don't know why, but I do.
"Thank you." The words feel inadequate. "For protecting us. For keeping our secret. For fighting for me when no one else would."
"You don't have to thank me for doing the right thing."
"In my experience, most people don't do the right thing. They do the convenient thing." I pull my knees up, wrapping my arms around them. "You're an anomaly, Kieran Blackthorn."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Don't let it go to your head."
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the fire burn down. Outside the windows, the sky is beginning to lighten with the approach of dawn. W
