Fates Entwined

59

I sighed. He was right, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. There really wasn’t anything we could do, but it didn’t change the fact that I felt like the worst mother ever for leaving Adriana behind. I trusted Stella and Jordan with my life, but they had no idea how Adriana's bedtime ritual went, or what foods she liked for dinner, and did they even know how to change a diaper? I felt guilty about abandoning my baby with them for such a long time and worried Adriana would be upset that I was gone so long. Wesley moved up behind me and rubbed my back. “It’s okay."

I swallowed and tried to get the words out. “I felt so guilty for having feelings for both of you, especially because Aiden was so good to me. He was so kind, so patient, and stood up for me when it mattered. I never wanted to hurt him. Even if our bond was fake, it felt real. But at the same time, deep down I knew I should have been with you all along."

Wesley wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. "I’m glad you were mated to him.”

I turned to look at him, surprised. “Really?"

“Aiden was a good man, and the Pisces pack kept you safe. If you hadn't been mated to him, you might have been killed during the Cancer pack massacre." A shudder ran through him. "I barely survived, and I lost my parents that night. For months, I thought I'd lost my sister too. The one comfort I had during that time was knowing you made it out alive."

Tears flooded my eyes at the memory of my first Convergence. I'd said goodbye to my parents when I'd joined the Pisces pack, not realizing it would be for the last time. Like so many others in the Cancer pack, they'd been murdered by the Leos and their allies that night. I wasn't a warrior, and I had no doubt I would have died alongside them without the protection of the Pisces pack.

“Not only that,” Wesley said, wiping away a tear running down my cheek. “But Aiden gave you Adriana.”

I blinked back my tears. “You’re right. I wouldn’t change that for the world. I’m glad I had my time with him. I’ll always miss him, but I know he’d want me to be happy.”

“And I will do everything in my power to make you and Adriana happy.” Wesley grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Mira, come back to the Cancer pack with me and be my alpha female."

I wanted to say yes, more than anything, but it wasn't only me I had to think about. “But what about Adriana? She’s a Pisces.”

Wesley poured coffee for both of us. “You both belong with me in the Cancer pack. The stars have decided you're my mate, and that means Adriana is my family too."

I loved Wesley even more for saying that, but I was still worried. “I’m not sure the Pisces will see it that way."

"They'll just have to get over it," he said with a low growl, his eyes flashing with power, reminding me he was an alpha, and what an alpha wanted, he got.

I put my arms around him and kissed him, ignoring the bacon burning behind me. "Thank you."

Wesley pulled back and looked at me with a confused expression. "For what?"

“For being you,” I said. “Now let’s eat before the food gets cold."

Wesley laughed and shook his head as he plated up the food. I watched him, imagining many future mornings like this, except with Adriana in the kitchen too.

Maybe he’s right, I thought as I took my plate. Maybe we really can be a family.

CHAPTER SIX

I sighed with relief as my borrowed car came into view, piled high with snow, but the shape was unmistakable. It had taken us most of the morning and early afternoon to dig ourselves out of the cabin and make our way back down to the road, but we’d finally managed it. Now Wesley and I bounded toward the car, trudging through melting snow that was nearly as tall as I was in my wolf form.

Once we reached the car we shifted back, and I pulled my frigid clothes out and quickly dressed. Wesley had his own clothes in a backpack that he'd been carrying in his mouth, and he put them on while I tried to start the car. It didn’t want to start at first, but after a few tries and some coaxing words, it finally was running.

We waited for the car to heat up, our hands rubbing together in the meantime to keep warm. I found my phone, but there was no service here either apparently. I sighed and shoved it in my pockets. I'll be there soon, baby girl.

"What's the weather like back home?" I asked Wesley.

He grinned at me. "I like that you called it 'home.' It's been cold and rainy, but no snow yet."

"That sounds about right." I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering Delphinus, the Cancer pack village, which was on the coast a bit north of Vancouver. I couldn't believe I would be going back there again. I hadn't officially given Wesley my answer yet, but it seemed inevitable. I was his mate. How could I return to the Pisces pack when half my soul would be with the Cancer pack? Once the car was ready, I carefully made a U-turn, testing the car’s ability to handle this amount of snow. The car drove fine, but I made sure to go slowly the whole time. After we made it back to the main road, everything cleared off a bit and it seemed like someone had been by to plow it recently.