Chapter 108
Tessa’s POV
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The question hung in the air like smoke- visible, thick, and impossible to ignore.
Seth looked like someone had just slammed a file of emotional paperwork in front of him without warning.
His chewing slowed to a complete stop, and his eyes flicked sideways toward Erin, then down at his food like maybe it held the answers
he wasn’t ready to say out loud.
Silence.
The worst kind.
Immediately, regret surged through me.
What had I done?
Why did I say that out loud?
My mouth had moved before my brain had even tried to stop it. And now I was staring between two people who meant everything to me,
panicking over the fact that I may have just shattered something delicate and still–forming between them.
What if he says no? What if she thought there was more there than he did? What if I just ruined everything?!
Had I just set my best friend’s heart up to be shattered?!
Erin hadn’t moved, but her cookie was now forgotten in her hand. Her expression was unreadable- eyes fixed on Seth, lips parted slightly
like she was either about to speak or bracing herself not to.
I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat.
But Kane, always alert, always one step ahead, cleared his throat and stood up from the bench by the bed. His voice cut cleanly through
the tension, warm and sure.
“I had a chat with Tessa about the same thing today,” he announced, his tone steady and confident as his gaze moved around the room. “And we’ve agreed to complete the mating process before we return home my wolf wouldn’t settle on the matter so I had to address it.”
–
My heart thudded, and Erin turned toward him with wide eyes.
“It’s a bullet proof decision in my own opinion. I don’t ever want to be with anyone else and It’ll only give her more security as my official mate when we return,” Kane added, voice gentler now as it landed on me.
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Chapter 108
He hadn’t hesitated at all.
Not once.
Erin smiled faintly at his words, eventually moving to wipe at her mouth with a napkin, trying to regain her composure. She set it down carefully, glanced at Seth, and spoke in a voice that was clear but calm.
“Well,” she said with a small shrug, “it’s up to Seth, really. Whatever you would be happy with, I’m all for.”
She wasn’t going to beg for his answer. She wasn’t going to lead him either. She was giving him the space- and the dignity- to decide for himself what he really wanted.
The room fell quiet again, but this time it felt different. Like we were all collectively holding our breath and waiting…
Seth sat up straighter in his chair, his expression no longer light or amused. The usual flicker of mischief in his eyes was gone, replaced
by something more serious. More sincere.
“All I want is for Erin to be my mate,” he said finally, slowly, like he needed each word to be heard by all of us as I heard Erin’s small
breath of relief come from beside me at his words.
Phew!
“I just… I hadn’t thought about it yet with everything that’s been going on. The travelling. The war. Getting you all back. Being here in Russia all together.” He let out a small breath, shaking his head. “I didn’t even think about what was next. I’m just happy to have Erin back. But you’ve definitely opened me up to the idea now. I think… yeah. I think making things official before we go home is definitely smart.” He concludes firmly, as we all seem to relax at the confirmation.
–
His voice wasn’t jokey or evasive on the matter either — it was professional, thoughtful, and… honest.
But I still needed it said plainly. Not just for Erin, but for me. We had been through too much together to tiptoe now.
“So you want Erin as your mate?” I asked, sitting forward in my chair, voice quieter now. “Forever?”
There was
pause. A beat.
Then he chuckled, that usual Seth–grin tugging at the corner of his mouth again as he looked at her.
“Obviously I do,” he said simply. “What would be the point in all of this if I didn’t? Believe me, I wouldn’t chase any ordinary girl all the way to fucking Russia!” He blurted.
Erin turned crimson, lips curling up into a stunned but shy smile, and I let out a squeal that I didn’t even try to muffle.
“Together forever!” I gasped, clapping my hands and practically bouncing in my seat as I turned to Erin, whose eyes widened at my
excitement.
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Chapter 108
Kane chuckled beside me, and Seth leaned back in his chair with an exaggerated shake of his head.
“Ohhh, I see what this is now,” he muttered, pointing a playful finger at me. “You weren’t trying to get the truth out of me. You were just
worried you two might get split up! Using me for your own gain, Miss Tessa?”
I burst into laughter, unable to help myself, and the room followed suit. Even Kane chuckled, the sound low and deep, while Erin rolled
her eyes, laughing along with us.
Obviously it was a bonus for me if Erin and Seth mate! They’d be together in the same pack as me forever!
Perfection!
The tension had completely lifted.
But before the next joke could land, a sudden noise cut through the room like a blade.
A soft groan.
Short.
Faint.
But real.
I froze, every muscle in my body going still.
“Shhh- everyone be quiet!” I hissed, standing up so fast my chair skidded back behind me. “Did you hear that?!”
Erin shot up next to me, heart already in her throat. “Yes!” she gasped. “She definitely made a sound there!”
We both rushed to Sasha’s side, the world falling away around us.
She still lay unmoving, but her nose twitched- barely, but enough.
And then another sound.
A tiny, pained whimper.
“Sasha?” I whispered, my voice already cracking with emotion. “Sasha, it’s us. Tessa and Erin. We’re here, it’s okay.”
Her head shifted, the smallest of movements, and another soft noise slipped past her lips- an exhausted kind of whine, like her body was fighting through molasses to reach us.
“I’ll go get the doctor!” Kane announced behind me, already halfway to the door in a quick stride.
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Chapter 108
🙂))
I reached down and clutched Sasha’s hand tightly in mine, feeling the warmth of her fingers begin to melt slightly against my skin.
“You’re safe,” I told her, eyes burning with unshed tears. “You’re not alone anymore. We’re all here, Sasha. You’re not in the dark
anymore.”
Her brows twitched slightly, like she was trying to open her eyes.
Erin pressed closer to the other side of the bed, brushing Sasha’s hair off her forehead as we waited, breath held, hope swelling like a
tidal wave.
She was coming back to us.
Sasha was waking up!
And for the first time in what felt like forever… everything felt possible again.
Comments
Laurie Weir
2 Comments >
maybe Kane will move her mom to his pack, so she’s not all alone on the other side of the country wondering how her baby is being treated
7 days ago
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
