Page 77 of Nico

"Nico," he barked. "You disobeyed my direct orders and..."

The words died abruptly. His eyes dropped to where Nico still knelt in the dirt, still hugging me. Neither of us made any attempt to separate.

Understanding dawned across Cooper's face with almost comical speed. His irritation vanished, and he frowned, studying the two of us intently.

"You're mates." It wasn't really a question. It sounded more like he'd finally solved a puzzle that had been driving him insane.

Nico slowly looked up, and nodded, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak just yet.

Cooper let out a long breath before rubbing both hands over his face. "Why didn't either of you tell me earlier?"

18

ISAAC

The ride back to the pack compound passed in a blur.

Adrenaline had carried me through the fight, through shifting, through the desperate fear that I'd been moments away from losing Nico forever.

Now that it was over, the exhaustion settled over me like an avalanche. Every inch of me ached.

The SUV smelled faintly of leather, pine, dried blood, and the lingering scent of wolf musk. One of the enforcers had given me a pair of gray sweatpants after I'd shifted back into my human form.

They hung a little loose around my waist, but I was grateful not to be sitting there completely naked. Nico hadn't let go of my hand once.

Our fingers remained intertwined across the center console. Every now and then his thumb brushed absentmindedly over my knuckles, as though reassuring himself I was really there.

I found myself doing the same. We didn’t speak, because there wasn't much left to say.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was just that both of us were seemingly still trying to convince ourselves today had truly ended. I caught him glancing at me every few minutes.

Each time our eyes met, he offered a tiny smile.

I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. That simple exchange somehow said everything words couldn't. You're here. I'm here. We're okay.

By the time the gates of the Pecan Pines compound came into view, the knot in my chest had finally begun to loosen. Lately, I had started to think of the place as home.

The SUV rolled to a stop outside the main packhouse, where Cooper was already waiting, having arrived ahead of us. He looked tired, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual.

The anger I'd seen on the mountain had completely vanished. Instead, he looked like someone who had narrowly avoided receiving the worst phone call of his life.

His eyes landed on me first, then Nico. He exhaled quietly.

“To the clinic," he ordered, although his voice lacked its usual bite. "Both of you."

Nico tugged gently on my hand. "Come on."

The clinic wasn't far from the main building. Normally it bustled with wolves coming and going after patrol injuries, but today it was unusually quiet.

Ethan looked up from a stack of paperwork as we entered. The healer's calm expression disappeared immediately. "What happened?"

"Long story," Nico answered.

"Kidnapping," I added. “I got taken.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. He pointed toward one of the examination beds. "Up."

I climbed onto it. Nico stayed glued to my side.