by Noah Harris
The look of desperate anger on Elder Marrow’s face faltered, and then slowly melted into a blank expression. Behind him, Brett stiffened, his widening eyes the only sign that the news had surprised him. Noah was shaking his head, which Dante felt was aimed more at him than at anyone else. Liam hadn’t said anything, though Dante could feel his eyes on him. The only person who looked as worried as Dante was feeling was Erik, who was still frozen in place after having been stopped from leaving by Dante’s interference.
“The Joining,” Elder Marrow said blandly.
Dante nodded. “Yes, which Alpha Noah is already aware of. That’s what we were discussing moments before I came back.”
Elder Marrow turned to Noah. “Alpha Noah?”
“If I’m interpreting your expression correctly, then yes, Elder Marrow, I do believe he speaks the truth. Even now, you can see something different about them as they stand next to one another,” Noah said, nodding his head in Dante and Liam’s direction.
Erik snorted softly. “The minute Dante touched him, Liam stopped looking like he was going to tear someone’s throat out.”
“You’re making yourself a tempting target,” Liam told him.
Erik grinned. “I’m honored.”
Elder Marrow shook himself, turning back to Dante. “You experienced the Joining. You’re True Mates…with Liam.”
“Elder, are you okay?” Dante asked, concerned.
“Oh, just realizing that all my careful planning, and meticulous detail arranging, was all for nothing. All that work, and it’s undone in a moment,” Elder Marrow said faintly.
Dante nodded. “And you’re just…accepting it?”
Elder Marrow raised a bushy brow. “Are you saying there is a possibility that you are lying to me?”
“Would I ever lie to you about something this serious? With everything that could be at stake if I were lying?” Dante asked, challenging him.
Elder Marrow sighed, shaking his head. “You can be many things Dante, but no, I do not believe you would ever lie to me about something like this.”
Dante nodded his head toward Liam. “And?”
The Elder grimaced. “And I apologize, Liam, for having accused you so wrongfully. And for the…terrible things I said to you in a moment of panic and anger. You rightly deserved a chance to no longer be treated as if you were a child, and I failed in that. I hope you can forgive me.”
Liam grunted, but looked mollified. “Yeah, well, like I said, I don’t really expect you guys to greet me with open arms.”
The corner of Elder Marrow’s mouth twitched. “It’s funny you should say that. Since we are now presented with a new problem.”
Dante blinked. “What’s that?”
Elder Marrow clasped his hands before him. “You are True Mates to one another. Yet one of you is a full member of the Sept, and one from a highly respected lineage. The other is a Loner, with an…admittedly poor reputation. The Joining might have brought you together, but it does not change your positions. A full member, and a Loner, cannot be considered Mates by our laws. One must become the other.”
“What, he has to accept being a Loner?” Liam demanded, sounding angry again.
Elder Marrow inclined his head. “Or you must accept full membership.”
Liam leaned back, surprised. “Just like that?”
“There are benefits to being the True Mate to a sole heir of honored pedigree,” Elder Marrow told him dryly.
“So, he either chooses to throw himself into the trash category, or I come back into the fold and play nice?” Liam asked.
It was Noah who answered. “Rank will never change your pedigree. He will always be considered the sole heir of his pack, but he would simply be accepting a lesser rank within the sept.”
“And you’re not trash,” Dante hissed at him, fingers tightening.
Elder Marrow, who seemed to gain control from having to lecture, sighed. “Whatever your personal opinions on the matter, the fact remains a decision must be made.”
“Now? Can we have a moment to talk?” Dante asked him.
Elder Marrow gestured. “By all means, it is after all, a weighty decision. What you both choose from this moment on will dictate your futures. Take some time to discuss it as you will. Meanwhile, I will be dealing with the upcoming fallout.”
Noah sighed. “Elder, I promise you there will be no repercussions on our end. Even the Elders of my sept will not be able to argue with the will of Gaia.”
“I imagine we will need to borrow a Shaman in order to validate it, just to be sure,” Elder Marrow replied, sounding exasperated.
“I’ll send a courier. I’m sure it can be arranged quickly,” Noah said.
Elder Marrow turned to Dante and Liam, who had remained listening. “Don’t you two have a discussion to have? Oh and Erik, continue as you were, but instead of the Warriors, bring Rosa here. As much as the idea of dealing with the potential fallout from this, I absolutely dread what would happen if I were to leave that woman out of this.”
“Smart choice Elder,” Erik quipped as he made for the woods.
Chapter Nineteen
They had barely made it more than a handful of steps past the cover of the trees when Liam grabbed him roughly. Surprised, Dante didn’t resist as he was pulled down into a passionate kiss. The familiar feeling of fire lit in his gut and he pressed hard against the kiss. His breath seemed to steal from him as Liam gripped tighter, pushing against Dante even as he pulled him closer.
Dante gasped for air when the kiss broke, panting slightly. “What was that for?”
Liam gazed up at him in what Dante could only call adoration. “For standing up for me.”
Dante stared at him in confusion. “Not that I’m going to argue with something that makes you kiss me like that but, uh, of course I did?”
His mate looked overjoyed. “No one’s ever stood up for me, at least not since my family died.”
Dante’s heart ached at the revelation, even as he felt himself soaring up to cloud nine at the thought. It was depressing to think Liam hadn’t had someone willing to stand beside him, facing down someone else on his behalf. He couldn’t help the goofy smile that met his lips at the thought that he was able to give that to Liam. Liam deserved to be taken care of, especially after having to take care of himself for so long.
“You didn’t need it. You were standing up for yourself pretty well before I interfered,” Dante said, hoping to reassure him.
Liam shrugged. “Wasn’t really doing much except getting mad and yelling back at him. Wouldn’t call that standing up for myself. Anyway, even if I can do it myself, it’s…amazing to think there’s someone out there willing to do it for me.”
Dante stared into the man’s eyes and wondered just what sort of life Liam had led. Not just the stories of adventure and interesting people, but what sort of life it had been in private. It had to have been a lonely life, having only a few interesting friends and no one who would do something as simple as stand up for you in the face of adversity. It wasn’t a surprise to him to think that was why Liam was probably slow to trust anyone. Yet, it amazed him that no one had thought to look past that caution and try to find the brightness in Liam’s eyes Dante was seeing now.
Liam gazed at him in wonder. “Good Gaia, you actually chose me.”
“Of course I did,” Dante said with a laugh.
“Even with the Joining, you could have said no you know,” Liam told him.
“That so?” Dante asked.
Liam nodded. “I’ve heard some stories, about people who managed to throw off the effects of the Joining. It’s not easy from the sounds of it, and it’s not pleasant, but it’s possible.”
“No one I talked to seemed to believe that,” Dante said.
Liam shrugged. “That’s because they don’t want to believe that the Joining is anything but the pure expression of Gaia’s will. If the stories I heard are correct, it’s more of a…strong suggestion. From the sounds of it though, the p
eople who shook it off were really motivated to do so. Like, they pretty much hated the person they were bound to.”
Dante smirked. “Well, I definitely didn’t feel that way about you from the start. I was already starting to like you before we even touched one another.”
“We talked like, twice,” Liam said with a laugh.
“And you were already different to anyone else I’d ever talked to before. Hell, I was standing at the celebration, losing my mind with worry over what I was going to do. Wasn’t allowed to drink or do much of anything except stand around and wait for Noah to show up and talk to me. No one was really dealing with me except to keep an eye on me, and there you were, talking to me and managing to make me feel better. Maybe it wouldn’t have become what it is now if it wasn’t for the Joining, but I’d like to think that without outside pressure, I still would have grown to have feelings for you,” Dante said in a rush.
Liam smiled. “That sounds like romantic talk to me.”
“Weird how finding one’s True Mate can make a guy a little romantic,” Dante said with a laugh.
“Yeah, except now I’ve got to go and do what I swore I would never do,” Liam said.
Dante frowned. “What’s that?”
Liam looked at him like he was being dense. “What else? I swore I would never come back into the fold of this damn place, and now I’m going to have to turn around and do it.”
Dante stared at him. “I thought the whole point of coming back here to talk was to…well, talk about this.”
Liam snorted. “You can’t possibly tell me you’re considering throwing everything away to be tossed into Loner status, are you?”
Dante didn’t answer, because he didn’t know how to reply to the question properly. In all his thoughts and worries about what was happening before, he’d never gotten far enough to wonder what he would do if he found a way to be with Liam.
Liam peered at him. “Holy shit, you are considering it? Dante, you can’t possibly consider it.”
“Why not?” Dante asked.
Liam gestured at himself. “Look at me. Does this really look like the kind of life you want to live?”
Dante frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good point.”
Liam sighed. “Okay. Part of my issue is my bad reputation and my attitude. Even as a Loner, you wouldn’t be treated like a pariah as badly as I am, but still. You’d end up like I am, technically a member of the sept, but without any of the real benefits. You’d have no home, .and you wouldn’t have the sept to back you up whenever you needed them. You’d only be able to visit Rosa and Erik occasionally. Most of your life from that point on would be spent wandering the world, or just walking through the woods.”
It was true he’d never wanted to leave Erik and Rosa behind. Thing was, he’d already been braced for the inevitability of that because of the arrangement with Noah and his sept. If he could accept that he would have to leave them for an arrangement that hadn’t even been of his doing, couldn’t he do the same, but for a reason based on his own choice?
“I mean, I was already set to have to leave them anyway,” Dante said.
Liam shook his head. “Yeah, when it was being forced on you. You’re free of all that bullshit now. You told me your whole life had been leading up to the moment when Noah would show up and whisk you out of here. Now you don’t have to do that. You’re totally free to do whatever the hell you want.”
The realization struck him hard, and Dante stood there in silence as he considered it. Every lesson, etiquette drill, and correction in his life, had all been centered around the belief that he would one day need to impress and woo Noah. In the course of a couple of weeks, he had somehow managed to find a way to shrug those expectations off his shoulders.
With Noah leaving without Dante, happy at the outcome, Dante was faced with an unknown future. He’d always dreamed of being able to stay with Erik and Rosa, to live out the remainder of his days with those he cared for. They were private moments, when he would daydream about what he and Erik would do for the rest of their lives. Perhaps they might find someone, fall in love, and watch the other forge a pack of their own. He would dream of watching Rosa, finally free of her duty to raise Dante, free to dedicate her time to one of her many passions. Those possibilities had seemed so tantalizing then, but now he realized how dumbstruck they left him.
Liam reached up to grab his face. “You have the chance to finally do whatever you want. Don’t throw it away just because of me.”
Dante reached up, running his fingers along Liam’s hand. “Who says I would be throwing anything away?”
“How bad would it sound if I said me?” Liam asked.
Dante tried to smile. “Only a little.”
Liam shook his head sadly. “This isn’t the kind of life you want to be living, Dante? Didn’t you pay attention to anything I told you about my life?”
He remembered how lonely Liam’s life had sounded, yet at the same time his mate had seemed anything but lonely. With Liam living with him, Dante could offer him the family and support Liam had gone without. In time, he might even accept Dante’s family as his own. In time, Liam would be able to fill the void left by the passing of his own family, and the years of wandering the world by himself.
Yet, he couldn’t help but remember the sparkle that had been in Liam’s eyes when he’d spoken of his adventures. As lonely as they had sounded at times, Liam had come to life when he spoke of the strange things he’d encountered. For all the hard times he’d experienced, Liam had obviously loved the life that he’d led.
“Could you even be happy, stuck in the sept?” Dante asked quietly.
Liam’s lip twitched, as if he were hiding his reaction. “I could do whatever it took for you to be happy and secure, Dante. Just because living in a sept isn’t something I’ve done in a while, it doesn’t mean it’s not something I could pick up again.”
Yet Dante could see the fear and worry flash in Liam’s eyes before it disappeared. It wasn’t just the fear of being trapped in one place. it was the fear of what awaited him in that place. Liam had made no attempt to hide the fact that the rest of the sept wasn’t terribly fond of him. Liam had built a reputation as a hardcore troublemaker before he’d taken on Loner status. Even if the man had the support of Dante, Rosa, and Erik, he would still have to deal with the judgments of the rest of the sept. Dante didn’t know how long Liam could stand being treated so disdainfully, or just how far the other members of the sept would go.
“I can’t ask you to stay here Liam,” Dante whispered.
“You’re not. I’m offering,” Liam replied quickly.
Dante pressed a cheek into one of Liam’s hands. “You’d be miserable here, and you know it.”
“I would adjust,” Liam insisted.
“The sept is a reminder of all the bad things that happened to you when you were young. You come back here once in a while, because it was your home as a child. It’s a way to remind yourself, but you can’t stay here. I don’t think you can stay anywhere for too long. You have to be free, Liam. Free to wander and to explore,” Dante said.
“You can’t just, throw your life away because you think I can’t sit still,” Liam said desperately.
Dante smiled. “You keep saying that, but I wouldn’t be throwing anything away. I was already prepared to leave my friends and family behind. That’s years’ worth of practice that can come in handy. The only difference is that I’d be leaving them to go wandering the world with a man who is my True Mate instead of ta man I was forced upon.”
Liam shook his head. “The world isn’t really that great.”
Dante laughed. “Doesn’t sound like it when you talk about it.”
Liam snorted. “Yeah, well, it’s easy to make the rest of the world sound amazing when you’re bitter about your home.”
“Think about it Liam, just for a minute. Imagine wandering the world like you’ve been doing for years. Discovering new secrets, unraveling the mysteries of the w
orld, getting answers and learning stories. All the stuff you’ve been doing, but you won’t have to do it alone anymore. I’ll be there with you every step of the way, at your side,” Dante said with a smile.
“It’s not exactly an easy life,” Liam said.
Dante chuckled. “In case you didn’t know, I’m not exactly weak. Even with all the lessons about how to behave myself, there were plenty of lessons on how to take care of myself. I know how to survive in the wild, and I can fight. I know some stuff about the human world because of Erik, but I’m a quick learner, and you can teach me more about it.”
Liam looked away. “That’s not really what I meant.”
“You’re worried that I’m somehow throwing my life away for you rather than choosing something that sounds amazing to me. I’m not going to tell you that I’ll magically be okay with being away from everything I ever knew growing up, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it,” Dante said.
“Didn’t you shoot me down when I tried to use the same logic?” Liam pointed out.
“The difference is that I made peace with the fact that I would have to leave my home behind one day. I was over that years ago, but you never did the same. That’s not a bad thing, because you get to do something you love doing. I could take either of the choices Elder Marrow gave us and be happy, so long as I was doing them with you. But you? I know you’d be miserable, tied to the sept lands except for when you were ordered out on a mission,” Dante told him.
Liam bit his lower lip. “No offense, but you didn’t really strike me as an adventure for life sort of guy.”
“It was never allowed for me to have an adventure, what with the whole future being decided for me thing. But now I do have a say, like you said, and I can’t help but start dreaming of it. It’s a little scary, I won’t lie, but it’s amazing too. All the things you’ve already seen, and all the things we could see together, it’s an amazing idea to me. Maybe some of the things we learn could even be brought back here, to help the sept. Maybe with time, everything we bring back could slowly shift the reputation Loners have in our society,” Dante said excitedly.