Page 121 of The Orc Outcast's Miracle

Govek sought to ease it further. “I could have left at any time, Karthoc. I could have joined you at your forge or another clan, and I chose not to. It is not your fault, nor was it your place to force me away.”

Karthoc huffed out a laugh. “Fuck, sometimes I wonder who is truly wiser. Are you certain you don’t want to lead your clan?”

Govek blinked rapidly in shock.

“Don’t fuck around. I know you haven’t changed your mind. I can see it written all over you. Tell me I am wrong?”

“You are not wrong. Even in the face of all these uncovered truths, I do not want to be a leader.”

“You are far different from me.” Karthoc looked out into the woods. “I would have wanted to take control over those who oppressed me. I would have wanted to take their power as they took mine.”

Govek’s gut twisted at the thought.

“I know,” Karthoc said with a nod. “You don’t want that. I can tell. But I want to hear the words clear. Do you want to become chief of Rove Wood Clan, Govek?”

“No,” Govek said. No hesitation, no regret.

“Then you will not. I have already made the move to put Brovdir and Sythcol in command. Two chiefs with equal power, working in tandem.”

Govek was flummoxed. He could not believe what he heard.

“You disagree?”

Govek worked the idea over in his mind. “No. I do not. I think it will work fine.”

“Good. So do I.”

They stood in silence for a long time, staring off into the beauty of the Rove Woods. Wind whistled through the trees and a chill descended on the land. A chill that had ebbed from Govek since Miranda had come into his life. One he was facing all over again. His throat burned.

“I will ask you another question, Govek,” Karthoc said, still looking up to the tree canopy. “You have two options. Either you risk losing your mate and support her as she moves through her fate, or you certainly lose her by fighting against her. Which do you pick?”

Govek’s stomach dropped. He knew instantly what he had to choose.

Karthoc examined his face for a moment and then looked away. “I was in your place once, and I chose wrong. I let my pride get in the way and I have regretted it every moment since. My every breath is laced with it. I do not want that fate for you, Govek. It is a horrible one.”

Govek was stunned once again. His mind worked to form a picture of Karthoc’s words.

“After Clairton, you told me you had broken your imprint on Yerina, but it could not have been a true imprint, then. Because the real ones, the ones that go deep and hook right into your soul, those never break. No matter how hard you try.”

“You... were imprinted?” Govek asked. “You had a mate?”

Karthoc looked away, eyes brooding, and Govek realized this was not the question he should be musing on. These were not the truths he should be seeking.

Miranda’s face flashed in his mind. Her imprint hummed in his chest and beckoned him.

He and Miranda were both pushing forward in tandem the best way they knew how. Supporting each other as their hearts and souls stitched and became whole again. Together. Side by side.

That healing wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Govek sucked in a hard breath and pushed past his own selfish fear.

Could he really deny Miranda her chance to heal, her chance to do what she thought was right, simply because he feared the risks? Or worse, would he force her to face her fate alone? Would he ever forgive himself if he abandoned her in her most vulnerable moments?

The walls in his mind cracked open and soaked his body in warmth and light.

Never. He would never abandon her.

“Karthoc! Govek! There you are!”

Brovdir rushed toward them through the woods, eyes frantic, claws extended.

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