Page 38 of Wolf Chosen

I do feel it - a presence that wraps around my battered soul. A voice whispers through my thoughts, gentle yet implacably strong.

You are not to blame, my child. What was done to you, the darkness forced upon your soul...it was a violation of the highest order. But I am here now, and I will guide you through the aftermath of this wrong.

The voice suffuses me with warmth that chases away the chill of despair. Honor your mate. Cherish the gift of her love, for it is what brought you back from the abyss. I will not forsake my children.

The presence fades, but the glow of forgiveness remains, a steadfast light amidst the shadows of my heart, and then I realize that the unconditional acceptance that still wraps around me comes from Taylor.

“I love you, Liam. You don't have to be anything other than who you are. I'm choosing you, all of you, just as I know you chose me before I knew who I was to you,” she says softly, her lips brushing the shell of my ear.

She pulls back, her eyes locking with my own. “You can't ask anything of yourself that you wouldn't ask of me. So please, forgive yourself, as I have forgiven you.”

Her words are a blazing arrow of light that shatters the darkness into a million glittering shards.

Because she's right.

If our roles were reversed, if it was Taylor who had succumbed to Rowan's magic...I would move heaven and earth to convince her of the same.

How can I deny her the same unwavering faith?

Slowly, tentatively, I let myself sink into her embrace, allowing her love to wash over me in cleansing waves. My wolf stirs, feeling a glimmer of hope beneath the weight of his grief. Taylor reaches out to him through our bond, her soul touching his with a gentleness that makes my heart ache.

“I forgive you too. The violence was not your fault,” she whispers. “My wolf would like to meet you.”

A whine escapes my throat, my wolf pressing against the barrier. He wants to go to her, to accept the forgiveness she's offered so freely.

“I'm not human anymore, Liam. I'm a shifter now, and I need my shifter mate. I can't live without my wolf, without the other half of my soul.” She takes my face in her hands, her gaze searing into my own. “Please, Liam. I'm begging you...accept both sides of me, as I accept both sides of you. We deserve each other. We deserve this happiness.”

I want to be the mate she needs me to be, not the mate who’s eaten by guilt. I want to be the best possible version of both sides of myself for her. The last of my resistance crumbles, the walls I've erected disintegrating into dust. Her love and forgiveness are too strong. I know I don’t deserve her, but I’m going to make it my mantra for the rest of my life to show her the best possible me. I surge forward, capturing her lips with my own in a kiss that sears my very soul.

“I love you,” I rasp against her mouth. “I choose you, Taylor. Always and forever.”

And as I let myself dissolve into her embrace, as I finally allow the shattered pieces of my soul to knit back together... rightness settles over me, limitless and unshakable.

This is where I belong. At the side of my mate, my partner in all things. The woman who sees the darkest parts of me and loves me anyway, fiercely and without reservation.

Together, we'll find a way to heal the wounds Rowan has dealt us. It won't be easy. The scars on my spirit, and on Taylor's, are deep and raw. It will take time and patience and no small amount of faith to mend what has been broken.

But we'll do it together. Hand in hand, heart to heart. Two souls forever entwined.

Mates, in every sense of the word.

And as I lose myself in the haven of Taylor's arms, as I let her love fill up the empty spaces carved into my being...I finally allow myself to breathe.

To hope.

To heal.

Chapter Nineteen

Taylor

The days blur together in a haze of passion and pleasure. We lose ourselves in each other, in the sheer joy of being alive and together. Liam worships me with his hands, his mouth, every touch an adoring caress that sets our bond sparking.

He maps my body, seeking out every secret place that makes me gasp and shudder and in turn, I pour my adoration into his skin, my fingers tracing the sculpted lines of his muscles, the velvet heat of his flesh.

We make love until we're both spent and sated. Our bond is quiet. I revel in its depths I would never have felt if not for the freak aspect of my blood. I have embraced both sides of myself. I’m no longer the broken human woman who had accepted her fate. I am fully healed on a deeper level than I could ever imagine, body, mind and soul. Our bond is a communion of the most profound sort, a merging of every part of ourselves. I’m complete in a way I never have before, as if every atom of my being is precisely where it's meant to be.

The only time we leave the sanctuary of our bed is to raid the kitchen that is thankfully clear. I’m sure Cindi has some sixth sense about that because the hotel is always quiet and the refrigerator is always stocked. We feed each other fruit and cheese, our laughter echoing off the tiles as we steal kisses between bites.

---