Page 99 of Soul Bound

She was right. What Ranger and I have is special and I will continue to fight for us for as long as I can. I’ve never been loved or loved someone as I do now, and now that I know what it’s like, I’m not giving it up without a fight. And I know he’ll be right there next to me the whole time, fighting just as hard for us.

The sliding glass door opens, and Pruitt slips outside with me, dressed in black just like I am. A knit cap is over her head. She rubs her hands together and bounces on her toes as she walks over to where I lean against the balcony railing. “It’s fitting it’s snowing today. Addison loved the snow. Do you think she made it happen?” She stands close enough our shoulders are touching.

“I think it’s a comforting thought to think she did,” I tell her.

Pruitt’s green eyes scan over the scenery and she’s quiet for a long time before she speaks again. “I’m not sure I’ve accepted she’s gone. I mean I go to her house and I see Noah there alone, but I just keep thinking, she’s going to walk through those doors any second.” Her voice cracks. “I’ve never really experienced losing someone I loved. I don’t remember my parents and I don’t remember them dying. I was sad when I heard they were dead, but they weren’t real people to me—not really. I’ve never had to mourn a real person before and I’m not sure how to do it. I’m supposed to be strong now, I’m the alpha, I have to put on a brave face.”

“I used to think that breaking made you weak, that crying wasn’t acceptable, but I was wrong. I think you’re stronger when you let your emotions out. You can cry Pru, you can scream, you can collapse. The pack is going to see you fall and then they’re going to watch you rise and for that, they’re going to see how strong you are.”

I learned that from my mate. He’s made me stronger in ways I never would have been without him.

Pru leans her head down against my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her, giving her a side hug. “I’m really glad you found us, Winslow,” she tells me. “We both have always belonged here; we just didn’t know it. This is our home, always has been and always will be.”

Home. This is my home.

A familiar flicker draws my attention to the tree line. I see her blonde hair first as she weaves through the trees. Just like the last time I saw her a month ago, she moves at a calm pace, just leisurely strolling through the woods. She’s still as calm as she was before, and instead of the frigid air that usually accompanies spirits, I feel a rush of warmth.

Pruitt’s mom, Genevieve, comes to a stop just outside the tree line. She looks up at us and a warm smile covers her pretty features. Her eyes linger on her daughter for a minute before she turns her head to the left. Beside her, another figure comes into view.

It’s Addison.

I can’t help it. Tears start streaming down my face as I watch them embrace each other. Just like when Ella left us, the moment is bittersweet. I wish Addison could have stayed with us longer, but seeing her reunited with her best friend after over twenty years is heartwarming.

It all finally clicks. I understand why Genevieve has been hanging around lately and why I got the feeling she was waiting for something.

She was waiting for Addison.

She came back for her friend.

My heart aches for Noah, knowing he has lost his mate.

“Do you think she’s out there somewhere?” Pruitt asks me. “Do you think she’s alone? I don’t want her to be alone.”

Addison’s ethereal body turns in our direction. She brings her hand to her mouth and kisses it, before sending it our way. Blowing us a kiss goodbye. I smile back at her, tears running down my face as I do. She doesn’t look like she’s in pain anymore. Just like Genevieve and Thalia, she’s found peace.

“I can promise you she’s not alone.”

“How?” Pruitt sniffs.

“Because your mom is here with her.” I wipe the hot tears from my face. “They’re together again.”

I’ve learned that death isn’t always an ending. And I find comfort in that. I find comfort in knowing that we’ll all one day be reunited with the ones we love. But for now, I’m excited to live my life with the living for a change.

* * *

It’s beentwo weeks since Addison’s funeral and things are starting to get back to normal—well, our new normal. The weight of her loss is still heavy, but after I told everyone she was with Genevieve, the sting of her death eased some and our hearts started to heal.

Noah still isn’t handling it well. He took a leave of absence as the police chief and left town a day after the funeral. He said he just needed some time to gather his thoughts and come to terms with losing his mate. We’re all really worried about him. He was in rough shape when he left.

We all agreed it was best we let him find his way on his own. Everyone grieves differently, and this is his way. I lost Ranger for all of five minutes, but in those five minutes when his heart was still, I was in the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for Noah.

My feet crunch in the snow as I walk through the woods toward the trailer. I’ve been working in Esme’s shop ever since Ranger and I officially mated. Esme uses her gift to read people’s fortunes and tarot, and I’ve started using my gift to help families who wish to communicate with their dead loved ones. I can’t always reach the people they’re looking to talk to, but I try my best. Half the people that come into the shop think it’s all a parlor trick, but that’s okay. I’m still helping people in my own way.

I don’t technically need to work, but staying home in the trailer or at Pru’s would make me stir crazy. And it’s for the best I leave for a couple of hours a day, Ranger has been in fullHGTVmode since we broke ground on our house. And while I love him, I can’t talk about construction all day or I will start pulling out my hair.

I’m glad he’s keeping busy this way instead of going back to werewolf fight club. Ever since we found Ella and he fulfilled his promise to Thalia, the anger that fueled him to fight has diminished. He’ll be starting school back up in the fall, and I’m glad he’s going back to finish his degree—it was something he always wanted to do. He has money set aside from what was left to him from his grandfather, but he’s excited to make his own money.

Speaking of money… the news outlets got word all the money that had been donated to my dad’s political campaign had been moved to offshore accounts in Cyrus’s name. He was arrested for embezzlement a week later. He didn’tactuallysteal the money. Whisper just set it up to look that way. I promised myself I would get my revenge and Whisper made sure of it. Cyrus is looking at close to fifteen years in prison. It’s not nearly enough time in my opinion, but his reputation is officially ruined. No one will ever want to work or vote for him again.

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