Profound Devotion

Chapter 40

August 12th
Cassius

Leaving Mona was going to be one of the harder things I had ever done.

I knew the moment I felt the pack bond that I needed to find my family no matter the cost, but leaving her behind? It almost made me want to hide away in that bedroom forever and forget the rest of the world existed.

There was a newfound guilt that ate away at my insides as she stood next to their pack's border, her arms wrapped protectively around herself as she mentally prepared for me not to return to her. It would not be the first time she experienced something that hostile, but there was nothing that would ever stop me from coming back to her.

"Are you sure about going alone?" Raian stepped forward from her side, his hesitation clear with his frown and widened eyes.

I nodded and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It is safer this way."

The mountains were no longer safe for anyone, and venturing into the territory was not something I thought he could handle.

Hell, I was unsure if it was something I could deal with myself.

Raian swallowed hard. "Alright. Be careful."

There was an unspoken plea that did not need words for me to understand. He was scared to lose his family again, as was I.

"I will."

He stepped back again, acknowledging the Alpha male that now joined us from within the trees. Atticus squeezed his sister's shoulders and offered me a hesitant smile.

He had a challenging time meeting my eye after his admission, but there was no use seeing his sorrow when I already worked past it long ago.

"I just want to let you know that, whoever you find on your travels, you are all welcome on our land. You have my word." He held a sincere hand out for me to shake, and I took it without hesitation.

"Thank you. I do not wish for any of us to burden you further."

He shook his head and dropped his arm to his side. "Nonsense. It's the least I can do for your kind."

I watched over his head as Mona seemed to flinch and lower her head in embarrassment. It was obvious she was still ashamed of the new knowledge on her pack, and it tugged at a spot in my chest to see her that way.

She never deserved any of this.

I excused myself and rounded Atticus, closing the distance between me and his sister. She raised her head with rounded eyes that seemed to peer into my soul as I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly into my body.

My fingers found her chin, and I lifted it the rest of the way to place a soft, lingering kiss to her pouted lips.

"Do you remember what I told you?" I hummed once we broke apart, though keeping her safely tucked in my embrace.

She swallowed and nodded, her bottom lip rolling between her teeth as she chewed nervously.

"You will come back." Her voice came out just above a whisper, as if she was uncertain in her words.

"Exactly. I will come back for you." I made a point to emphasise, brushing my thumb over her smooth cheek and savouring the sight of her involuntary shiver. "Do I need to remind you again just how serious I am?"

A ghost of a smile brightened her face at the memory of our past two nights together.

I spent every last second of our time together showing her, over and over again, how much I cared for her until we were too exhausted to continue. The sound of my name screaming from her lips did me in over and over again, and I could go the rest of my life with it that way.