Chapter 192

Kayla

“She’s going to get what she deserves. Today,” Emma said, drumming her fingers against the armrest of her wheelchair. It was the third time she’d said it in the last half hour, but none of us called her on it. We were all tense.

We stood outside the guild hall in a loose circle, our faces grim as we awaited the verdict. Nicholas had been inside for hours already, testifying in Isabella’s trial.

I’d already given my statement yesterday, recounting everything from Isabella’s manipulation to her disguising herself as Anna to try to separate us.

“How long do these proceedings usually take?” Grace asked, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked so different now from the traumatized woman we’d rescued from the guild’s basement months ago.

Healthier, stronger, although the haunted look in her eyes hadn’t completely faded.

“Depends,” Marcus answered, his arms folded across his chest as he stared up at the imposing stone edifice of the guild hall. “For something this serious? Could be all day.”

“I still can’t believe she tried to seduce her own stepson,” Jade muttered, shaking her head. “That’s a special kind of fucked up.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying not to think too hard about it. The mere thought of Isabella trying to trick Nicholas into sleeping with her made my skin crawl. And if she’d succeeded, if Nicholas hadn’t broken free of her spell...

No. I couldn’t go down that mental rabbit hole. It hadn’t happened. We’d stopped her, just like we’d stopped my father and William Straud and all the others. She was going to pay for her crimes, and then we could finally move on with our lives.

“Look,” Grace said suddenly, pointing toward the guild hall entrance. “The doors are opening.”

We all turned, watching as Nicholas emerged from the building. His shoulders were rigid, his face drawn and pale, but when he spotted us waiting, some of the tension seemed to drain from him. He strode toward us quickly, and I broke away from the group to meet him halfway.

“What happened?” I asked as soon as he was close enough.

Nicholas pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my hair for a brief moment. When he pulled back, his expression was a complex mix of emotions—relief, exhaustion, a lingering anger.

“Twenty years,” he said, loud enough for the others to hear as they gathered around us. “No parole. And she’s been stripped of all pack rights.”

“That’s it?” Emma demanded, wheeling herself closer. “After everything she did? She should be executed.”

Nicholas shook his head wearily. “The guild deemed execution too extreme.”

“Twenty years down there,” Grace said, pointing below us, “is no joke. She’ll go insane. Trust me, it’s a fitting punishment.”

A somber silence fell over our group as we absorbed this information. None of us felt particularly celebratory, despite the fact that justice had been served. There was too much pain, too much history wrapped up in this whole sordid affair.

“Well,” Noah said finally, clapping his hands together in a forced show of enthusiasm. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving, and I could use some time in nature.”

…

A couple of hours later, we found ourselves at Grace’s cabin. Marcus had to carry Emma on his back since she was still healing, but the journey had been quick and simple. Now, we were gathered around the crackling woodstove, although the fire was hardly needed anymore. The birds were chirping outside and the snow had all melted, the sun warming the cabin.

Grace set a tray of coffees down on the large table. We all reached for a cup, and I curled my fingers around the ceramic, grateful for the weight.

We sat in silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts. Nicholas sat beside me, his thigh pressed against mine. Under the table, I reached for his hand, twining our fingers together. He squeezed back gratefully, and I knew he needed the comfort as much as I did.

It couldn’t be easy for him, having to face Isabella like that. His entire family was essentially gone now, just as my own family had been torn apart: my mother dead, my father imprisoned. We were both orphans in a way, left to piece together what remained of our lives.

But as I looked around the table at the faces of our friends—our chosen family—I realized we weren’t alone. Not even close.

There was Emma, fierce and loyal despite everything she’d been through, slowly healing from her injuries with her brother’s unwavering support. Marcus, who’d practically raised his sister from childhood and would do anything to protect those he cared about, including us.

Noah, with his gentle demeanor and unwavering loyalty, even when it broke his own heart to do so.

Jade, whose steadfast friendship had been a lifeline through my darkest moments.

And Grace, still finding her place but already proving herself to be as strong and resilient as the rest of us.

We’d all been through hell together, fought side by side, saved each other in various ways. That kind of bond couldn’t be broken easily—not by distance, not by time, not even by death itself, as I’d recently discovered.

I squeezed Nicholas’s hand again under the table, and he glanced at me, a small smile tugging at his lips. It didn’t quite reach his eyes yet, but it was genuine. In time, the wounds would heal. We’d make sure of it.

“You okay?” I asked softly, for his ears only.

He nodded slightly. “I will be.” He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my temple. “As long as I have you.”

Jade made a gagging sound across the table. “Get a room, you two.”

“There’s only one, so either Grace needs to loan us her bed or you all need to leave,” Nicholas retorted, making the others laugh.

“So what’s next?” Grace asked, stirring her milkshake with a long spoon. “For all of us, I mean. Now that it’s over.”

It was a good question. We’d been so focused on survival, on uncovering the truth, on fighting our enemies, that we’d barely had time to think about what came after.

“I’m officially a witch’s apprentice,” Jade announced. “I want to open a little apothecary shop.”

I grinned. “I can see you doing that,” I said, making her blush.

“And we need to prepare for the baby,” Nicholas added, his hand briefly touching my stomach, which was finally starting to show. “Only a few months to go.”

“I’m going to get back on my feet,” Emma declared. “Literally. The doctors say with physical therapy, I should be able to walk again by summer.”

“And I’ll be right there to help her,” Marcus said, his expression softening as he looked at his sister.

Noah face reddened when the attention turned to him. “I… have an announcement.” He cleared his throat. “I—”

“Found your fated mate, we know,” Jade cut him off with a smirk, causing his face to quickly pale again. “You were covered in grass stains and lipstick after the Revelry, dude. And you’ve been staring at your phone constantly.”

Noah glanced down at his lap, a tiny smile touching his lips. “I think she’d like you guys. Even you, Jade, despite the fact that you’re easily the most insufferable out of all of us.”

Jade snorted, and I couldn’t help but laugh, too. But it was a light, happy sound. I met Noah’s gaze across the table and smiled encouragingly. I was glad he’d found his fated mate after everything. He deserved it. And unbeknownst to everyone, I’d found mine, too.

The conversation flowed naturally after that, everyone sharing their hopes and plans for the future. It felt good—normal, even—in a way that nothing had for a very long time. We were no longer just survivors or fighters; we were people with dreams and goals beyond just handling the next big mystery.

“What’s that cliche saying?” Emma asked suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. “Blood is thicker than water?”

Jade laughed, shaking her head. “That’s actually a misquote. The original saying is ‘the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ It means the exact opposite of how people use it today—that the bonds we choose can be stronger than the ones we’re born with.”

That struck a chord with all of us, I could see it in their faces. We’d all been failed, in one way or another, by our blood families. But we’d found something stronger, more enduring, in each other.

I found myself grinning as I reached for my coffee cup. “To the covenant, then,” I said, holding it up in a toast.

The others followed suit, raising their mugs, smiling as they clinked them together.

“To the covenant. To us.”