Page 33 of Call of A Eagle
“Oh, yeah?” I countered. “Why is that?”
“Because you have a mate to keep safe now.” She winked.
Warmth flooded through me, and a surge of pride stirred my eagle. Lyra smiled confidently at my side, and a wide grin sprang onto my face.
“Yep,” I said.
“I knew it! I could feel something between you two,” Astrid insisted.
Dean laughed, shaking his head. “Well, hell. Waylen’s got himself a mate now. Welcome to the madhouse, Lyra.” He lifted his beer to toast.
“Thanks,” Lyra said, lifting her glass to match his. “I think I’ll fit right in.”
Sienna raised her glass, her grin widening. “A toast then, to Lyra—who’s brave enough to take on Waylen—and to Waylen, who’s lucky as hell to have found someone who can.”
Laughter erupted around the table as everyone grabbed their beers and raised them into the air.
Lyra clinked her glass to mine with a playful look entering her stare. “You ready for this?” she asked, her voice light but filled with warmth as she gestured to herself.
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I think the better question is—are you ready to handle all of this?”
“Oh, I’m more than ready.” She grinned. “You forget, I’ve been living with Granny. I can handle anything.”
“You’ve met your match, Waylen,” Ellis teased.
Lyra laughed, and the sound was like sweet music to my ears, weaving through the easy banter the others had fallen into. I leaned closer, catching her gaze.
“You sure you’re okay with all this?” I asked, my voice low. “Not just me, but the Xander situation, too?”
She’d already told me she was fine once, but a knot of guilt still twisted at my gut. I felt like I’d dragged her into something she didn’t sign up for—fated mates or not—and I couldn’t shake the feeling.
“I’m more than okay,” she said, her voice soft but confident. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This is what my owl and I were missing—you, them, this.”
A warmth that tugged at my heartstrings filled her eyes, and every trace of guilt that had been weighing me down evaporated.
“I love you,” I said, meaning it.
She blinked, and then her smile widened before she said, “I love you, too.”
It was one of the best moments of my life. This woman had my whole heart, and I was the luckiest man alive because of it.
To love someone was one thing, but to be loved in return—damn, that was everything.
EPILOGUE - LYRA
I stood on the porch of the cabin, sipping my peppermint tea while watching Waylen and Granny down by the garden beds. Waylen was hard at work finishing the final row of rosemary she’d wanted planted, while Granny supervised like a general on the battlefield.
“You call that straight?” she asked him, pointing at the row of rosemary.
Waylen stood to his full height and placed his hands on his hips. “I told you, straight lines are boring. I’m adding some character to this garden bed.”
“Character?” She raised an eyebrow. “Character won’t get those herbs growing properly. They need space, sunlight, and water—not character.”
I chuckled, watching the two of them go back and forth. It had become their routine over the last two weeks, and I wasn’t sure who enjoyed it more—Waylen or Granny.
Had it really been two weeks since Waylen moved his camper here?
Time was flying by fast.