"Navarro would have had a hard time gaining trust then," she stated. "It wasn't his fault, Alpha Gunnar. The years I've spent running were something that would have happened regardless of trust."
She'd needed to hold on to that last part of her family. The data chip, the trust her father had given her to protect it, and the fear of losing that last link to her beloved father and brother, had kept alive a hatred that may not have been born otherwise.
"We all have reasons for the battles we have to fight, Storme," Hope stated softly. "And we all work together to help one another. Welcome to Haven."
"Welcome home," Styx whispered at her ear, and immediately heat flared inside her, comforting, warm, belonging. She could feel that "something" settle inside her. The way her heart eased, the tension flowing from her, and a sense of hope, a sense of the future brightening inside her.
"I'm sorry." She stared back at Hope, true regret welling inside her now. "I never understood."
She hadn't understood the love, the dedication or the battle she fought for the survival of her mate as well as the Breeds. She understood now, and she hoped it was a battle Hope would now share with her.
Hope's smile was gentle, her gaze filled with acceptance. "A new start, Storme. We have a new beginning. We'll build from there."
A new beginning.
Storme stared back at her lover. Her mate. The man who had wiped away the fear, the misunderstandings. The man that loved her.
His hand lifted, the backs of his fingers smoothing her cheek. "My perfect storm," he whispered.
And he was her Styx. Her heart.
She grinned back at him and whispered, "I have chocolate . . ."