Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 25

**Blake**

I’m stretched out on the rug at Charlotte’s feet, my chin on my paws, my whole body angled toward. The air is thick with voices and questions and truths being peeled back too fast, but all I can really focus on is her. Her scent. Her breath. The tremor in her fingers when she speaks. When she looks down at me, it feels like the room tilts. Charlotte’s eyes meet mine, and my chest tightens so hard it’s almost painful. I can feel her confusion, her fear, the way her body keeps trying to shrink in on itself even when she’s sitting in a safe house with a pack here to help her. Mum asks her what the voice says, and Charlotte’s gaze drops straight to me. Lex lifts his head slowly, ears slightly back, eyes locked as she whispers. “Mine.” Lex’s entire body goes rigid—my heart stutters. The bond flares so bright under my skin it feels like heat, like fire under my ribs, like the world has finally clicked into the right shape. Mine. I can feel her recognition, quiet and shaky, but there. Like she’s been walking around with half the puzzle missing, and suddenly someone slid the last piece into her palm. It’s not that she didn’t know what I was to her. She didn’t have the words. She thought she was alone. She thought she was making it up. She thought she was losing her mind. All this time, her wolf has been there, shoved down and ignored, whispering into the dark until it went quiet.

Lex lets out a low sound in my chest, not a growl, not quite, something closer to a broken breath. Relief and hunger tangled together. Mate. She knows. It’s a step, a huge one. It doesn’t fix everything, but it’s a crack in the wall she’s built around herself, and I feel it like sunlight. Charlie shifts beside her, and the room changes instantly. His body goes protective. His eyes go sharp. “Gareth,” Charlie says, voice rough. “What does ‘mine’ mean?” Mum and Dad look at each other, then they look down at me. Mum’s mouth parts like she’s choosing her next words carefully. She knows this is where things can explode. “That’s…” she starts softly. “That’s something we should talk about after you two learn more about wolves and pack culture.” Charlie’s jaw clenches. He’s already putting pieces together. I can see it in the way his gaze flicks from Charlotte to me to Dad. He’s not stupid. He’s just been blindfolded his whole life. Charlie pushes to his feet suddenly, pulling Charlotte with him. Charlotte stands too, startled, eyes darting, but Charlie’s grip keeps her close. Lex surges upright in the same second, paws sliding slightly on the rug as I get between them without thinking. A low growl rips out of me, protective and raw. My mate is being taken away. Mine.

Dad is up immediately, both hands raised, calm but firm. “Whoa,” he says. “Slow down.” Charlie’s eyes flash. “What, Blake’s going to bite me now?” Dad’ss gaze holds steady. “No one is biting anyone.” Mum steps forward, voice calm and grounded. “Charlie, listen to me.” Charlie’s breathing is sharp and fast now. I can sense his own wolf bristling, but I can’t stop Lex. His instinct is to protect Charlotte. Mum keeps her hands visible and her tone gentle, like she’s trying not to spook a wild animal. “Mine means a wolf has recognised another wolf as their soulmate.” Charlie’s head snaps toward Charlotte like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. His arm tightens around her shoulders. “No,” he says instantly. “Absolutely not.” Gareth’s voice is steady. “Charlie, it doesn’t work like that.” “She’s my sister,” Charlie snaps. “We don’t need that. She doesn’t need that.” Charlotte’s eyes flick between all of us, wide and overwhelmed. She takes a half step back without meaning to. Away from the couch. Away from the centre of the room. Away from the pressure of everyone staring… Away from me. Lex makes a sound I hate. A small whimper in the back of my throat. It’s instinctive and pathetic. I stop myself from moving after her, forcing my paws to stay planted. I can see it all over her. She’s scared.

Dad speaks again, quieter now. “Wolves can be very protective of their mates,” he says. “Even when someone else wants to stand between them. Especially an alpha wolf.” Charlie bristles. “So you’re saying he’ll go feral if I don’t just hand my sister over to him?” Dad shakes his head. “I’m saying the bond is powerful. It changes instincts and makes wolves territorial and protective.” Charlotte’s voice comes out small, all of the attention going back to her. “What are you trying to say?” Mum’s gaze softens as she turns to her. “I’m saying your wolf and Blake’s wolf are soulmates.” The room goes dead quiet. Charlie moves in front of Charlotte, like the word soulmate is a weapon aimed at her. “No,” he says again, louder. “That’s not happening. We don’t need that.” Lex growls a low warning at the idea of being told no when fate has already spoken. We don’t like the thought of being separated from her now that she finally called us hers. I take one slow breath, forcing control back into my limbs, forcing my body not to lunge, not to challenge, not to make this worse. I keep my gaze on Charlotte, trying to make my eyes say what my mouth can’t.

But she looks overwhelmed. Her eyes dart to the door. To the hallway. To the windows. She’s gone into survival mode, and I understand, because this is a lot… But the step she just took matters. She admitted the voice is real. Which means her wolf has been reaching for me even when she didn’t understand why. That means we can get there, slowly, carefully, with choice and trust. I need to get through to Charlie first that I am not a threat. Dad’s hands stay raised and calm. “No one is forcing anything,” he says. “You needed to know what you are, and you needed to know what you walked into.” Mum’s voice is softer. “You’re not alone anymore. We can be your pack, we can help protect both of you.” 

Charlotte’s breathing goes shallow, and I can see the moment her body decides it’s too much. She swallows hard and lifts her chin, forcing her voice to work. “Can I… can I please use the bathroom?” The question is small, polite, and desperate in the same breath. Mum’s attention snaps to her immediately. Her expression softens like she’s been waiting for Charlotte to ask for something she actually needs. “Of course,” Mum says gently. “Come on, love.” Charlie’s fists tighten like he wants to go with her, like he doesn’t trust letting her out of his sight. Charlotte gives him a quick look, one that says I’m fine even when she isn’t. “I’ll be right back,” she murmurs. Mum guides her out of the living room with a hand lightly at her back, and the room changes the second they’re gone.