Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 48

**Charlotte**

“You two need to decide what happens next,” Gareth says. Charlie’s jaw tightens, and I feel it before I see it. I’ve lived beside him my whole life, and I know every shift of his body the way I know my own. He doesn’t like being told to decide things while we’re injured, cornered, and overwhelmed. It feels like pressure, and pressure makes him want to fight. “Next?” Charlie repeats, cautiously. Gareth nods once, like he expected that. “Do you want to stay here, or do you want to go back home?” My house isn’t home. It’s a place we’ve been stuck in, a place we keep surviving, a place that smells like old beer and damp carpet and fear you can’t wash out. But it’s still where Dad is, and that fact sits at the front of my mind. Charlie looks at me, and I look back. The conversation happens the way most of ours do, without words at first. His eyes ask if I’m going to say it. Mine asks if he will. Mara’s voice cuts in gently, like she can feel the tension building. “You don’t have to answer in one second,” she says. “You’ve had a lot thrown at you.” Charlie lets out a slow breath, then he looks at Gareth again. “We can’t just leave Dad,” he says.

“Tell me about your father,” Gareth says. Charlie stiffens. “He’s human, or at least we’re pretty sure he is.” Gareth hums under his breath. “And from what you’ve told us, he doesn’t know what you are.”

“No,” I say quietly. Gareth’s voice stays even as he says, “If you go back to that house right now, you risk taking this with you… A human against a rogue will die.”

Charlie goes still. So do I. I’ve seen Dad angry. I’ve seen him violent. I’ve seen him fall drunk and bleed from his own stupidity. I’ve never once pictured him facing something like that scraggly wolf with rot in its lungs and nothing human left inside its eyes. Dad wouldn’t stand a chance. He wouldn’t even understand what was killing him. Mara steps closer and sits on the edge of the bedside table, like she’s making herself smaller on purpose, less of an authority, more of a person. “If you go back there, love, you don’t only put yourselves in danger. You put him in danger, too.” I stare at my bandaged leg because looking at their faces makes it too real. “So what, we’re meant to just abandon him?” Charlie says, voice rough. “No,” Gareth says. “You’re meant to stop dragging him into the line of fire.” Mara adds quietly, “You can protect him better from here than you can from that house.” Charlie’s head turns to her. “How?” Gareth answers. “We can place eyes on him without him ever seeing them. We can sweep the perimeter and make sure nothing touches that property while you’re not inside it, drawing attention.” Part of me hates the idea of Dad being watched. Another part of me knows it might be the only thing that keeps him breathing. Charlie looks at me again. His eyes are shiny in a way he’ll deny later. Mara’s voice softens further. “You don’t have to tell him the whole truth. You can tell him you’re staying with friends for a couple of nights. Make it normal for him.” Charlie’s mouth twists. “Friends.” Theo snorts quietly from the doorway, then catches himself when everyone looks at him. “It’s a thing,” he mutters. “People do it.”

Blake’s gaze stays on me, and his hand stays in mine. “We should join you both to the pack as well.”  Gareth nods. “Pack is connection, and connection is protection.” Mara looks at me as she speaks next. “If you’re inducted into the pack, you’ll be able to mindlink. You won’t have to run for help, find a phone, or make it to a door. You can call out, and we will hear you.” Gareth continues. “As Alpha, I can sense pack distress. Any spikes of fear, injury, or panic. It isn’t perfect, but it gives me a direction. It gives us time.” Mara’s voice is gentle. “The ceremony is simple. It’s a vow that you’re under our protection and part of our network, and you can leave if you ever choose to. But while you’re here, you’re ours to protect.” Charlie’s eyes flick to me again, and I feel the weight of it settle between us. This is the part where we decide whether to keep doing it alone or let something new in, risking heartbreak if it goes wrong. I take a slow breath. My leg throbs, and my chest pulls faintly toward Blake; the bond is quietly reminding me what safety feels like. “Charlie,” I say softly. I swallow and speak carefully, because I know he’s balancing on fear, pride and love. “We don’t have to stay forever,” I tell him. “We could learn and heal. Let them watch Dad.” Charlie’s hand tightens on mine. “He won’t like it.”

“He doesn’t have to like it,” I say, and my voice surprises me with how firm it is. “He just has to be alive.” Charlie’s eyes go wet. He blinks hard and looks away for half a second. “Alright,” he says roughly. “We stay.”

My chest loosens like someone cut a rope. Mara lets out a breath like she’s been holding one too. Gareth’s shoulders ease a fraction. Blake’s gaze locks on mine for a heartbeat, and something quiet and fierce lights behind his eyes. Charlie clears his throat and stands. “I’ll go back,” he says, already thinking of the logistics. “I’ll tell Dad we’re staying at a mate’s place for a couple of nights.” Theo pushes off the doorway. “I’ll come,” he says, like it’s nothing. Charlie glances at him, suspicious, then huffs a short laugh. “Yeah, alright. But if you chicken out when dad starts yelling, I’m leaving you in a snowbank.” Theo grins. “Deal.”

They all start to move out of the room. Gareth nods once and heads for the hall, Mara following, and Theo lingers just long enough to shoot Blake a look before he falls in behind them. Charlie pauses at the doorway and looks back at me, his face softening. “I’ll be quick,” he says, and I nod. Then he’s gone too, footsteps fading down the stairs until the room settles into quiet again. I blink and realise Blake is still here. Still holding my hand. My fingers curl tighter without thinking. Blake looks down at our hands like he’s noticing it at the same time. Then he lifts his gaze to mine, and his voice drops low. “Thank you.” I frown. “For what?” His thumb brushes my knuckles once. “For trusting me.”