Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 51

Charlotte

“Are you ready to be moved, love?” Mara asks. I glance at Charlie, then Blake, and then I nod. Charlie is on his feet instantly. Blake stands at the same time, as they both moved on instinct, and for half a second, they just stand there. Both guys are facing me, both ready, and I can feel the awkwardness slide in because they’re still learning how to share space around me without it turning into a fight. Charlie’s gaze flicks to Blake. Blake’s gaze flicks to Charlie. Charlie scratches the back of his neck, then huffs a small breath that could be a laugh if he let it. “Together?” he asks. Blake’s mouth twitches, like he’s surprised Charlie is offering instead of challenging. “Yeah,” he says simply. “Together.” Mara steps back to give us room, her hands folding loosely in front of her. “Slow,” she reminds them. “No sudden movement. Keep her weight even.” Charlie comes to my left. Blake comes to my right. I lift my arms, and the movement tugs at my ribs in a way that makes the mate bond hum softly. Charlie and Blake both crouch slightly so I can hook my arms over their shoulders, and the second I do, my body realises how tired it is. How heavy. How much it’s been holding up. Charlie’s hand braces at my waist. Blake’s hand braces at my other side, firm and careful, and for a second I’m caught between them in a way that should feel suffocating, but… it doesn’t. It feels… nice. “Okay?” Charlie murmurs close to my ear. “Yeah,” I whisper back, though my throat tightens as the pain in my leg spikes when I shift my weight. Blake’s voice comes low on my other side. “We’ve got you.” I swallow and nod again, the words do something to my chest that I don’t want to unpack right now.

They move together, step by step, matching their pace like they’ve done this before. My foot barely touches the floor. The bandaged leg stays lifted, and the house feels strangely quiet around the soft shuffle of our steps. We pass the doorway, and I catch a glimpse of Gareth downstairs, just for a second, standing near the bottom of the stairs with his arms folded, watching without interfering, like he’s letting this moment matter. Charlie guides me toward the next door, and Blake nudges it open with his foot. Warm air spills from inside. The room is smaller than Blake’s, but it feels softer. There’s a bed with clean sheets and a thick quilt folded at the end. A lamp is already on, casting warm light that makes the walls look less bare. A small dresser. A chair. A rug that looks like it actually belongs there, not something dragged in from a curb, and a door that leads straight into a bathroom. It’s such a small thing, a room and a bathroom, but it hits me like a wave anyway because no one has ever given me space that was just mine without expecting something in return. Charlie and Blake ease me toward the bed. “Down we go,” Charlie says, voice gentle but firm. I let them lower me slowly, and the moment my weight hits the mattress, relief spreads through my whole body. My shoulders sag, and my hands loosen their grip on their shoulders. Blake steps back first, Charlie lingers a second longer, hand resting briefly on my arm, his eyes searching my face for any sign I’m about to crack. “You good?” he asks quietly. I nod. “Yeah.” Charlie exhales and gives my shoulder a small squeeze. Then he straightens and glances at Blake again, that protective flicker still there, but it’s softer now.

Blake’s gaze meets his, and for a second, I can feel them both trying to figure out how this works. How do you share the same person without tearing each other apart? Shanti stirs inside me, warm and calm. Pack, she whispers. I don’t respond out loud, but the word settles in my chest as if it belongs there. I think I like the idea of having a pack. Mara appears in the doorway then, carrying an extra blanket and a glass of water. She sets them down gently and looks at me with a warm smile. “There we go,” she says softly. “Your own space.” I swallow hard. “Thank you.” Mara smiles like she’s pleased I said it, as if she knows it wasn’t easy. “Rest for a bit,” she tells me. “Let your body catch up.”

My eyes flick to Blake without meaning to. He’s standing near the door now, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly tense like he doesn’t know if he should stay or go, but his eyes are focused on me. The mate bond hums again, quiet and comforting. Charlie catches my glance and shifts closer to the doorway, positioning himself automatically between me and the hall. “I’ll send some more food up later,” Mara says. “And when you’re ready, we can talk about pack things. Only when you’re ready.” Pack things. The words should scare me. They do, a little… But not as much as they did yesterday. Because for the first time in a very long time, I’m lying in a clean bed, in a warm home, surrounded by people who want to help. I don’t know what to do with that yet. So I let my head sink back into the pillow and breathe, slow and careful, while Shanti settles inside me like she’s finally stopped pacing.

Mara’s gaze shifts to Charlie, and her voice stays gentle like she’s smoothing the room with it. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” Charlie hesitates, eyes flicking to me like he doesn’t want to leave, then he relents. “Yeah. Okay.” He comes back to the bedside and squeezes my hand. “Yell if you need me,” he murmurs. “I will,” I whisper, and he gives me a look that says he knows I won’t, before he lets go and follows Mara into the hallway. The door stays open a crack, but their footsteps fade down the hall anyway. Blake’s still near the door. He clears his throat softly. “Do you need anything?” I shake my head. “No. Thank you.” He nods like he expected that and starts to turn, hand on the doorframe as if he’s forcing himself to do the polite thing and leave me alone. The bond hums, and Shanti stirs like she’s nudging me forward. My throat tightens. “Blake?” He pauses and looks back. I swallow hard, cheeks heating. “Would you… would you stay?” The words come out small. “Just for a little bit... If it helps the healing.”