Chapter 25: Guidance

Lilia POV

Lilia gripped Dane’s hand but didn’t answer right away.

Dane didn’t hesitate, however. “Yes. I’m ready to stand with Lilia against whoever dares to harm us or drive us apart. She is my mate.” He put down the cup of tea and brushed his mark–MY mark, she thought– with his fingers, his touch tender and caring. “She bears my mark for all shifters to see.”

Lilia trembled. The skin felt exceptionally sensitive to his light touch. “I … I would defend him and protect him the way I did when the thieves poisoned him.”

Tulaska stared into her eyes. “Lies, accusations, and gossip, and the distrust they create, can be as poisonous as wolfsbane, if not more so. And the damage can take far longer to heal. There are no magic spells or elixirs to speed that up, except love and time. Can you fight against those too?”