by Tamar Sloan
I fill my own chest with a breath of my own, there’ll be time to process this later. Now that I have a Were protector, the balance of probabilities just shifted.
“Daniel. This is bigger than you bargained for. End it now.”
But it’s not my words that have those around Daniel moving a little, their tight little circle of determination loosening. They are all looking at Seth, varying shades of shock shifting across their faces. The Tates straighten, their own wolf eyes wide.
What the Prime Alpha can do was known, it was prophesied. If a drop of blood is spilled, then the Were becomes nothing but human.
But no one knew that the other half of the Prime Alpha could turn them back. We have the power to take but also return.
The Weres around Daniel take another step out and two lift their hands in surrender. Dana watches them do it, her face is a mask of indecision.
I step up beside Seth. “We never considered that uniting Were and Fae is what the Prophecy requires. But this,” I rest my hand on his deep-brown fur, “is the power of unity.”
Just when I thought Seth couldn’t get any taller, he grows another couple of inches beneath my hand. Emily comes to stand on his other side, her body trembling, but there nonetheless.
I look directly at Daniel. “You want a cause? Well, you just got one.”
The two with their hands raised step back, moving closer to the Tates. Three others turn to watch them retreat, then join them. Moments pass before the last ones move to stand beside them, now a disjointed group, no longer sure where they fit.
Daniel shifts back to human, and he and Dana stand alone, facing what they were the catalyst for, the Tates still wolves behind them. They’ve recovered from the shock far quicker than the others and are now waiting to see what Daniel is going to do. I know I need to think quickly before these two predators become the prey.
“Let this go. Go back to Kurt and tell him it’s over.”
Dana’s eyes are shimmering, and despite everything she’s put me through, my heart goes out to her. We’re all a product of our parents’ legacy in some ways. Kurt has sold her nothing but hate, and now she’s seeing the power of connection. I’d be confused too.
I’m looking at her when I say my next words. “Tell him you’ve seen what we can achieve together.”
Dana turns, looking at the fragments around her—the Tate wolves, the supporters who have now defected, Seth and his human supporter…Daniel and the stubborn set of his jaw. With her hand over her mouth, she spots a gap amongst the medley and flees as fast as her human legs can take her. Like she’s either lost something and is desperate to find it, or hurting that what she thought was real is actually a lie.
I hope it’s the latter, because then there will be some hope that this has ended.
Now there’s just Daniel left.
His eyes narrow as he looks at me. “Do you think this changes anything?” His arms shoot out wide. “Do you really think that we’re the only ones?”
Seth takes a step forward, a low growl rumbling through his body. My hand sinks into his fur and I can feel his need for retribution underlying the anger at Daniel’s total lack of remorse. I clench my fingers a little, letting him know we’ve got this.
“What about when word of this spreads, Daniel? The Prime Alpha pair can take away what makes you Were, but can also give it back. We’re not conquerors, but ones who unite.”
Daniel’s lip curls in disgust. “I will never accept you as our leader. You will never be one of us.”
This time, those words don’t sting. I don’t need to be one of them to show what the Prime Prophecy is about. “No, I’m not. And what you don’t understand is that this is a strength.” I glance behind him, where John Tate has just shifted to human. “Plus you don’t need to be beholden to me. You have an Alpha who you answer to.”
I look at the big, burly man who stands there, his chest pumping in and out. Maria shifts next, her eyes sorrowful as she moves close to her mate. The one place this can go wrong now is if John rejects what I’ve just said. If he has an ounce of belief in what Kurt is peddling, then I am once again alone, a Changeling floundering as she tries to find her place.
John’s chin drops to his chest, his eyes dark and grave. “Daniel. You have shamed us twice now. The next full moon will decide your fate. Until then, you will not be leaving Tate Ranch.” He glances at the supporters who had followed him. “You will have the opportunity to see the truth, or you will face the same fate.”
He indicates for Daniel to walk ahead. His foolish followers join him and they head for the main building. Considering how quickly they abandoned him, I’m hoping they’ll see what power should really be about.
Maria glances at me and I nod. She needs to be with her pack.
Seth shifts back to human. He stands there, staring at his hands as he turns them one way then the other. My eyes sting as I take in the wonder that colors his face. This was something he never even wished for because he never thought it was possible.
His head shoots up as someone moves beside him. Emily has taken a step back, her mouth open and slack, her eyes trying to take in Seth and everything that just happened. Seth turns, his face morphing from wonder to worry. He raises his hand, palm open and trembling a little, reaching out to her. Emily looks down at the outstretched offer but doesn’t move.
I bite my lip. He’s probably scared he’s just had one gift given only to lose another.
Emily looks back up, her eyes moist as tears dart down amongst her freckles. “This is why you had to leave?”
Seth’s hand remains mid-air as he nods. “It’s a sacred secret. And we don’t bond with humans.”
Emily’s gaze darts to me, a million more questions blooming in her confused eyes, before she looks back at Seth. “But…”
Seth swallows. “My ability to shift was taken from me. The moment I was nothing more than human I sought you out. I never wanted to leave.”
Emily’s lip trembles and the tears are free flowing now. “So what does this mean?”
“I don’t know. What Eden just did, it isn’t supposed to be possible.”
My own eyes sting. I never thought Noah and I would be possible.
Emily is staring at Seth’s hand, longing and indecision and swirling mix across her face. I watch as the woman who has been such a strong healer and role model looks like she’s crumbling.
Seth’s hand raises an inch. “Emily. If I hadn’t fallen so hard and fast for you, I would have stopped this long ago. Way before I had to leave. But I did. And as much as losing being a Were hurt, it hurt to lose you more. Please don’t let this mean I lose you again.”
Emily’s gaze slowly and tremulously raises to Seth’s. “This is a lot to take in, Seth.”
“I know.”
“You’ve kept a lot of secrets from me.”
Seth’s hand stays where it is. “I know.”
“And we don’t know where this can go now.”
Seth swallows a second time, and this time it looks like it hurts. “I know.”
Almost as fast as a Were, Emily bypasses Seth’s extended hand and wraps her arms around his shoulders. Seth takes a few seconds to realize he’s holding everything he’s ever dreamed of in his arms, before his own arms crush around her. He buries his face in her neck, his chest inflating as he draws in a breath.
Emily pulls back, her hands coming up to cup Seth’s face. “I love you, Seth. Facing the unknown together is better than what I’ve already endured alone.”
I look away as Seth’s face lowers to Emily’s. The emotion bursting from these two deserves some privacy.
I turn to find Maria standing beside me. I must’ve been so caught up in the emotion of Seth and Emily that I didn’t even hear her approach.
Maria wipes at the corner of her eye before smiling up at me. “You’re breaking down barriers, my dear.”
“How is Daniel?”
“Angry.” Maria sighs, staring off into the distance. “B
ut he’s with his pack now, this is his opportunity to understand what the Prime Prophecy is really about.”
I think of Alexis. “Once they’ve hardened, it seems you can’t always soften them again.”
Which would mean Noah would have to take away Daniel’s right to be a Were.
Maria inclines her head. “With all due respect, your highness, I’m hoping that’s not true.”
My mouth pops open. Your highness? “Ah, Maria—”
But Maria is already bustling away. “I’m going to pack you some treats for the road.”
As Maria leaves, my hand finally comes to rest where it has wanted to from the moment Daniel appeared. It rests across my abdomen, cradling the gentle rise which I’ve managed to hide. Even after a couple of weeks, this secret is growing faster than I can hide it. It shouldn’t be possible, but then again, neither were Noah and I.
I turn back to the bungalow. My truck can be fixed now seeing as it was tampered with to give Daniel and Dana time to arrive. Possibly for Kurt to come and wreak his evil. Well, Dana will find him and is about to show him exactly what he’s up against.
At my next thought, my heart lifts. I hadn’t been aware of how heavy it had become.
I want to go home.
Chapter Seventeen
As I power down the highway, I’m glad Seth chose to drive back with Emily. I remember all the questions I had when the veil had been lifted from what I thought was reality—those two have a lot to talk about.
And I have a lot to think about.
Somehow Weres know of the Fae, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. The secrecy of my heritage had been an issue, that’s for sure. But having it as public knowledge among Weres? How do the Fae feel about this?
And Dana would have returned to Kurt by now. Was seeing what both Noah and I are capable of enough to have him quit in his goal? No sense of confidence grows in my gut.
My palm comes to rest on my stomach. The greatest impossibility of all. How is it that I can feel the changes already? What is this going to mean?
When my phone rings I press the answer button before it’s had a chance to finish the first trill. I’m desperate to hear Noah’s voice.
“Where are you?”
My shoulders sag. “Alexis.”
“Yes. It is. And when I have some of your newfound family asking me if I’ve seen you, then I know something is up. Where are you?”
My hands tense around the steering wheel. This isn’t the person I want to be talking to. “Driving.”
“They said they haven’t heard from you.”
I glance at the screen in the dash where Alexis’ name glows across it, the one crack slicing through her name. Checking was something I should have done before pressing the little green phone. Was she worried or something? “Well, I’m fine. I’m on my way home now.”
“Has there been any more fainting?”
I glance again. Is there a possibility that she knows? “No.”
There’s a pause, and I wonder if I have the bad manners to hang up.
“That’s good news. Where have you been?”
I stare at the road for a few moments, wondering how to answer that, wondering why she’s even asking. In fact, there’ve been only a handful of times my mother has even asked me that question. But there’s enough dark matter between Alexis and me without adding lies to it. “Getting money together.”
“For what?” Alexis’ voice is slow and measured.
“To buy the land.”
There’s silence, and I’m glad I’m not there to see and feel the icy anger that Alexis is built of. I haven’t always survived unscathed the times I’ve defied her, and this would have to be the biggest roadblock I’ve ever thrown her way.
“What?”
My foot relaxes on the pedal. Alexis sounds…betrayed. I push back down with determination. “I told you, you can’t buy it.”
“You’d do this to me?”
I frown. Why does she always make it about her? “I’m not doing anything to you.”
“You hate me that much?”
My mouth slackens. “This isn’t about you or me. It’s bigger than that.”
There’s silence.
“And I’ve never said I hate you.”
“I…I never saw this coming. After everything I’ve done for you.”
That has the anger flashing up fast and hot. Alexis has never understood what she really gave me throughout those years of icy aloofness. I open my mouth, but her voice is coming through the speakers again.
“After everything I’ve given.”
I try to ignore the lies she’s feeding the both of us. “This is important to a lot of people, Alexis.”
“Don’t you see? No one should feel the way I did after he left. No one.” What? I hold my breath, wondering where this is going. “You don’t realize the higher it takes you, the further you have to fall.”
I glance in the rear vision mirror, taking in the expanse of empty highway as I pull over. Alexis has never spoken of this. She almost sounds like she’s talking to herself.
“And the fall is inevitable, I was just as confident that wouldn’t be me. It didn’t matter that I was young, or that a future was never discussed—he said he felt the same.”
This time when my hands clench, so does my heart. “This is different, Alexis. Noah won’t leave me. It’s part of the reason we need to do what we’re doing.”
I straighten in my seat, staring out the windshield as a thought strikes me. Could doing this, trying to buy the land, be enough to show her how important this is to me? Would she back out of the bidding?
“Very well. I’ll see you at the auction.”
Those hard words, encased by ice, are the last ones I hear before the dial tone fills the cab of the truck.
My back gives out and I flop against the seat, my head coming back as I close my eyes. My teeth clench as I beat myself up for hoping. Again. How many times has this woman proven to me what comes first? For all her flashes of insight and vulnerability, whatever made Alexis the way she is, the damage is irreversible. Why can I not see that?
Putting the truck into gear, I pull back out onto the road. I’m heading home, and Noah and I are going to show her exactly what can be achieved when we’re unified…not selfishly protecting ourselves.
Noah. My eyes sting and I swallow the longing that has lodged in my chest. I miss my mate.
I need him.
Scrolling through my phone, I find his number. Please, please, answer the phone.
But it goes straight to message bank, just like every other time over the past two days. I dial a new number, knowing it’s time to get some answers.
“Eden?” Tara’s voice is so full incredulity, I almost smile.
“Hey, bestie. Long time, huh?”
“Oh. My. Great. Galloping. Gobsmacking. Gallivanting. Gumdrops! I hope you’re on your way home, girlfriend, because I’m planning on strangling you the minute you walk through that door.”
This time I do smile. “I missed you too, and yes, I’m on my way home.”
“Do you have any freaking idea what’s been going on over here?”
“A bit, but you can fill me in later. I’m hoping to speak to Noah.”
“Aren’t we all? Don’t you think there was a reason I was ringing you every hour, on the hour?”
I frown. “I figured you were trying to pressure me to come home.”
“Well, that was it in the beginning.”
Tension winds itself at the base of my skull. “What’s going on, Tara?”
For the first time in this phone conversation, Tara pauses, and that scares me the most. “Tara?”
“Noah had a lead…”
“Yes, I know.”
“Well—”
“Is that Eden?”
The faint note of Mitch’s voice weaves from the speakers and spears straight to my heart. “Tara? Is that Mitch? Isn’t he supposed to be with Noah?”
“Mitch came home
two days ago, Eden. They thought they found Dad, but Mitch got tied up with some guy feeling like he was having a heart attack.”
Tara stops and the truck loses momentum. My whole body feels like nothing more than air as I wait to hear what she has to say next.
Dana’s words come back to me through the haze. He had to look after something, but he’s looking forward to saying hi to you too…
“Noah was following him.” You don’t need Were hearing to hear the tremor in Tara’s voice. “We haven’t heard from him since yesterday.”
Part IV
Noah
Chapter Eighteen
“You know, you’re making the wolverine nervous.”
I pause. It’s darned hard to be full of anxious energy in a space that is only a few feet in diameter. “This is taking too long,” I practically growl. Why did this cave have to be so far from civilization? The strongest animal Avery could call was a freaking wolverine!
“You could try moving the boulders again.”
I throw Avery a caustic look. Spending the night with Eden’s father has been, well, enlightening. I’d always imagined this man to be the love child of Yoda and Gandalf, and although he is definitely all ‘wise, I am’, I can also see where his daughter gets her spunky streak from.
I flex my shoulders, grateful for rapid Were healing. I’ve pushed, rammed, and pounded the boulders with every part of my body, both Were and human. All it got me was bruises and scratches and a desperate fear that I won’t get there in time.
“You’re right, you know.” Avery hasn’t really moved from the wooden dais in the depths of the cave. “She does need you.”
I clench my teeth. You’re not helping, Avery.
“But not to protect her. You just need to keep doing what you’ve been doing—believe in her.”
I open my mouth to tell him I’ve already learned that lesson, but with love comes fear. Fear that you’ll lose what keeps your heart beating and your chest breathing, but Avery hasn’t finished.
