by Leia Stone
My chest constricted as heavy emotions welled up inside of my body.
He’s dead.
He couldn’t hurt me or anyone else again.
Sawyer went hunting and slayed my nightmares. Tears leaked from my eyes as the reality hit me and I diverted from the open classroom door to the bathroom. Luckily, there was no one inside, because the moment I burst in the open doors I broke out in sobs. Rushing to the large bathroom stall, I opened it and slipped inside, sliding against the door to fall on my butt.
Vicon Drake stole something from me.
My virginity, my innocence, my youth, my safety, my ability to trust, everything. I’d shoved it all down because it was the only way to survive, but now that he was gone, it bubbled up to the surface, begging to be freed.
Before I could even think about it, I felt my wolf stir, and then she was walking out of my body, like a spectral ghost, becoming semisolid within seconds. It didn’t really hurt anymore, it was just a tightness on my skin and then she was there. No tearing of my clothes or fur on my arms. It’s like we were learning to become more and more separate. She turned and looked at me with those patient yellow eyes.
‘It was me that night. I’m sorry I couldn’t get the last one.’ Her voice was mine but deeper, and it hit me. She was the darkest part of me, split off to help me survive. She held all of those memories of that night, the ones I blacked out. She held them for me so I didn’t have to deal with them.
“Thank you,” I sobbed, and reached out to her as she nestled into my open arms and I wrapped her in a hug. I might be a demon, or a split shifter, or whatever the hell these fairy tales called me, but my wolf saved me that night. As far as I was concerned, I was a fucking survivor.
I legitimately had no idea what this surprise was. My mind was still chewing on the fact that Sawyer had straight-up disappeared for three days and killed Prince Drake. Sage drove me all around campus for thirty minutes, confusing me as to what this surprise was, and then turned the car around and parked back at the dorms.
I looked at her. “Woman, what in the hell are you doing?”
She grinned. “I had to waste time while your surprise was set up in your room.”
Emotion clogged my throat, she was clearly going to painstaking lengths to give me something, and that really touched me. I didn’t grow up with many friends. Mostly just Raven, and so having Sage here meant the world to me. She went to get out of the car and I grabbed her arm.
She looked back at me with her beautiful red hair splayed around her shoulders and I swallowed hard. “Thanks for being so awesome. Seriously, I couldn’t have survived the past few months without you.”
She grinned, and she looked a little like Sawyer when she smiled. “I always wanted a sister, and when you marry Sawyer, it will be close enough.”
I chuckled. “Well, he hasn’t technically proposed yet.”
And the very thought simultaneously had nerves crawling up my spine and excitement thrumming through my belly.
Sage looked back at me, halfway out of the car. “You know when you’re not around what he calls you to Walsh, and me, and all his guy friends? What he called you the day he ordered us to get you out of that shithole school and end your banishment?”
My stomach tightened into knots. “Wolf Girl?”
“‘My future wife.’” She emphasized the wife. “Hey, Sage, go get my future wife out of Delphi. Hey guys, I need to buy my future wife a camera, what is the best one? He’s never called you by your name, Demi. Not to me, or any of the guys he hangs with.”
A lightness fell over me, a pure feeling that I’d never felt before. It started deep inside of my gut and then grew upward until it feathered out of my chest and into my arms.
I’d never felt loved before. The guys at Delphi hit on me and I knew Isaac was attracted to me, but this feeling, feeling adored and loved and wanted, I’d never felt it in a relationship with a guy before.
With that, she left the car and beckoned for me to follow. I wiped at my eyes and scrambled after her.
“Did I mention I’m not a fan of surprises?” I ran after Sage, ducking into the dorm and down our hallway as she waved me closer.
“Hurry, we only have an hour!” she called out and checked her watch.
What in the world? Something was waiting for me in my room and we only had an hour to enjoy it? Was it an ice cream cake? Or make an ice sculpture… Or maybe—
Sage threw open the door and yelled, “Surprise!”
When I saw my mother, father, and Raven standing in my apartment, I burst into sobs.
“Those are good tears, right? I did good right?” Sage asked, frowning in confusion.
I reached out and tackle-hugged her, nearly knocking her over. “You did so good.”
When I pulled back, she was grinning. “Sawyer had to beg his dad, they can only stay for an hour.”
I nodded, so overwhelmed with emotion, and she turned to leave.
“No, stay. I want you to meet them.” I pulled her hand.
Her face brightened, green eyes alight. “You sure?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
We stepped into the room and closed the door.
My mom, dad and Raven were patiently waiting for me, standing in front of my couch. My dad was full-on crying; he was the emotional one. My mom was grinning, trying to look unemotional, but I saw the glisten in her eyes. Raven just looked around my room in wonder.
“Holy shifter balls, your dorm is amazing,” she said, causing my mom to shoot her a glare and she winced. “I mean holy shifter ball-oons, this dorm is amazing.”
I grinned, crashing into my bestie as she wrapped her arms around me. Her sage, frankincense, and lavender scent surrounded me; I missed that smell so damn much. That smell that said she was working all day on her spell work. “Holy crap I’ve missed you.”
I pulled away and introduced her to Sage.
“We already know each other.” Sage gave her a hug and I frowned.
Raven nodded. “She stole your phone and got my number and we’ve been texting to arrange this.”
I grinned at Sage, unable to keep from smiling. The two of them started talking and I moved to my father, who when I hugged him lifted me off the ground and spun me around. “I missed you so much, kiddo.”
Even at twenty-one years old, he still called me kiddo and I wondered if he always would. He set me down and picked up my wrists to look at my cuff-less arms. “You’re free.” A tear slid from his cheek and he quickly wiped it away.
I swallowed hard. I was free, but not really able to shift in front of others because I was a split shifter. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. I just nodded, smiling and giving him this moment. When I got to my mother, she was grinning ear to ear. Reaching out, she smoothed my hair like she had a hundred times. “This place suits you.” She looked around my dorm. “Never thought I would be back. Lexington was my dorm too. Room four.”
My eyes widened and I smiled. “That’s cool.”
My mom leaned into me and lowered her voice. “So tell me about Sawyer.”
I couldn’t help the full-fledged grin that graced my face. “He’s … perfect. Protective and respectful and sweet. I didn’t really expect him to be a nice guy.”
My mom chuckled. “Sounds like his father. Curt was a nice guy.” Something dark crossed her features and she frowned.
Then I remembered that she was banished Curt’s mating year, and I suddenly found myself wondering why. She must have read my mind, because her gaze flicked to my dad, who nodded, and then she looked back at me. “Can we talk privately in your room? I need to tell you something.”
The room pressed in on me, becoming smaller and smaller, and I nodded.
Holy crap. This was it, this was the moment when she was going to tell me why she got kicked out.
Breathe, just breathe.
I always secretly thought my dad murdered someone, or something really dark, to get our entire family banished from Werewolf City.
Now I would hear the truth.
She stepped into my room and I shut the door behind me. She sat on the edge of my bed and patted the spot next to her. Seeing her sitting there, her long beautiful blond hair in a thick braid over one shoulder, I couldn’t help but remark at how much we looked alike. But there was stress behind her eyes, something that aged her more than her forty-two years, but damn she was still gorgeous.
We sat there a moment, just being in stillness, until finally my mother took my hand and faced me. “Your grandmother’s land, the land I grew up on in Werewolf City, bordered the Paladin Wild Lands.” My body went rigid, as I had no idea the Paladin’s would factor into this story.
“The Paladins are a rival pack, absolutely hated by the alpha and expressly forbidden to have contact with,” she told me.
I nodded, indicating she go on. She had no idea I already knew who the Paladins were or that I’d met one and he’d saved my life.
“But I was just a kid, I didn’t know that. So at nine years old when my foot got stuck in the barn slats while I was feeding the chickens, I wailed for help but my mom was vacuuming and couldn’t hear me.”
I leaned closer, desperate for this story. “But another boy did. He was eleven, and he burst into the barn wearing some kind of caveman getup and holding a spear.”
She smiled at the memory, and I immediately was reminded of the nice Paladin man who’d saved me and how he’d dressed so barbaric.
“I was frightened of him at first, but when he pried my leg free I gave him some fresh eggs for the trouble. Soon after that, we met at the border flags every day and exchanged gifts and told stories. He became my best friend.”
Holy shit, this was not what I expected. Would they banish my mom for having a Paladin best friend? That’s a bit insane.
I leaned forward. “What happened?”
My mom looked away, and when she turned back to me her cheeks were red. “His name was Running Spirit, but I just called him Run.” She smiled at the memory. “We grew older and his body started to change. He went from a boy to a man.”
Ohhh, so that’s where this story is going. I braced myself.
She blushed, seemingly lost in memories.
“On my fifteenth birthday, he kissed me and I fell in love with him. He was seventeen and said he would be going away for a while. Some kind of Paladin rite. He was the son of the alpha and needed to prove himself on some type of vision quest or something. He asked me if I would wait for him and I said yes.”
My heartbeat thundered in my chest and I nodded. “What happened? How long was he gone?” The story enthralled me completely.
My mom sighed. “Too long. I waited every day by the back fence for three years until I got my letter that Curt Hudson wanted me to attend Sterling Hill because it was his mate selection year.”
Three years? Holy crap, that was too long. Did he die?
Sadness crossed her face. “I had to choose to wait for him or go follow my dream of going to college. As you know, it was free, and this would be my only chance to get this kind of education and make a better life for your grandmother and me. I grew up poor and we had a small farm, but it wasn’t enough, even with the handouts from Wolf City … it was a hard life.”
A tear slipped out from my eye because I’d never heard this story and I couldn’t imagine having to choose between something like that. I’d never met my grandmother, but I spoke to her a few times on the phone before she passed away over a decade ago. Every picture we had of her she wore a dirty apron and was cooking or milking a cow. Now I understood why. I guess it was a lie to think every wolf inside the city borders was rich and taken care of.
“What happened, Mom? You can tell me.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I lied to you about not making the top twenty with Curt…”
I froze. Okay … was not expecting that. Oh Lord, please don’t tell me she had an affair with Curt and Sawyer was my half-brother or some shit.
She must have read my mind, because she laughed nervously. “I never even kissed him.”
All the air I’d been holding released from me in a rush, but she chewed her bottom lip. “I met your father the first day of class here. I liked him right away. Smart, funny, and cute. He kept his distance romantically because of the mating selection, but there was an undeniable chemistry there.”
I smiled thinking of my mom and dad falling in love.
“We started to meet in the library late at night to study. His hand would brush mine or I’d find an excuse to touch him. We quickly realized we were falling for each other, and I had somehow made it to the top five.”
Oh God, talk about awkward! “What did you do?”
Her lips puffed out as she blew air through them.
“Well, I’m not proud of this, but … on Christmas break I went home to visit my mom … and Run was waiting for me in the barn.”
I gasped. “Wait? What? He was back?”
She nodded, chewing her lip in anxiety. “He was back, he was alpha, and he was insanely good looking.”
I gulped, my heart torn at the story.
“Why was he gone so long?” I suddenly felt like I was watching a soap opera and needed to know every detail.
My mom shrugged. “We didn’t do much talking…” She let that sentence linger and my eyes went wide.
“I was dating Curt, falling in love with your father, and already in love with Run. I was a mess, so confused, and when he kissed me, all of that fell away and … we made love right there in the barn for the first time.” She winced.
Okay, embarrassing to hear my mom say that, but I needed to hear this story. “Wow,” was all I could think of to say.
She nodded. “I guess Curt was suspicious that I was secretly dating your father, so he had me followed, and a guard caught us in the barn.”
Oh shit. Plot twist. “Did they arrest you?”
She pulled her hand from mine and walked to the window. The curtains were closed but she stared at them and rubbed her temples.
“He was a Paladin, Demi. They killed him. Right there in front of me. Said he was trespassing and called it rape.”
Bile rose in my throat. To misuse that word made anger rise up in me so strongly I felt dizzy.
“Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry.” I stood and stepped closer to meet her at the window and she spun around.
“I’m not done, Demi.” She held out her hand as if she didn’t want me to come closer. Tears lined her eyes, but she blinked them back. I’d never seen my mom cry. Every sad movie we watched, my father cried with me but not my mom. She was the rock of the family, and seeing her eyes well up now shook me.
“I couldn’t let Run go like that, let them smear his name and call him a rapist.”
I nodded and she took a deep breath. “I told Curt what happened, that I’d known Run since he was eleven and that it was consensual, that it was my first time with him and that I loved him.” She pressed her palms to her eyelids and came away with smudged make-up and wet cheeks. “He was so mad, so furious that I chose a Paladin over him, that he banished me right there. He said he’d fallen in love with me during the selection, I had no idea.”
Holy shit … Curt must have really loved my mom … not that this was any way to treat someone you loved, but it explained the anger.
“I rushed to my dorm to pack my things,” my mom said. “Wondering what I would do for food and shelter, wondering how I could live in a human world alone … when your dad showed up to my dorm.” This time a sob escaped her and she clutched her chest. “He said he heard of my banishment and couldn’t bear to think of me out in the human world all alone. He told me he’d fallen in love with me somewhere during those late nights in the library and asked me to marry him.”
Now I was crying too. That was so my dad, such a sweetheart and always doing the right thing. Wow, my mom had three guys in love with her at the same time. Talk about drama.
“I told your father about Run and he said he didn’t care, that he kne
w I would grow to love him in time and we could take it slow.”
“That’s so Dad,” I half sobbed, and she nodded, smiling and wiping back tears.
“We took it slow, but I quickly fell in love with him. You know your father, there isn’t much not to love. He provided for us while I went to community college and got my teaching degree.”
I smiled, feeling lightness in my chest. This story was bad, but not as bad as I feared, and it just made me love my parents more.
“Thanks for telling me, Mom.” I went to hug her and she held up a hand.
I froze, a stone sinking in my gut.
“Demi, one month into living outside of Wolf City, we found out I was pregnant.” Her voice shook and I blinked back shock. What was she saying?
Her cheeks reddened. “Your father and I hadn’t been intimate all the way like that yet, and so … Demi, you’re half Paladin,” she blurted out.
The world swam around me as dizziness took over. What? Run was … my dad wasn’t my real father?
“No!” she growled. “Don’t you do that, don’t you fucking dare.” She cursed for the first time ever and it scared the shit out of me. “I see what you’re thinking. That man out there…” She pointed to the living room. “He pulled you from between my legs when you were born, he cut your umbilical cord, he changed every diaper, he stayed when most men would leave. That man is your father.”
I nodded, tears slipping down my cheeks as my chest tightened. She was right of course, but I couldn’t help but think of poor Run, who might have been a great father had he been given the chance. Still, it wouldn’t change my feelings for my dad, who I just loved more now after hearing this story. “Dad knows?”
She nodded. “Of course, I tell him everything. Demi … I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s such a painful story for me and it doesn’t really matter. We started a family a little sooner than planned but that’s it. End of discussion. You were wanted. You were conceived in love and born of love and—oofh.”
I crashed into her, squeezing her so hard the breath rushed out of her lungs and into my ear.
