JAMES
Andrew and I just glare at each other for a few moments, neither one of us willing to talk first. I know that he is waiting for me to ask to come home, but I am too proud for that. He knows that I am waiting for him to share out mate, and he’s too proud to ever do that. Andrew starts to shift uncomfortably in his seat, and I cannot help but want things between us to be the way they were before Lyra came into the picture. So, I decide to wave the white flag.
“Hey, look,” I grin at Andrew childishly and turn my neck to the side. “We are twins.”
The murderous look on Andrew’s face wavers a little. “Can we not,” Andrew groans as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
I crack another smile. “Can we not… what?” I tease.
“Do this,” Andrew gestures between us. “Can we just ignore the elephant in the room for a little longer?”
“Whatever you say,&rdqu
LYRAThe air is crisp and cool, and a thick layer of snow blankets the ground. A full moon hangs low in the cloudless sky. Gazing into the clear sky, I can see every star as they hang suspended in time. It reminds me of the first night that I shifted. The sound of snow crunching under approaching footsteps alerts me to the incomers behind me. As I turn to greet those behind me, I am aware that the snow does not make a sound under my feet. I am not supposed to be here, this is not my memory or my future.Three figures approach me silently in the dark. Two of them I know immediately. There is no mistaking Andrew or James. As they come closer I no longer see the carefree wolves that I know now. They both have aged. Andrew’s dark hair is now peppered with silver streaks, his eyes have fine lines around them, and a scar runs across his right eye. James’s normal military hair cut is long gone
ANDREW“I cannot believe you got her a cat,” James growls as he lugs his suitcase back upstairs to his room.“How many more times are you going to say that?” I say as I follow him with his duffle bags.Dumping his suitcase on the floor, James runs his fingers through his hair. “It’s just a cat, and we are wolves.”I lay my hands on his shoulders, “Did you see how big her smile was? That’s why she got a cat.”“Yeah,” James says as he grabs the duffle bags from my arms. “I get it.”“I knew you would eventually see reason,” laughing as I turn to leave, I can feel James on my heels. “What are you doing?” I grumble as he follows me.“I want to see Lyra,” James shrugs, and I do not have to admit that I want to see her too.We both knock lightly on the guest room door,
LYRAI press my forehead against the cold marble of the kitchen island, trying to relieve the pressure that is building in my head. Andrew and James have been pelting me with the same questions since I came down the stairs. “I told you all I can remember,” I gently pound my head against the marble as I speak. “Cain was definitely there when I was kidnapped, but there was someone else there too.”“Was it his father?” Andrew repeats for the thousandth time.“It did not sound like Edward,” I breathe in deeply trying to remain calm.Andrew is pacing the length of the kitchen and with every step is getting more irritated. “Did you recognize the voice?”“I do not know, Andrew.” I grit my teeth to keep myself from yelling. “The voice sounded familiar, but it is not one I can place.” I have been racking my brain for hours, trying to
ANDREWAfter James and I force Lyra to eat a few granola bars she retreats to the guest room with her devil kitten. Her mind is exhausted from using her powers that James insisted she go lay down. Walking behind her, James is practically pushing her up the stairs while she protests. But as soon as she and that cat lay down on the bed her eyes are closed. James stalks back down the stairs and his jokester persona is gone. He sits on the couch beside me and holds his head in his hands. “What are we going to do?” He mumbles.“I am going to put together a team of trackers and find them and make them suffer,” I growl.James looks at me in disbelief. “You are going to just leave her here?” “She will have you while I am gone.” I place a hand on his shoulder and turn to face him. “There is something you should probably know.” “More good news. Yay,” James says dripping with sa
JAMES Andrew and I are pacing back and forth outside of my bedroom door. The pack doctor chased us from the room when our hovering became “overbearing.” Every once and a while I press my ear against the door of my room and try to hear what is happening on the other side. Andrew occasionally leans against the railing and tries to feel through the mate bond to see if he can feel what is going on. But Lyra has her feelings closely guarded and has effectively learned to shut us out. Impatience and anger is rolling off of Andrew in waves, and I can tell that he is about to do something erratic. Just as he is about to explode, the doctor opens the door with a passive look upon his face. “Luna Lyra is going to be just fine,” he sighs, “but if we could talk some place private before I leave I think it would be for the best.”Andrew glances irritably into my room before nodding to the doctor and leading us both downstairs to his offi
ANDREWIt is the morning of day three of Lyra’s heat and I am exhausted and dehydrated. When Lyra was not sleeping she was insatiable, it was never enough. When either James or I had to leave for pack business, it was a million times worse. Lyra was not happy unless both of her mates were touching her. I watch her sleeping soundly between James and I, and I cannot help but pray it is over. Her and James are sharing a pillow, their bodies entangled, and both have a trickle of drool running down their chins. I slip from the bed hoping to go unnoticed. Not having a moment to shower alone in two days I am looking forward to having the shower to myself. I tiptoe to the bathroom and close the door behind me quietly. I consider locking the door behind me, but that would be unfair to James if Lyra wakes and is still in heat. Hopping in the shower I do not bothering to wait for the water to warm up. I press my arms against the walls of the shower letting the water run do
LYRAJames slept in his own room last night, giving Andrew and I some space to say goodbye. I spent most of the night crying and begging for him not to go. A feeling in the pit of my stomach mad this excursion to find Cain feel dangerous and wrong. I tried to explain this feeling to Andrew, and he dismissed it, saying that it was the mate bond making me feel that way. But this feeling was deeper, but without a vision of the future I could not win. So, instead of spending our last night together in each other’s arms we spent it fighting. Every item I could get my hands on I threw across the room, aiming for Andrew’s head. But he skillfully caught each item and sat it down gently beside him, which only made my frustration grow. What was the point of being a Silver Wolf if no one would listen to reason? “Did you have a vision?” Andrew asks, rubbing the sides of my arms. “Is that why you do not want me to go?”“I do
LYRA We let our wolves chase each other through the forest until the morning sun began to peek over the horizon. Back on the front porch of the packhouse, our wolves finally relented, and we shifted back into our human forms. Lying on the porch floor, naked and covered in dirt, we attempted to catch our breath. Andrew turns on his slide and looks me up and down. “You look filthy,” he smirks wiping a smudge of dirt off my cheek. “You are equally gross,” I say pulling bits of grass out of his hair. “Come on,” I grab his hand and pull him to his feet. “Before the whole pack sees us naked on the front porch.” Leading him up the stairs and into our room, I head straight for the bathroom and turn on the shower. Not giving him a chance to speak, I shove him under the water. “Cold… cold…” he fusses as his back arches against the cold water. Stepping into the shower with him, I grab his body soap and begin lathering his body, scrubbing every bit of grime from his beau