It wasn’t as though I had been expecting a warm welcome home or anything like that, but seeing Sophie standing at the top of the stairs outside waiting for me all alone reminded me how broken things still were. She waved and smiled like the Cheshire cat as we pulled up to the entrance and waited until the motor died before waving out a few of the maid staff to come collect our guests’ baggage. She followed them down the stairs, practically bouncing with excitement as we stepped out of the vehicle. “Luna Jeanette, and Delta Anthony, it’s so wonderful to see you again!” Sophie’s smile widened as Jeanette blushed. “Lu-Beta Sophia, it’s so kind of you to come oversee our arrival personally,” Jeanette stepped towards Sophie and pulled her into an awkward hug. It was interesting to see that I wasn’t the only one that hadn’t quite adjusted to Sophie’s new title and place within the pack. “I wouldn’t hear of anyone else greeting you,” Sophie r
“I’ve never faltered in my original oath as your Beta or my loyalties to you or the pack,” I growled angrily, dropping my bag and stepping towards him to meet whatever challenge he wanted to lay before me. “I’m not going to risk the life of my mate on a paltry oath of empty words made when we were children,” Dmitri growled back, staring at me through the obsidian orbs of his wolf’s eyes. “I’ve never told a soul the truth of your relationship,” my own wolf pushed to the surface and growled back. “My oath was neither empty words nor meaningless to me. I will carry that secret to my grave.” He chuckled bitterly, “You’ve always been a defiant and foolish whelp.” “And you’re a stubborn impulsive hot head!” “Wolves back in their cages,” Selene hissed at both of us, having moved undetected yet again. I felt like all the air was sucked out of my lungs, and staggered back as my wolf retreated,
Watching Nathan process the truth reminded me of when I’d first told Dmitri. He was just sitting there and stared at me as if I’d grown another head and 3 sets of arms with monstrous claws at each end. I was beginning to wish that I could see what was going on inside his head. At the very least, I should’ve taken Isabel’s suggestion and done this where all his vitals could’ve been monitored during the process. But, I felt I owed him his privacy instead. “Maybe we should go ahead with Blake taking over things for tonight,” Dmitri sounded smug, happy to see that finally he hadn’t been the only one with difficulty coming to terms with my existence. “I can still do my job,” Nathan’s voice sounded a little robotic and detached. “It doesn’t really look like you can do much of anything right now,” Sophie quipped from her seat. She was also enjoying Nathan’s struggle, but more like how a sister enjoys her siblings’ misery. “I
Sophie and I must’ve covered ever inch of hallway through the pack house before dinner. The meal was tasteless in my mouth as I made small talk with our visiting Luna, though Kelly and Sophie handled most of the conversation with talk about the baby shower. I should’ve tried to enjoy it more. It was the last meal I’d have before we turned the whole world on its side for everyone. With Caleb distracted by the proximity of his mate and the full moon just a few days away, neither of our guests seemed to notice when the five of us wondering off together. The closer we got to the secure medical wing, the more anxious I felt. It was one thing to tell someone who I was. It was something completely different to share my blood and then try to call and transfer a wolf spirit while being recorded by any number of medical devices and with an audience. Dr Martinez practically gave Kelly a complete physical before we could proceed with anything. “Are you performing
For once, Nathan had impeccable timing. He showed up just as Isabel started talking about wanting to set up a series of tests to prove a hunch she had. Blake and Kelly had already agreed to stay overnight for observation, and I had no intention of joining them. Sophie stayed behind, to keep Kelly company and compare notes on what it was like to share a body with one of the Menae, while the rest of us headed off to deal with Candice. We stood as a group, outside of her cell, while Dr Martinez gave Candice a quick examination to make sure that she was healthy enough to be moved without needing any medical attention. I would never know if Isabel was just really fast, too distracted by Kelly’s situation, or if I’d actually put enough thought into her care to keep her healthy, because it didn’t take long for Isabel to join us and report that she didn’t need any further medical care. Dmitri grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him as I tried to enter the l
While the energy wasn’t nearly as bad as when I’d brought Bo over from the Aether, I still felt sluggish and drained in the morning. Part of that could’ve been attributed to the fact that I’d only closed my eyes a few hours ago. As promised, Dmitri hadn’t cared what time it was when we found ourselves alone together. Not that I was complaining. I couldn’t even pretend to be upset that he’d let me sleep through my normal training routine. Both of the people who I trained with had had full days themselves and probably needed the morning off just as much as I had. The thought reminded me that Kelly had spent the whole night in the hospital instead of her own comfortable bed. I nudged Dmitri awake and forced myself to move through our suite to get ready for the day. If Isabel hadn’t already checked on Kelly I could knock that out and make a quick visit to my aunt before breakfast. With Nathan back, I could let him deal with Candice and just fill me in on t
Dmitri came to find me long after I’d sent Blake and Kelly away to start their respite. “I thought you would’ve come to join me so we could join everyone at breakfast together,” he watched me from where he leaned against the doorframe. “I told Caleb and Jeanette that you were personally seeing to some discomfort Kelly was having, and Sophie explained that it was just Braxton hick’s contractions but you wanted to make sure Kelly was fine all the same.” “I’m sorry,” I tucked my hands in my lap to keep from chewing on my nails. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” “It’s not like you to lose track of time like that,” his brow creased with concern. “Were you aware that my aunt and probably my uncle knew the truth about me?” “How could they?” he pushed himself up straight and made his way towards me. “You didn’t even know the truth, how could they have known?” “Add it to the list of questions I want answers to
‘It’s time to wake up now,’ an unfamiliar woman’s voice called from far away. The voice faded away into the dark nothing that enclosed me as my own personal hell reset itself. There was no escaping this cycle of pain and misery. I’d built this prison brick by brick through the years and now it was all I had left. I felt the cold and wet pour down on me through the darkness. Here we go again… “You’re fucking sister led him right to us!” Giorgos had never been so angry with me before. “I have to find Daciana! She’s with the cubs!” He growled at me in frustration. It was the first time I’d ever been afraid of my mate, but it wouldn’t be the last time after today. His hand crushed mine painfully as he pulled me, half dragging me through the rain back towards the pack house. I knew it was our own cub that made him turn back. I collapsed on to the floor as soon as he released his grip. “I’ll search through the rooms upstairs