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“Bryn, you are even more gorgeous in the sunlight,” she told me, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. “My baby, a shifter. It’s like a miracle.”
I dropped back onto all fours and pushed my nose into her neck. She giggled as my cold, wet nose poked her. She scratched me behind the ears and under the chin, and my tongue lolled out. She giggled again and got to her feet and led me inside my childhood home to my room, a place I’d been certain that I’d never see again.
“I had the scouts bring this back from Colville for the day when I would see you again,” she said, pulling a shimmery, peach sheath dress from my bed. “You can change into this when you’re ready to—”
I was already shifting back to my human form before she finished speaking. I took the dress from her. I couldn’t tell what iridescent fabric had been used to give the dress this shimmery look, but I loved the way it caught the light. I slipped it on, and the fabric settled like cool liquid over my skin.
I looked at myself in the mirror, still in the same spot I liked to keep it, and admired the way the dress suited me. Mom had such an eye for this.
“Let’s get some tea and continue our chat,” she said. “I made up a rosehip green tea that I think you’ll love.”
Minutes later, I found that Mom was right; this tea was exactly what I needed. The rosy aroma complimented the mellow flavor of the green tea leaves perfectly. At our dining table, I let myself sink into the cup and told her about the friends I’d made in the Wargs, including Dom, Tavi, Violet, and Pax. I told my mother how welcoming everyone had been but that I missed her terribly.
She smiled at me. She had her elbows on the dining table, and she cradled her head in her hands.
“Tell me about the man who hugged you in the middle of the arena,” she said. “I’m sure he’s the one who gave you that bite.”
I touched the mark on my neck. My face burned red, but I was eager to talk about the love of my life. “Night is the one I’ve been telling you about,” I said. “The man who saved me from Troy, and who was there for me when I shifted for the first time.”
“Oh, honey, you’ve barely started talking about him, but already you are glowing.” She covered her smile with her hands. Her giggle was infectious, and it made my heart fill with warmth. “I can’t wait to meet this man officially.”
“Well, that shouldn’t take long. He’ll be here for the Alpha ceremony—and for the binding ceremony.” I added that last bit quietly, but of course Mom heard me.
She gasped and sputtered, but before she could get out her questions, there was a knock on her door. Once again, the sound of it took me back to the moments leading up to Troy’s kidnapping me. I hopped to my feet before my mom and crossed the room to the front door in a few quick strides. I threw open the door and found Tavi and Violet standing there.
“Violet!” I screamed, throwing my arms around Violet and holding her fiercely to my chest.
“It’s good to see you too, girlie,” she said, hugging me back just as tight. “Congrats on your temporary role. You really, literally earned it.”
I laughed as I let her go. Her hair was gray and gathered into one thick braid down her back, and her eyes were every bit as vibrant as ever. The only difference was the paleness to her skin and the black veins that spread from the locus of Troy’s bite. It angered me to see it, to remember who had put it there, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on those sorts of sad things.
“What about me?” Tavi jumped in. “I think I should get at least two hugs.”
I turned to her and gathered her into my arms carefully, hugging her just as fiercely as I had hugged Violet. I could sense that Tavi hadn’t fully recovered. Her hug was weaker than I was used to, and there was a slight, trembling fragility to her that I didn’t understand. When I pulled back to look at her, I found her features bold and beautiful as ever, but her dark brown eyes were haunted. It was obvious that it took a lot for her to be here, even though the woman I knew usually jumped at the opportunity to meet new people or to hang out.
I wanted to ask her so many questions, the one standing out most prominently in my mind being, “What did those sons of bitches do to you?” But I knew it wasn’t the time to ask her all of that. I would talk to her when it was just the two of us and we had some privacy.
As things were, I pulled her in for a second, quick hug, and took her hand. I led her and Violet into my mother’s cabin, to where Mom had already prepared two more steaming cups of tea. I noticed Tavi eyeing her cup with appreciation.
“Mom,” I said, “this is Tavi, my best friend, and this is Violet, Night’s mother, and the woman who protected me the way I know you would have if you had been with me. Tavi, Violet, this is my mom, Glenda Hunter.”
“Aha,” Violet said, walking up to my mother. “I’ve heard so much about you, but it’s good to finally put a face to a name.” She stuck out her hand. “We’ll have to share gardening tips with each other.”
Mom laughed and took Violet’s hand. “I agree. It’s always nice to get to know another woman who isn’t afraid to get to know her land.”
They each had a twinkle in their eye as they shared smiles. I watched as the woman who had raised me shook hands with the two women who had kept me sane and accepted me when I needed it most, and my heart swelled with joy.
I took my seat among them, and the four of us began to chat.
20
BRYN
The next day, Violet and I walked together to the Elders’ cabin to speak with them about the Alpha ceremony. It was a clear, shiny day, which clashed with the nervous storm brewing in my mind. I knew the Wargs’ Elders were lovely, but I had no idea what the Kings’ Elders were like. They’d never cared about me before, and maybe that dispassion would continue through this meeting.
As we walked, I shot a nervous glance at Violet. She was on the Wargs’ council and worked closely with the Wargs’ Elders, so she would know tons about the goings-on of Elders, and she would help me understand things I was confused about or misunderstood. I needed her in my corner.
“Don’t worry, Bryn,” Violet said. “This meeting is going to go by easily.”
