Page 118 of The Ashpaw: Part One

“Go away,” she wailed, curling into herself. “Too real, it’s too real now.”

“I am real, Fern. Look at me!”

Her eyes were shut tightly and she shook her head, mumbling incoherently.

The hallucination let go, and then before she could even begin to hope it was gone, it picked her up and held her to its chest, the purring rumbling through her entire body.

“Breathe and tell me—what do you smell?”

Her muscles slowly relaxed, and she inhaled deeply.

“Eidan.”

“Good girl,” he said. “What else?”

She inhaled again. “I… I used to smell Reinn, but his scent is gone.”

“Forget about what you should smell. What’s real right now?”

“Woodsmoke.”

He grunted. “And?”

“The forest… damp earth…”

“Very good. Now what can you feel?”

She swallowed, trying to isolate the different sensations against her skin. “H-hands. Linen. Leather.”

He lowered his face, rubbing his cheek against hers, and she actually laughed.

“Your beard.”

“Perfect. Now open your eyes. What do you see.”

Slowly, her lids fluttered, and Eidan came into focus. His gray-blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. “There you are.”

Her lips quivered, and slowly, she reached a hand up to cup his face.

Real.

“Where were you?” she whispered, swallowing back the tears. “Kyntha tried to kill me. And then Darion locked me up because I wouldn’t apologize to her.”

His eyes turned dark. “I’m aware. And I’m sorry, I was on another scouting mission.”

Fern sniffed, looking away. “I thought you were mad at me.”

“Mad at you? Whatever for?”

“Because I… chose…”

“Oh, little Fern,” he said, hugging her closely. “I wasn’t upset with you, I was upset with my brother. Every alpha knows a Solvekh feels the strongest bond to their maker, and he took advantage of that. For what end, I cannot even say, for it seems like he isn’t interested in breed—”

He paused, like the word was difficult to say.

“Let’s just say he’s not behaving the way most alphas would if they’d decided to take an omega as their mate or Naravekh.”

Fern looked away, wondering if it was worth asking the question, knowing the answer might break her entirely. “Is it because there’s something wrong with me?”