As I watched Lanna leave, I suddenly realised that there was still something I had meant to ask her. Knowing it would now have to wait until our return home, I sighed in disappointment, the soft sound immediately noticed by both Saxon and Haden. Saxon moved closer, placing his hand on my hip, and his nose close to mine. "What's up, pup?" he whispered softly, as Haden watched with concern and the others moved away, giving us some space for a moment. "What's bothering you?" he continued, exchanging a glance with Haden, who had moved closer too, his stance protective. "I.. I just wanted to ask Lanna.." I began, feeling a little embarrassed at their sudden worry over something so small. "It can wait though, it's not urgent," I said, trying to reassure them both. "Ask us," Haden said quietly, his voice calm and soothing, close to my ear, "It's obviously important to you." I gave him a warm smile, and shrugged lightly, "I don't know if you can answer, you were with me the whole time," I
My eyes widened in realisation that for the first time since I could remember, I was part of a pack. That came with both the good, and the bad, I knew, but experiencing it first hand was something else entirely. I felt Lanna's sympathetic hand on my shoulder, and blinked back the tears as I lifted my eyes to meet hers. "I'm sorry, love," she said gently, "I would have preferred it not come to that, but..""But why?" I asked, feeling suddenly conscious of the crowd of onlookers around us, who'd just witnessed one of the most brutal things a Lycan could ever face. I wondered how much of it I shared the blame for, this time. "Because she betrayed us all," Rylie said firmly, and Trin nodded agreement. "Her own actions resulted in this," she said with sneer down at Serena, who lay sobbing on the ground. "Trin, Calon, gather some of our.. stronger warriors, and see she's escorted well away from our borders," Haden said sharply. His hesitation at the word 'stronger' seemed to imply someth
Haden and I shared a shocked glance, as Saxon tried to find the words to respond to Laila's suggestion. Nightfall had not had an official ally for decades, even I knew that. They had isolated themselves since the war with the Royals, shunning almost all outside contact, only becoming more and more insulated as the years passed. To say it was unexpected for them to not only be willing now, but actually suggest it themselves, was an enormous understatement. Laila and her Betas waited patiently for Saxon's response, and after a long moment collecting himself, he dipped his head graciously. "We would be honoured," he said humbly, and Laila beamed in response. "Wonderful. I think our packs could truly flourish together," she said brightly, with a glance in my direction. "And learn a great deal from each other," she added, and I couldn't help but think of the former Royal witches she'd mentioned.A part of me couldn't resist the pull of the past, yearning to learn more of where I'd come
I swallowed, the realisation that my existence was the catalyst for so much atrocity making me feel suddenly ill. Laila gently squeezed my hand again, quickly burying her feelings of anger and disgust, "It's not your fault," she said gently, "You had no part in this, and from what I'm told, you've fought their vile plans just as hard as we have."I nodded, though her reassurance barely scratched the surface of the guilt that I felt. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, "I would never have wished for any of this, not even on my worse enemy. Certainly not on my mates.. or on yours," I added, as a further pang of guilt hit with the recollection that one of her mates had been gravely injured too. "Thane.." I began uncertainly, "Our Elders, they'd heard.." she nodded, saving me from trying to find the words that could never even begin to express the depth of the guilt that I felt. "He's.. healing," she said with a sad smile, "Elyanna, and Dorian - our lead Doctor - are both helping him as best
I stared back at her, not quite able to find the words to respond. The nurse keeping an eye on me seemed equally uncertain, glancing nervously between us, and where Saxon was checking in on Haden. The Luna gave a soft, casual laugh as she noticed. "Relax, I'm not about to bite her head off," she said to the nurse playfully, before turning back to me, "But I did think it was past time we properly met. We are apparently related, after all." The nurse gave her a sharp look, but gave us a little more space, physically at least, though he continued to watch us like a hawk. Laila smiled warmly, as she noticed, "They seem as protective of you, as mine are of me," she said quietly, and though I frowned doubtfully, her words brought a warming kind of comfort. They did seem to care about me, certainly far more than Silver Waters ever had. She watched me patiently, and my mind was drawn back to her previous comment. "Oh.. I suppose we are related, aren't we?" I said awkwardly, and she respond
He'd been at the hospital when Mama had been brought in, I realised. Or, the woman I'd known as Mama, anyway, though it seemed like a lifetime ago, with all that had happened since. He smiled sympathetically, asking questions as he examined my leg, which I answered in something of a daze as all the memories came flooding back at once. So much, in such a short time, it was all too easy to get lost in it all. Saxon squeezed my hand as he sat beside me, bringing me back to the moment, as the nurse turned to report to a not so familiar pack doctor, who immediately began grabbing things from the largest med satchel I'd ever seen. He handed them to the nurse without a word, quickly moving on to help another nurse, then another. Far too many injuries, I realised, my stomach twisting in knots. I looked up at Saxon, barely managing to find my voice through the gut wrenching guilt and sadness. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice turning to a whimper as the nurse began tightly bandaging my