Strolling along the sidewalks of Calina Falls is like reliving a nightmare. The town hasn't changed since I visited it last, which must be by now close to twenty-one years ago, the night I took Gideon home to the Iomaire Draíochta to stand trial for impregnating a werewolf. It feels like a different lifetime.

I stop in front of the bookstore and stare at the display, halfway expecting for Nadja to gaze back at me from the other side of the window, just like the day we met. Mesmerized, I stared at her lips curved to an amazing smile. The joy in her eyes reached a part of my soul that had been closed off. A part I never wanted to expose. Like a puppet on a string, I was pulled into the store.

"Hi there. Can I interest you in any of our books?"

I cleared my throat three times before the words came out. "Do you have any books about warlocks?"

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not in our assortment." The smile faded.

I didn't want it to fade. "Or maybe about magic?"

She shook her head. "If you're looking for a specific title, I could order it in for you. It'll only be a couple of days."

"I'm not sure I'll be staying that long. I'm only passing through town."

"Oh, okay." A shadow of disappointment crossed her face.

"What about history? You must have books about historic events."

"Well, certainly." The smile was back. "Any particular location or period you're interested in?"

"European." And perhaps an era proceeding my birth. "I suppose the old Greeks would do."

"Oh, I love reading about Greek mythology with possible crossover into historic events."

"Really? Which one is your favorite?"

"Definitely the Trojan War."

Ah, a strategist. How intriguing. "Did you know that the Greek heroes were actually warlocks? In fact, Helene of Troy was one of the Sun God's favorites. My mother called her a fearless woman."

"Is that so?" Her soft laughter was a caress to my ears.

With my finger, I drew a cross on my heart. "Scouts honor. Now, if you could possibly steer me in the right direction . . ."

"Of course. This way."

When she brushed my arm, I was hooked. In that moment, I would've followed her to the moon and back, despite the pungent smell of wild that stuck to her from the get-go.

"Marush, are you coming?"

Rikka's call tears me out of the nostalgic moment. I blink a few times to get the display of the bookstore back into focus and turn my head. She's standing next to a young man and his SUV by the curb.

"Did you find us a ride?"

She nods. "This is Robert. He has kindly agreed to take us to the territory of Raelyn's foster parents."

"Very good."

I fake smile at the man. He stares straight ahead; his pupils are so enlarged, they dominate his eyes. I can't even tell anymore what the usual color of his irises is. Rikka must have found a way to invade his mind and is now holding his free will hostage.

I open the back car door. "Then let's go."

Robert toddles around to the driver's side while Rikka hops into the front passenger seat. Less than a minute later, he whips the SUV around in a spectacular U-turn that almost leads to a mega crash. At least three other cars stop within inches of each other.

I snort as I look at their shrinking bumpers. "Make sure your toy keeps the speed limit, Rikka." The last thing we need is to be stopped by the sheriff; knowing my luck, it's still that man Harris who almost had me arrested when Gideon refused to get into the van I had stolen.

We reach the town limit. The picket fence that marks their territory is still intact. The same blinding white as if it were just freshly painted. One blink and I find myself back in Nadja's small convertible.

The wind tore at her long, honey blond hair while The Boy Is Mine was blasting from the radio. "Don't forget. We'll tell my family that you are a rogue. It's better that way."

"What if they want me to shift?"

"Don't worry. That's considered rude among werewolves. Just try not to stare my brother-in-law down but act all timid. He'll think you are an omega and will leave you alone."

I laughed. Without a doubt, I should've been bothered to bow my head to a wolf, but I would've done anything for her. "And your brother-in-law is the Alpha?"

"Yep. My sister mated with him just before the summer. After my dad fell sick without a male heir, we needed someone quick, so she claimed the first Alpha-born male who would have her. My brother-in-law is the youngest of six and would've never made Alpha in his native pack. Those Trials they have to undergo are fierce and the oldest usually prevails."

"Then why didn't you or your sister just become the Alpha?"

She snickered. "Don't be silly. Females can't be Alpha. It's against nature."

"Well, I'm glad you weren't the one who mated with him."

"Being the younger twin by three minutes has its advantages."

She tossed me a playful smile that warmed every bit of my lower extremities. I touched my lips still sweetened from her coconut lip-gloss. That was before her mouth had indulged in other parts. The scent of the hay in the deserted barn where our bodies had moved in perfect unison for most of the night stuck to my nose. It was a warm and bright morning, and the sparkle of the rising sun mirrored the sparks in my heart. I felt complete—for the first time in my life.

"Marush, we are here." Rikka's nudge in my shoulder is like an alarm clock tearing me from a dream. She's towering in the open car door, blocking the light.

I crane my neck to get a better look out of the rear window. "Where exactly is here?"

She rolls her eyes. "At the end of the driveway that leads to their packhouse. I thought you said we shouldn't alert them, so I didn't think you wanted to drive all the way across their land."

Good thinking. "I guess we can walk the rest of the way." If I remember correctly, it's less than a mile. Their territory has never been very big.

"Then get out of the car."

After she releases poor Robert from her spell, we are on our way. Strolling along the paved path that's exactly the width of three cows, we battle a strong breeze from the North. Despite the sun being out and it being March, the temperature feels like the middle of winter. Maybe a warmer jacket would've been a good investment, even if I'd likely never wear it again.

The area we walk through turns slowly into dense woods. Other than the path, the surroundings are unkempt. Birds chirp like there is no tomorrow; they get on my nerves. One swoop of my hand quiets them. We march in silence, my mind drifting.

"Hold my hand." Nadja's fingers were freezing cold; she was nervous.

"Don't worry. If push comes to shove, I reduce your brother-in-law's head to a cloud of smoke."

She laughed, oblivious that I was serious.

"Marush, what's wrong with you today?" Rikka's nudge is harder this time.

"Nothing." I rub my arm; this actually hurt. "What is it?"

"I sense their fighters. They have surrounded us."

Bloody hell, how could I let my guards slip like this? "Show yourselves, wolves."

Cracking drifts from the bushes and one jumps out. He stretches into his skins. Butt naked like the moment he popped out of his mother's womb, he tries to stare me down. This shifting business is just so crude.

"Take me to your Alpha, wolf."

"And who are you, making demands on land that doesn't belong to you?"

I crack my knuckles—time to get down to business. With a few strokes of my fingers, I wrap a metal noose around his neck. Down on his knees, he splutters and chokes.

I smirk. "I'm Marush, Sentinel Warlock and blessed by the Moon Goddess herself." I let him suffer for a few more beats before freeing him from the noose. "Now take me to your Alpha."

"We are under the command of the Northern Light pack and their tribune isn't here."

I frown. What happened to Raelyn's foster dad? "What about your Luna? Is she around?"

"Yes."

"Then take me to her."

The fighter leads the way until we reach the packhouse. It's just like I remember it; almost as if things were frozen in time. The squeaking swing set. The block where a young boy had chopped wood. A truck parked out back. Only the color and model have changed. Otherwise, it's all the same.

I stare at the swing set. The seat sways softly back and forth, the rusty chain screeching with the wind.

"Push me higher, Marush." Nadja's giggles were intoxicating. I couldn't get enough.

"You're going to break your neck if you fall off."

"I'm sure you'll catch me."

You bet I will.

The door behind me screeched and I turned my head. Nadja's sister was standing in the doorway to the house.

"My mate just called. He's picking up your friend from the bus stop."

My brows furrowed. "What friend?"

"Not sure but he had phoned earlier and said he wanted to surprise you."

I couldn't help but smile. It had to be Gideon. Little did I know that this moment was the beginning of the end.

Rikka tears me once again out of memory land when she clears her throat. "Are you ready to go in?"

In that moment, the door to the packhouse opens. I take a sharp breath. The years were kind to Michelle; other than a few gray streaks in her hair and the deep crowfeet around her eyes, she hasn't aged much. People joked that she and Nadja were spitting images. Personally, I didn't see it—I never struggled to keep them apart.

"Marush. I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Yes, life can be funny that way." I gaze at the fighters who have stepped out of the forest and are surrounding me. Do these cunts actually think they can protect their Luna from me? My focus returns to Michelle. "You and I need to talk. Alone."

"I don't think that's a good idea." She folds her arms. Her quivering lip gives away her fear.

"It wasn't a request." Out of the corners of my eyes, I watch one of the fighters step forward. Time to demonstrate my powers. I blow against my hand and he falls flat on his face as if cut down by this ankles. Bones stick out from a broken neck.

My gaze flicks back to Michelle. "Don't let them suffer. You know that no one in your pack is a match for a warlock."

The color drains from her face and she clenches her jaw. I expect her to sacrifice the lives of more fighters, but then she nods. "Come on in."

As I walk up the few steps that lead to the front porch, my legs grow heavy. I spin around. Standing here, in the exact same spot I stood when my life blew up in my face, a surreal buzzing spreads in my ears. I try to keep the memory out, but the shreds flitting around in my head combine to offer me a glimpse of the horrific moment.

A car pulled up, Gideon getting out. Nadja, standing at the bottom of the steps. Their eyes locked; it was like a spark of fire. The Anam Aidhnín, the fusing of the souls. The one in a trillion chance for a warlock to find the partner he or she is destined to bond with for life.

Nadja had turned her head and stared at me. Her lips were forming silent words, words I wasn't interested in hearing. I jumped off the porch and ran, ran faster than my legs were meant to carry me, ran until the air was gone from my lungs. The pain of losing her gouged holes into my heart, relentless and with precision. I couldn't breathe. The bitter sting of rejection laced my mouth. For a fleeting second, I even wanted to end it all.

When she later sought me out to tell me it was over—that she was so very sorry but couldn't help how she felt about my best friend—her words bounced off the hard shell I had built around me. I didn't want to hear her excuses. The betrayal stung too much; still stings to this day.

I close my eyes to shut the world out.

Just keep breathing.

"Marush." Rikka's soft pull on my arm kills the bizarre moment.

My smile is meant to hide my turmoil. I'm not here to mourn bygone times. This is the closest I've ever gotten to finding my Na Miodóg—or at least parts of it—and I'll be damned to let this opportunity slip through my fingers.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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