The prophecy truly was real.
My daughter had magic—powerful magic she’d likely wielded without ever knowing, magic she had been able to use at a second’s notice.
Magic powerful enough to render her unconscious for so long.
“Bryce.” Mason’s voice reached me distantly. “Sit with me.”
For once, I did. “You know, when she was five, she got the flu,” I told him, not once taking my eyes off her. “I cried so hard in the doctor’s office just for her to be told to rest up, of course. I went to bed ill with worry every night. Through every cough, every dizzy spell, and sickness, I held her, told her that Mommy was there, Mommy was never going to leave her alone, not while she was sick, and not ever. She’s barely ever been hurt, and now… Now this.”
Part of me wanted to blame Mason, blame the damn town, blame the ifrit or my brother, or my own damn self for not going back to White Bay. But June had confirmed as much: Cassie wouldn’t always be free of this, not while she possessed her powers.
There would be so much more digging to do. Perhaps there was a way to conceal them from notice, to cloak her from the ifrit.
“You’ve done amazing,” Mason murmured. “But now it's time to let Brett heal her and continue doing what he’s doing. He’s the best the pack has, and he’s treated some god-awful things. Right, Brett?”
“Right,” he called out, dabbing a salve over my daughter’s neck, where some of the demon blame had caught her. “Last year, Theo got speared by a damn mountain lion. Came back with his organs nearly falling out of his stomach. Stitched him up real good, though. No infection, minimal bruising, and his recovery was great.”
“See? She’s in perfect hands,” Mason assured her.
And I was about to protest further when a small whimper came from the pallet. I was on my feet in a second, Mason behind me, as we went to Cassie’s side. Her eyes peeled open.
“Mommy?” she croaked.
“Baby, I’m here,” I whispered, my eyes stinging with tears as I reached for her hand. I laughed through my tears, overcome with worry and happiness of her waking up. “How are you feeling?”
“It all hurts,” she mumbled. “The wolf… he… he would have hurt himself. I think I did something to help.”
“You did everything to help,” Mason told her, reaching for her other hand. “I’m so proud of you. God, I thought we were going to lose you, Cassie. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t think—I just knew I had to get you.”
“I couldn’t lose my daddy,” she whispered. “Not when I only just found him.”
Mason went rigid, his eyes shining with tears. His mouth parted, words not coming out. “That’s right,” he choked out. “Your dad isn’t going anywhere.”
“I’ll do another check over her now that she’s awake,” Brett said, and Mason sniffed, wiping his tears away as he nodded. “You two can stay there, though, it's fine.”
But before he could, a cleared throat in the doorway of the den had me turning. I gasped quietly. “Jackson?”
He looked sheepish as he stepped into the den, his eyes falling to Cassie. His brow puckered in agony. “I… Well, Theo tracked me down early this morning, tried to fight me, as wolves. Then he shifted and told me my niece had almost died, and I wouldn’t have ever even known, for how absent I’ve been. I’ve been ashamed of what I’ve caused. For you, Bryce, and for you, Mason. I couldn’t choose my loyalty between you both—”
“I never should have asked you,” I told him, shaking my head. “I should have found another way. I never should have put you in that position.”
“It was bad,” he agreed gently. “But I get it. I do. And I’m sorry I dipped for so long. I figured that if I kept patrolling, kept finding more ifrit sightings and evidence, then I coulddosomething. I spent so long feeling helpless, not being able to fight for you, Bryce, that I had to keep moving, keep going—until I was already starting to realize I felt like I was disconnecting from the pack. I don’t want out, Mason, but I understand if you can never have me back.”
Mason only glared outright at my brother, long enough that I almost went to him to beg him to keep it civil, especially around our daughter.
But Mason only took three sauntering strides towards Jackson. “You don’t just walk out on your pack like that. On your alpha.”
“I know,” Jackson said, cringing. “And I’m sorry.”
“I needed you there last night.”
Jackson nodded, his face tight, as if pained.
“Are you hurt?” Mason asked, only to receive a shake of Jackson’s head.
“Are you okay?”
Jackson winced. “I’ve been better. Mostly, my head’s a mess. I didn’t like how I handled our fight, or how I avoided Bryce.”
