“So you don’t care about the fated mates bit?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
I shook my head. “Of course not. I’m not even sure I’ve ever believed in that crap.”
Even as I said the words, my wolf snarled in disagreement, a gut reaction to my response that caused me to take the briefest pause. I couldn’t deny the fact that he reacted to Emma differently from any other female. Any other woman I’d slept with, I had enjoyed fooling around with her, but that was all.
I thought back to that party in the desert when I’d been drunk. My wolf had been the one to tug me towards Emma, theone who had wanted her. I had, too, but I never would have acted on it if it hadn’t been for my wolf.
What if my wolf had sensed something that I hadn’t?
It wasn’t just my wolf, though. On a deeper level, I could sense some refusal of that statement. Something told me there was more to my connection with Emma than just prophecy. But that was bogus. Fated mates weren’t a thing. I was doing this for the good of the pack. Strange feelings, or whatever they were, didn’t factor into it. I’d probably feel the same regardless of who the Oracle had stated.
“In the end, the mating bond will cement that connection,” I said. “It would happen whether we’re fated or not.”
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “I think it’s worth thinking about.”
I shot him a death glare that seemed to bounce right off him. He gave a roguish grin.
“Come on,” I snarled, jerking my head back toward town. “We’ve seen everything there is to see here.”
Chapter 5 - Emma
Grace and I wandered through the streets of Silver Falls. Grace’s mouth was a largeOof amazement and childlike excitement as we explored the town. It hadn’t changed much since I had last been here. A few more shops and boutiques had opened up, and a chain grocery store was now right on the outskirts of town rather than a ten-minute drive away. But for the most part, it hadn’t lost its small-town charm.
That had been one of the few things I liked most about Silver Falls before leaving. I had loved the comforting feeling of walking familiar streets, of wandering into the general goods store or the homemade confectionery shop, where I could dig a large scoop into barrels of candies to drop into a plastic bag while waiting for a fresh batch of ice cream made in-house.
The streets were mostly straight, except where they wound around natural formations. To the pack, the land here was sacred, and destroying it any more than necessary was effectively a sin. Modernizing the town was one thing, but carving into any of the natural beauty or the large mountains nearby was a no-go without permission.
We meandered past the school where Grace would be going, and I pointed out the nearby park we could go to.
Silver Falls was a decent-sized pack, which was still small for a town in terms of population. Only about a thousand people, enough for everyone to know everyone. Trails for shifters and hikers alike wound all around the pack land outside the houses. We did get the occasional tourist, but we were typically small and bland enough that they left after a couple of hours, more interested in Sedona or other similar touristy spots.
In a way, part of me loved this town still, despite myself. What I hated, and what was still blatantly prevalent throughout the town, was the mentality of the people. By now, word had gotten out that not only had I returned home, but that I was supposed to be the pack’s new luna. I’m sure the gossip had spread like wildfire. So while I was taking Grace around, pointing out Dewey’s Diner at the corner of town, or the restaurant with the best cactus fries near the center of town, or the clothing store I used to go to on a weekly basis, I was painfully aware of the stares at my back, burning me between my shoulder blades. I saw people staring at me, leaning over to whisper to a friend behind a hand.
I did my best to ignore them, continuing to point things out to Grace as we maneuvered around. The entire time, I kept guiding her toward our final destination, a surprise that I knew she wouldn’t be expecting.
The sound of rushing water grew louder as we approached. I couldn’t help the small smile that crept over my face. Despite everything, despite the situation, I could help but look forward to coming back here.
“And here was my favorite place growing up,” I said, just before we rounded the corner.
Grace’s eyes grew wide as we turned, and the massive mountain at the edge of town loomed overhead. But what made Grace gasp, and what took my own breath away, was the waterfall cascading down the rocks.
The oasis beneath, a pristine blue where you could see the bottom, already had several people bobbing up and down inside, mostly children but a handful of older people as well. The area around it had been built up with stone platforms and seating areas, making it close to a swimming pool.
“This was my favorite place growing up,” I told her.
“Wow,” Grace breathed, her eyes as big as saucers. “It’s ginormous!”
Timidly, she looked up at me, the hope and excitement on her face unmistakable, and so eager that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Go on,” I said to her unanswered question. “There’s a reason I had you wear your bathing suit.”
Grace’s face lit up with childlike joy, a giant grin spreading across her face. She seemed as enchanted with this place as I once was.
She managed to pause just long enough for a hurried, “Thanks, Mom!” before she ran off toward the oasis, jumping into the deep end without bothering to take off the clothes over her bathing suit. I kept an eye on the still-rippling water as I slowly approached. Grace had always been an exceptional swimmer, especially for her age.
A moment later, Grace’s head emerged above the water. She waved at me before swimming away, clearly in her element. It reminded me of how I had been when I was her age. I had always felt most at ease in the water. I had always wondered if that was because I could manipulate it, even if only a little bit. In the end, it didn’t matter why. Not really.
I sat on the edge of the basin, my bare feet dangling in the cool water as I kept an eye on Grace. She was currently chatting animatedly to two kids around her own age. A tiny bubble of hope swelled in my chest as she laughed and the three started swimming around, chasing one another. I might not have enjoyed my time in Silver Falls, but if Grace managed to find some friends and some happiness here, then at least uprootingmy whole life and being dragged back to the place I hated would feel as though it had some sort of meaning.
