“About not telling you that you were a shifter,” Mom said. “Maybe, if we’d told you sooner, you could have been better prepared to defend yourself. That attack in the bar may have gone differently. I’m so sorry. You can’t imagine how awful your father and I have been feeling since this all started.”
I’d long since gotten over their deception. Gabriella had put the fear of God into them when I was little. Had basically made them believe I would be dead within weeks if my real self ever came out. They weren’t to blame. And who knew, maybe the royalswouldhave come for me as a child. Then all three of us would probably be dead.
“I know who I am now. I’m in full contact with my wolf. I’m as prepared as I could ever be.”
Dad let his hand flop to the table. He looked like he’d aged ten years in the last few weeks. “Who you are is another reason I’m worried. Yes, you can defend yourself, but you aren’t any ordinary shifter. Viola and her group will literally burn the world down to get to you. No one on Earth is more at risk than you are. I’m terrified of what happens if you end up in a fight. If they can’t take you, they’ll kill you.”
I reached out and put my hand on his, then reached over for Mom with my other. “I’m not fighting. Nico’s made that clear. The only reason I’m training is for the worst-case scenario. He’s said a million times that he wants me safe and sound if any fight breaks out. You trust Nico, don’t you?”
They shared a look, then nodded. Their nerves seemed to have calmed a bit by the time I left. When I got home, Sinthy and Gabriella were asleep in their rooms. Nico hadn’t returned yet.Too tired to wait up for him, I fell into bed and was asleep almost instantly.
I woke a little after ten the next morning. The bed beside me was ruffled and slept in but empty. Nico had gotten home after meandgot up before me. Knowing that Sinthy would need to start refueling, I dragged myself out of bed and went downstairs to make brunch.
I was making omelets, biscuits, and gravy when she came down the hall, looking like a zombie. The dark circles under her eyes made her look older than her years.
“Hello, sleepyhead,” I said. “Food will be ready in five minutes.”
“I was gonna have Pop-Tarts. You didn’t have to do all this,” Sinthy said, waving at the spread.
I nodded at a bowl of fruit. “Eat some fruit. No magic until you’re fully reenergized.” I pointed my spatula at her. “Got it?”
Sinthy held her hands up in surrender and sat. She grabbed an apple and bit into it.
“You’re bossier than my mom was,” Sinthy said. Her face fell as what she said sunk in.
I had to keep reminding myself that she had not only lost her birth parents but also her adoptive mother, Isme, who only passed a couple of weeks ago. The wound had to still be fresh, regardless of how well Sinthy masked her grief.
Guided by my instinct, I circled the kitchen island and embraced her. Sinthy didn’t pull away. Instead, she sank into me. She didn’t cry or sob, just wrapped herself around me and let me offer her some comfort. It didn’t last long, but I could feel some of the sadness lift away from her.
Sinthy cleared her throat and looked around, obviously embarrassed. “Thanks for caring about me, Maddy.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” I said as I nudged a plate of food her way.
Despite her complaints, Sinthy ate like a teenage boy, scarfing down three servings before proclaiming she was stuffed. I wondered if this was what it was like to have a little sister. That’s kind of how I saw Sinthy. I’d been an only child and had no experience, but so far, it was nice. Almost like having an older child, maybe?
That thought sent my head down another path. It seemed like I was doing a decent job in the role of big sister. What would it be like to have a different job? The job of a mother? As I ate, those thoughts swirled through my head. No matter what I did, the daydreams wouldn’t dissipate.
120
NICO
None of us had gotten much sleep the night before, but we couldn’t afford to sit around and recover. I was out of bed when the first rays of sunlight came through the window. Careful not to disturb Maddy, I dressed and went straight to the Moon Mate building. Tiago and his men were already awake. He’d said his son was taking over as alpha, but from all I’d seen and heard, it looked like that had been reversed or delayed until the crisis was over. Tiago was completely in charge.
He and some of his men were doing an inventory of the food his pack had brought along. When Tiago saw me, he raised a hand in greeting.
“Did you even sleep?”
I chuckled. “I could ask you the same thing. I got about three hours.”
Tiago nodded. “Same here. Too much to do.”
Glancing at the huge pile of items, I asked, “What do we have?”
Tiago took a clipboard from one of his men. “Two hundred pounds of flour, a hundred pounds each of salt and rice. A dozencans of condensed milk, two dozen cans of fruit, and about three dozen cans of vegetables.” Tiago slapped the clipboard on his thigh. “It’s not a lot. Not for how many people we have, but it was all we could carry. Even this made Sinthy’s eyes bulge when she saw it. I’m thinking the more mass or whatever she has to move, the harder it is on her. That’s the way it seemed anyway.”
“That’s amazing, Tiago. Thank you. There should be plenty. We appreciate it,” I said. I tried to put as much emphasis into my voice as I could. I didn’t want him to think he could have done more.
“What’s the plan for today?” Tiago asked.
