His expression shifted from hurt to acceptance, determination.
“Deal.”
I didn’t let him hold me, not until I understood what I’d become. But through the bond, I felt his love, constant and unwavering despite my anger.
And somewhere deep inside, where the wolf now lived, she settled into contentment. Into home.
We’re not alone,she seemed to say.We have a mate. We have a pack. We’re safe.
I wasn’t ready to believe her.
22
— • —
Caelan
Two days of waiting, and Riley was done.
Honestly, I was too. I’d been turning the situation over in my mind constantly, examining it from every angle, replaying every moment, searching for an explanation that made sense.
I couldn’t find one.
As much as I tried to spin it, there was no way my bite did this. The claiming didn’t create wolves. It never had. In all of Lytopia’s history, in all the archives I’d read and legends I’d heard, there had never been a single case of a human transforming into a wolf through a mate bond.
Which meant the answer lay somewhere else. In Riley’s past, in her parents, in the mysterious godmother who raised her.
We were sitting in her apartment when she finally snapped.
“I can’t just sit here anymore,” she said, pacing the length of her living room. “Thessa’s been gone for two days with no word. I need to DO something.”
“I know.” I watched her, tracking her movements. She was still keeping distance between us, refusing my touch, my comfort. It was torture. “What do you remember? About your childhood, your godmother, anything that might give us a lead.”
Riley stopped pacing, considering.
“Not much. I was young when my parents died. My godmother, Maris, she raised me after that. She never talked about where my parents came from. Just said they were private people who loved me very much.”
“Nothing else?”
“She used to take me somewhere. A lot.” Riley’s brow furrowed, memories surfacing. “A bookstore. In a little town. That’s where I fell in love with reading, actually. She’d leave me there for hours while she... I don’t know. Talked to the owners, I think. They were friends.”
I straightened. “Where is it?”
“Down the mountain. A small town called Ryeville. It’s about two hours from here.”
“The bookstore owners. Are they still there?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been back in years.” She looked at me, a spark of interest finally lighting her eyes after days of shutting me out. “You think they might know?”
“Your godmother took you there frequently. She talked to the owners. If she was hiding your heritage, keeping secrets about where you came from, they might have been part of it.”
Riley was quiet for a moment, then nodded with the determined expression I was learning to recognize. The one that meant she’d made up her mind and nothing would change it.
“Let’s go.”
I was already on my feet. “Let’s go get some answers.”
***
