“I’m holding him in stasis,” Shadow replied shortly. “He will not break free.”
Shadow turned then, done dealing with Clarity, and Mera went to follow, but I remained a few seconds longer, mostly because Grant was wobbling his way along the path, expression confused as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Samantha?” he said slowly. “What the hell is happening? Did we finish our mating?”
His eyes dropped lower to the child in my arms, and when he lifted his gaze to meet mine again, I didn’t let my expression soften. Grant had stood aside and let his father make these decisions to force a mating. I mean, sure, his father was insane, and had murdered his brother, so I understood his reluctance to speak up, but in truth he’d never tried to fight at all. It had just been easier for him to just go along with it all.
“You’re the alpha now,” I said, letting some of my energy leak into those words. “Don’t let this fucking pack down like your father has. Because we’ll be back.”
“We will!” Mera added with force. “Last chance for Clarity.”
No one argued. They could hear the resolution in her tone. If they screwed up this chance, Clarity would cease to exist.
For good.
9
SAMANTHA
Walking away from Clarity pack with Tabitha in my arms felt like a dream. My head grew fuzzy as adrenaline died off, and I hoped to fuck I didn’t pass out at some point. Mera never left my side, and I tried not to spiral into kicking myself once more for pushing this friendship away. I had to leave the past behind and focus on the future.
The trip into the white hallway that led from Earth to the library passed in a blur, and I wasn’t imagining the concerned looks being shot my way by both Mera and Shadow.
“You’ve got this,” she whispered to me.
I had to swallow a few times, before I had enough moisture in my mouth to speak. “It’s just surreal. Today was my doom, and somehow I was saved. When does that happen? It’s too good to be true, and I wonder if it’s just the prequel to losing Tabby for good.”
Speaking my true fear out loud allowed me to breathe more freely.
“Between the dozen or so gods and powerful creatures I know,” Mera said fiercely, “that won’t happen. Someone will have a solution. There’s always a fucking solution.”
Her passion awoke some of my own fire, cutting through the fuzziness of my brain. “Yes, shit, yes. You’re right. It’s just been a really fucked-up few years, but it’s turning. I have to believe that.”
“Damn right,” Mera said. “I’m going to cliché quote from a book, but this is the first day of the rest of your life. Past is dead. This is our future.”
Cliché or not, it was exactly what I needed to hear.
The white hallway ended as we entered the Library of Knowledge. I’d forgotten how awe-inspiring this room was. Looking like a cross between an ancient cathedral and the library of my dreams, it held millions of books from across the many worlds.
As we entered, I couldn’t help but flash back to the first time I saw it. It had been as broken and lost as I felt, and now it was brimming with energy, the massive ceilings carved with scenes of battle and life. The hundreds of shelves spanned across the space, guarding knowledge and doorways to multiple worlds.
This was almost its own little galaxy, and I could only hope my own redemption story was as beautiful as this library’s.
“Home,” Mera breathed, tilting her head back as she smiled. “Fuck Earth and all of its bullshit.”
Shadow let out a low chuckle, his amusement lightening the atmosphere even further. “Now you know why I left the shifters to their own devices. That world is out of alignment. It drains my energy.”
Mera didn’t argue, but I could see the wheels turning in her mind. Probably trying to figure out what the issue with Earth—and the alphas—really was. And more importantly, how they could rectify it at some point in the future.
She shook it off a beat later and focused on me. “Let’s deal with the memory blocks in your mind,” she said. “There’s no moving forward until that’s resolved.”
Hugging Tabitha closer to me, I pushed down my instinct to refuse. A quick glance at the library ceiling reminded me that I couldn’t rebuild without breaking a few walls first. “Okay,” I said with a nod.
The fear didn’t go anywhere, but I was facing it.
“Aurora needs to be changed and fed,” Shadow said shortly, moving once more. “And I’ll find Gaster to help with the memories.”
Mera nodded at the retreating back of her mate. “Okay, yes. We can meet back here soon.” She turned to me. “Gaster will be good to have as a backup. Shadow is powerful, but his energy is a bit like a steam train. Sometimes he goes hard and fast and breaks his surroundings.” Her lips twitched as she met my gaze. “I don’t want him to break you.”
A surprise smile crossed my lips too. “You know… me either.”
