After a moment, Xander asked, “How long were you in that river for?”
“I don’t know that either.” Nishiki sighed. “To be fair, it’s hard to tell when you’re a fish. But if I had to guess, a few months? At least eating smaller fish and river grass all that time was probably good for my hair…”
I glanced over to Xander, whose eyes were focused in deep thought. The gears were clearly turning in his mind.
“I’m just glad nothing came along that was big enough to eat me,” Nishiki said with a shudder. “Except you and the black wolf, who ended up saving me.”
When Xander spoke, his voice was serious. “You said you were traveling with your brother, Nero.” I noticed Xander’s eyes flash wildly when he said his name. “I’m assuming neither of you had shifted in your lives up until that point. It must have been a shock to you.”
“Quite. We were separated after that, obviously, since I became… a fish.”
“What’s up?” I asked Xander, whose brow was furrowed in concentration.
“If I understand Nishiki correctly,” Xander said slowly, “then neither him or his brother were aware of being shiftersoralphas before their sudden transformations. The night where Nero almost attacked you… I wonder if that was his awakening as an alpha.”
Nishiki gasped. “What?”
The memory came back to me. Nero had looked almost scared when he approached me. Was that him being afraid of his own body, his own reaction to my heat scent?
“That makes sense!” I cried. “Maybe that was why he was acting so erratically.”
“Hang on, Neroattackedyou?” Nishiki demanded. “My brother’s always been obnoxious and headstrong, but he would never attack anyone. He’s not a bad person.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying all this time!” I insisted. “Xander, Nero wasn’t trying to hurt me that night. He was just confused about his physiological reaction to me. I mean, can you imagine being an adult alpha who’s never known how to behave around an omega in season and then being thrust into that situation?”
Xander seemed conflicted. His brow furrowed and he bit his lip.
“Nero never actually touched me. He was afraid,” I said.
Xander grunted. “But…”
“Do you thinkmaybeyou were being a little overprotective over your fated mate?” I suggested when Xander trailed off.
“Fine. Maybe,” Xander grumbled. “But then what was he doing in Remington’s manor in the first place?”
“Oh! Is that the dark abandoned building in town?” Nishiki interjected. “We heard a rumor about a werewolf who used to live there.”
Xander and I looked at each other. We both knew instantly that had to be Remington.
Nishiki went on. “I mean, the idea was silly, but our mother always used to tell us werewolves were real.” He glanced down with a nostalgic smile. “It was a long shot, but we thought it might give us a clue about her…”
“You said you and Nero were travelling,” I said. “What was the point of your journey?”
“To find our mother,” he replied quietly. “She went missing a long time ago.”
My heart leapt into my throat.
“Nishiki,” I asked quickly, “what’s your mother’s last name?”
He blinked his dark eyes and said, “Pine.”
