There’s no avoiding them now that I’m back in Girdwood. Perhaps trying to run away wasn’t my greatest idea, since the demon remains at large out there. But fighting the demon when it left Alpha Brooks for dead was what cemented something I always stood for—to heal others is my life’s purpose, and I can’t refuse my powers when they allow me to heal the people I’m most compassionate toward.
That’s why I have to find Aurora and Yvonne, so that I can better understand my powers.
When I arrive at Aurora’s house—a newly built structure Alpha Elias had the pack build after she burned down his old house when she was trying to practice her magic—I’m about to knock on the door when it’s suddenly pulled open.
“Rissa Rudolph.” Alpha Elias clears his throat and straightens up, probably trying to mask everything he knows with a flat expression. Just like when he called me in to be his mate’s caregiver during her pregnancy, he tries to remain neutral, but I can see right through him.
Back then, he was hiding the fact that he cared about Aurora. Now, he’s hiding the fact that he knew all along about Yvonne’s vision, and the mate bond with one of his sub-alphas.
“Alpha Elias.” I bow my head curtly. “Is Luna Aurora home?”
“Y-yes,” he says as he steps aside. “She’s in the magic room.”
I nod as I tentatively step inside, and for the first time since their new house was built, I feel like an intruder.
Shivering into myself, I head to the magic room below the ground floor, taking each step carefully as I try to douse the flames of my anger with every descending step. But the moment I rap on the door with three rhythmic knocks to signal that I’m no stranger to the magic room, I feel my anger surfacing again.
I have no right to be angry with the main luna of the pack, but I can’t help myself. I’ve supported her through so much since she became Alpha Elias’s mate, but she let me down in a heartbeat. The moment the door is pulled open, and she sees me standing on the other side, her brows knit into a weary frown.
“Oh, Rissa! Thank Goddess, you’re—”
“Save it,” I cut in coldly, raising a hand. This isn’t something I would normally do, but I can’t seem to resist showing her just how upset I am. She had it coming, after all. But it’s so out of character for me that even I’m surprised.
Lowering my hand remorsefully, I notice that the main luna has her head hanging.
“Rissa!” Yvonne’s voice comes from somewhere inside the room, and I look up to see her hurrying forward. “Oh, my Goddess—” she begins, but I cut her off, too.
“You don’t need to feign your concern about me, Yvonne,” I snap bitterly, irritation driving me on as I glare between the two of them. “You knew what was gonna happen, and you said nothing to me for months.” I set my firm glare on Aurora. “Youknew about it when you called me to the pack den. And you said nothing.”
The weight of emotion sprouts tears in my eyes as I wait for some kind of response. Both lunas exchange wary glances at each other, and Yvonne is the first to speak up.
“I am truly sorry, Rissa. I waited to say anything only because in my vision, I was told it wasn’t the right time,” she sighs and hangs her head solemnly. “When I felt it was, I went to the Elders, and that’s when they called you in. I didn’t think it was gonna be so soon, or I would have come to you first.”
“What about you?” I ask as I narrow my eyes at Aurora.
Aurora avoids meeting my eyes, keeping her gaze pinned to her shoes despondently. “I’m sorry, Rissa. I didn’t think you’d react that way. The Council had already decided that the Elders would break the news to you. I was hoping you’d come to me.”
“So you wanted it to be a surprise?” I chuckle dryly as I step into the room, inspecting the large amethyst crystal set on the pedestal for the witches to train their magic skills.
I’ve often watched the two of them practice in this room, having no idea that I had similar gifts in me.
The feeling is bittersweet, since most of the overwhelming feelings have subsided since encountering the demon last night. I’m beginning to accept that this is my fate, bearing these mystical gifts.
What remains is the aftermath of being betrayed by the witches I’d trusted.
“I didn’t think you’d run away,” Aurora whispers from behind me, and I can hear the remorse in her voice.
“What did you expect me to do? Rejoice at the news?” I scoff bitterly, but my shoulders slump in defeat. “Did you think that I’d be happy that I have all this power…?” I look down at my palms and remember what it feels like to have the power come through them, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. “Why did you have to keep it a secret from me?” I try gulping on the lump forming in my throat, but it’s too much to bear, and I end up sobbing with the weight of everything that’s happened over the past few days.
In such a short time, my life has changed, and I’ve never felt more alone than I feel right now.
But the loneliness is short-lived when two pairs of arms wrap around me, welcoming me into a sisterhood I never thought I’d be a part of. I never thought I’d be here, fitting in with an odd pair of lunas, yet I’ve never felt more invited by the warm embrace of the witches who serve as the lunas of this pack.
They console me while I sob to my heart’s content, finally finding the safe space in which I can release these pent-up emotions and realize the magnitude of the responsibility I have to the pack.
Aurora apologizes for not telling me that day, and I believe that she had only good intentions. Yvonne apologizes for keeping her vision a secret all these months, and I forgive them both.
I don’t have a choice. I need both of them now more than ever before. For the first time in my life, I feel seen, held, understood. And the pack needs me.
