Aurora, on the other hand, can light up the amethyst ball with pulsing rays that look powerful enough to wipe out an entire village. Feeling glum and useless, I sulk as I hang my head and drop my hands to my sides.
“I’m sorry, Aurora, but I can’t do this today,” I sigh and shrug my shoulders.
I feel a warm hand settle on one side, and I’m prompted to turn to meet the caramel brown depths of Aurora’s mysterious eyes.
“You don’t need to apologize, Yvonne. You’ve been doing so well these—”
“Well?” I scoff disbelievingly. “I haven’t made any progress, Aurora. I don’t think I have the skill to defeat this demonic creature. Maybe I wasn’t the stranger in your premonition. I mean, think about it, I’m not technically a stranger, since I was from this pack. Maybe it’s someone else.”
Aurora’s lips lift into a faint smile as she lifts her chin. “Are you done rambling?”
I sigh, disheartened, and shake my head. “Tell me I’m not cut out for this, so I can stop wasting my time. I feel so useless right now.”
“I don’t believe that it’s not you,” Aurora says as she takes my hand into both of hers. “I saw your eyes long before you came back, and I knew it was you the moment I saw you in the clinic. Perhaps you are a stranger because your life changed a lot while you were gone. But you’re not useless, Yvonne. The prophecy needsyouto be fulfilled. Just because you’re going through something now does not mean that you won’t overcome it.”
My eyes widen. “Is it that obvious?”
Aurora chuckles as she takes my hand and leads me to the couch. She gestures for me to take a seat, then does the same beside me.
“I am a witch, Yvonne. I can sense that this is a matter of the heart. I’ve been through it myself, and it hindered my powers for a long time.”
I sigh forlornly, the matters of this heart of mine so heavy that I can’t keep it a secret anymore. As soon as I open my mouth, I end up spilling out every word of the truth, starting at the beginning, where Dawson and I have history.
“Now, he figured out that I was keeping the biggest secret from him, and he’s obviously hurt,” I say with another heavy-hearted sigh.
“You wouldn’t be so affected if he weren’t important to you,” Aurora speculates keenly. “But all that’s left is to just give it time.”
“What if we don’t have time?” I ask, to which Aurora sighs and shakes her head.
“I’ve also faced my fair share of obstacles with Alpha Elias before we had our happy ending. Perhaps it’s an omega thing, but I, too, put the distance between us because of my own insecurities and the walls I’d built to keep him out.”
I realize that I’ve been hanging on to my own walls too strongly, shutting Dawson out when I should have spoken up from the get-go.
“What if the damage is irreparable?”
Aurora places a consoling hand on my thigh. “Just give it time, Yvonne. Give Dawson time to come around. This is a big deal for him—there’s an alpha’s son involved in all of this. But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that Alpha Dawson is as sweet as they come. He has the biggest heart; he’s just hurting right now. But if you gave him a chance, you might get your happy ending, too.”
“What should I do in the meantime?” I ask Aurora, and she carefully contemplates what I could possibly do to fix this between Dawson and me.
Chapter 16 - Dawson
The three raps on the door have me fuming, begrudgingly lifting my head from the newspaper.
It’s not like I’m remotely interested in the news, but skimming through the latest sports updates was keeping me distracted so I wouldn’t have to think about the latest discovery.
I am a father.
I guess it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, and that’s why I’ve been avoiding going anywhere near my son.
Even thinking it sends surges of anger through me.
I can’t believe she kept him away from me. Even if her disappearance in the past was prompted by my rejection, fate led us back together, only for her to deceive me and withhold the truth.
A truth that could have been revealed the moment she set foot back on Girdwood soil.
Groaning my irritation when the knocking becomes the electronic ringing of the doorbell, I fling my newspaper to the side and angrily drag my feet toward the front door.
“Who is it?!” I grunt, irritated that no one heeded my firm instructions not to disturb me. I’d made it abundantly clear that I needed a few days off from pack duties, putting my beta Tomas on a tight schedule to ensure that all my work is complete.
