My heart clenched painfully at the thought.
“Caelan,” I sobbed as I stared into my mother’s comforting gaze.“Is Caelan all right?”
“He’s still alive, but he suffered a severe injury,” she replied gently. “We need to return you to his side as soon as possible so you can help him.”
“How can I help?” I begged. “I don’t have any healing abilities.”
“His spirit is currently wandering the edge of the veil, teetering on the line between life and death. You can amplify his desire to return to you. That should call him back,” she explained.
“Are you sure? I can’t lose him,” I murmured, the urgency in my voice causing my mother to smile. “I can’t lose any of them.”
“You’ve come a long way, Shade,” she continued. “You’ve been learning to love yourself while also discovering how to accept the love of others. You’re special. Thunder Moon couldn’t see it, but Harvest Moon will embrace it. They will appreciate the light that shines within you.”
“Is that like the colors I saw?” I inquired, the new mutation suddenly popping back in my mind now that my memory of that night had returned. “After Huxley took me, my vision changed. Everything around me looked dull except for the people.”
“You were reading their energies,” she clarified. “You were seeing their emotions projected as colors. Some people call it an aura. The more dominant the color, the more powerful the emotion associated with it. It will help you understand the true intentions of any wolf.”
“So, I’ll be able to control it eventually?”
She nodded, her smile faltering slightly as she gazed at me. “I’m afraid our time is up, sweetheart,” she explained, sadly. “I mustleave you, and you must rejoin your mate. He is waiting for you to descend. His soul is seeking yours instead of returning to where it belongs.”
“What does that mean?” I pressed, worried for Caelan. “It means that wolf will follow you, very literally, anywhere,” she chuckled lightly, her eyes sparkling with delight. “You have yourself a very good mate, Shade. He loves you fiercely. I couldn’t have hoped for anyone better for my little girl.”
Then her eyes grew sad, a look of sorrow overtaking her delicate features. She sighed solemnly and took a moment to compose herself.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you, Shade. I know that my death made everything more difficult, and I wish beyond anything that I could’ve been there for you. Unfortunately, this is my path, and there was nothing that anyone could have done to change that.”
I sniffled, wishing I could feel her warm embrace one last time.
“I have watched you grow into a beautiful, capable young woman,” she continued. “And I have listened every night as you poured your heart out to my picture. I have always been there for you, and I will always be. You are my greatest treasure. I love you from the very bottom of my heart, Shade.”
“I love you too, Mom,” I cried.
“You are a special soul, sweetheart. You deserve everything good that is being offered to you now. Please embrace it and accept that you have more than earned this happiness.”
“I’ll do my best.” I offered with a misty smile.
“Goodbye, my sweet Shade,” she called before fading back into the shimmering light that emitted from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Without warning, the ground was ripped out from underneath me, the forest disappearing in a blink as my spirit plummeted through the veil and back toward my body.
Calling Him Back
SHADE
I jolted awake with a gasp, chest heaving as I looked around frantically. I was lying in a hospital bed surrounded by metal instruments. Wires were stuck to me all over, and machines beeped along with the chaotic rhythm of my heart.
“Goddess! Shade!” Taffy cried, leaping up from a chair in the corner. “You scared the hell out of me! Are you okay?”
“Where am I?” I asked as my head swung back and forth, trying desperately to make sense of my surroundings.
How did I get here? Last thing I remember is collapsing in front of Dark Moon’s pack house with Caelan’s arms wrapped around me.
“You’re in the pack hospital,” Taffy replied softly as she hurried to my side. “Our warriors brought you and Caelan back as quickly as they could. You’ve both been unconscious for several hours.”
Caelan. I need to find him now. My mother made it clear that I needed to get back to him as soon as possible.
“Where is he?” I demanded as I started to rise.
