“When do I get to meet her properly?” my mother squealed excitedly. “I’d like to have lunch with her, or maybe afternoon tea. Does she like tea? Never mind, we’ll figure out the details later. The point is, I’m so excited to get to know my future daughter-in-law!”
“Hold on, Mother. I have to figure a way out of this damn choosing ritual first. That is unless you think we can get away with just ending it right now,” I asked hopefully.
“You know we can’t do that, Caelan,” she sighed. “Once the choosing ritual has been invoked, certain traditions must be followed out of respect for the ladies participating and their families. A match resulting from a choosing ritual that isn’t properly observed will be seen as disrespectful.”
“Even though I’ve found my mate?” I pressed, hoping for a different answer.
“I’m afraid so,” she confirmed with a sympathetic shrug. “There’s no way to prove she’s your mate outside of you claiming she is. The Elders would never accept it.”
I huffed in annoyance. I knew she was right, but I didn’t want her to be.
“To be honest, I’m not sure that rushing things is to your benefit anyway,” she continued. “She hasn’t had an easy life. That much is clear. And she seems very dedicated to her role as servant and protector. I worry if you try to claim her too quickly, she may reject the idea.”
I paled at the thought.Would she really reject me?
My heart clenched tightly as the ache in my chest grew nearly unbearable. “What do you mean?”
“If I know Alpha Butch like I think I do, he’s counting on you to choose Sunny to save his pack. If that’s the case, then Sunny will be bound and determined to become your luna. Out of a sense of duty, Shade may refuse your bond in hopes that you choose Sunny instead.”
“So, what should I do?”
“Use the cover of the choosing ritual as an opportunity to get to know her. Help her discover she’s more than just Sunny’s servant.”
“That’s what Taffy said,” I mumbled.
“She’s right. You’ll have to make Shade see that she’s deserving of love and happiness. That it’s okay to be who she is and be seen as more than a tool for her pack. Because as it stands, I’m not sure she has any idea that she can be anything else.”
“I don’t even know where to begin,” I admitted, realizing I may be in over my head.
“It’ll be easier as you get to know her. Right now, it just feels daunting because you aren’t sure where to start,” she said softly. “You’re in a delicate position, but I have faith you can do this, Caelan. Just take it one day at a time.”
I nodded, staring at my hands.
“She reminds me of a girl you used to play with when you were younger,” my mother remarked thoughtfully. “The similarities are remarkable actually.”
I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “Who?”
“I wouldn’t expect you to remember much, but I was good friends with the previous luna of Thunder Moon. Her name was Brona, and she was part of Harvest Moon before she met Butch. She’d visit with her twin daughters, Sunny and Shade.”
“Wait, so Sunny had a twin sister with the same name as her servant?” I asked incredulously.
“Bizarre, isn’t it?” she shrugged. “She even had silver hair like her guard. The eyes were different, but other than that she looks disturbingly like that little girl. Of course, it couldn’t be possible. Shade Mallory died alongside her mother in a rogue attack many years ago.”
Something about the way she said it led me to believe that she wasn’t convinced that was the case any longer.
Why would Butch name Sunny’s bodyguard after his deceased daughter?
“I didn’t get to meet Shade when I went to Thunder Moon,” I admitted. “When I asked Alpha Butch about it yesterday, he claimed that she was away visiting a nearby pack at the time which technically made her unavailable.”
My mother scoffed derisively, and I nodded.
“I know, but given what I’ve learned about her, I’m not sure that’s true. I think he hid her for some reason, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine why,” I remarked.
“Have you tried asking Shade?” my mother suggested. “I’m sure she could explain a few things.”
“Taffy has been speaking with her, trying to get her to come out of her shell, so to speak,” I sighed.
“Taffy has been talking to her. Hmm…and how much haveyouspoken to her, exactly?” she questioned, her tone skeptical.
