He would have been freaking out the entire time he was gone, wondering if anything was happening to me in the meantime.
With that settled, I sent a message to Paulus, informing him of the success of the ritual. Although brief, his response screamed his joy. Guilt had been eating him from the inside since that day. As the Grand Master of the Templars, he often had to make extremely difficult decisions. Some of them meant life or death for the people who had to execute those choices. He had broken so many rules in his efforts to protect me. And after the events at the Sanctuary, he believed he had condemned me instead due to a grievous miscalculation.
Considering how things turned out in Hecate’s Temple, I realized that all the challenges and pain we faced had been required to lead us to this moment. Without those hardships, I still wouldn’t be whole, and neither would Lyall. Only love and gratitude filled my heart for the man who had risked excommunication for a half demonic little girl he didn’t owe anything to.
Lyall took me to bed, and I snuggled deeply against him while he held me tightly. That entire night, we slept intertwined, both body and soul, our light and darkness dancing in perfect harmony around us like the mesmerizing shimmer of the Northern Lights. I could feel him at the spiritual level. In all the ways that mattered, we were truly one. Any lingering fear I might have had about his thoughts on my appearance completely vanished.
I woke up refreshed, full of more energy than I ever thought possible. A part of me believed that my mate and I were feeding each other in some form of symbiosis. I suspected that Lyall had given me a part of himself—or maybe I had stolen it during the feral phase that had briefly taken me over during the ritual.Whatever the case, I generally believed that had created some sort of bridge between us. And if I were right, battling alongside him could be beyond epic.
But there would be time to dwell on this later. For now, we had an appointment with the Lycans. Naturally, Lyall was beside himself with impatience to once more use his newfound teleportation ability as he picked me up in his arms. I would have found it hilarious if it wasn’t so darn adorable. I wanted to ruffle his hair as he puffed out his chest the moment we blinked out of existence in his mansion to reappear seconds later in front of the Howl Inn.
I would lie by saying I wasn’t a little jealous of such fantastic power. But who was I to complain about now having my own express, first-class chauffeur?
All such wandering thoughts faded from my mind the moment Lyall reached for the door. For some stupid reason, I immediately started feeling self-conscious about how the Lycan would react to my new appearance. No one had seen me yet aside from Lyall’s family and Morrech. Although I had hinted to Father Paulus at the changes I had undergone, I also had no idea how he would respond to my new reality.
It was silly for me to worry about what others might think regarding my looks. But they had seen me the night before, unconscious though I was at the time. It would have to be disturbing to them, not to say problematic. They had a great reputation as demon hunters.
We entered the room to find the place crowded. It was nearly impossible to come to the Howl Inn and find it empty. But to have such a large attendance this early took me by surprise. Then again, Lyall had warned them about our visit. That might have prompted the curious to drop by and hear the accounting of last night’s events directly from the horse’s mouth.
Their happy expressions quickly shifted to shock as they took in my horns and scales, not to mention the odd golden ring around my irises. The glowing strands of hair mingling with my normal ones gave me even more of an otherworldly look. However, the tension building within me quickly faded when their shock gave way to awe and fascination.
A stunning black woman rose from one of the tables. She had lustrous, curly black hair that looked softer than a cloud, beautiful black eyes, an impertinent nose, plush lips, and the most adorable wolf ears. Unlike the other members of the pack, she wore a brightly colored dress with tribal designs. I didn’t need introductions to know she was Amara.
An irrational jealousy surged within me as she approached us with a broad smile. She radiated kindness, peace, and beauty. No wonder Lyall had fallen so hard for her. I didn’t even need to speak to her to know she was the type of person everyone gravitated towards and just wanted to bask in her presence.
“You are whole!” she exclaimed, addressing me directly before she even acknowledged my mate.
To my shock, she took both my hands in hers, like one would do with a dear friend they hadn’t seen in far too long. Her gaze roamed over my face with an air of wonder.
“Yes. I am,” I replied, unsettled.
“You’re so beautiful,” she said wistfully. “I’m glad everything worked out. Lyall has waited a long time for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, my throat constricting with gratitude and shame for the unjustified negative thoughts I initially had towards her. “I can see why Lyall loved you.”
She snorted and gave me an indulgent smile. “And I can see why he’s in love with you. Promise never to scare him that way again. I’d never seen anyone so devastated.”
I smiled sheepishly before glancing at Lyall. Our eyes locked, and I melted against him, lost in the world of love I found within his.
“You’ve got some interesting friends, Amara,” a young man said as he approached us. “There’s never been a dull moment since you joined our pack.”
Amara chuckled, imitated by the rest of the attendees. Lyall proceeded to the introductions. To my surprise, the young man turned out not to be Remus but the alpha of the pack, Ulric. He invited us to take a seat at one of the many tables, and a beautiful older woman named Misty brought us warm bowls of the most delicious, spiced cider I had ever tasted.
“You said there was something we might want to know?” Lyall asked after taking a sip of the warm beverage.
“Yes,” Ulric replied. “We believe there is a secret layer in the Haunted Woods.”
I frowned, surprised by such an obvious statement. “There are many.”
“Yes, but this one is different. We cannot see it. It’s just a huge dirt mound with large stones protruding here and there. But the scent is off. More importantly, it shares part of the smell of the magic that was on your amulet,” Ulric said, shifting his attention to me as he spoke that last sentence.
We both recoiled.
“At first, we thought it came from your amulet, but it didn’t have your scent,” Ulric continued. “Then we realized it actually spreads over a fairly wide radius but is strongest near where we believe the entrance to be. It may not be related, but it doesn’t feel like a coincidence.”
“Show us,” Lyall demanded.
“Remus will take you,” he replied. “He’s fetching a flying mount as we speak to get closer to the area. He will complete the journey in his wolf form.”
