My only consolation about returning to Portland is that Noah's father isn't there. He'd left to join a special mission team four years ago, and he's probably still out there.
For all I know, he suffered the same fate as his older brother, who would have been the pack's alpha if he hadn't died.
And you would still be in Portland if he hadn't rejected you…
I shake my head to dismiss the thought, putting all of my attention into what I'm about to do. This is a pivotal moment for my son, and I shouldn't be distracted by the memory of his father.
I thought he was my true mate, but my inner wolf was sorely mistaken, just infatuated by the idea of giving up my virtue to the man I thought I loved.
That love has since turned to hatred. The only reason I'm going back is to protect my son, following my inner wolf's advice and hoping to the Goddess it isn't wrong again.
“I pwomise!” Noah nods bravely as he plants his hands on his hips, looking so determined despite his size that I can't help but giggle. I lean down and plant a kiss on the top of his head before stepping back to a safe distance.
“Now, I'm going to turn into a very large animal. I'm gonna need you to climb onto my back and grab my fur, so we can continue our journey. Got it?”
Noah nods.
“I'll explain everything to you when we're safe, okay?”
Noah nods again, and this time I close my eyes, my son's brave face etched behind my eyelids and fueling my resolve to go through with the shift.
My bones crack, but it isn't as painful as it was earlier tonight, my limbs growing out as fur erupts from my pores and spreads across my body. When I open my eyes, Noah is staring at me with his jaw dropped, his eyes wide and sparkly as he steps forward. In awe, he reaches out and touches my furry cheek, a gasp slipping from his lips.
“Mama…” he whispers with admiration, and I nod my wolf head to encourage him to climb onto my back. As I lower myself to the ground and wait for him to hop on, I realize that I had nothing to fear when it came to revealing the truth to my son. My wolf lips tug with a smile as he grabs tiny fistfuls of my fur when he's on my back, fueling my strength to run through the woods and take us toward Portland.
I can feel Noah's heart pounding in his chest, the vibrations pattering through my own heart and coursing through my veins, making me aware of the connection between us that can only be felt in my wolf form. It drives my every step to get closer to safety, to get to Portland, where I know he'll be protected. We both will be from whatever it is that chases me in my dreams and destroyed our home in Salem.
As we approach Forest Park, the large enclosure of tightly-wound trees growing in Portland, I slow down and trot forward, a wave of relief washing over me. We weren't followed, and now that we're close to the Moonshine territory, I'm able to get back into human form.
I'm not even sure how the pack will react to my return, coming home with a child. I've already devised an alibi about my life for the past five years, and they'll be told that I didn't run away, but found my mate out there in another pack.
Lugging in a deep breath through my wolf nostrils, my airways are filled with the earthy, moist scent distinctive toPortland, reacquainting my senses with what smelled like home for twenty-five years of my life before I abruptly left. I lower my body to let Noah climb off, and when he steps in front of me, I shift into human form and immediately wrap my arms around him.
“You were so brave, Noah-kins!” I exclaim as I hug him tightly.
He giggles and pulls his face back. “Mama, so cool! I wanna do now!”
Chuckling, I take Noah's hand and continue further into the forest, close to the border region where I know I'll be able to flag down a border patrol wolf to alert the pack of our arrival. “I'll teach you how to do that when you're old enough,” I tell Noah as I squeeze his hand gently. “You weren't afraid?”
Noah shakes his head firmly. “No!” he declares boldly. “Wasn't scared!”
Pride swells my chest as I smile, and for the first time, it feels like I'm doing something right. It always remained in the back of my mind that running away from Portland was a bad idea, but it was the only thing that kept me afloat, kept my heart intact, when memories of Noah's father threatened to keep me locked in turmoil.
How could I possibly stay wallowing in the heartbreak of his rejection when everything in Portland reminded me of him? How was I going to raise a child in the very same town where he'd bitterly rejected my claim that we were true mates?
“True mates?”He'd scoffed. “Don't be ridiculous, Arianna! That bullshit doesn't happen to Moonshine wolves. It's a fairytale, and the reality is that I reject any form of the mate bond. I reject you, Arianna Hart!”
Even now, after four years, those words ring in my mind and send a bitterly cold chill down my spine as we head through the invisible border surrounding Portland. Though there aren't any real barriers, the distinct scent of Moonshine wolves forms a boundary line that only another werewolf would recognize.
The scent filling my airways feels like a walk down memory lane, my eyes filling with tears as I sniff to hold them back. As I lift my chin to keep myself from shedding those tears, I see the silhouette of a large, majestic wolf standing in front of us, its eyes captivating, crystal-blue depths that ensnare me in its curious stare, my breath snatched from my lungs.
How could I ever forget the scent of old leather and spice, with undertones of sweet, fruity notes that appeal to my senses despite the hint of authority?
“Tyler.” The name rolls off my tongue just as the wolf shifts into human form. The angle in which the moon's rays catch his skin illuminates the distinct tattoo inked across his left forearm, and there's no mistaking it.
Walking toward Noah and me is the werewolf who'd rejected me four years ago. The werewolf who'd claimed my virginity on the night of his farewell party. The werewolf who'd impregnated me and left before he even knew I was pregnant.
The werewolf whom I'd once been in love with, who had shattered my heart into a million pieces that I had to put back together and replace with hatred for him.
