“Thank you, Tyler,” she whispers. “I think I'm ready to unlock my powers. We should probably go back. I'd like to speak to your friend.”
“I should warn you, however…” I begin with a chuckle that has Arianna lifting her head to look at my face with a frown.
“Delilah might appear soft and sweet, only because it was the first time she met you. But she's actually quite rebellious, but can come across as controlling or overbearing at times. Especially when it comes to these things.”
“Let me guess…she's the daughter of an alpha?” Arianna quirks her mouth with a chuckle, to which I nod.
“Yeah,” I snort, helping Arianna to her feet. “How did you guess?” I ask with a frown, to which she shrugs.
“Just a hunch,” she replies, and I laugh.
“Well, her father is a tyrant, and Shadow Fang is one of our least likable allies.”
“I think I'll be fine,” Arianna says as she prepares to shift into wolf form. It's the only way back down, so I prepare to do the same, stepping away.
But not before watching Arianna's shift, becoming mesmerized all over again by her graceful nature as she lands on her cushioned paws with a soft sigh escaping her lips, a faint wisp of dust whispering around her.
Wow…
My inner wolf is roused once again, and I know there's no way of escaping the true mate bond, or even how I feel for Arianna.
She's truly something special, and I couldn't care less what my parents think. She may not be from a family of betas or deltas, but she's the descendant of a powerful witch. Surely, that must count for something if it's appearances they care about.
Arianna will unlock her full potential and prove to be an invaluable member of this pack when she helps us intercept the rogue wolf's uninvited appearance in our territory. It will help strengthen my case when I tell my parents that she's my true mate, and I want her to be this pack's luna.
Chapter 19 - Arianna
Watching Noah play with the toys he'd received as gifts from Delilah when she returned from Scarborough to retrieve the things she needed for the ritual, I smile.
Tyler has barely left the house these past two nights, babysitting Noah while I learn more about my mystic heritage from Delilah.
Our grandmothers were good friends, and her grandmother is still alive to recount more tales about Azura's past. Delilah promised to take me to Scarborough to meet her once we've taken care of whatever this is with the visions and the mutated rogue werewolf.
“Ready?” Delilah asks from behind, snapping me out of my daze from watching Tyler and Noah play with a set of building blocks. As I nod, a pang of guilt sets in.
Tyler has been so supportive about my learning about my abilities, and I've been so preoccupied that I haven't decided if I should tell him about Noah or not. There's a part of me that wants to, but another part keeps my mouth shut until the right moment presents itself.
We haven't really spoken about anything apart from my powers and unlocking them tonight, under the full moon. I'm not even sure if there is something between us, and the kiss we shared on the mountain is slowly starting to feel like pity, like he just wanted to lift my spirits at that moment.
Maybe it's just better for me to think of it that way, so I don't have to feel too guilty about the secret I'm keeping from him.
It's growing increasingly difficult to imagine Tyler and Noah apart, since they've been growing closer by the day. Deep down, I know Tyler will probably reject Noah as his son, just as he's rejected me as his mate in the past.
“I am,” I say, clearing my throat and turning to Delilah. Just then, a knock on the door signals Brynta's arrival. She's come to babysit Noah while Delilah, Tyler, and I go to the pack den to perform the ritual.
“Mama, look!” Noah exclaims, shuffling off the floor and running over to show me the house he and Tyler built with the blocks.
“That's amazing, Noah! Wow!” I praise him as I hug him goodbye and meet Brynta to thank her again for offering to babysit.
Our group of three heads to the pack den in the meadow, near the opening of the forest, well-lit by the moonlight. Coming out here with Tyler brings back memories of the night I lost my virginity to him and became pregnant, but I compose myself with steady breaths not to dwell on those memories tonight.
I'm meant to have a clear mind to participate in this ritual—one that will determine if my nightmares and that vision were correct, and that James had disguised himself as a human, while being a mutated wolf.
I'll also have a clearer vision and tap into James's thoughts as he's about to kill me to understand why he's after me.
“So…tapping into my powers means performing a ritual…?” I giggle nervously, feeling strange about this new world I discovered as Delilah opens her bag and pulls out vials of vibrantly colored serums. As she lifts each one out and holds itup to the moonlight, she mumbles under her breath—words in a different language.
“Spanish,” Tyler whispers as he leans over, sliding one arm across my shoulders. “I've heard her muttering in that language a few times. She learned it from her mother.”
