“Whatever you say. But… yes. There might be. There’s a trunk in my grandpa’s attic. The house is old, half falling down. Savvy and I used to play in it when we were little, before he died. It was mostly just old clothes, but there was one chest in the corner that we weren’t allowed to touch. Old, big leather hinges and brass hardware. It always made my fingertips tingle if I brushed it when I walked past.”
“That sounds promising. Who owns the house now? Will they let us in?”
“I own it, technically. It’s out in the woods. He preferred to live farther from the town center.”
“So let’s go check it out, after we give our report to Lucien. Before we leave for the castle to be with the rest of the packs.”
“You really want to? It might be nothing.”
I squeezed his hand, taking my turn to kiss his fingers. “Or it might be something.” I wasn’t sure I believed it, but for him? I hoped it was something.
We pulled into the Hungarian mansion’s driveway at dusk. Olivia waited for us on the steps, jogging down to hug me as soon as we piled out of the SUV. It felt strange letting myself out when Valens was so insistent on opening doors for me everywhere we went, but with Olivia racing toward me, I didn’t want to sit around like a princess.
“How are you? I was worried it would be too much, with everything… just everything. And I guess you guys heard the news?”
“Yeah. The new gathering.” I forced a smile. “Silver lining: The maidens didn’t get to go to the last one. At least this time, I get to see and be seen.” I waggled my eyebrows, and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re such a goof. But yeah. It’s going to be big.”
Big, earth-shattering, catastrophic—whatever adjective you put on it, I was afraid. But I kept those fears to myself.
“Everyone’s waiting inside to hear your report. Do you want help unpacking the car?”
Valens met us on my side of the car. “Nah, I’ll unload after. We’re just ready to get done and get some rest, right, El?”
“Right. I’ve been dragging by the time we get to bed every night.”
Olivia frowned, stopping to take a longer look at me, then pressing her fingertips to the inside of my wrist. “Any new symptoms you want me to look at? I might be able to come up with some herbs to help with your energy.”
“No, I’m okay. It’s normal, right?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Well, yes. But just because it’s normal doesn’t mean we can’t make it more comfortable. With you two not being bonded and this heat starting early, you might be going through more discomfort than most.”
Joy.
“Well, luckily, I’m made of tough stuff. Let’s get this over with, and I’ll get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, you can poke and prod me to your heart’s content.”
“Fine, fine. I just worry about my girls.” She wrapped an arm around my waist and squeezed me. “You’re my family now. You’re just going to have to let me fuss over you a little bit.”
Goddess, a lump rose in my throat so quickly, I could barely breathe around it. Because Oli meant every single word in a way that stung so deeply, I’d never felt anything like it.
Simple, open acceptance. I wasn’t even her pack, not truly. But to her, I was family. I might not be able to call the Hungarian pack home, butthese peoplewere my home.
Valens hesitated in the doorway, finely tuned to my emotions, apparently, given the worried look he wore. “Do you need a minute? What’s wrong?”
I pulled him in for a quick, fortifying hug, and the awkwardness I’d been feeling since letting myself out of the car dissipated. “Not a damn thing. It’s right, actually. Come on.”
The others had gathered in the library again, and my heart warmed as, one by one, we were greeted with tight hugs and well-wishes. Galyna got me first, with her usual rib-bustingsqueeze followed by a back slap. Dakota surprised me by practically knocking me down in her enthusiasm. It made me feel more than a little guilty that I’d been so bitter about her arrival. It wasn’therfault. She was following orders, like the rest of us.
Fiona’s eyes were flickering back and forth between amber and blue when she leaned in to hug me, her hair floating just a little as she tried to rein in her power. “Missed you,” she whispered as she pulled away.
“I missed you too. All of you.” Damn it, my eyes were watering. And much as I’d love to blame it on the hormones, that would be a cheap cop-out.
It was them, every last one of them. This ragtag family of mine, that I stumbled into and never wanted to lose.
I glanced to the side, where Valens had huddled up with Lucien and Reed as they exchanged their own greetings, and something inside me seemed to fall so effortlessly into place.
This was where we belonged. The two of us, together, surrounded by our people. Loved by our people.
