We took the four steps up to my cabin, and I sank onto one of the porch chairs, gesturing for him to join.
“You know, there’s a fireplace inside. A little warmer than this winter wonderland we have out here,” Rainier muttered as he took his seat.
“I’m hot.” Ever since June had whispered about primroses, I’d felt like burning coals were in my bloodstream.
Rainier glanced around to make sure we were alone, then leaned in close. “Spill it. What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Maybe I have,” I said.
He frowned at me, then his face went slack with shock and surprise. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “No way. You’re not saying thatshe’s?—”
“Keep your goddamn voice down,” I hissed.
Rainier kept shaking his head. When he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. “You think June might be Naphele reincarnated? Why? How?”
From his tone, I could tell he’d thought I’d never find her, which wasn’t entirely unjustified. The way the old legends had it, it was more likely that soul mates would chase each other through time than for them to meet up again, especially when one soul was still alive. I knew that as well, but it hadn’t stopped me from holding out hope that the woman I loved would return to me in some way. Itdidhappen, but that was exceedingly rare. Regardless, the dumbfounded look on my friend’s face irritated me.
Reincarnated souls were born to a new body. Sometimes, they looked like their past incarnation, but many times they looked different, as if a slice of the soul drifted through time on the breeze of magic. I’d always believed that Naphele’s soul was stronger than that, that she’d really be there. Not a shadow, not suppressed genetic memories, but her, and all she’d need was a bit of coaxing to come out. That was wishful thinking, though, and I knew it. In reality, there would be a connection, a pull that dragged me toward her new incarnation. I had faith that I’d find her one day, and it pissed me off that Rainier thought differently.
“Did you ever really believe?”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t anything that requiredmybelief, Levi. This was always your burden. Your cross to bear. In fact,it helped us. Your drive and obsession with finding her again is the entire reason Hidden Grove exists to begin with. Without you, there would be nous. Every person here would have either ended up as an outcast, a lone wolf, or resigned to the fate of being with a person they couldn’t or wouldn’t love. If that’s what it takes, then I’m fine with that situation.”
My lips peeled back, and I almost growled, but I stopped myself. He was right. My obsession had nothing to do with anyone else. Whyshouldanyone else give credence to my belief?
“Fair enough.”
“What makes you think it’s her?” Rainier asked.
I explained about finding her in the blizzard, getting her to the cave, starting the fire, all of it. When I mentioned the primroses, his eyes went wide.
“That was Naphele’s favorite flower,” I explained. “She always loved them.”
“Right, but…” Rainier shook his head. “It could be a coincidence, right?”
“It could,” I said slowly, turning to glance at the bunkhouse, scanning the windows, wondering if June might be in there, looking out at me. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it. We need to be sure.”
“Sure? Do you have any idea how hard that is?”
“Yes, Rainier,” I said, barely able to control my irritation. “I’ve been thinking about this moment for over a hundred years.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Point taken.”
“I need you to look into it. Figure out if she reallyisNaphele reborn.”
“That’s gonna take time,” he said. “I’ll need to head out. We don’t have any cell signal or internet here. I’ll have to figure out how to get access to her pack records and cross-reference themwith the old records we have from when Naphele was alive. That will tell us a lot.”
The genetic markers in shifter DNA held more information than human DNA. Since we were full of magic, it made sense that we’d have additional genes. Certain traits and markers in our DNA acted like genetic fingerprints. It was one of the things that had legitimized the legends about reincarnation. Science knew it was true, which meant we could find out if June had been Naphele in a past life.
“Whatever it takes,” I said. “I have to know, one way or another.”
“It could take a couple weeks. What are you going to do in the meantime?”
“I’ll keep my word to her,” I said with a smile.
“What? What did you promise her?”
A tiny wave of shame crept through my mind. My intentions weren’t entirely honest, but I couldn’t reveal any of this to June yet.
