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“This is something very, very few shifters have ever experienced, and it means that you were chosen by fate for a great cause.”
I found it difficult to breathe. “What cause?” I whispered.
Violet shook her head. “It’s not clear. Not yet.”
“Oh…” I lowered my gaze to the table. I felt light-headed all over again. The words fate, great cause, pack mother, and spirit echoed in my mind. They smacked into me over and over again, so hard I felt I would fall over if Night hadn’t been holding me. I wasn’t sure how to feel after everything I’d learned. After twenty years of feeling like I would never belong anywhere, I had just found out not only that I belonged with the Wargs at Night’s side but also that I had been chosen for something even greater.
34
BRYN
When we arrived back at Night’s cabin, I was almost as exhausted as I’d been the night that the wolf spirit had led me to the cave. But as tired as I felt, as eager as I was to crawl into bed with Night and go to sleep, I was also terribly hungry. I opened my mouth to tell him, but my stomach beat me to it.
“I’ll get us some food from the mess hall,” he said with a laugh. “Why don’t you get comfy in the meantime?”
I nodded. “Just hurry back, okay?”
He laughed again and gave me a kiss. And then another. And one more before he headed out. While he was gone, I trudged up the steps and headed for the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. I took off my clothes and stepped under the warm stream. As the water seeped into my hair and dripped down my body, I tried to process my thoughts.
Now that I knew the truth about who I was, a fresh wave of horror poured over me when I remembered what Troy had almost done. In taking my right to choose a mate away from me, he might have also forced me to shift. I trembled at the thought of being alone with Troy in such a vulnerable moment. Night had been so tender with me when he’d found that I’d shifted, but I knew Troy would be nothing like that. I didn’t even want to imagine what he would have done to me then.
I felt I ought to thank Night again for saving me that night, for taking me far away from an awful, painful fate. After all that had happened, I didn’t care that our relationship had started with a kidnapping. He had acted so indifferently at first, but now I’d seen into his heart. I knew him to be every bit the wonderful Alpha that the Wargs all respected and rallied behind.
My life with the Wargs had resulted in so many good things—friends, freedom, family, and even love. These were all things I never would have experienced with the Kings, and I was sure that I wouldn’t have found them if I had somehow escaped into human cities nearby. Here, I felt so safe and content and wanted.
I bit my lip, remembering the evening before when I’d given everything to Night. I had been so desperate for him, and now under the warm water, I wanted him all over again. How long has it been since he left? I wondered. My wolf gave a similar whine. Though I still didn’t understand her, the two of us were in agreement about missing Night. When I closed my eyes, I could still feel him pressing against me, his mouth on my neck, his cool breath across my skin.
He couldn’t have been gone for more than a few minutes, but that didn’t matter; to me, it felt like he had been gone for hours. I longed for him with every beat of my heart—I craved him. My wolf howled for him, both of us needing his presence. I felt so close to him, but something was missing. Night was in the mess hall, obviously, but it wasn’t just him that I was missing. There was something else, something that gnawed and gnawed at me, but I couldn’t figure out what. Then again, it was probably just me not understanding my wolf.
My wolf. I allowed myself a brief, tiny squeal in the shower. Holy shit, not only was I a wolf, I was also a descendant of the pack mothers. It was so amazing, so incredible, but it still didn’t feel quite real. So many things had changed in such quick succession that I felt a bit like I was floating above the news. There was so much to think about, to consider, but I didn’t know where to begin.
I wished I could confide all this to my mom. She always knew what to say when I felt lost or overwhelmed, and maybe she had more information about the day she found me—information that might help me make sense of my new reality.
I pictured Mom’s smile and the scent of lavender that seemed to cling to her hair no matter which herbs or vegetables she picked. I thought of her voice, her hugs, and her warmth. I wondered what she would think about me being a shifter.
I missed her terribly. Perhaps I would see her again when Night confronted Troy, but who knew when that would happen? It could be weeks or even months from now. I could probably ask Night about his plans, but I didn’t want to dwell on that right now.
I closed my eyes and let the hot water slide down my skin and calm my feverish thoughts. I reached for the soap and began to scrub up. Suddenly, I paused, feeling a tug in my chest. I smelled Night as if he was right here with me. I pulled the curtain, eager to see him, but he wasn’t in the bathroom with me. If I concentrated a bit harder, I could hear his footsteps coming up to the porch. I smiled, pleased that he would be with me again soon. My senses had sharpened since I shifted, but it seemed they were even sharper where Night was concerned.
I closed the curtain and tried to rush through the rest of my shower. I was eager to see him again, and now the shower I had been so eager to take was getting in the way. But there was no need to rush after all.
Within seconds, the shower curtain was pulled open again. Night stood there, taking me in. His eyes roamed my wet, naked body, which burned with need.
“I missed you like crazy,” he said, his eyes on my breasts, my stomach, my thighs, my core.
I laughed even as I soaked up his ravenous gaze. “You were gone for just a few minutes.”
“Ten,” he told me. “But who’s counting?”
I grinned, moving my hands over my body. I wanted to finish my shower so I could press against him again. “I missed you too,” I said.
Night watched my hands, and that rumble filled his chest. I slowed down, taking my time with the suds and the water. Night kept his eyes on me, his gaze burning me from inside.
“Do you remember when you first showered in my cabin?” he asked.
“Mmhm…as memory serves, you were rushing me to get done.” I moved my hands over my nipples.
“It was because I scented your arousal,” he said. “I knew you were touching yourself in here. And I wanted you then.”
