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I shook my head. “No. It’s still crazy to think I have some secret shifter gene that’s been hidden all this time. I just want answers at this point.”
“And we’ll get them. Jax is back, and we have leads.”
I left Evan with Lucas, then headed downstairs to where his mate Cynthia was playing with Sofia. She’d been helping Abi by looking after her while I attended classes, though it seemed as though she’d been here even more the past few days.
“Hey, where’s Abi?” I asked as I poked my head in the door.
Sofia grinned at me, dropped her toy, and reached up. “Mama.”
My heart melted, and I stepped inside and picked her up before planting a kiss on her cheek.
Cynthia stood up. “She went for a walk.” She sounded so subdued.
“Everything okay? She’s been quiet.” And noticeably absent now that I thought about it. Ever since we’d found out I was pregnant, then gotten the news Jax was coming home, Abi hadn’t really been herself. Not that she’d been the same since Sebastian was killed. I couldn’t even imagine being in her shoes.
“I think it’s just part of the process,” Cynthia said.
I squeezed Sofia extra tightly. “I’m going to go find her if you don’t mind watching Sofia a little longer?”
“Of course not.” She plucked her right back out of my arms, beaming. “I can’t get enough of this little one. And now I get to be an auntie two times over.” She seemed genuinely thrilled.
Leaving Sofia with Cynthia, I ventured outside, following the familiar path toward the far gardens. I had a feeling I knew where she might have gone, whether it was some instinct of my dragon, or understanding the deep connection between mates.
The vibrant colors of the leaves and the earthy scents of autumn enveloped me as I walked, thinking of Abi, my heart aching at the thought of her suffering alone.
I finally spotted her sitting beneath a tree at the edge of the garden—a garden that’d been one of Sebastian’s favorites. They’d placed a memorial stone here beneath the tree. I paused several yards away while I looked on. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her blonde hair blew in the wind, the strands whipping in her face, but she ignored them as she stared ahead.
“Mariah,” she whispered, turning toward me after a moment. Of course, she knew I was here. Her senses would have alerted her to my presence, just like I could hear what she whispered from several yards away. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes were rimmed with unshed tears.
I moved closer to sit down beside her. “I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been quiet this past week.”
Suddenly, tears poured out. I wrapped my arms around Abi and held her as her shoulders shook, while my own tears ran down my cheeks. I didn’t say anything, didn’t try to tell her it was all going to be okay. I was just there for her, giving her whatever silent comfort I could while she processed her grief.
“Thank you,” she murmured when she finally pulled back, wiping her eyes, and trying to regain her composure. “I didn’t mean to break down like that. It's just...some days are harder than others.”
I nodded, understanding all too well the pain of loss. We sat in silence for another moment, our shared grief forming an unspoken bond between us before Abi got to her feet. She stood up straight, taking a deep breath, and when she looked down at me and smiled, she was the pulled together alpha’s mate I’d come to know and love.
She reached a hand out. “Come. Let’s walk.”
Arm in arm, we strolled along the path that wound through the garden.
“Do you want to talk?” I asked after a while.
She shook her head, giving me a sweet smile. “You have your own burdens and pressures to deal with. These last few days have been especially hard. I keep thinking of Sebastian, and how proud he would be to be a grandfather again. He loved Sofia so much.”
Her voice broke, and I felt tears prickle in my eyes again. He would’ve been so unbelievably proud. It wasn’t fair Tomas had stolen him from us and he wouldn’t be here to celebrate the birth of this new child.
“All the more reason we put an end to Tomas Hawthorne.”
I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until the wave of vengeance rushed through me. It was shockingly hot, and I glanced at Abi. Was I sensing her feelings or my own?
“I couldn’t agree more.” The roughness of Abi’s voice, the pure hatred and violence that echoed in it, took me by surprise. She was normally so calm and demure, so kind and peaceful. But I didn’t blame her. I felt the same, and Sebastian wasn’t even my mate.
“Jax is looking into some potential leads with my mother,” I told her after a beat. “We’re hoping she can tell us something more about my father. Evan says the more information we have, the better.”
“He’s right.” She squeezed my arm. “That’s great news, Mariah. A step in the right direction.”
I told her the rest of what Jax was doing, forging my registration papers, and altering my birth certificate, as we made our way back toward the house.
