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"Everything looks amazing," Alora said as she paused her task sorting salve bottles.
"It really does, Willow. You've done a great job," Hayley added from where she sat on one of the stools next to the reading table. She sipped casually from her smoothie and flipped through the pages of a handbook.
I hadn't invited them over to help me decorate and unpack things, but rather just wanted the company. Alora was gracious enough to offer, and Hayley fulfilled the emotional support factor well enough.
"Thank you, honestly," I said, smiling for them both as I took a moment to rest. "I was nervous to launch something like this after everything that happened with the biker gang, but I'm glad I decided to anyway."
"You should be. I'm sure half the coven will be here daily for the vibes alone," Hayley chirped.
"Maybe it's what everyone needs to help heal after it," Alora said, smiling soft and genuine. She returned her attention to the small bottles and continued sifting through them.
"That was my thought, too. Plus, Rose Valley has been feeling safe again, and we haven't seen anything from the gang."
Both girls nodded, agreeing with me.
"I heard their previous leader died during the last ambush at the Roadbar, and they appointed someone else," Alora began, looking intrigued. "Ever since then, it's been radio silence."
It was true. The damage they caused had been the only thing everyone could talk about, but beyond that, we luckily hadn't seen them since.
We were all afraid of hearing their bikes through town again, and the quiet ever since had been a complete relief. Everyone with children were especially grateful.
"Good riddance," Hayley mumbled, stating what we were all thinking.
"It was terrifying, but at least it's over," Alora said.
Nodding, I went over to the reading table and unraveled a cloth spun from a deep violet thread, embroidered with golden accents in the shape of half moons and stars. One of our coven sisters made it for me, and I thought it was beautiful.
I placed it carefully on the round tabletop and silently called out for my quartz crystal ball that was hiding somewhere. Feeling a small tug in its direction, I spotted the box and lifted my hand once again. A small surge of manifested power glowed around my palm as the crystal was freed and floated over to me.
Placing the stand down first, I put the ball on top and admired it.
"I'm so jealous of that crystal," Hayley said, flicking through the handbook with a wandering eye. "Too bad I can never get them to work for me."
"Same here," Alora piped in from across the room. "I've been practicing for months, but I just think divination isn't for me."
"And that is why we have a brilliant witch like Willow to look towards for answers," Hayley said with a supportive smile.
Sitting down on the stool opposite Hayley's, I froze. The breath caught in my throat, and my vision shifted.
Like I was thrown into a space made of dark clouds, I couldn't see anything but vague shapes. I tried to push through it, wondering what was wrong with my eyes.
But ahead of me, other colors flashed. Streaks of green-like trees and black outlines roared by, vanishing just as fast. The sound of a sputtering engine, followed by revving, made my heart clench.
Those flashes came and went, offering me little detail. A spark of chrome to my left caught my attention. I smelled burning tires.
A familiar, distant face flashed within that space. It stretched from the bottom of my vision to the expansive top and was all-encompassing.
It was impossible for me to miss that sandy-blonde hair and tan skin, always sun-kissed. The broad stretch of muscle and those dazzling brown eyes that turned to liquid amber in the sun.
A face that I once thought was beautiful, turned sour.
My stomach dropped, and the breath was squeezed out of me. A deeply rooted dread soured my stomach, and I wanted it to end.
As the images dropped and my vision returned to normal, I realized I was dry-heaving, and my hand was pressed against my stomach.
It was him. I saw him, and there was no mistaking it.
Rowan Clark. The wolf I once shared the mate bond with.
