“Did she know?” Jacob asks quietly.
I shake my head. “She does now.”
My mother sighs, her shoulders slumping. “Well, this all makes perfect sense now.”
“How do I make it stop?” I ask, desperation creeping into my voice. “I’ve lifted the shield.”
Jacob snorts again, then scratches his head. “Well, your mother was in a feral state for a while with me. She didn’t calm down until after Seth was born, and that’s when we knew the effects of the spell had fully lifted.”
My mother turns to him, smirking. “What Jacob is trying to say is that we experienced a similar side-effect from my spell.” She and Jacob trade a look—slow and private—and that’s all it takes for me to put together exactly what kind of side-effect she means.
I start coughing, gagging at the mental image. “I did not want to know the fucking details, Ma!”
Jacob laughs.
“You’ll have to let it run its course,” my mother explains, more serious now. “That’s the law of magic. You can’t just make everything go away with the snap of your fingers. There’s always a cost when personal gain is involved.”
“Well, I’m going to get my mate back. I’m not going to sit here and wait for this to pass.”
Jacob holds up his hand. “What were the terms?”
I look at him, confused. “Huh?”
“Mara,” he says. “The lioness would have given you terms.”
“She wants cubs,” I tell him, the words heavy in my mouth. “How am I supposed to put a baby in her if she won’t talk to me?”
“And...?” Jacob prompts.
I groan, feeling my failure pressing down on me. “She wants a home to raise them in.”
I look to my mother, pointing at her. “But I’ve been stalling too because of you. And Tiana.”
“Now hold the hell on, Aaron,” she snaps. “How is your stupidity my fault?”
“You won’t even warm up to her.”
She scoffs. “Oh please. Now you’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I, Mom?” I step closer, my voice rising. “You and Tiana are making her feel uncomfortable. And you expect her to just move into the pack and put up with both of your bad attitudes?” I shake my head. “I’m not putting up with another Nia and Olivia situation. My woman comes first. Until you and my sister figure out how to properly accept her, she’s not moving here.”
My mother puts her hands on her hips, but the guilt is in her eyes. Jacob notices it too, from the way he’s looking at her.
“Well then,” she mutters, “it looks like you’ve got a long wait ahead of you.”
“Angie,” Jacob says, a warning in his tone.
“I’m not going to let him sit and blame me for this,” she snaps.
“I’m not blaming you, Ma,” I argue, but the words fall flat, even to me.
I shake my head, stepping back. “Forget it. It was a mistake coming here for help. I’ll find someone else.”
“Wait, son.” Jacob moves forward, putting a hand to my chest when I try to walk around him. “Do this in proper order and she’ll come back. Trust me on this.” His eyes hold mine. “We’ll go to Levi and see if we can speed up construction on your cabin. Once she sees a proper home waiting for her, she’ll be on the porch without asking. She can feel the pull of the mate bond as much as you do. But the lioness is very stubborn. She will not yield until her demands are met.”
I look to my mother, then back to Jacob. “Thanks, Jacob. I’ll figure it out on my own.”
I open a portal, blue-gold light swirling into existence. On the other side, I can see the territory line of Solaris Pride, the guards standing alert at their posts.
