AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Protecting me, yeah. I don’t know if I could have survived without it.” I smiled. “That’s probably partly where Margo got this whole idea from. Still, I couldn’t have imagined this. Not exactly something we do every Wednesday after school.”
“Yeah, well, live long enough, and you’ll see a lot of weird stuff, but let’s hope this is a one-off. Today, you saved a life though.” She looked down at Margo with pride in her eyes. “She’s done so well.”
“Think she’s still a harbinger?”
She shrugged. “No way of knowing until she wakes up and tells us, I suppose. I can’t sense her gift, but she’s still in wolf form. That could suppress it. If she’s not a harbinger, then she’s not as much of a threat to Eli, so maybe he’ll get lost and leave her alone.”
“He’ll be even more pissed now that she’s a wolf. How’s Vira doing?”
“She’s in shock,” Amelia said wryly. “I hope this doesn’t send her running again. She came in handy before.”
“She could leave and hide from Eli now that Margo doesn’t need her. I didn’t expect her to stay this long.”
“She’s been brave.” She sighed. “You were brave, too, by the way. I know I can be hard on you sometimes, but I was glad you were there with us. This could have had a different outcome without you.”
“Well, thanks,” I said, a little embarrassed.
“Look at you, blushing. Yes, you did good, but it’s not over yet.”
“It was tough,” I admitted. I had shifted back hours ago to shower, and I was still shaking a little from the adrenaline of the whole situation.
“For all of us, but especially Margo. I’ll be surprised if she’s not traumatised by this.”
I hadn’t thought about that too deeply. Mental health was important, and everyone I knew had been under an insane amount of stress on a good day. I had to keep an eye on Margo.
“I wasn’t sure if you would change your mind once she started screaming,” she said.
“If I was human, I might have. I sensed something, still not quite sure what, but I knew I had to let it run its course, and trust my instincts. Even if it looked wrong.”
“She suffered,” she said solemnly. “But she kept fighting. She didn’t give up. When we met my spirit guide, she asked Margo if she accepted the wolf and if she would choose to fight for us. Margo said yes without hesitation. She knew how much it would hurt, and she still picked us. The pack should be grateful for her sacrifice.”
The following afternoon,Margo shifted back into human form in her sleep. I covered her with a blanket and waited some more. The next time Amelia came to check on Margo’s rapidly-healing wounds, I asked, “Is she supposed to sleep this long?”
“She’s been through a lot,” she said. “It’s a healing sleep. We don’t know what kind of damage had been inflicted on her by Eli, and then we bit her, so there’s a lot for her body to do. Mentally, she’s also suffered. She deserves a rest. I’m going to watch over her. I came to tell you that Perdita brought the baby home.”
“I didn’t think they would bring Diane here.”
“Are you worried?”
“Yeah, but I’m glad we’ll be together. It’s stressful having to think about everybody in different places.”
“How are you coping with the whole new baby thing? Must be weird, right?”
“Not really.” I smiled at the thought of meeting Diane for the first time. “Maybe it’s because she’s Nathan and Perdita’s baby, but she feels familiar, like she’s always been here.”
“I get what you mean. You should go see them and get some rest in your own bed. I promise I’ll call you if Margo wakes up.”
After a token protest, I headed home to check on Perdita and Diane. I was startled to find Victor with them.
“Nathan’s taking care of some stuff,” he said cryptically. “He asked me to stay here until he gets back.” I thought he sounded a little proud. “So what’s she like? What does she look like? How was it?”
“Let him sit down,” Perdita scolded.
“Can I hold the baby?” I asked, relaxing on the sofa.
Beaming, she laid Diane in my arms. “Did you miss her already?”
“I missed both of you.” The smell of baby was already familiar and soothing. “It’s nice to be home for a bit, but I’m going to head back in case Margo wakes up.” I met Victor’s questioning gaze, figuring I had made him wait long enough. “And she looks cool, like a white arctic wolf.” For a brief, heart-stopping moment, I wondered if she would prefer a wolf like Victor now that she had changed.
