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“Good idea.”
Paxton pats the protective exterior shell of the first bookcase, expertly changing the subject. “Are you ready?”
“Beyond ready.” I’ve waited months for this moment. This place won’t truly feel like the Luna Sovereign house until the library is restored. And borrowing books from the Anchorage Lake Pack and the Sovereign Pack has grown increasingly old.
Lydia has done a good job trying to rebuild, but there’s still a long way to go before the Sovereign Pack is truly restored. In the meantime, I can’t help but be leexry of any involvement with them. I want to trust Lydia, but I’m not sure if I ever really will. After Waverly’s betrayal, it’s easier to lean on family than practical strangers.
It doesn’t help that Waverly is still in the wind. I’ve tried every avenue available to track her down, but she’s too good. Every time I think we’re catching up to her, she’s still somehow two steps ahead.
Things with her will surely come to a head eventually, but I’m ready for the day when it comes. Now that I’ve seen what I’m really capable of, I’m ready for anything that comes our way.
“Tasha?”
I blink back to the present moment to find Paxton staring at me with worried eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m here; I promise.” I find myself increasingly lost in my own thoughts lately, but it’s only because I have so many of them.
I’m lucky to have Paxton because, otherwise, I’m not sure I would ever come up for air. Being Luna Sovereign—especially in the current climate—is all-consuming. Sometimes I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I wish the previous Luna Sovereign would have warned me aboutthatwhen she came to me in my sleep months ago.
“On the count of three?” Paxton grins exaggeratedly, doing his best to lighten the mood. He’s good at that when I can’t be. I can’t help but laugh at how cheesy he looks as he gestures to the case like a game show host.
I like the lighter side of him when he’s feeling playful. It shows me there’s still more of him to discover than the angry kid with family trauma that I initially met.
“Three.” I start the count.
“Two.”
We both put our hands on the edge of the case. “One.”
The metal groans as it turns, and my breath catches as I wait worriedly to see what we’ll find. I was told the protective cases would hold up under any conditions, but I’m not sure I really believed it until I see the results for myself. It’s as if there was never a fire. Like the house that Dominic’s pack built us around the bookshelves was here all along.
If only the traumas we’ve survived could be so easily erased. Paxton wraps an arm around me and squeezes me tight as I choke on a sob.
Moving on is still a work in progress.
I let him turn me in his arms so I can cry properly against his shirt. I’m lucky he doesn’t shy away from crying because, if there’s anything I’ve learned about myself this year, it’s that there’s no burying my emotions. They always turn back up eventually.
An unexpected knock sounds at the front door.
I noticeably startle in Paxton’s arms, but he’s completely at ease. “That’s Luca bringing up the mail. Dominic told me earlier he would have Luca bring it since Tess is still waiting to hear from Gabe. He lost Tevin’s trail near the river, but apparently it picked up a couple of miles down on the other side.”
“Really?” I don’t want to dare to hope, but we’ve been searching for our brother for so long with very few leads.
Gabe volunteered to be on the ground and make use of his tracking skills. As a rogue with no official affiliation to anyone else, he’s able to travel easier than the pack and without raising suspicions from those who are still distrustful after the chaos that’s come with the Anchorage Lake Pack stepping into the Sovereign Pack’s place.
It seems no matter what we do, we can’t win. But at least no one shows up trying to kill or kidnap me anymore. Silver linings.
Luca knocks again, a little louder the second time, and I pull away so we don’t keep him waiting any longer.
I reach the front door first, but Paxton pulls me back by the elbow and steps in front of me to answer. His protective instinct hasn’t gone anywhere, even after I proved myself more than capable of protecting myself. I can’t say I mind it all that much, though. Having a partner feels a whole lot better than being lonely.
That’s right, my wolf agrees smugly.
“Hey,” Paxton practically grunts at Luca.
“Hey,” Dominic’s Beta returns in a far more subdued tone. I elbow my way beside Paxton to get a good look at him. He’s usually perfectly friendly and cheerful, but the firm line of his mouth makes the whole world feel like it’s falling out from under me.
“What is it?” Paxton bounces on the balls of his feet, already anticipating conflict.
“Dominic thought you should see this.” Luca holds out the sole package clutched in his hands, and I take it gingerly. There are no addresses, onlyLuna Sovereignscrawled in small, block handwriting across the front of the padded envelope.
