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My heart tugged at the love she felt for Joaquin. I knew he loved her, enough for him to risk his life in fact. Seeing Rosie reciprocate his feelings had me realizing that I was looking at real love. It didn't matter that Rosie wasn't his fated mate. Love didn't only come from Fate, it was something that developed from your heart. Fate could lead you down a path, but what's in your heart could steer you elsewhere. I was raised to believe that Fate was the deciding factor, that nothing else should matter after that. Now I was seeing another factor. I loved Carly, I always will, and when she died, I thought that would be it for me. After all, how could Fate deem another person as my fated mate? Maybe I was looking at it wrong. Maybe I should see it as me being able to decide for myself who I want to be with.
If Rosie, Joaquin and the twins could be happy together, despite neither of them being fated together, maybe I could find that kind of happiness for myself. Feeling like a creeper for standing there while Rosie curls up with Joaquin, I made myself scarce and walked out the room to give them privacy. Though admittedly, watching them together like that had my heart stirring in my chest. I felt the urge to join them, to hold them both and tell them everything was going to be okay. That we would work this out together. I'd always looked out for Joaquin, so my protective instinct over him wasn't anything unusual. But for Rosie? That was something new entirely.
The lodge was busy with activity, everybody getting ready for tonight's meeting. It was last minute so there was a lot that needed to get done. I helped out anywhere I could. When people asked about Rosie, I said she was busy looking after Joaquin. She'd have to come down soon, but I'd let her have her moment in the meantime. I just got done piling wood in the center of the yard for a bonfire, and was about to go in to cool off, when a heavily tattooed woman stood in the middle of the doorway. Her wavy hair was a dark violet color with neon pink tips. I briefly remembered seeing her back at the cabin, but I never talked with her before. She must've been with Rosie before we got there.
I didn't sense any shifter genes in her, but she didn't seem completely human to me. There was an unusual aura to her that I couldn't pinpoint.
The woman smirked as she said, "You're trying to figure me out, huh?"
I blinked. "How did you know that?"
"Your mind is very loud, Byron Fitz. And even if I couldn't read it in your mind, it's written all over your face."
Did she say she could read my mind?
"Yes, I did say that," the woman said with a chuckle.
My eyes grew wide. "What in the world are you?"
"A woman." She winked. "But I'm also a witch."
Shit, I knew witches existed, but I never thought I'd meet one. I knew shifters and witches had a history, but conflict drew them apart. Not much else was said about it. I didn't think witches were killed off, but I assumed they would stay away from shifters.
"Can all witches read minds?" I asked when the shock faded. "And what is your name?"
"Roxanne, and no, not all witches can. I'm a rare breed among my kind." Roxanne stepped down and sauntered over. "And judging from what your mind is showing me, you're having all kinds of revelations. It's not easy, is it? Struggling between what you've been taught to believe, and what you're now believing. Life is mysterious that way."
"I feel like it's rude to snoop around in people's minds."
Roxanne pretended to think on that. "It is, but Rosie and I are connected, so naturally, I want to make sure that nobody here has any ill intensions."
"Connected in what way?" I asked curiously. "You're not one of her mates, are you?"
"No, but I'm sure she'll tell you everything you need to know soon enough. Especially if you open yourself up to what you're feeling."
My face heated at that, knowing she read my mind and knew what I was feeling. "I don't really know what it is I'm feeling."
Roxanne seemed to agree. "This is new territory for you. Rosie is an anomaly you've never dealt with before. It's natural to feel confused."
"Exactly. I just... all I want to do is help them. After everything Joaquin went through, and after giving Rosie hell when we first met, I want to do right by them."
"And you will. That's why I knew you'd look after Joaquin in my absence." I looked back in the direction of the lodge to see Sabina joining us. I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her since meeting back up with her in Rowan's cabin, but I still had hundreds of questions for her. She also seemed different from the last time we talked. Nothing that was physically different, but internally. Something in the air around her had shifted, and it made me all the more curious.
"You knew I'd come looking for Rosie, didn't you?" I asked.
Sabina nodded. "I did. I may not have talked to you as often as I did with Joaquin, but I knew you and he were close as well. Plus, you're a good man, unlike Pierce."
"I'm not that good," I mumbled somberly, not feeling like a good man after doing the bare minimum for Joaquin until he was on the cusp of death.
"You're too hard on yourself," Sabina said. "You're not responsible for what happened to Joaquin. Pierce is. You looked after him when nobody else would. And you made the attempt to rescue him as soon as you realized what kind of man Pierce is. That says a lot about what a good man you are."
"Besides, if you truly feel the need to make amends, now's as good a time as any to do it. If a war is coming, then help your pack fight for your home," Roxanne added.
Oh, I had every intention of fighting. Kingsrose was my home. This pack, the human civilians, they were mine to protect. Since Rosie made it her mission to protect Kingsrose from Pierce and Mordred, then I'd do everything I could to lend my strength. I didn't get the chance to say more, or ask Sabina any other questions, since we were starting to notice pack members arriving. I lit the bonfire and helped set up the buffet in the dining hall. By the time the sky began painting over the orange skies with dark navy, we had a full house of shifters eating, chatting, and waiting to hear what we had to say.
"Any idea where Rosie is?" Kao asked as he came from the kitchen.
I held up the key card. "She's upstairs with Joaquin. I'll get her and bring her down."
