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“I’m Diana, and this is Selene.” The taller of the two girls gestures to the other one. They’re both so pretty, with long, shining brown hair and big, green eyes. And they both wear bright smiles that feel sincere—and if there’s anything I know, it’s when someone’s being insincere.
“You’re the daughter of your pack’s beta, aren’t you?” Selene asks. “We are, too. This pack, I mean.” The girls giggle, and she rolls her eyes at her awkwardness.
“Oh, I’ve met your father. Thorne, right?”
“Yeah, so we wanted to say hi and see how you’re getting along.”
“I think I’m doing all right.” I incline my head toward the big double doors leading into the orphanage. “Though I might be on Clarissa’s bad side. Any tips on how to deal with her?”
“Yeah, avoid her.” Diana snorts. “She’s no fun at all.”
“But she’s good to the pups,” her sister adds. “And they need that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Have you had any time to explore?” Selene asks.
“Not really,” I admit. “But I would like to. It’s not easy going from being at the center of whatever goes on with the pack to kind of being on the outside.”
“We can tell you anything you want to know,” Diana offers. “Our mom sent us down to the healer shop to pick up a couple of things. Have you been there yet?”
“I haven’t really been anywhere.” And what I don’t want to tell them, even though it’s true, is how anxious I am about randomly introducing myself to people. My wolf has made me a lot more confident, but it’s not like finding her wiped out my memory. Years of being taunted, ignored, and hurt tend to leave a scar, and it’s not the kind of scar even we can heal from easily.
“Come with us,” Diana suggests, waving me on. “We’ll introduce you.”
“Thanks. That’s really nice of you.” I happily fall in step with them.
“So, you’re with Wilde, right?” The girls both wear a sly smile.
“That’s right. I guess word gets around.”
“Our dad said your dad was pretty pissed.” Diana’s cheeks redden. “Don’t tell him I said that. We weren’t supposed to be listening.”
“But it’s so cool, though,” her sister adds. “Like, Wilde risked a lot to bring you here. He had to know your dad would react.”
“He definitely reacted.” I sigh.
“Because Wilde’s not your fated mate?”
“Something like that.”
Diana nods as we cross the street. “That’s why I’m glad we don’t do it that way.”
“What do you mean, you don’t do it that way?”
“She’s saying most of us choose our mates. That’s the way it’s always been,” Selene explains.
Why didn’t I know about this? I would think Wilde would’ve clued me in. “I had no idea. So you don’t rely on the fated bond?”
“No.” Diana blushes again, biting her lip. “I can’t wait until my wolf comes. I already know who I want.”
“You don’t know he wants you,” her sister teases. It reminds me so much of Emma and me my chest hurts. I miss her. I wonder if she’s been spending any time with Riley or if she maybe found somebody else she likes better.
“He’ll come around. We have time.” I have to bite back a smile at how determined she sounds.
We stop in at the healer’s shop, which is bigger and better stocked than the one at home. I wonder what Sasha would think about some of the things they offer—and I wish I could have her here with me. I need to tell her what I never did before, that her friendship and guidance meant the world. Right down to that terrible and incredible night, the night my wolf came. I owe her so much.
“You’re looking wonderful.” A petite wolf emerges from the back room, and the way she looks at me says this isn’t our first meeting.
It hits me all at once. “Did you help me?” I can’t help but hug her before thinking twice about it—and when I do, I back away, feeling guilty.
She only smiles. “I did, and I heard you pulled out of it but have been meaning to pay you a visit. It looks like you’re paying me a visit instead.”
“We’ve been showing Lili around,” Diana explains while her sister picks out a couple of pouches of tea. “Just getting Mom stocked up.”
“Oh, that reminds me, I have something I think your mother would enjoy. Let me get it from the back.”
“Naomi is the best,” Diana explains in a soft voice. “Her mate was killed in the first witch attack.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Just about everybody has lost someone,” Selene murmurs. “Dad says it would be much worse if Wilde and Forrest weren’t so good at training the fighters.”
Naomi emerges, and we drop the subject. I wonder if she’ll choose another mate someday—I’d never know by looking at her that she lost someone so important. “You be sure to come back whenever you want. I hear you’re pretty talented when it comes to healing, too—your alpha says you’re a natural.”
