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“All very good ideas.” He grins proudly. “Even half-starved, you think like an alpha.” He stands and heads my way, giving me an uncharacteristically hard hug. “Rest, Quinny. Eat. We’ll talk tomorrow. For now, know I have it in hand. They won’t harm our pack.”
Nodding, I watch him go as Marie hurries over and wraps me in her arms, kissing my head. “I was so worried, as was Jang. He has barely slept or eaten. He’s been running the forests, searching for signs of you. We even trapped some hunters.” She pulls back, wiping the meat juice from my face. “I couldn’t . . . I don’t know what we would have done . . .” She turns away, and I hug her tighter.
“I’m okay, I promise. I’m too strong to kill,” I tease.
“That you are.” She pats my shoulder. “Thank the moons.”
Swallowing, I search her gaze. “Mum, the men who killed my parents were hunters, we know that, but why didn’t Jang ever go after them?”
She jerks back, her eyes wide. I never speak about what happened that night. I had nightmares every night, and Jang would sit at the end of my bed, protecting me. I know they went to my house, which burnt down, and there was nothing left of my parents to even bury in a moon shadow ceremony, which horrified me. Their souls will remain trapped here, never being able to join the moon and stars once more.
“We had to protect you. He wanted to,” she whispers, “but I begged him not to. I couldn’t lose him, and you couldn’t either. You had just lost your entire world, and you clung to him like a lifeline. If he didn’t come back, I would lose you too. I couldn’t do that. So he stayed, even though it killed him. He chose to protect you and help you heal rather than get vengeance, but don’t think for one moment that he didn’t want it. Your parents were our best friends. Jang and your dad were like brothers, but we all know your dad would have wanted him to stay alive and protect you.”
“I miss them,” I admit. “And sometimes I feel so guilty thinking that because I have you.”
“No.” She holds my face tight. “They were your parents. You are allowed to miss them. I can tell you stories whenever you wish. Never feel guilty for loving them. Loving and missing them does not change how much you love us. I am secure with my heart, Quinny, and I know I am a mother to you just as she was. Your heart is big enough to love us all.” She pulls me closer. “I’m sorry being with hunters brought this all up. I’m so sorry, Quinny, that we weren’t there to protect you. Both that night and this one.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her, holding her tight. “I’m a survivor.”
“That you are.” She nods, kissing my head. “My fighter, you always were. Your dad used to say you should have been born a lion.” She chuckles, pulling away and wiping at her eyes. “Youwere so fierce and strong even as a kid, and now look at you, my beautiful, strong girl.”
I hold her hands as she stares at me. “You remind me so much of your mother. You look more and more like her as you grow up, and sometimes I forget and for the moment, I see my best friend. I’m so grateful I get to see her in you every day. You have the best of all of us, Quinn, never forget that. You are our past and future, and you are our hope. We will get through this just like we do everything—together.”
“Thank you for loving them and me,” I tell her, kissing her hand. “They were blessed.”
“As are we.” She nods, wiping her eyes again. “I’ll stop crying at some point.”
She stands, smoothing her clothes as if they are out of place, but I know it’s because she’s hiding her emotions.
“Are you still hungry?” she asks. “I’ll get more food and bring it to your room.” She hurries away, and I watch her go before getting to my feet and moving around the desk. I sit heavily, reaching for the framed photo. Lifting it, I see a copy of the one I have under my pillow.
I’m smiling brightly in front of my dad, and Jang stands at his side.
I forget what he looks like sometimes, same with Mum, and guilt eats me alive. I survived that night thanks to them . . . and Vale, but hunters killed my family, and I cannot owe any loyalty to anyone other than my people.
I don’t have time for revenge, even if it’s all I wanted when I was younger.
Nothing will bring them back, but I can save my family now, and I will.
CHAPTER TWENTY
That night, at Jang’s and Marie’s urgings, I stay in the pack house. The truth is, I don’t want to be alone either. The familiar smells and sounds settle me as I lie in the large, wooden bed in my old room.
The wooden beams have fairy lights on them, giving warmth to the space, and the room itself is decorated with handmade wooden furniture from Daio, a pack member who is very talented. The moon shines through the huge bay windows, which have a cushioned nook before them, looking out at our pack land. The door for the en suite is slightly ajar and throwing warm, white light across the carpeted floor.
The old glow stars on the ceiling catch the moon’s rays and light up softly, causing a familiar, nostalgic sadness to fill me.
I’m exhausted but unable to sleep, so I slip from the wide bed and pad to the window, sitting with my knees pulled to my chest as I look out at the dark forest below. I can hear the howls of our wolves and see the lights in the cabins throughout our territory, and above it all hangs the moon.
As a wolf, we crave comfort and companionship. I often appreciate my solitude, but my wolf likes to be warm and pressed against other bodies, and it’s a constant battle—one mywolf won today. My concern, anger, and thoughts of the three hunters mix and make me volatile.
Is Jai dead?
If he survived, then my guess would be right—he’s part wolf.
I smelled it on him the first day but could never quite figure it out, not until that night when I saw the beast in his eyes, as if waiting to be freed. I dealt a killing blow, and if he were simply human, he would be dead and Vale and Lucien would hunt me to the ends of the earth, but if he survived, then it proved the hunter is hunting his own kind.
Does he even know?
