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“You and me both.”
Adora capped the eyeliner and gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“It’s one night. Just a couple of hours, then we can come back and watch some episodes of The Vampire Diaries. ’Kay?” She smiled, and it was brilliant. My sister was absolutely stunning with hair that changed in the light, morphing with shades of blues and greens. People often noticed her small, curvy frame or big, brown eyes. It was her smile I liked best, though.
“’Kay,” I repeated, taking a deep breath.
I checked my appearance in the full-length mirror, appraising my outfit. The night was a celebration, but the dress code was never formal, at least not for shifters. Black leggings with a nice tunic and boots were simple and tasteful—and it allowed me to be a wallflower. I applied a quick coat of mascara and swiped my phone off the bathroom counter. Rowe reclined back on my bed, kicking her feet up.
“You good if I hang out here?” she asked. “I can head back to my room if you prefer.” Rowe was the only human in our pack, and part of a very small number that our House accepted. At the bottom of the totem pole in the new world order, she existed as the pack janitor—and punching bag on more than one occasion.
It was total bullshit that the others could treat her that way just because she didn’t have magic, and almost everyone overlooked it. More than once, Adora and I had taken a hit meant for her. We might have been outcasts too, but at least we had magic. We could heal fast. Rowe? Not so much.
“Go for it. If I’m not back until late, feel free to just crash here. I wouldn’t want to be out tonight if I were you.”
Drunk shifters? Wayward magic? Loose morals because everyone was too preoccupied with the commemoration downtown?
Yeah, no. It was a recipe for disaster if one of the pack assholes found her on a night like tonight. She was way safer here with my mom and stepmom, Abbey.
“Thanks, Dannika. You’re the best,” Rowen said with a wink, reaching for the remote.
“No, she’s not,” Adora called from across the house. We both rolled our eyes, and I flashed her a smile before closing the bedroom door behind me. “I don’t know why Rowe inflates her ego like that,” she continued, speaking loudly, so her voice carried. The humor in her tone made me smile. “We all know who the best really is.”
My moms’ laughter greeted me as I walked around the corner and into our living room. It was modest, but it was just what we needed for our family. A navy-blue sofa and coal-colored recliner were the only furniture in the common space. We couldn’t fit more. Not with Nova, my wolf.
She lifted her head when I walked in. Her icy-blue eyes were exactly the same shade as my own, and her fur was just as silver as my hair. Eight feet long, from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail, and nearly four feet tall, she was a true Alpha Wolf and the rightful heir of this pack—if not for one little problem.
I couldn’t shift.
When other toddlers had been turning into cubs, I’d been cut off from her. I’d known she was there, but not how to bring her forward. Our bond was broken somehow.
But we’d found a way to fix it, however unconventional it may have been.
I still couldn’t shift, but she was with me always. The other half of my soul, brought forth with the help of a witch. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, even if it made me a freak.
“Oh, honey,” Mom said. “You look so grown up now.” I sensed the sadness in her voice as she walked up and embraced me with strong arms. Behind her, Adora and Abbey stood at the kitchen counter, watching us.
“No more than I did yesterday,” I reminded her. She was always very emotional on her daughters’ birthday. I hated leaving her when I knew the grief had resurfaced. I was so thankful that she’d found the strength to love again when she’d mated with Abbey. It made it easier, knowing that my stepmom was here for her when I couldn’t be.
“I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you too.”
Mom lifted her hand, cupping it around my jaw as she pulled back a few inches. Her dark-brown eyes looked over me like she was committing my face to memory. She always did. It was part of why I hated leaving her for any reason on my birthday. While many years had gone by, this day seemed to take her back in time every year. The pain became fresh. Raw.
It made me even more pissed off about being forced to attend this year’s commemoration.
“You get that from your daddy,” she said wistfully.
“What?”
“Your steadfastness.” She patted my cheek. “He was loyal to a fault, but also fair. Never seemed to have an issue figuring out right from wrong, despite how much the rest of us could struggle with it. He would have been so proud of the woman you’ve become . . . at how much you’ve taken care of me, even when you shouldn’t have needed to.”
I frowned at the water pooling in her eyes.
This was exactly what I’d wanted to avoid, not because I didn’t care—but because I hated seeing her like this.
“Mom,” I said quietly, shaking my head. I brought my hand up to cup around her fingers, squeezing gently. “You did the best you could.”
