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“I still don’t understand the whole mating bond thing or why you have three of them, butdamnI have to admit, I’m jealous,” Madison said.
“It’s not without complications,” I said.
“I’m sure,” she said.
“Skylar.” Xander walked into the kitchen, making the tiny room feel even more crowded. He had a helmet under each arm and handed one to me. “Let’s go before it gets too late.”
I took the helmet and glanced around the room. “Good luck.”
“You too,” Madison said.
David and Elias both nodded at me in an eerily similar gesture. They might look like opposites, but sometimes their actions reminded me that they were brothers. I’d noticed quite a few things they shared in common the last few days, though I’d never say that out loud to either of them.
There was still a lot of tension there but with our current situation, none of the old drama mattered. We had bigger issues to solve first.
I turned and left the room, feeling a tug of sadness as I did. It was going to be odd being away from David and Elias after three full days together.
Plus, there was a weight of concern in my gut for Madison. We’d gotten to know each other and we became fast friends. She and I had a lot in common. The biggest difference was that she didn’t remember being an assassin for hire. She’d been a human bounty hunter working on MMA stardom prior to her capture. She remembered that life as if it were yesterday, but the past five years were an empty void.
The spell they were going to perform should bring those memories back, but it was risky. It was possible they could end up erasing all her memories or damaging her mind.
I was worried about going to meet Xander’s pack, but Madison was the one taking the real risk.
We sped down the road, the wind whipping around me. I was getting more used to the movement on the motorcycle and I loved having my thighs squeezed around Xander.
If it weren’t for the threat of the queen and all the unfinished business we had, I would be enjoying the ride. The sun was shining, and the air smelled clean. It was a perfect, beautiful spring day. I closed my eyes and inhaled, imagining what life might be like once this was all behind us.
My stomach tightened as Lola came to mind. I lingered on the thought for a minute, still heartbroken that I wouldn’t get to hang out with her again. I squeezed Xander tighter. He likely felt the same pain I did and when we were able to slow down and catch our breath, we could finally process her loss together.
I looked around at the new green leaves on the trees poking through the sea of pine. New life thrived all around us, reminding me that though it all, life goes on.
That was part of why we were heading to see Xander’s pack. Each spring, the entire High Moon Pack gathered for the first full moon after the Equinox. Tonight, was that full moon. Members of his pack would come from miles, sometimes even from across the country. It was a homecoming of sorts, an event they participated in at each change of the season.
Xander had to be part of it and if we were going under better circumstances, maybe I wouldn’t feel so nervous. Instead, he would have to share the bad news about Lola’s death and the loss of the moon stone.
It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to meet my new pack mates. The idea of being part of a pack still freaked me out as it was. I supposed it could only improve from here, right? There was no way things would get worse than this, right? We had a plan, we were confident we could get back the stone. Next time I saw his pack, we could be celebrating that no more members would have to go into exile to hide the stone. I tried to focus on that thought as we turned into the campground.
It was an isolated, wooded area and Xander had told me the pack reserved the entire site for the weekend. Tonight, they would honor the full moon and every member of the pack would shift and run in the woods.
A chill ran through me. Hundreds of wolves running wild and free. It was something I’d only dreamed of seeing and never imagined I’d experience.
I suppose that was the other thing making me nervous. Fern had said that once Xander and I completed our bond, I would be able to shift.
Tonight, I’d find out if that was true.
