TWO DAYS LATER
It’s been two days since the war of all wars, and we’re back in Wyoming. I wanted to get far away from Colorado and from anything having to do with Soren. I’m thankful no one in our pack was severely injured. And luckily, no one had been bitten other than me. The story of what happened with Micah and the Great Luna has been spreading around the packs like wildfire. There are so many shifters in the world who question the Great Luna’s existence. Now, they have the means to believe. Maybe it’s what the Great Luna wanted by bestowing her magic onto Micah. She knew that word would spread, and it’d make her presence stronger.
The world of shifters isn’t the same anymore … it’s much, much better. Several people have heard from some of the surrounding packs how they felt a shift in the air on the very night of the fight, a good shift. Does it mean all the Dark Luna’s evil is gone? Probably not, but I know it was the Great Luna’s victory.
Standing in front of the closet, I scan all my clothes, not knowing what I should pack.
“I think you should take the light pink shirt. I like that color on you,” Dany says from behind.
Smiling, I pull the pink shirt off its hanger and turn to face her.
Dany grins warmly at me and tucks her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she enters the bedroom. “Are you excited?”
After folding the pink shirt, I walk over to the half-filled suitcase on the bed and place it inside. Am I excited? The full moon is only four days away, and Micah’s taking me back to California. “Yes, but I’m also nervous at the same time,” I confess.
Dany giggles. “Of course you are. Completing the bond is a huge step.”
Yes, it is, but I’m more than ready.
She walks over to the bed and leans against the bedpost. I concentrate on her face, but the claw marks that had marred her skin the other day are gone.
“You’re fully healed now,” I say delicately.
Dany touches her cheek. “Yeah. It hurt like hell, but I got my revenge in the end. It felt good to rip that bitch’s head off.” There were only three females, and I had killed one of them while she and Kami discarded the other two.
There was a lot of carnage the night of the fight. We piled all the bodies together and burned them when everything was finished. As soon as they were nothing but ash, we all left and never looked back.
“Well, I’m glad you’re better. I was terrified when you faced off with Saul.”
Dany’s smile fades, and she looks away. “I’m not the type of girl to be scared by anyone, but Saul had a creep factor to him.” She shudders and turns back to me. “I’m just lucky Stark was able to help me finish him off. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”
My eyes burn. “I was so worried about you. Thank you for trying to protect me.”
Tears well up in her eyes, and she walks over to me, pulling me in for a hug. “I would do anything for you.”
“Anything?” I ask, sniffling.
She snickers. “Anything.”
I let her go and wipe away my tears. “Good. You can help me pack then.” Once over at my dresser, I reach in and grab a handful of underwear and socks, tossing it all to Dany.
Laughing, Dany throws everything in my suitcase. “How long are you two going to be gone?”
Searching through my bras, I pick out four I like. “Eh, probably a week or so. I’m not sure.”
I throw the bras at her, and one of the straps smacks her in the face. “Nice, Rae. Nothing like getting slapped by a bra. I think my face has endured quite enough punishment for the time being.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologize sheepishly. “I’m not going to throw anything else at you.” I grab a few more things out of the drawer, which does it for my packing. My suitcase is stuffed to the brim, so Dany sits on top while I zip it up. “All right, I’m finished,” I say, happy that it’s done. I nod for Dany to follow me out. “Want me to make us some hot chocolate?”
Dany grabs her stomach. “I’d love it. Make mine with extra marshmallows and whipped cream.”
I wink at her. “You got it.”
Dany goes into the living room while I fix our hot chocolate in the new hot chocolate maker I bought just this morning. All you have to do is put in the milk and drop the chocolate shavings into the machine. It swirls it all around and heats it simultaneously, making it creamy and smooth.
Once our cups of hot chocolate are done, I carry them into the living room. Dany moans when she takes a sip of hers. “This is delicious. I think I need one of those hot chocolate makers for myself.”
I lift the steaming cup to my lips. “You can use mine anytime you want,” I tell her.
Leaning back on the couch, Dany sighs when she looks at me. “I think it’s great you and Micah are going to complete the bond this next full moon.” She shakes her head and chuckles. “Although I am shocked you chose to do it in California. Micah told you that you could pick anywhere in the world, and he’d take you.”
It is true; he gave me the choice. However, there was only one place I felt would be right in my heart. “One day, you’ll have to visit Micah’s cottage. If it wasn’t so far away from everyone, I could see myself staying there permanently.”
Dany smiles, but I notice a hint of sadness in it. “Maybe one day I can.” She finishes her hot chocolate and looks around the house. “Is Micah still with his brothers?”
I nod. “Yep. And with Laila. She’s going to see if she can figure out if the Great Luna’s magic had altered him somehow.”
A whistle escapes Dany’s lips. “Wow, that’s insane. Do you think it changed him?”
“Of course it did,” I say, laughing. “I can feel it. Micah’s a lot stronger than he was before. Will it last forever? I don’t know. We shall see, though.” Maybe giving him that extra strength is the Great Luna’s way of making amends for taking his memories. We should always have the choice to choose our fate, but she didn’t let him have that decision. After killing Soren, it’s almost like it gave him closure. Because when I dig through Micah’s mind, I don’t feel his need to know what happened in his past. I’m happy he’s able to move forward.
Dany’s cell phone chirps in her pocket, and she huffs out a sigh. She pulls it out and hits the ignore button. “Who was that?” I ask, wondering who she’s trying to avoid.
She sets her phone on the armrest. “Archer’s been calling me for the past couple of weeks. More so now that word has spread about what happened.” Dany’s gaze shifts to her phone when it alerts her that she has a voicemail. “He keeps leaving voicemails saying how he’s worried about me and that he wants to talk.” She rubs a hand over her forehead. “He says he had no idea Soren was what he was.”
Archer was always a good guy in my eyes, handsome and thoughtful. Then again, so was Soren. People can hide who they indeed are. Even though Dany never admitted it, I know she’s harbored feelings for Archer.
“Do you believe him?” I question her. Dany closes her eyes, and I can sense her hesitance. “You can tell me the truth, Dany. If you believe him, I won’t think there’s something wrong with you.”
Sheepishly, she meets my gaze. “In my heart, I believe Archer. I don’t know how to explain it.” She looks away and focuses on the snow coming down outside. “I kind of miss him. Like there’s a longing I’ve never felt before when I think of him.
It reminds me of how I felt for Micah all those years when we were apart. “Maybe he’s your mate,” I suggest.
Dany’s eyes widen. “What should I do?”
Reaching over, I squeeze her hand. “The only thing you can do. Invite Archer here to Wyoming. You’ll be safe with all the royals around. Plus, he’d be an idiot to do anything stupid. If the Great Luna wants him as your mate, she’ll let it happen.”
Dany stares at her phone, and then she jumps to her feet. “You know what, I am going to call him. It feels right.” She grabs her phone and hurries outside.
A part of me wants to listen to her conversation, but I busy myself instead. Taking her empty cup, I carry it into the kitchen along with mine and wash them out. As soon as Micah gets home in a few minutes, we’ll be leaving for California. I’m curious to hear what Laila says about his new powers. I’ve thought about peeking into his mind, but I don’t like to do that often. I don’t want him to think I’m needy.
A laugh echoes in my mind. “You’re not needy, Raelynn. If it makes you feel any better, I was eavesdropping in your head. So guess I’m the needy one.”
Smiling, I lean against the kitchen counter. “How did it go with Laila?”
“Pretty interesting. I’ll tell you about it on the way to California. I’m leaving now, and I’ll be home in a few.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
I hear Dany say her good-byes to Archer, so I walk outside and join her on the front porch. “Well,” I start, “how did it go?”
Dany shrugs. “Archer will be here tonight. It looks like I’ll find out then.”
Her heartbeat is so loud I could probably hear it over a mile away. “Don’t be nervous.”
She snorts. “Easier said than done. I just don’t want him to be like Soren. We all thought he was a good guy and look what happened. He had us all fooled.”
“Yes, he did,” I agreed, “but again, Archer is coming into our territory. It takes a lot of balls to do that.”
Dany giggles and blows out a nervous breath. “Yeah, you have a point.”
We sit down on the swing and rock back and forth for a few minutes until Micah arrives. He parks and gets out of the car. “You finished packing yet, love?” he calls out.
Dany and I stand.
“Yep,” I reply. “My ten suitcases are on the bed waiting for you to put them in that small trunk of yours.” My one suitcase will barely fit in his sports car. It’s a good thing he packs light.
Micah shakes his head, laughing. “Guess I’ll be picking which suitcase of yours to take. Hope it’s the one you need.”
Rolling my eyes, I wave him off. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Once he’s inside, I hug Dany hard. “Good luck with Archer.”
She chuckles. “Thanks. He’s going to need it with my brother. I know Stark is going to be suspicious of him since he was Soren’s second-in-command.”
“True,” I agree, shrugging half-heartedly, “but Archer’s not a black wolf, and neither are the rest of the Black Hills pack. They have been our family for the past few months. They shouldn’t be held accountable for their alpha’s sins.”
Dany nods. “Archer’s their alpha now. He says the pack voted for him.”
“Good. I hope it works out for him,” I say wholeheartedly.
Micah walks out carrying our bags, and puts them in the trunk. “I think I picked the right bag,” he teases, winking at me.
“Smart man. I knew I kept you around for a reason.”
Dany holds out her arms. “All right, I know you two need to get to the airport.” She hugs me hard. “I love you, Rae.”
Her words warm my heart. “I love you, too. I’ll see you when we get back.”
Micah and I get in the car and head to the airport. He reaches over and takes my hand, lifting it to his lips.
“So, tell me what happened with Laila?” I insist.
His mouth pulls back into a smile. “I don’t think I want to tell you now.”
I squeeze his hand as hard as I can, but it doesn’t even make him wince. “Tell me,” I demand impatiently. “What did Laila figure out?”
Micah pulls over to the side of the road. “Let me show you.”
We get out, and he takes my hand, leading me into the forest and away from prying eyes if someone were to drive by. Micah releases his hold on me and kneels to the ground, placing his hands on the earth. The second his eyes close, the colorful tendrils that swirled around his body the night of the attack are back. I can feel the power seep into him through our bond, making him stronger.
Opening his eyes, Micah smiles. “Now watch this.” The magic that flowed into his body slowly begins to filter back into the earth.
“What’s going on?”
Once all the magic is absorbed into the land, Micah stands. He takes my hand and pulls me close. “We don’t know for certain, but Laila’s pretty sure the Great Luna gave me the ability to draw energy from the earth’s elements. How long will this gift last? We don’t know. But I believe it was given to me because she knows I wouldn’t abuse it. That’s why I gave the earth back the energy I just took. I wanted to show you what I can do.”
My eyes widen in shock. “That’s an incredible gift. I’m very happy for you.”
Micah nods, but then averts his gaze. “After I started having visions of the black wolves and Faith, I began doubting my worth. I’ve spent my entire life being a protector, and to think I let Faith down …”
I place a finger over his lips. “You didn’t fail her, Micah. She’s safe and mated to an amazing alpha.”
Micah’s icy blue gaze bores into mine. “Still,” he says, taking my hand, “I felt like a failure, and I can’t even remember what went wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I murmur soothingly. “The Great Luna wanted you to forget, and now she’s given you this exciting gift. This power makes you stronger than any shifter in the world. Well, besides Laila. She’s got that whole half-fae thing going on.”
Micah’s eyes twinkle as if he knows something I don’t.
“What is it?”
He shrugs. “If I’m this strong without being bonded, my power will only intensify when we mate.”
“So, what are you saying?” I wonder.
“I’m saying,” he says, pulling me in tighter, “that when we complete the bond, this magic might go to you as well. We’ll have to try it out.”
Through our connection, I can feel how magical it is for him. I can only imagine how amazing it’ll be to experience it myself. If this ability does transfer to me, I hope the Great Luna finds me worthy.
“We will find out soon enough,” I murmur, kissing him quickly. “Right now, we have to go, or we’ll miss our flight.”
We get back to the car and head on our way to the airport. Micah reaches into the backseat and drops a black gift box on my lap that’s only secured with a red ribbon. And on top is a card with my name written on it.
“What’s this?”
Micah shrugs. “Not sure. It’s from Bailey and Faith.”
I slide my finger under the flap of the envelope and pull out the card. It reads: We thought you might like this. That is, if Micah doesn’t rip it off.
Clearing my throat, I turn the card over so Micah can’t see what it says. I unwrap the red ribbon and peek into the box, wondering what kind of nonsense Bailey and Faith are up to. When I see what’s inside, I smile and close the box, making sure not to envision anything in my mind.
Micah glances over at me, his eyes curious as he glances from me to the box. “What’s in it?”
I give him the biggest grin I can muster. “It’s a surprise.”
And I’m going to make sure he enjoys every minute of it.