4. Gracie
Gracie
“Ravik,” I said as gently as I could. “I promise I feel much better.” The man stared at me like I was off my rocker, and honestly maybe I was, but the scar on my shoulder didn’t even hurt anymore.
“Nyxarra said I’d gotten gifts from the other gods, so the healing and my wolf being more present is probably one and the same. ”
Ravik’s golden eyes darkened as he shook his head, but he gave in and tucked me against him, my frame curled against his massive chest. Thornar was kneeling right in front of me, his gaze moving over the scar, his chocolate brown eyes bleeding gold as a deep rumble left his throat.
“I’m fine,” I promised him as well. With a glance at Basir, who was standing by the door waiting for the lunch that would be arriving shortly, I added, “Better than fine.”
I felt amazing, and the fact that I’d taken a long hot bath with Basir after our intense experience? It made everything ten times better.
It was only after we’d finished and gotten dressed that the other two had returned. Apparently both of them had gone to talk to Waylon, and in their absence I’d woken up.
I hadn’t asked about it yet—I couldn’t think about their meeting or much of anything else until I ate. My stomach kept rumbling, to the point that even I was concerned.
Even though it was mid-afternoon, I’d been hoping Thornar and Ravik would have time to sleep at some point while I was unconscious. I should have known better. My mates—who were still extremely handsome—looked a bit rough.
Ravik’s chocolate hair and beard were unkempt, his dark shirt wrinkled and spotted with dried blood. His gaze was sharp, but exhaustion had settled into his frame, his shoulders sagging.
Thornar looked more rested, and he had clearly changed and showered, his coiled black hair still damp. His scent of brown sugar and bourbon filled the air around us and caused me to physically relax, making me almost sleepy.
It probably helped that I felt so safe and comfortable between the two of them.
“I still don’t like it,” Ravik rumbled. “Basir, you shouldn’t have—”
“No.” I stopped Ravik by placing my hand on his. “I wanted every moment of what he gave me. He didn’t rush anything.”
I could feel relief move through my bond with Basir, my confidence and certainty dissolving any lingering doubts.
Ravik considered my words as Thornar chuckled knowingly.
It was obvious they had felt the shift in our bond, but much like when Thornar had marked me, neither of them seemed bothered by it.
If anything, each marking seemed to pull the four of us closer together.
Thornar suddenly stood to help Basir guide the lunch cart, piled high with what looked like an entire kitchen’s worth of food, through the door. I resisted the urge to help as they began to lay everything out on the coffee table, knowing Ravik probably wouldn’t let me up.
My gaze drifted up to the domed ceiling of the suite and then out the windows, where the sea flashed in a sparkling array of colors.
I wanted to go outside, but I worried that asking to return to the same patio I’d been injured on, at least today, would send Basir spiraling. I couldn’t blame him for that.
The danger was extinguished, but we still had enemies.
“I’m glad you feel closer to your wolf,” Ravik rumbled. “But I don’t love that the gods have such easy access to you, even if it appears to be helpful.”
“I’m getting used to it,” I admitted, then dropped my voice into a whisper. “I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.”
There was a moment of quiet before Ravik spoke honestly. “I understand why they chose you—it doesn’t surprise me—I just wish it wasn’t placing you in such a deadly position.”
Or with such large-scale physical effects. Although, I had to wonder if the visions would affect me as much now.
“Before we deal with any gods,” Thornar said, closing the door and joining the three of us around the coffee table, “we all need to eat. Especially you, Gracie.”
I didn’t argue that. For the next twenty minutes I existed in a bubble of warm tea, pancakes, and an overfilled plate of fruit.
I was comfortable and feeling far better by the last few bites, but it did surprise me when a knock sounded at the door.
I tensed in surprise, my teacup shaking slightly in my hand.
“That’s Healer Thorne,” Basir assured me. He sat next to me as Thornar went to grab the door. When I reached out to grab his hand, he offered me a heated look that made my heart beat just a bit faster.
“Good morning! There is our patient!” Healer Thorne’s daughter, Lucy, strode in exuding warmth with a huge smile on her face. Unlike last time, both Lucy and Healer Thorne were dressed in dark robes and carrying bags branded with the Stark Flight’s crest.
“The second time you’ve had to treat me,” I offered softly as they got settled. Thornar moved the coffee table out of the way and brought Healer Thorne a chair so he could sit in front of me while Lucy began to unpack gauze. I shrugged off my coat so they could see the wound.
“Oh!” Lucy said happily as her father examined my shoulder. “Well that is amazing, but what is—”
“A mating mark,” Healer Thorne said hurriedly, his ears turning pink as Lucy’s eyes went wide in understanding. “Nothing to worry about.”
I tried not to melt with embarrassment.
Healer Thorne settled back into his chair and spoke frankly. “Your wolf and magic seem replenished. You seem different. Your magic seems different.”
His words hung in the air for a long moment, and I had to bite back my explanation. While I trusted them, it probably wasn’t smart to explain I had been given strength by the gods.
Thorne continued. “I won’t ask how or why, but I’ve been around long enough to know that doesn’t happen by accident. My biggest question is: do you feel okay?”
“Much better than before,” I promised him.
“And more powerful,” Lucy added, offering me a bright smile, eyes sparkling with curiosity. “That is never a bad thing.”
If she only knew why. I would probably never be as powerful as my mates—being an Alpha came with a different signature—I’d nonetheless been fundamentally altered.
I was shifting and growing into something new, something I’d never sensed from anyone except maybe high priestesses like Ravik’s sister, Solenne.
My natural power was becoming other. A different type of magic.
“If you begin to feel differently or unwell in any way, we are always available,” Healer Thorne said, standing with help from his daughter.
“I hope you don’t feel like you made the trip here for nothing,” I said, standing to walk with him to the door. “I really appreciate everything, including your help when we first arrived.”
“Oh, it’s no problem.” Lucy squeezed her dad’s arm. “Don’t ever hesitate to call us. Besides, we’re doing a presentation for healers planning to aid in the war effort, so this was on our way.”
After they left, a grim sense of determination took hold of me.
My mates talked quietly as I thought of healers being trained for what was to come.
Because we would need them. Because this war with Ivan wouldn’t be easy—it would be dangerous, bloody, and deadly.
There would be people who didn’t walk away from it.
Once the healers were gone I went into the bathroom, needing a moment to myself before we left our peaceful haven to face whatever conversation waited with Waylon and his mate. I caught my reflection in the mirror and, not for the first time, was struck by how much I’d changed in less than a month.
My hair was shiny and lay down my back, the front twisted and pulled away from my face. My skin, once pale and sickly, was practically glowing, and my gold eyes flashed with an internal light that had everything to do with how I was being treated, the freedom I now enjoyed.
I shrugged my dark jacket back on, adjusted my green empire dress, and returned to my mates. The three of them were still in the living room, not exactly relaxed but more at peace now that the healer had come and gone.
I paused in the doorway to savor the moment, knowing that one day, after all of this was over, we would have a different kind of afternoon.
One that would look like this, but without an impending war.
A future where we maybe even had our own family, kids running around while we enjoyed lunch and talked about our plans for the day.
Children. My brow furrowed as the thought landed. I’d just been with Basir without any protection, and that was after Thornar. Both times they’d finished inside me, and we hadn’t used any protection.
Did they realize that? Did they care? Would they be worried if I brought it up? How did I even feel about that?
I forced myself to actually consider the potential consequences of what we’d done as panic coiled tightly in my chest. Not over the actual possibility, but their reaction.
For over a decade, I’d been told my opinion didn’t matter.
So much so that my initial reaction was to consider others’ feelings rather than how I felt about it myself.
So instead of thinking about my mates, I closed my eyes and leaned against the doorway, letting the thought settle as I mulled it over.
I knew I wanted children. I knew I wanted them with my mates. I could feel how strong our bond was even now, and I had no doubt it would only grow. I wanted my children raised around that kind of love.
But not now. Now was nowhere close to the right time. I needed to focus on the challenges ahead, and I needed to ask my mates how they felt. Eventually. I was bolder than I used to be, but I was still hesitant to bring up such a heavy topic.
“Come sit down, little flame,” Thornar said, finally noticing me hesitating in the doorway. “After everything that happened, I don’t want to be far from you.”
The pure honesty in his statement made my heart squeeze as I went to join him on the couch. Another knock sounded at the door, and I could feel who stood on the other side before Ravik even moved to answer it.
“There she is!” Bishu swept in and pulled me into a hug. It was such a maternal gesture, so unexpected, that I simply absorbed the comfort for a moment before squeezing her back.
She pulled back, hands on my shoulders. “That should never have happened. I promise we will find out how they got inside of our home. To target our guests is the biggest insult!”
Waylon appeared at her side and pressed a gentle hand to her back, smiling fondly. “Give Gracie a bit of space, my love.”
“I don’t mind,” I promised, inviting them to join us at the couch with a wave of my hand. I could still see the anger in Bishu’s gaze, though, and it was reflected in Waylon’s expression as they sat and he regarded the four of us.
Tashmin, their ever-present companion, stood near the door with her eyes closed in meditation—almost like a soldier on guard.
I had no doubt the High Priestess was reading the magic and energy in the room.
After what she had seen in her previous reading of me, I didn’t plan on hiding anything from them. There was no point.
“We’re here to apologize,” Waylon reiterated. “For the failure in security and for the injury you sustained. That should never have happened in our territory, let alone in our own home. Those responsible will see consequences.”
“We appreciate that,” Ravik said. I bit my lip, pushing down the urge to say I didn’t want anyone punished for what had happened. That I was completely fine. Because if Basir had taken that bullet instead of me, I knew I would have felt far differently than I did now.
“It is clear we have very little time before this conflict fully takes shape,” Bishu added. “For them to strike so directly means they’re scared. They don’t want a full war—they were probably hoping to end it before it even began.”
I nodded in agreement before explaining, “In a way, the opposite has happened. While I was recovering, I was given gifts. Several of them.”
Tashmin was definitely listening now.
“Gifts?” Waylon asked, a subtle demand for more information.
So I told them. I spoke quietly as I told them how I’d traversed the realms of the gods and what Nyxarra had told me. I told them about experiencing Kaevorak’s realm and its broken state. I told them about my wolf. When I finished, Tashmin’s face held no surprise, but Waylon’s and Bishu’s did.
“I have only traveled to Yvelis’ home once,” Tashmin admitted. “It is as you describe.”
“Gracie, I hope you realize that you are so much more than a wolf shifter,” Bishu said in soft awe. “We’ve spoken to the gods, paid homage, and I myself have gone to them in dreams—especially while pregnant—but to be invited in their homes? You are favored.”
“I’m just grateful it wasn’t dangerous,” I said.
“They know what’s coming,” Ravik said, “and they seem to be offering every tool they can to help us.”
Unlike the politics of territory alliances, the gods’ allegiance felt straightforward. Without strings. It was a huge relief—even though having to interact with them was still objectively terrifying.
Waylon sat forward. “Which means that after you rest, we need to decide how to proceed. Our soldiers stand ready—they were prepared before, but now they are angry. In Stark Flight, we don’t take kindly to someone invading our home.”
I couldn’t imagine I would, either.
“We won’t rest for long,” Basir said, regret that he couldn’t give me more time to recover evident in his voice. “We have twelve days until the full moon.”
Twelve days to get ready to face Ivan. It didn’t feel like enough.
“We need a plan,” Thornar agreed.
“Tonight, after dinner,” Ravik said. “I want Gracie to rest before we make any decisions.”
I appreciated that, but they needed rest more than I did right now. My gaze moved over each of them as they talked through the logistics of the things that couldn’t wait, and I felt the weight of the deadline press down on me.
Twelve days until the Hunter’s Moon Ritual.
Twelve days to save everyone.