Chapter Twenty-Two
Skylar Cathal
The five of us decided to share a room. None of them wanted to leave my side. I was thankful for their support and company. The last thing I wanted was to be alone right now.
We picked one of the largest rooms at the top of the staircase that overlooked the entrance to the manor, adjacent to Daxton and Castor’s quarters when they were here.
Rhea and Talon slept together in a smaller bed tucked into the far corner, while Neera decided to sleep next to me, with Shaw on my other side.
The three of us easily fit into one of the overly large wooden-framed beds.
As we all settled in, Neera was the first to find sleep, her head tucked into my chest, holding onto me through the final hours of the night.
I glanced to my right, looking over the top of a slumbering Shaw, to see the branches of the spruce trees dancing in the breeze through the nearby window. Winter was well underway, with frost along the edges of the windowsill framing the outside world in a beautiful, iced silhouette.
“Can’t sleep?”
I twitched, with Shaw’s voice catching me off guard.
“Gods above,” I hissed quietly. “I thought you were asleep.”
He shrugged. “You thought wrong.”
“Clearly.”
“What’s keeping you up?” Shaw whispered.
Neera stirred against me, but thankfully, she remained asleep.
“Too many things,” I replied.
“Night terrors?”
“No, not really, not anymore…” I trailed off, realizing I hadn’t had a dream about my capture since I’d arrived in Silver Meadows.
Gods, I missed him.
“That’s good,” Shaw said.
“Yours?” I dared to ask.
“They come and go, but none have ripped me from a good night’s sleep for a few years now, thankfully.” He stilled and turned onto his back to gaze at the wood panel ceiling. “Ask.”
“Ask what?”
“Really?” Shaw murmured, casting me a brazen sideways glance. His black hair, so dark it seemed to shimmer blue in the light, tumbled effortlessly over his hazel eyes. “I know you better than that, Sky. Ask me about what happened on the steps with Xander.”
“Fine.” I sighed. “Why didn’t you take the mantle? Why is Xander the beta and not you?”
I knew Xander’s well of power deemed him strong enough to hold the position of beta within our pack, along with his strength and fighting abilities.
But Shaw… Shaw’s magic was undeniably more.
Their scuffle on the steps and Rhea’s comment about pretending only solidified my suspicion. I just didn’t understand why.
“Not many know,” Shaw whispered.
“Does Magnus?”
“Yes,” Shaw said. “He was the first one I sought out when I shifted.”
“And?”
“I asked him about what I should do. What role I needed to step into for the sake of our pack.” Shaw went still, his face twisting as he dove deep within his thoughts. “I asked him if I should challenge Xander and become Gilen’s beta.”
“The beta,” I whispered. “The bond between alpha and beta is different compared to the rest of the pack.” I recalled Magnus describing the differences between his beta bonds with Alistar and my father, Emery. “Judging by the circumstances now, I assume you didn’t challenge Xander?”
“In a way.”
“Enlighten me.”
He sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”
“You? Hard to explain?” I turned to look at him, “Now that’s a first.”
“It’s hard to describe the feelings attached to it, Skylar,” he whispered with a low growl laced in his words.
“For males, those tend to be difficult. I can agree with you on that.”
“Gods.” He sighed, palming his face, the scars along his forearms shimmering white against the splash of dawn trickling along the distant horizon. “Magnus asked me if I felt the pull.”
“The pull?”
“Yes, the drive to become Gilen’s beta. The call of the alpha to follow him. Like I said, it’s hard to explain.”
“Oh,” I replied. “And I’m guessing you didn’t?”
“No more than Rhea, Talon, or Neera,” Shaw continued. “So, I decided to let it be. To continue in my current rank within the pack.”
“But your magic is—”
“Is not meant to serve this alpha,” Shaw cut in, sliding his gaze to me. “I’m not meant to serve as beta to Gilen.”
It was my turn to be stunned into silence.
“That was all I could piece together anyways, because it wasn’t long after that when Julia died…” Shaw trailed off. Losing Julia was devastating for all those who knew her. “It’s been chaotic since then, and I stepped in to help however I could. And then Neera and I—”
“Do you love her?” I asked, my protective side emerging as I glared at the male.
Shaw flinched against my stare, feeling the power and meaning behind it. “Again, it’s complicated.”
“Because, Shaw, I love you like a brother, but if you hurt her… If you—”
“I know. Shh,” he hushed, waving his hand. “Calm down, I know. We haven’t done anything like that, Sky. Gods, I couldn’t live with myself if I did. She just lost her mother.”
“Good,” I said with a sharp bite to my words.
“We were there for each other,” Shaw said. “There’s something that could be nurtured and eventually grow, but—”
“You’re not a mated pair.”
“No,” he answered with a heavy sigh. “And we all know how Neera feels about finding her mate.” Shaw shifted as he cleared his throat, his mind working to accurately articulate his emotions.
“The blissful joy of a true mate bond is unlike anything else in this world. Witnessing Rhea and Talon’s relationship unfold only helped solidify my desire to someday find my own mate.
” He chuckled with a grin, glancing at his brother on the far side of the room.
“I see,” I answered, looking down at my sweet cousin sleeping on my chest. “Thank you,” I breathed. “Thank you for being here when I couldn’t, Shaw. For that, you will forever have my gratitude.”
He gave me a soft smile and nodded. “We both need some sleep.”
“It’s almost daylight,” I answered. “We should be waking up, not going to sleep.”
“Then put a pillow over your eyes and pretend,” Shaw said, rolling over. “Sky,” he spoke my name, followed by a long silence. “You know that we’re going to stand by you in this, right?”
I smiled. “Never a doubt.”
“If he can’t see the reason behind your request and he challenges you, I can fight in your place if—”
“Stop,” I told him. “You don’t need to do anything besides being my friend.” Even though his back was turned toward me, I knew he was grinning. “No matter what, I’ll complete the final trial.”
“Never a doubt,” Shaw answered. “Night.”
“Almost morning,” I replied, knowing sleep would likely not come for me.
“Please be quiet,” Rhea grumbled across the room as she moved to curl against Talon’s side. “If you two don’t go to sleep, I’ll put you to sleep with that gods-damned poppy tea.”
“She’ll do it,” Talon grumbled, looping his arm over her middle.
“Fine,” I answered, snuggling closer to Neera. I reluctantly closed my eyes, giving my body a chance to prepare for what the following day would bring.