Chapter 24
ROWAN
The moment Iris rounds the corner with her rattling tray and vanishes toward the kitchen, I’m tugging on Cade’s hand and ready to…
Okay. I don’t actually know what I’m ready to do, because no matter what comes out of my mouth, I’m pretty sure it would only add fuel to the already-blazing bonfire of dysfunction we call family dynamics.
My chest rumbles with a frustrated sigh. “This is a lose-lose situation, isn’t it?”
Cade smiles patiently at me. “It could be a win. Just don’t say anything at all. It’ll drive them crazy.”
I grimace. “But poor Marius.”
“He’ll adjust,” Cade says, his grip tightening around my hand as we head toward the front of the house. “These crazy people aren’t going to scare your father off.”
Gods, is that what I’m really worried about? Maybe. Possibly.
“I should go see him anyway,” I murmur.
Cade nods, already shifting mental gears. “Elias has been reaching out all morning. Pack business. I should deal with it.”
“I could join you,” I offer, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I don’t mean to invite myself, but I also don’t want to be the kind of luna who hides while her mate carries everything alone.
We stop in the front entry of the manor, and he turns to face me fully. “You don’t need to,” he says gently. “I promise. If something bigger comes up, I’ll come find you.” Then, he kisses the top of my head, something he seems rather fond of doing whenever we’re parting.
Wolf’s chuckle slides through my mind, rich with amusement. He’s putting his scent on you.
My head tilts as I watch him walk toward the west wing. How so?
He breathes on you when he kisses you, she replies smugly. Once you let him bite you, he won’t feel the need to do it. But until then…
Right.
The biting thing.
I’m still not sure how I feel about that particular rite of passage. The only other female wolf shifter I know is Stephanie, and there is absolutely no universe where I ask her what to expect. I’d sooner search the internet and accidentally end up on a government watchlist.
Let’s go for a run, Wolf suggests, and honestly? Best idea she’s had all day.
Especially now that I’m apparently some kind of supernatural PacMan, chomping my way through bad juju and ancient corruption like it’s a hobby.
Some peace and quiet in the woods sounds pretty damn amazing right about now.
I turn and cut through the house, slipping out the back door and onto the terrace. The air hits me instantly—clean and bracing. Frost glows in the distance under the late-afternoon light, and everything feels still and balanced.
For a moment, I just stand there, breathing it all in.
Then I spot him.
Marius is making his way toward the far edge of the clearing, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets, head bowed like the weight of the world has settled between his shoulders. Maybe he’s going for a run too. Or maybe he’s just trying to outrun his thoughts.
“Da—” I start, then stop short.
The word catches painfully in my throat. Am I supposed to call him Dad? I know I did in the cave a couple times, but emotions were high and… Now, I don’t know if I’ve earned it yet, or if he has. Self-consciousness wins, and I clear my throat, raising my voice instead. “Marius.”
He halts mid-step and turns.
There it is again, that quiet, stunned pride in his eyes, like he still can’t quite believe I’m real. It hits harder than I expect, settling low in my chest, warm and unsteady.
We move toward each other, my boots crunching softly over the frozen grass as I lengthen my stride, suddenly eager to close the distance.
“Hey,” I say, and it comes out as an awkward squeak because apparently my brain has decided now is the perfect time to abandon all social skills.
“Rowan.” His voice is softer than usual, like he’s holding something fragile. “I was just going for a run.” His mouth twists, almost hopeful. “Care to join me?”
The grin that spreads across my face is completely unstoppable. “I would love nothing more.” I tap my chest lightly. “Plus, I can test out my new tattoo for the first time.”
He winces. “Who did the spell for you?”
“Mildred.”
A low huff of laughter escapes him. “Terrible bedside manners, but she’s one of the most effective witches alive.” He nods once. “Cade chose well.”
That last part comes out grudgingly, like it cost him something to say, but my heart flutters anyway. I never got to experience a father silently judging every man in my life, deciding none of them were good enough.
Maybe I’ll get that now.
And Cade better happily deal with it.
“Anything I should know before I shift this time?” I ask, glancing down at my boots and cataloging what I’m wearing out of habit—thick socks, dark jeans, a cream sweater, my jacket. The jerky treat I shoved into my pocket at the last second, in case I see Archie, bumps against my thigh.
He shakes his head. “The magic should handle the details. Ready?”
I nod, but he steps closer before we begin.
“Actually, I wanted to say…” He hesitates, then meets my eyes. “I heard you speaking to the wolves earlier. You addressed them like you’d been doing it your whole life.” His voice dips. “I was really proud of you.”
Something blooms in my chest, sudden and overwhelming. I laugh softly, blinking fast. “I was terrified.”
“That’s how you know it mattered,” he says with a faint smile. “Ready?”
I love how he doesn’t push the heavy. He’s good with awkward, which also makes me realize I’m more like him than I probably ever imagined.
Marius steps away first. Bones shift, fur ripples, and in a blink, the man is gone, replaced by a dark gray wolf who lifts his head, scenting the air, before setting his brown eyes on me.
Calling my wolf forward is easy now. It’s the anticipation of pain that makes me tense, but something is different. As her essence rises, heat blooms from my chest, radiating outward from the tattoo like a soothing balm.
I know my bones are breaking and reforming. I know my skin is tearing itself apart before knitting back together in seconds, but the agony feels distant, contained. Like I’ve learned how to tuck it neatly into a box and set it aside.
Maybe Mildred wasn’t so terrible after all.
And then we’re there, standing on all four paws, my silver-white coat catching the daylight, every sense sharpened and alive.
Marius’s wolf dips his head once before trotting toward the trees.
I hesitate just long enough to take it in—the bite of cold air, the strength humming through me, the impossible warmth in my chest.
My father is waiting for me to join him.
A moment I intend to remember.
Then I follow him into the woods.
It’s hours before we return, but I’m not the least bit tired. In fact, I feel more alive than I have in weeks. Maybe ever.
My lungs are full, my muscles loose and buzzing, my wolf content in a way that settles deep in my bones. Running beside Marius—matching his pace, reading his movements without effort—did something to me I don’t quite have words for yet.
But that tranquility only lasts until NightShade comes back into view.
And then Wolf slows.
Oh no. I’m going to have to shift back.
With an audience.
Liz and Archie are waiting near the terrace, and Marius is already there too—back in human form already, fully clothed, hands relaxed at his sides like this is the most normal thing in the world.
What if the tattoo doesn’t work? I ask Wolf in a panic. What if Mildred tricked us?
Then you’re about to be naked.
She doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by that, and it grates on my nerves. If my father sees me naked, I’m shifting back and letting Liz put you in the pink muumuu.
The vampire couldn’t catch me if she tried.
Whatever, I grumble. Let’s get this over with.
I squeeze my eyes shut and focus—really focus—on my clothes. The weight of denim. The stretch of cotton. The exact scrape of fabric against skin. Every single piece had better be there.
Power moves through me, swift and sure, the transformation rolling over my body like a tide. Bones shift, heat blooms, and when my feet hit the ground on two legs, I still don’t look.
Especially when Liz starts laughing.
“Oh, Ro,” she calls, absolutely losing it. “Your face could pass for a tomato. Breathe, girl.”
She didn’t ask if I needed a muumuu.
I crack one eye open.
Then both.
I’m not naked.
Halle-freakin-lujah!
“Thanks for the run, kid,” Marius says, standing a few feet away, rocking back on his heels. “I’m headed inside.”
Yep. Awkward genes. I love it.
“See you later,” I say with a wave, then reach into my pocket. Even the jerky survived.
I toss the stick to Archie, which he catches expertly. “My apologies for ditching you last night.”
He takes a bite, then gives me a goofy, albeit creepy, ferret smile. “I found a place to call my own. It’s dark and quiet, and not far from you. Don’t worry about me. As long as you bring me more of these, we’re good.”
He’s letting me off easy, but I still feel guilty, even as I watch him scamper away with the treat wedged in his mouth.
From inside the manor, Iris’s voice rings out like a battle alarm.
“Whose dirty foot rags are these?” she yells. “Don’t you people know we’re still on DefCon One? Housekeeping is closed. Pick up after yourselves!”
I glance at Liz. “Dirty foot rags?”
“Socks,” she says, grinning. “Definitely socks.”
She hooks her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s escape before she starts inventorying the lint.”
I don’t argue.
I follow the vampire around the side of the house, and she slips us through a back door I didn’t even know existed, but the hinges don’t creak. Of course they don’t. Iris probably threatened them at some point.
We step into a ballroom swallowed by shadows. Long tables sit abandoned beneath white sheets, the fabric draped like ghosts frozen mid-dance. Chandeliers hang overhead, dark and dormant, their crystals dull with dust.
“Does Iris like to throw parties?” I ask, my voice echoing softly as we weave between covered furniture.
Liz snorts. “Not as much as she used to.”