Chapter 10 Mona #3
I turn and look up at Silas.
“I dreamt of you,” I tell him.
“Just now?” he rasps. “What did you see?” Our bond is still wide open. Maybe he’s too distracted to mute it, or he’s still learning how to shut me out. But right now I can feel all of him.
He’s worried I’m scared of him, and that I saw something he wouldn’t have wanted me to see, and he almost pulls away, but I clutch him tighter, curling my fingers into his shirt. That he lets me feels fucking incredible.
“That’s why you were screaming?” he asks vulnerably.
“No, Silas, not just now. Before. I dreamt of you before. When you were… you were in the basement with Lily. I saw what happened.”
He sucks in a sharp breath, grits his teeth, and looks away. The muscle in his jaw bounces so fiercely, it’s a wonder I don’t hear a crack. His hands, resting on my legs, tighten. Shame colors the bond. I place my fingers against his chin. “Silas, what did Deidre do? What did she do to Lily?”
He’s quiet for a moment and swallows, so clearly uncomfortable that I wonder if he’ll brush me off and get back in the driver’s seat. We’re pulled over on the highway, cars whizzing past. But right here, in the back of this stolen car, we’re in our own little bubble.
“Is that what just happened in your dream? You saw her again?”
I shake my head.
He stares, waiting for me to elaborate. But I don’t.
When he speaks, his voice is deep. Barely more than a whisper. “Deidre spelled her to have a heat. Over and over again. For months. I don’t know how Lily survived it—” Silas’s voice cracks.
That’s what I saw, all those times Lily was throwing herself at him. A spelled heat.
Oh my god.
My omega wails. My heart fucking breaks, the pain so sharp I can barely stand it. Oh, Lily. That pain of an unmet heat is excruciating.
I don’t have to ask Silas if he helped her, I know he didn’t.
I wouldn’t even be upset with him if he had, though—irrationally jealous, maybe—but I’d have forgiven him, because the pain she must have gone through, the agony, and for months?
It brings me back to those first few hours, like I can feel them all over again—before either of them would even touch me.
The rejection alone was stabbing. Then my body, burning from the inside out. The ferocious fucking need.
I start sobbing. Silas wraps his arms tightly around me.
And then he purrs.
Silas purrs. It’s a little choppy and clearly unused.
And it makes me cry harder.
Silas holds me like that until I remember the dream, the woman with the dimpled cheeks and perfect smile. When I get control of myself, I lean back, surprised at first when Silas holds me tighter.
But then something passes through his expression, and he shifts. Lifting me, he climbs out of the car, then sets me down, putting distance between us.
Ghost climbs out, too, and we all stand there, breathing in the exhaust fumes as cars rush past, both men at least a few steps away from me, while I wipe the tears away.
“Lily was a delta, right?” I ask quietly, getting control of myself.
Silas nods. “Until the end. It took six months, or however long we were down there… but yes, at first. She was a delta.”
I nod.
You knew she was a delta when you met her family, Beep says. But you also knew she was an omega when you scented her in your dreams.
I did know she was an omega, but I didn’t put the pieces together until it was too late because I didn’t realize what I was seeing. I didn’t understand at the time.
Beep doesn’t have to spell it out for me.
“Deidre knew, right? What she did to Lily?”
Silas nods. “It was unintentional, but yes. She knows she turned her into an omega.”
“How is this possible?” Ghost asks, frowning. “I’ve never heard of a shifter changing designations.”
“Didn’t read that in one of your books?” Silas snarks.
Ghost ignores him and looks out at the highway. Then he asks, “How did you know, Mona? Was it from your dreams?”
I nod and explain what I saw in my dreams before, and what Doc and Grayson said about them. And that Orion said they were prophetic. Ghost likely already knows that much. But then I tell them about the woman who smelled of strawberries.
Silas is visibly agitated. Ghost remains calm. He asks me, “Do you know if she’s been taken? Or where?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. But judging by what I saw with Silas and Lily… I think it was in the present. I mean, I think I saw her right now, as she is.” I don’t know exactly how I know that, but that’s what my instincts tell me.
Ghost looks contemplative. Then, “We might have time to save her. You hadn’t come into your powers when Lily and Silas were taken. But once you settled into your role, that’s when your magic got a boost, of sorts. When the dreams started.”
I nod, following along. Silas is still quiet.
“Mona, I think you’re a Seeker.”
He likes this role, Beep muses.
What, being a know-it-all?
Being involved, she corrects.
I don’t think he likes—
Beep cuts me off. His alpha likes this, trust me. He’s been alone too long, and sometimes, that can feel more comfortable than the alternative, because at least you know what to expect when you’re alone. But he enjoys being needed, especially by you.
That’s surprisingly astute, I think back. I mean, she isn’t wrong. It's scary to accept something good, because when you start to care, when your expectations grow, you have more to lose. That could be said for all my mates, but especially these two.
And you, Beep says.
Yes, and me.
“What is that? A Seeker?” I clear my throat.
“Omegas have powers, as you know. And yes, I read it in a book,” Ghost mutters before Silas can say anything. Silas chuckles, then leans back against the car and crosses his arms, but not before spinning one of his fingers, telling Ghost to hurry up.
Ghost continues, “A Seeker is the finder of lost things. Shifters, artifacts, knowledge. It’s a gift from the Moon Goddess.
It shows her trust in you, that you would use the information for good, not evil.
There are other kinds of Sages, too, but it’s been many years since our world has seen them. A Mate Finder, for example.”
“Fated?” Silas asks, eyebrows lifting. I want to smack him. He already has a fated mate.
“Yes, exactly. A Mate Finder not a matchmaker. As I explained to Mona how the magic of fated mates works, a Mate Finder finds the missing pieces, helps them reunite. Another kind of Sage is the Affluent. There’s less known of this one, it’s more obscure.
But it’s like, good fortune. Like, if a volcano were to erupt—the Affluent wouldn’t stop the volcano.
But having one nearby would allow the circumstances for all the people and animals to escape through divine intervention, so everyone made it out safely.
Or, if a clan is very poor, has bad luck with hunting, agriculture, that sort of thing, an Affluent might visit the lands, and suddenly, there is an abundance of food. ”
“So, you believe Mona is one of these… Sages?”
“Yes. It explains the dreams, anyway.”
“How come Doc didn’t tell me all this?” I ask.
Ghost shrugs. “I do not know. It’s possible he’s unaware. I only know because I—”
“Read it in a book,” Silas finishes.
Ghost growls, baring his teeth. “Yes, you uncultured twat. I read it in a fucking book.”
Silas bares his teeth, and I have a sudden flashback to my heat. It was mostly hazy, and I remember very little. But Silas was snarling at Ghost, and Ghost was… did he kiss me? He held me, I think. He whispered in my ear and stroked my cheek.
No, that can’t be right.
Before the guys start fighting, I ask Silas, “So, Deidre knows she can turn a delta into an omega. And she’s clearly after omegas…”
“Yes,” Silas nods grimly. “She’s aware. And yes, I’ve no doubt she’ll act on it. It’s entirely possible the woman you saw in your dreams is the next target.”
“What’s so special about her?” Ghost asks.
It’s Silas who answers. “Nothing, probably. Deidre didn’t give a fuck about Lily, she was just some weak wolf that was easy to snatch.
Likely the same for this other girl. Deidre may not even know who the next target is.
Lily, the other stolen shifters—it was all circumstance.
Mona and I were the only specific targets, as far as I’m aware. ”
A shiver snakes down my spine, leaving my skin cold. I can’t believe how close I came to being in her clutches. And both times, Silas saved me.
I can’t help it, I look up at him. As if he can see the stars in my eyes, the bond shutters again, cutting me out completely. I flinch, and he snaps, “We need to keep moving.”
Without a backward glance, Ghost slides into the driver’s seat, Silas beside him. The front doors slam shut in unison, and I stand there, waiting for something that doesn’t come. Just minutes ago, Silas held me, Ghost watched me with concern in his eyes.
My fingers hover at the door handle, pathetically waiting for one of them to turn, to remember I’m here. Every mile toward home brings me closer to Orion and Grayson while tearing me further from Silas and Ghost.
I climb into the back and curl against the door, watching the backs of their heads as they share muted conversation between themselves. I wrap my arms around my middle, holding together the pieces of myself they don’t seem to notice are falling apart.
It’s better this way, I remind myself. But I’m drowning in all the things I’ll never be brave enough to beg for. The please stay, please don’t leave me is lodged in my throat.