Meg
The angry sky swirled with dark clouds and streaks of the setting sun, ignoring the remnants of the atmospheric dome that had once protected the human city.
I leaned against the marbled column on the front porch of the councilwoman’s house long after Roman left, fighting internally with my wolf who wanted to tear through my skin and run after her mate.
I still think you’re being stupid, she grumbled as I finally forced myself to step into the house once another wave of rain began to pelt the pavement.
Justus had run inside the minute we’d gotten here, ignoring the extra guards that stood as sentries on the streets of the government district and the two statues of men that were positioned outside the councilwoman’s house.
Just like Roman. The guards and military and waitstaff were nothing but accessories to these people. And I was powerless to change anything about this world.
Morrigan’s words rang in my ears as I stepped into the quiet foyer. I failed.
She set you up for failure.
I should’ve known better.
Morrigan had said the gods wanted suffering.
Was that the true sacrifice? Could giving Roman up and denying the mate call really have been enough to stop all this from happening? Had loving him destroyed the world? Roman didn’t seem to think so. He’d said we were doomed either way.
The alpha in me didn’t want to believe that. We had to have some power over our destiny.
If not, what was any of this for?
Pillar candles cast dancing shadows over the grand entryway. Something was different in the house, and it wasn’t just the absence of electricity.
I stopped on the staircase, smelling scents I hadn’t smelled before.
There were strangers here messing up the clean scent of Katrina’s handiwork.
I strained my ears, listening to the muffled voices coming from down the hall.
The sitting room where I’d tried on my wedding dress—which felt like a lifetime ago—had closed doors.
Wonder what’s behind them?
My wolf urged me forward and I stepped lightly. There had to be some kind of sound-proofing behind those doors that I’d never noticed before, because I couldn’t hear as well as normal.
I took another step closer.
“Miss Meg.” Stephen met me in the hall with an iron candelabra lighting up his face, stopping my little investigation. “I was asked to escort you to the kitchen when you arrived.”
To the kitchen. I glanced back at the stairs, wondering if that meant I wouldn’t be welcome in the guest bedroom. Not that I blamed them. Other than Roman dropping me off, I had no clue what I was doing here.
As we passed slowly by the closed doors, I strained my ears.
“Mom, you don’t understand—”
“You will be married if it’s the last thing you do,” Helen’s sharp voice cut her son off.
There were others in the room with them. I could sense it. But apparently, I wasn’t welcome inside to discuss whatever was going on.
This was a mistake. My pack still needed me. Roman didn’t. The wedding was off. Morrigan’s warning rang clear in my mind.
“Go home, wolf.”
Not without our mate.
Stephen gave me a sympathetic smile as he led me further into the house, away from the fighting behind closed doors, and carried the candelabra to light our way.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Stephen pushed into the kitchen, motioning for me to take one of the counter stools as he set down the candles.
I shook my head as I looked over the mess on Katrina’s normally spotless counters. “What’s going on here?”
There was a shuffle as Stephen moved to block the door leading to the staff quarters. Katrina came through, smoothing her aprons, but not before I caught the stronger whiff of magic again.
They’re hiding something.
Katrina smiled. The bruises on her face seemed better, but they were still a stark reminder that she’d suffered because of me. “Good to see you back, Miss Meg. Apologies for the mess. We’re trying to figure out what foods we can salvage from the refrigerator with the power out.”
“Shouldn’t you both be home with your own families?” My brow furrowed when they shared a look, purposefully not glancing at the closed door Katrina had come from.
At least one of those extra scents made sense.
Katrina must’ve read the expression on my face. “It’s only temporary. The roads are barricaded and the districts are all on lockdown with curfew regulations. I couldn’t get childcare, and the councilwoman told us we needed to stay here until they get the power turned back on.”
If what Roman said was true, that wouldn’t be for a very long time. But I didn’t want to cause a panic.
“Please don’t mention this to anyone else,” Katrina whispered. I’d never seen the woman so flustered.
“I won’t say anything,” I assured her. “But why would Helen care if you brought your family here?”
Katrina’s lips pressed into a thin line. Stephen hurried over to the kitchen door, putting his ear against it.
“No one is listening,” I said. “I can hear when they move through the house.”
“That’s one good thing about the power being out.” Stephen pointed to the speaker box on the wall.
Katrina opened her mouth to say something, but was distracted when the door handle behind her turned.
“Mommy?”
She rushed to the child’s side. He couldn’t have been more than three years old, with chubby limbs, unruly curls, and a cherub face, all rosy cheeks and big eyes.
“Charles,” she scolded the boy. “I told you Mommy has to work. You stay with your colors and paper.”
“But I’m hungry,” he whined.
My nostrils flared as I studied the child.
Warlock, my wolf confirmed.
I got off my stool and crouched down to his level, sniffing again to make sure.
“He’s not old enough to register.” Katrina’s heart raced as she lied to me. “Helen doesn’t know he exists.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, not sure how to put this lightly. “Do you… know what he is?”
“He’s my son.” Katrina moved the boy behind her back. “And he’s perfect. I don’t need their tests to tell me I’m wrong.”
“He sure is.” I took a deep breath before I looked up at her. “He’s magic. My mom is like him. She came to us from the city. My sister and her mate are like him too. I know a lot of people who have his… special situation. I can take you both there, somewhere he—and you—will be safe.”
“I’m hungry.” Charles tugged on Katrina’s apron.
She backed up, taking him with her. “Let’s get you settled in the room, then I’ll fix you something to eat.”
Katrina refused to look at me.
The door closed, leaving me and Stephen alone again.
“What did I say wrong?” I asked the butler.
“You’re speaking blasphemy.” He busied himself with separating the food on the counter into piles. “Even if we weren’t under martial law, we never talk about leaving our stations.”
“It’s just a job,” I trod gently, trying to understand his very real worry that tightened his shoulders as he spoke.
Stephen scoffed. “Maybe for the mid-tiers, or the elites, but the rest of us barely make enough credits to get through each day. Do you want to know the real reason she brought him here?”
“Why?” I stood.
He swept his hand over the counter and the slowly rotting food. “If this goes on much longer, at least this house will get extra rations. The people in the lower districts will be trapped there at the mercy of the government without knowing when supplies will be distributed.”
My stomach soured at the thought, and my wolf started to pace.
“Is the chef still here?” I asked.
Stephen shook his head. “That’s an upper-class position. He’ll stay with his family until the power comes back on.”
I nodded, worried as Stephen fumbled with the cartons on the counter.
The scents were already off. I wasn’t sure how long they’d been set out, or why he hadn’t tried to keep it all in the fridge. But if they’d been without power for over a day, most of this was going to spoil anyway.
“You need to toss anything with dairy. That’s already gone,” I told him, touching my nose for emphasis. “Cook up these frozen bags now. Then save the shelf-stable stuff. Any of these fruits and vegetables can stay on the counter.”
Stephen nodded as he got to work.
My mind was already racing as I sniffed the other foods to see what could be cooked or dried for later.
We can’t hunt for them here. My wolf kept pacing. Can’t fish. Can’t protect them.
They’re not our pack, I told my beast.
There was a loud rumble as thunder rattled the windows and the kitchen lit up when lightning struck the sky.
Sometimes pack picks you.
“Stephen!” The shrill shriek of Helen’s voice echoed down the hall. “Bring her to me.”
I met his worried eyes, giving him a stiff nod. “You stay here and finish this. I’ll go see what she wants.”