LEVIATHAN
Icursed myself for being so stupid. It was evident my reaction had upset June, but I hadn’t been able to hide my disappointment. I’d been sure that going to the overlook would bring out some deep memory from Naphele. That being at her favorite place would somehow bring more of her out.
Was Rainier right? Was I too blinded by my past to see my future?
Was there really no connection between June and Naphele?
Could it be possible that I had been granted a second chance at a fated mate?
The thought both intrigued and disturbed me.
A hundred years was a long time to hold out hope.
A long time to believe something only for it to be turned on its head.
“Great going, Levi,” I muttered as I watched June slip into the bunkhouse.
Kicking at the dirt, I started toward my cabin, but then my eyes caught a single set of paw prints near my feet. Frowning, I knelt to get a closer look. My scowl deepened when I saw the size of them. Definitely male. A larger than average male. Rainier and I were the biggest wolves in Hidden Grove.
I picked up a clod of earth and sniffed it. As soon as the scent hit me, rage ignited inside me. I spun on my heel, scanning the trees. Red Maw. The scent was faint, almost totally faded, which meant this wolf had been here at least a day or two ago.
“Fuckers,” I hissed. The Red Maw had come within sight of the village. This was even closer than they’d been when June had run across them.
Once I’d surveyed the area and judged no one was around, I made a beeline for Rainier’s place. We had a lot to talk about, not least of which was the fact that the Red Maw were intruding even closer to the village.
I pounded on his door until he answered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when he opened the door.
“Come with me,” I said, then stalked back to where I’d come from. I pointed out the first track and also found a couple more. Upon inspection and sniffing to catch the scent, Rainier looked up at me, eyes wide.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “They were right fucking here. Even with our patrols?”
I nodded slowly, my anger still boiling over. “Looks that way. “They’re getting bolder. Not good.”
“Yeah, no shit,” he said, standing again, and glancing into the woods like I had. “We don’t have enough people to add more to the rotation of patrols. We could tell everyone. Let them know the danger?”
“No way. That will cause panic. Most of the village only knows the Red Maw from what we’ve told them. Thankfully most of them have never had to deal with them. I don’t want everyone losing their minds and thinking we’re about to be invaded or attacked.”
Rainier spat on the ground and eyed me speculatively. “Are we?”
“Are we what?”
“About to get invaded or attacked?”
I opened my mouth to say no, then shrugged. “I don’t know. The Red Maw pack has never done this before. I can’t rule anything out.”
“Shit.” Rainier looked as pissed as I felt. “How the hell did you even find this, anyway?” he said, gesturing to the prints.
Remembering how things had gone with June, I heaved a sigh. Yet one more thing to be upset about.
“I don’t like the sound of that sigh,” Rainier said, giving me a sidelong look. “What happened?”
Growling in frustration, I turned on him. “You know I’m the alpha, right? Why are you talking to me like you’re my father?”
Rainier shrugged, looking less scared than I’d anticipated. “I know you better than anyone here. If I don’t call you out on your bullshit, who will?”
I continued to glare at him for several seconds before hissing in disgust. “Fuck. Fine. I took June up the overlook like I said. And you know that was Naphele’s favorite spot.”
“Please tell me you didn’t make a huge deal out of this,” Rainier said, already sounding exhausted.
“She didn’t really enjoy it,” I admitted. “I…may have let my disappointment show.”
Rainier put his face in his hands. “You didn’t.”
His reaction made me feel like an even bigger asshole. “I did. I hoped it would stir something in her. Get her to sort of make contact with Naphele. I wanted it to help bring out her wolf.”
“Levi, we’ve talked about this a hundred times.
You’re obsessed with Naphele. I get that, but damn, you’ve eventually got to give it up.
If you’re right that June is her reincarnation, just roll with it.
Be with her.” He glared at me as he tried to put as much emphasis as he could behind his words.
“Her. June. Not Naphele. She isn’t coming back, bro.
That’s not how reincarnation works. You know that. Fuck, every shifter knows that.”
“I do know that,” I said through clenched teeth. “It’s like I said, if they are connected, then it will help June gain access to her inner wolf. That’s the whole reason she’s here. I’m trying to help her with that.”
“Not gonna lie, bro. Sounds like bullshit to me. I know you’re trying to help her, but I get the feeling you’re too concerned with falling for someone who’s not Naphele and you’re grasping at straws to justify it.”
I let out a growl of anger, clenching my fists. “Look, even if June isn’t Naphele reincarnated, I still care for her. I know she’s her own person, and not some stand-in for Naphele.”
For the first time since I’d known him, Rainier rounded on me in anger.
“Do you? Really? Or have you spent the last hundred years building up this grand fucking reunion? You find some random woman, your eyes lock, and boom.” He slammed his palm into my chest. “She’s Naphele again, but with a different face.
Is that what you want? For June and all that she is to disappear and be taken over by your dead mate? ”
My jaw fell open. I was too shocked to even try and chastise him for laying hands on his alpha, too dumbfounded to do more than gape at him in surprise.
Shaking my head, I stuttered a response. “I never… That’s not… I don’t—”
“Don’t what?” Rainier said.
“I…I don’t want that,” I said, admitting it out loud for the first time. “I don’t want her to get wiped away. I only thought it would help her feel more complete. I was trying to help her.”
“You may be telling yourself that, but I don’t buy it. That’s not what it seems like to me. And I bet that’s not how it looks for June either. Have you told her your theory about her being the reincarnation of Naphele?”
At that, I looked down at my feet.
“That’s answer enough,” Rainier said.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” I said, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I’m a fucking dick. Is that what you want to hear?”
“No. I want you to realize how all this looks. I know you’ve spent decades in your wolf form, and that your people skills are rusty, but you’ve got to admit it to yourself.
Once you understand that the Naphele you knew is never coming back, then you can really move forward with June.
Being a reincarnation doesn’t mean you become that person; it means you get to experience that connection again.
Don’t look at it as a deficit, look at it as a bonus.
You get to live life with a wonderful, new person.
A person who holds the soul of the person you love meshed with theirs.
That’s pretty goddamn awesome if you ask me. ”
He might as well have stabbed me right in the heart.
“You’re right. I’ll work on that. Okay? Is that fair enough?”
Rainier looked at me like a scientist examining something under a microscope. Whatever he saw must have given him enough confidence to get me off the hook for the moment. “All right,” he said. “Now that that’s out of the way, what do we want to do about this?” he said, gesturing at the tracks.
“If the Red Maw is actually planning on attacking us, then the one thing I’m really worried about is June’s safety,” I said. “Everyone else can shift and defend themselves except her.”
“True,” Rainier agreed, staring off at the village. “The kids can’t either, of course, but their parents will keep them safe. Maybe you should tell June about the threat? She’s encountered them before. She knows the risks.”
“I’d rather she knew how to protect herself,” I said. “I’ll work with her some more, see if we can finally get her to shift.”
“And if not?” Rainier cocked an eyebrow. “I know she came here to learn, but some people are born latent shifters and never connect with their wolves. I worry she’s gonna get depressed or something if that’s the case.”
“She probably will,” I admitted. “But I can show her a few things to help her protect herself from shifters. It’s better than nothing.
I don’t want to freak her out about the Red Maw until we know for sure what’s going on, but she deserves to know the truth.
Especially after what happened the last time. I’ll tell her.”
“Sounds good to me, but I don’t think we should wait more than a few days. If those assholes really are trying to move in on our territory, then we’ll need to prepare sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll head out tonight on a scouting mission. I may be gone for a few days.”
“What?” Rainier’s eyes widened. “How far are you going to go?”
“Right into the heart of their territory,” I said, having already made up my mind.
“I’m going with you.”
I should have argued, but deep down, I’d known he’d say that. Going there was the best way to figure out what the Red Maw were planning.
“I figured you’d want to go on a little field trip,” I said with a grin. “Maybe even kick some ass if we’re lucky.”
“Hell yeah!”
“I’ll go and tell June. I’ll meet you at my place around midnight?”
“Deal.” Rainier looked more relaxed than he had while we were fighting, a smile reappearing on his face. “You want to join me for dinner? I’m about to head to the dining hall.”
I shook my head, still feeling upset with myself. “I’m not hungry. You go on. I’ll grab something before we go.”
For the barest second, I thought he might try to convince me to go with him, but thankfully, he nodded and left.
I stared at the village, then turned to look into the forest again.
The sun had dipped below the mountains, and a grayish hue colored everything, the precursor to the darkness of winter night.
The Red Maw was an issue, yes, but an issue I could handle. June was another problem altogether. Heading to my cabin, I tried to think of the best way to apologize for the afternoon.
Once there, I dug into my bedside table and pulled out the small velvet bag that I’d kept there for years.
Inside was a delicate silver necklace. It had belonged to Naphele, a simple piece that she’d worn the day we were officially mated to one another.
Initially, I’d hoped giving it to June would stoke some memories of her life as Naphele, but Rainier was right.
I had to stop looking for a woman who was gone.
I had to realize the woman who was here was amazing as well.
Now, I simply wanted to give June something beautiful.
For decades, the necklace sat in the drawer, gathering dust. It deserved to be worn, and I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather see wearing it. Instead of it being a means to an end, it would be nothing more than a gift. My way of saying I was sorry.
Pocketing the velvet bag, I turned and left my cabin, hoping I would find the right words to apologize for what happened.