Chapter 29
After we’d toweled off and dressed, we stood in Harkin’s kitchen just smiling at each other like damn fools. Were we on the same wavelength? That this was surreal? Was it real life?
“You’re safe now.” Harkin traced his fingertip over my forehead.
With a snort, I nudged his shoulder. “Of course, I am.”
“No, I mean the alpha bind has lifted, Rory.”
For whatever reason, that sinking realization itched underneath my skin. “Oh.”
Harkin bent forward, trying to look at my face. “Oh? Why do you sound so sad?”
“I’m not sure.” Still pouting, I exaggerated a shrug. “I guess it was a way of you being tied to me, and it feels shitty knowing it’s gone.”
The wolf chuckled and jostled my shoulders. “Aw, sugar, who needs the alpha bind when we got this?” He clamped his hand over his mark at my nape.
The reminder warmed my bones, relaxing me. I stepped closer to my mate, shoving my face into his chest and inhaling him deeply. “You’re right.”
Harkin wrapped his burly arms around me, holding me tight. “Still need to visit the Shaman. She said there’s a lot she wants to chat with you on.”
“Really?” I lifted my eyes but kept my chin pressed to him.
“Shouldn’t be surprisin’. Might even be the first hybrid she’s ever met.”
Standing straight, I wiped my palms on my thighs and fluffed my hair. “Guess we shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
We headed for the entrance. I patted Waffles’ head, reassuring him we’d be back soon. Harkin flung the door wide, then jumped a little as if something had actually startled him.
A female’s voice with a lilting accent said, “Tsk, tsk, alpha wolf. You must be mighty distracted not scenting me on the other side of the door.”
Harkin let out a clipped chuckle, his hand hanging off the back of his neck, a dopey smile following. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the big, bad wolf was embarrassed. That’s adorable. “I, uh, guess I was a bit distracted, Soma. You here for Aurora?”
Soma leaned to one side, peeking under Harkin’s arm still on the open door and waving at me. “I am. Would you mind going for a walk so we can have a moment alone?”
Harkin gave me an arched brow. “You good with that, sweetheart?”
“Of course.” I gave him a quick kiss. “I’m safe now, remember?”
Harkin kissed the top of my head, his claws crawling over his fingernails long enough to knead my scalp. He turned toward the door, ushering Soma inside. The Shaman entered with her hands interlaced in front of her.
Harkin paused with his hand on the doorknob, one boot on the stoop. “Don’t you go tellin’ her any hogwash stories about me, Soma.”
The Shaman jiggled her beaded necklaces. “I’d never dream of it.”
“Uh-huh,” Harkin mumbled, swiping his hat from its peg. “You two stay out of trouble.” He gave me a final, warm, gooey smile before closing the door behind him.
An awkward silence fell over the room, save for my dog’s heavy panting. Waffles faced the Shaman, tilting his head sideways toward her.
“That’s Waffles. He’s a zombie pug and mostly harmless.” I scratched the back of my head.
Soma smiled, deep creases forming in her cheeks. Waffles flopped onto his back to give her his stomach. She crouched to pet him. “Aren’t you an adorable little thing?”
I officially loved the Shaman.
“Did you want water or tea, or something?” I poked my fingertips against each other.
“I’m fine. We have a lot to discuss, and the sun draws ever nearer.” Soma gestured toward the couch.
I took a step, freezing when flashes of me and Harkin’s scandalous escapades on it sparked in my mind. Not to mention it was my nest. “Actually, is the dining room table alright?”
Soma bit back a smile and followed, taking the seat across from me. She folded her hands on the table and adjusted in the chair, making one leg creak. “Tell me, Aurora. Do you feel different?”
The question made me sit up straighter. It was difficult to sift through the differences between vampire me and the version bonded to Harkin.
“Partially, yes, but I can’t make much sense of it.”
Soma nodded, her light eyes glowing ever so slightly. “Certainly, other hybrids have existed. Your maker is an ancient vampire, and your fated mate is an alpha with werewolf lineage. That’s a first.”
“Does that have some sort of significance?” Making an effort to unwind, I let my arm dangle over the back of the chair.
Waffles did circles between my feet before curling up in a ball there.
“Oh, yes. Much.” Soma scooted forward, holding out her palm on the table. “To be certain of everything, Aurora, I need additional insight. Take my hand and allow me to see.”
I stared at her awaiting palm for a few beats.
Every being had their unique skin print unlike anyone else, but Soma’s had so many lines crisscrossing in hers they looked like canvas.
At the center were deep, swirling patterns.
I’d seen nothing quite like it. Gulping, I slipped my hand over hers.
She latched onto it as if it were the only thing keeping her still.
The Shaman’s lips parted, her eyes wide open.
She tilted her chin towards the ceiling.
A low vibration, bordering on singing, echoed from her throat.
Grey clouds formed in her eyes until darkness consumed them, creating two onyx pools.
Her grip tightened on my hand. If I were a human, my fingers would have turned purple by now.
With a grunt, my fangs sprang out. I gripped my seat.
Crescent moons appeared in Soma’s eyes, dashing through the phases until a twin pair of full moons reflected in her gaze.
There was a dim white glow bordering the edges of her eyes, brightening as the vibration in her throat got louder and louder, her hand gripping me tighter.
I winced, my fangs pressing down into my lip, drawing blood.
I almost spoke when the Shaman inhaled sharply, her gaze returning to normal.
Her hand shot away from mine. Drawing my palm back from her, I let it rest in my lap, stretching out the painful kinks that had formed.
Soma was eerily quiet for the moments that followed, a slow, wide smile pulling at her lips.
I leaned away from her. “Soma, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Child, you do not realize the gift this mateship has given you.” Soma slapped her palms on the table, making me jump. She cackled before clapping her hands together.
From the mateship? From Harkin?
I impatiently waited for a grand total of three seconds. When she didn’t elaborate, I snapped my fingers. “Soma, would you mind elaborating?”
The Shaman dropped her face in her hands. “Apologies. I often get caught up in my visions and forget no one else saw them.”
Was it beneath me to jostle an old woman wolf shifter?
My fingernails furiously tapped. I clenched my jaw to keep from saying something I shouldn’t.
“Through your mateship with Harkin, Aurora, whenever a full moon hangs bright in the sky, you, my dear, will become a shifter again.” Soma’s grin spread wider, making her eyes almost squint.
I slumped in my chair. The back of my neck, my arms, my legs, all of it lost feeling.
A shifter again? As in, not a vampire, but a shifter?
I pinched my eyes shut. “Hold on, I mean, how?”
“All I surmise is the moon has blessed you, child. Even though your maker may have cursed you the day he created you, he was unaware his lineage and your fated mate would make you even stronger.”
All the possibilities of what this meant flooded my mind like a ruptured dam.
“So, you’re saying on the nights of a full moon, I can shift—” I paused, swallowing down the sand forming in my throat. “—into my deer form?”
Soma’s smile relaxed into a warm one, her hands folding on the table. “Yes.”
To be a deer again. To sprint through a moonlit forest. Harkin chasing me as his wolf. To see the world through my deer’s eyes.
The Shaman sat patiently.
My eyes filled with blood tears, and I let them fall.
“There’s something else when you’re ready.” Soma held up a single, gnarled finger.
I wiped my palms over my cheeks, streaking my face and hands with red. “Something else?”
After spending centuries understanding myself and accepting the cards I’d been dealt, the world presented me with a new challenge. I doubt I’d fully grasp it until the first day it happened. Wouldn’t completely believe it.
“You can continue,” I said.
The Shaman rose from her chair, dragging it over until she was directly across from me. She reached for my hands, cradling them in hers. “On those nights, on those days, you will go into heat.”
“I’ve already done that, though, even as a vampire.” I searched Soma’s eyes, which were glistening with tears. Tears for me.
“It’ll be a true heat, Aurora. What you’ve experienced is undoubtedly a pre-heat of sorts.” The Shaman squeezed my knuckles.
My chest seized. My thoughts ceased and my vision hazed.
“You’ll be able to bear pups.”
I’d known the words she was about to say before they pushed past her lips. Nothing I could have done would’ve made me any more prepared for it.
My mouth slowly fell open. I damn near slid off my chair, almost falling although I was fucking sitting.
“Seriously?” There went those blood tears again. I’d never been that much of a crier, but tonight I’d let them flow. Why had the moon deemed me worthy of it all? Of all these immense gifts? “And it’ll—it’ll stick even after the full moon is gone?”
“Yes, my dear.” Soma patted my hands, raising one to pet my cheek. “Not only will it stick, it will thrive.”
Harkin had been content to be with me, knowing children were never possible. We couldn’t predict if we’d ever choose that path, but now there was a choice. Another form of freedom to add to my ever-growing list.
I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. “I really don’t know what to say.”
“I realize it’s a lot to take in. I also understand that you probably want some years, decades possibly, alone with your new mate before starting a family, if you two decide it.
” Soma sat back. “There’s an herb you can use to make a tea that’ll prevent it.
Conveniently—” She averted her gaze to the tarp nailed to the wall. “—it grows in the alpha’s backyard.”
A laugh burst from my chest. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“All mates are clandestine pairings, Aurora, but yours is special. Much has been said, but there is one last thing I must share with you.”
As I wiped excess blood from the corners of my eyes, I let out a deep sigh. “Hit me with it.”
“You could very well become this pack’s omega.”
Omega. I’d heard the term loosely, more specifically, the role within wolf shifter packs, but had little understanding of it.
“What exactly is an omega?” I asked.
The Shaman rose and slid her chair back to its original spot at the table. “It can be many things. I like to view it as a member of the pack to bring balance.” She elbowed my arm. “But it’s also the one that’s shacking it up with the alpha.” Soma winked.
Given how vulnerable I’d been with her, a flush formed on my cheeks. “Balance, huh? I was completely kidding when I told Harkin I was sent here to bring harmony. That word and I don’t exactly coincide.”
“Given your new ability, I think you’ll find the pack to be more receptive to you. Besides—” Soma chuckled, resting a hand on her stomach as she did so. “—they don’t have a choice, do they?”
I stared at my palms, a tiny smile cresting my lips. “I suppose they don’t.”
“I’ve stayed here much longer than I should have, considering the state of the moon. I must be taking my leave now.”
Nodding, I stood to walk her out, but halted. “Fuck,” I whispered. When the Shaman pivoted, I said, “There was just a full moon. Are you saying I have to wait an entire month to do what I haven’t been able to for nearly a hundred years?”
“Ah, yes. Speak with Chelsea Stewart in the Cove. She should be able to help you.” Soma patted my shoulder. “I really must be going, Aurora. We will speak again on the next blood moon.”
Chelsea. Why had that name sounded so familiar?
Lost in thought, I noticed Soma halfway out the door. I raised my hand, yelling, “Thank you.”
With a hand on her chest, Soma stepped onto the porch, vanishing into the night.
Laughing, I picked up Waffles and twirled with him, stopping when he looked like he was about to barf. I smooched him all over his face before putting him down and sprinting for the door. There was so much to tell Harkin, so, so much, but first we had to see this Chelsea that Soma mentioned.
Harkin paced the block, per the Shaman’s request, but I couldn’t tell how far he’d gone.
My nose tilted to the wind. His scent wasn’t too difficult to pick up, especially now that we were mated.
I followed it, not surprised when it led me to Phelan’s place.
They were chatting and laughing, Phelan leaning on his rusty mailbox by the street, Harkin standing with his hands in his jeans pockets.
His face lit up when he caught my scent, and a pearly grin in my direction followed.
“Hey, darlin’. Have a good conversation with the Shaman?” Harkin asked, holding out his hand for me to take.
I slipped my palm against his and he yanked me forward. “The best. I have so much to tell you, but I really need to go talk to Chelsea Stewart before sunrise. Can we do that? Do you know where she might be?”
Harkin pushed his hat up enough to scratch his head. “Chelsea, yeah, I think that’s Dion’s mate. She’d probably be at Bacchus at this hour.”
“Then let’s go. Right now. Let’s hop on your bike, Kins.” I dragged him, waving at Phelan.
Harkin grunted and acted as if I’d whisked him away so profusely his hat was about to fly off.
“You two have fun,” Phelan yelled after us.
“Rory, sugar, hold on,” Harkin dug his heels into the dirt, making me stop forcibly.
“It’s very important that we see her tonight. That’s why it has to be now. There’s only so many hours until sunrise.” The words came out in a flurry of gibberish and panic.
Harkin put his hands on my cheeks, willing me to slow down. “I get that, but your face looks like a crime scene. You been cryin’?”
Shit. I was all over the place tonight, but for all the right reasons.
“Yes, but not because of anything bad.” I closed my eyes. “Lick it off for me.”
“Uh, all of it?”
I opened one eye. “No, a strip down the center of my face, wolf.”
“Right,” he said with a smirk. Harkin lapped the dried blood from my face, paying special attention to my chin and cheeks. He finished by skimming his tongue over my lips and kissing me.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Let’s head to Bacchus.” Harkin took my hand and led us to his bike.
Harkin must’ve been eager to learn what I’d talked about with the Shaman just as much as I was excited to spill everything to him. There was this small part of me, though, that yearned to show him instead.