Page 4

What was that?

I watched Orion retreat for a stupefying moment before I realized I was not breathing. Then I felt my heart racing, a thready pulse fluttering at my throat. I could still feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. My body was on fire, like he was the blazing sun that could burn everything in its path.

I yearned to follow him, feeling like there was a cord tied around my heart. Orion tightened and tugged on that cord with our–what the hell was it?--our near kiss. That was it, wasn’t it? Orion was about to kiss me…

There’s no way.

He was as honorable as his Alpha father. He was faithful to my sister, Selena. He’d loved her for how many moons? So many moons. All the while, I’d secretly watched them from the shadows, my heart filled with jealous longing.

No way he was trying to kiss me.

I buried my face in my hands, stifling a cry that threatened to burst from my chest. This couldn’t be normal grief. I felt alone, confused, out of control. And it wasn’t just about Dad’s death. But who could I turn to? Mom was burdened enough. And besides, I was her brave girl, her fighter.Just like your father,she’d always said.

And Selena. My twin, my dearest friend, there was nothing we didn’t know about each other our whole lives. Until now. We used to be inseparable. Dad called us two halves of the Sterling Moon. She was smart and intuitive, passionate and beguiling; I was tough, disciplined, and diplomatic. If together we were the supermoon of supermoons, what did that make us now?

Truth was, we started drifting apart long before our father’s bizarre illness.

The Hare Moon–that’s when it started.

The Hare Moon celebration was when we claimed our place and privilege within the pack. That was the day I was officially accepted into the pack’s guard training program. And Selena was, of course, recognized officially as the future pack seer. That was also the day we were no longer girls, we were women. For me, that meant I got to train with others in the guard, to learn how to really fight. While I was doing that, Selena was changing too, apparently learning how to bat her eyelashes and swing her hips. I may not have noticed at the time, but the other wolves sure did. Case in point–Orion. Charming, honorable, hot-as-hell, future Alpha Orion.

I guess it was only natural. We were growing up. But we were also growing apart. She never talked about Orion with me. I’d ask, of course, but she’d just flash a sly grin or giggle. I’d mask my jealousy with a scoff or an eye roll. And then Dad got sick. And then Orion made a joke, we laughed, and he cocked his head and leaned closer and I could almost taste his lips against my mouth…

And then left me, alone and helpless against this aching need.

This was more than a crush on my sister’s boyfriend. If I was being honest, it had grown out of control. No amount of sparring or mountain runs or mantras could deflect my ever-growing, agonizing yearning for him. It was time I admitted it.

Goddess help me, I’m in love with Orion.

I felt sick. It was totally masochistic. The coupling ceremony was coming, and we all knew the Blue Flower Moon would reveal that Orion was my sister’s fated mate.

I’d never felt so alone as I did then. Half of a Sterling Moon was just a half moon. I was like a lost omega. I had nowhere to turn. In my desperation, a new thought bubbled up. I tried to ignore it, but no matter how I tried to push it under, it kept popping back up.

The sorceress, Cersey.

The only reason I even knew about Cersey was because Mom had forbidden us from seeking her out when Selena and I were little girls. I was not a rule breaker, but my loyalty to pack and family was more important than a child’s rule. And my obsession with Orion felt like an existential threat. The idea wouldn’t let go.

Maybe the witch had real power. Maybe some charm or enchantment could squelch my desire, make me happy for my sister, let me feel whole again.

Before I knew it, my feet had carried me through the forest and away from the compound. I would go to her, release my burden, and resume my life. I tried to ignore the sense of foreboding that added extra weight to my trek through the trees.

Her hut sat in the midst of a wooded eyot, a small islet in one of the rivers that eventually emptied into the harbor of Half Moon Bay. When I reached the riverbank, I could see the overgrown cottage shining in the moonlight through the break of trees. A thin, swinging bridge connected the bank to a small dock on the witch’s island. I hesitated, straining to see signs of life inside.

Just then, a small light flickered through one of her circle windows. The silhouette of a woman appeared and creaked open the rustic window, the universal sign of an invitation. My heart hammered in my chest. I’d heard stories about werewolves who sought counsel from Cersey. Eli mentioned it some time ago in training. And despite her warnings, I knew Mom used to visit the witch regularly.

It would be fine. I would be fine. Everything was fine.

I pushed aside the climbing tendrils of doubt and silently practiced what I would say when she opened the door, how I would ask for what I needed. I had to be clear, truthful, and precise.

My thing with Orion was unhealthy, and yes, I resented Selena for dating him in the first place, but that wasn’t why I was there. I needed to be rid of my attraction to Orion. How could I earn my place as Cara’s second in command with him always around? Orion was a distraction, he threatened my place in the pack as guard and protector. If she could do it, I’d beg the witch to rip this bleeding heart out of my chest so it could feel no pain, suffer no weakness.

But I’d been around Mom’s magic enough to know that’s not how this worked. I hoped.

Heart pounding, I steeled myself and crossed the bridge with a mask of confidence. When I reached the front door, I knocked three times. A moment's spark of fear and uncertainty seized me, and I made to turn on my heel–

A clear alto voice called out, “Come in.”

Lichen and ivy covered the cottage, but the one-room dwelling was pristine inside. The hearth on the back wall crackled with an inviting fire, but I hadn’t noticed any smoke curling from the chimney outside. A small wooden table, enough to seat three, sat in the middle of the room. A woman sat in a chair facing me as I stood in the doorway.