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Lilith

Vrunashowedupearlythe next morning. Draik really wasn’t kidding when he said it would be no time. We are finally off of the forest service trail and only a short walk to the orphanage thanks to Draik and the Firefangs. They offered to bring us the whole way, but I asked to stop so we could walk up.

I’ve slept better the past few nights since we started putting a barrier up. I feel safer, but it is affecting me in ways that I did not expect. I am seeking out sex with my mates more. I don’t know whether it’s because my body is trying to prepare for the future or it’s for comfort. I panicked at the thought of them going down on me. The first, and only, attempt we’ve made since that night in the tent landed me in tears that I couldn’t stop. I think I scared the guys with how I panicked, but once they calmed me down, we have come to the conclusion that oral could be a hard trigger for me now.

I am afraid that the rogue witches have may have given up, but we haven’t run into any issues with them since Thuly disposed of the one after she tried to poison me. There’s nothing I hate more than having someone lie to my face. I could accept if they wanted to stand with Zypher, but to look me in the eye, and make me believe that they have my back when they are waiting for a chance to stab me in it, makes me furious. I will make an example of anyone who betrays me. I don’t care who they are, I will not stand for traitors.

We walk down the road until we come across the garden path, “I recognize this path,” I say, partially to myself. It feels like it was forever ago that I would run around in the fields just up ahead while Brenna took care of the garden.

Times were so much simpler back then. I smile softly as the nostalgia hits.There could be upwards of twenty kids in the home at any given time. I spent most of my time alone until I met Elara. She was a couple of years older than me. She and I would help out in the garden until Brenna would shoo us away telling us that we should be off and playing, enjoying our childhood while it lasted. As we got older, we would help out with the younger kids. She helped in the kitchen and I helped set the table. We did everything together. Elara was my big sister. When I started my period and was freaking out, she helped me get cleaned up. We hid it as long as we could to prevent the implant. It only lasted a few months, but she had my back taking the blame when sheets were bloodied in the middle of the night. It was only a matter of time before Brenna couldn’t ignore it and had to make the report.

Brenna was everyone’s mother. She did everything she could to make our lives as easy as she possibly could. As kids aged out, we never saw where they went or what became of them. They never came back home.

I remember when I turned sixteen and accidentally lit a candle from three feet away. Elara was right next to it and she looked at me strangely. “Was that?” she pointed at me, a sly grin on her face. I looked at her as if I had seen a ghost. She quietly blew out the candle and told me it was okay. Elara had answers for everything. That night she pulled out a small book with a list of herbs and flowers and small spells, she called them. She told me to keep it safe. “It is very important that you stay relaxed, stay safe, and stay hidden,” her words echo in my mind. She taught me how to heal myself in small spurts to not get caught.

The day before she turned eighteen, she was going to teach me how to shift, just in case. Brenna had made her a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting topped with cherries to celebrate her birthday. There was a knock on the door.My heart begins racing as the memories flood back.Elara had just blown out the candle when Brenna had gone to answer the door. When she came back, she had tears in her eyes and a couple of men in black military gear were behind her. “Elara, dear, I’m sorry but they’ve come earlier than expected. It’s time to go.” The tears ran down her face. Brenna screamed and tried to run out of the backdoor. I backed myself into the corner as the men rushed into the room after her. That was the last I saw of Elara.

I blink away the tears as we stand in front of the building I used to call home. The garden is now overrun with weeds, the field overgrown, and the paint on the building needs a new coat. If we didn’t know any better, you would think the building was abandoned. That is until you heard the sounds of laughter floating out of the windows.

I let out a sob as we stand just off the porch, the tears begin to stream unchecked. This place was my childhood, and just like my life, it has gone through hell and it still stands, defiant.

“Hey, you ok, sweetie?” Dad asks, as he rubs my shoulders. I wipe away the tears and sniff, nodding. “Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in. I’m okay.”

“All right, do you want to go in?” He asks, not pushing me further than I am willing to go. I am so grateful for this man I get to call Dad. I shake my head, not quite ready.

“Let’s go check it out,” Daemon says.

“How about Striker and I go in first, scope out the place, make sure there are no traps,” Dad suggests. “Not wise to send you four in and we don’t know what’s in there.”

“Sounds like a good way to get cornered too,” Leli adds, as she leads me to the old garden.

Chapter Thirty Two

Mazvyn

Wegettotheorphanage, and everything seems to be quiet. Striker and I enter through the front entrance quietly. When we step through the threshold, we hear faint giggles of children off in the distance of the building. We realize Brenna hasn’t moved the children. That is honestly probably for the best. Moving a bunch of kids would be riskier than just staying and remaining hidden. Especially if no one is messing with them.

A little girl who looks to be about nine years old comes running out of her room but freezes when she sees us. “We are just looking for Ms. Brenna,” I say with a smile.

The little girl turns and runs back into the room. Just when I think she is running away in fear, Brenna comes out. When our eyes meet and she smiles brightly at me, a strange sense of relief floods over me, and I instantly feel a pull to her. It is overwhelming, and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I am too stunned to speak or think. Brenna is my second chance mate. That’s why Ashara came to me last night. Somehow, she knew that I would run into Brenna and wanted me to be open-minded about letting her in my life.

“Mazvyn,” she says softly.

“Uhm… What’s going on?” Striker asks.

“She…” I start to get lost looking into her eyes. I haven’t felt comfort like this since before Ashara died. There’s no way I will have the willpower to reject this woman. I know her heart. I know her body. My wife knew her mind, body, and soul.

“Your eyes are glowing, Dad,” Striker says. He gasps loudly when he suddenly realizes what’s going on. “Is she your mate? I didn’t know you could have two.”

“She’s my mate,” I say, nodding, my eyes still locked with hers.

“Dad,” Striker says, stepping in front of me. I shake myself out of the daze and look at my son. “We came here for a reason. Start there.”

“Right,” I say, and he moves. “Lilith is outside.”

“What? She is? I saw that she was mated to the Kings,” Brenna says happily.

“So, you know what’s been going on? We are heading to a warehouse to rescue the foxes that were taken into captivity. Do you have room for some of the fox shifters?”