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I’m curious. I want to ask if Austin was involved in helping to broker this peace deal. If it’s true and the Highland Pack sticks to it, it will be a huge win for our entire pack, and for Austin.

“What kind of deal was reached?” I ask, hoping he’ll give me the information I seek without me having to directly ask for it.

He’s silent for a minute. “It’s Alpha business, I’m sure more information will come out once it’s finalized,” he says, finally.

I feel like my father might be hiding something from me, but I don’t push it. It’s getting late and my tea is cold.

“Good night, Dad,” I say, with a yawn. Once the call is disconnected, I start my own nighttime routine.

Just as I’m finishing washing my face, I hear an ear-splitting yell coming from Cleo’s room.

“Mama!” Cleo shrieks.

Face still wet, I run, my skin tingling with protective instincts.

“What is it? What happened?” I ask, scanning the room. Cleo is sobbing, sitting in the middle of her bed with her face buried in her knees.

“Sweet girl,” I exclaim, rushing to her side. “Tell Mama what’s wrong.”

“I had a bad dream,” she sniffs, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. “There were a bunch of wolves howling and then I saw a dead body. An old woman with a pretty blue necklace. She was lying on the bed and everyone around her was crying!”

I exhale slowly and draw her into my arms. “Oh, sweetheart. That sounds so scary!” I murmur, pressing a kiss into her hair. “But it was just a dream. You’re safe. I promise. Nothing can hurt you here.”

She sobs into my chest and I brush my hand down her back in soothing circles. It’s not the first time Cleo has woken up to bad dreams. All children have them from time to time. But this one was far more detailed than the others. I kiss her on the forehead and hold her close.

When she’s finally quieted her sobs to only a soft hiccup, I pull her into my arms and walk over to the rocking chair. She curls up in my arms and rests her head on my shoulder as I rock her,singing her the songs from our pack until she drifts back off to sleep.

There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to protect my daughter.

Chapter Twelve

Yelena

I’m still thinking about Cleo’s dream while I’m working on patient charts. An old woman with a blue necklace. It’s such an odd detail to remark on, and yet it seems so familiar.

“Ms. Croft, ma’am, you have a visitor out front. He says it’s urgent.” I turn to look at her. In order to keep my privacy, I’ve shortened my last name to something less memorable and harder to find. But even after five years, hearing it still gives me pause.

My brow crinkles with confusion as I follow Brenda, our receptionist, out to the main lobby. I don’t have many friends here, and none that I can think of who would come see me at work.

"Dad?" I ask, surprised.

"I'm sorry to bother you here, Yelena," he replies, his face drawn with sorrow. "But I had to let you know. It's about Callie."

Icy cold fear worms its way into my heart.

“Brenda, we’re going into exam room two,” I say, ushering my dad with me. We duck into the unused room and I sit down.

“What happened?” I ask quietly.

He paces next to the exam bed before glancing at me. “She died last night, surrounded by her pack.”

My heart plummets and I close my eyes, trying to withstand the wave of grief that hits me. Callie was more than just our pack’s Seer. To me, she was family. She practically raised me and she was one of the few people that I felt like I could honestly confide in. Only last week, we had spoken briefly on the phone. Callie had told me she was tired, and that she was going to go to bed early. There was nothing to indicate that she had been ill.

Did she know that would be the last time we spoke? Was that her way of telling me goodbye?

My heart hurts and her loss feels excruciatingly painful—almost as bad as the guilt that suddenly invades my mind.

She loved you like family too, yet you weren’t there. You didn’t get to say goodbye.