Page 43

“Honey, how was your day? Did you do anything fun?” I ask, holding the phone tightly to my ear. The bathroom stall is cramped, but it’s the only truly private place I’ve found all day. My anxiety about Cleo has been at an all-time high. Maybe it’s just being here and away from her that has my instincts on high alert, but my body is telling me that something is wrong.

Cleo chatters into the phone, telling me all about the butterflies she saw on her walk and the apples she had with lunch. She sounds fine, and I try to relax.

“That’s great, sweetheart,” I whisper, forcing myself to breathe normally.

“But, after lunch, I started not feeling well,” Cleo continues, “My head started to hurt really bad, and then my heart got really fast. Like thump-thump-thumpity-thump. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I’m scared the bad things are going to come in my dreams.”

I swallow back a curse.

According to everything I’ve read, and the knowledge Callie had passed on to me, the physical manifestations of the Seer gift start shortly after the last Seer has passed.

Is it starting? Are her powers manifesting? My poor, sweet baby.

“Maybe you need to take a rest? Lie down on the couch and watch a movie,” I suggest, trying to keep my tone light. The last thing I want to do is alarm her and make her anxious about anything.

“Are you coming home soon, mama?” she asks, her small voice breaking my heart.

I wipe a tear from my eye. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ll be home very soon. I’m almost done.”

“I miss you.”

I grip the phone tighter. “I miss you too, honey bun.”

There’s a rattle of the doorknob, and I hear someone enter the bathroom.

“I’ll call you back later,” I whisper to Cleo before hanging up.

I flush the toilet for good measure before opening the small stall door and stepping out into the main bathroom.

Sylvie is standing in front of the sole mirror, reapplying her lipstick. We make eye contact, and she sneers, looking me up and down with obvious disgust.

“Excuse me,” I say, moving toward the sink.

She plants her feet and glares at me, refusing to move. “You can wait for the future Luna of this pack to be done,” she snaps, “Or go wash your hands outside in the creek like the trash you are.”

My mouth drops open at her audacity.Good luck, Austin.

“I beg your pardon?” I ask, drawing myself up to my full height. I’m not very tall, but even without heels, I’m still taller than her.

She turns back to the mirror, slowly drawing the red onto her lips. The color is much too bright for her, making her appear like a painted doll.

“Why are you even here?” she asks, snapping the lid closed and whirling around to face me. “You can’t be so desperate as to think that Austin would have any interest in you again?”

I move to the tap and turn on the water, washing my hands as I think about her words.

She doesn’t know that Austin kissed me in the woods. Does she know that we were Fated?

“I’m here because this ismypack and a beloved member of my community died,” I say firmly. “I returned so I could pay my respects. That’s all.”

“When I’m Luna, you won’t get within ten feet of our gates. I’ll make sure of that,” she sneers. “We don’t need your trashy kind here. You ran away once. Why don’t you just keep on running? I heard you on the phone. Do you have some sort of sick human that you’ve taken as a mate? Disgusting.”

I scoff and grab a paper towel. The flicker of anger that is rising in me is making it hard to remain calm.

How dare she talk to me like this!

“Do you think your duties as Luna extend so far?” I ask, pasting a smile on my face. “That may be how your previous pack worked, but it’s not how the Nightwing Pack does things. The Luna role here is to serve your Alpha and your pack. As the future Alpha,Austin has repeatedly told me I’m welcome here, as has the current Alpha Malakai and Luna Elizabeth. I think I’m fine to come and go as I please. If that changes, it won’t come from you. But please, keep working on your lipstick. You’re supposed to smile and look pretty, aren’t you?”

Her cheeks flush at my words, and she opens her mouth to reply but seems at a loss for words.