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“The she wolf that I was lookin’ fer.” She barely manages to get the words out before she is pushing past me to Aspen.

“Whoa ma’am, who are you?” I step in front of her with my arms held out to block her from slipping around me.

"Oi'm the pack seer, darlin'," she says as she pats my arm out of her way. "Aspen, now, she's the very wolf I'm needin' to see."

Her movements are slow but deliberate as she makes her way over to the bed to sit down next to Aspen. "Could I take a look at the palms o' yer hands?"

Aspen eyes flit between mine and this woman before she cautiously holds her hands out, palms up.

"Ah, aye, a fierce bond between the two o' ye. Not without its trials, mind. It seems the love line, it was broken, but stitched back together, so it was." She looks at me, then back down at Aspen's palm. "Many a hardship lies ahead for ye both." She pats Aspen's palm gently before looking straight into her eyes. "The biggest trial, though, is the one nestled in yer womb."

My body lurches forward as her words register. “What do you mean?” My body falls down beside Aspen’s knees as I grab her hand into mine.

The old woman places her weathered hand upon my shoulder and grasps Aspen’s other hand in hers. "She's carryin' a wee one," she says with a sad smile on her face.

Bonus Epilogue

Chase

Patrolling the roads heading up the mountain can often feel like the most boring part of my job. With as small as our town is, it’s really rare that people head up this way. The most traffic I’ve seen today is when two cars came up about an hour ago. The one enjoyable part of it? Lots of time to read. Aspen brought over a selection of books the other day that she thought I would love.

After she accepted the mate bond with Warrick, I thought he would be rather stingy about letting me see her anymore. In some ways, I would have understood, although it would have sucked. While we weren’t dating in the typical fashion, I still consider her one of my best friends.

It was turbulent the first few months after they made it official. At first, he wouldn’t let me even talk to her, let alone come over to the bookstore. From what I heard, the girls all ripped into him about how I wasn’t a threat to him, nor was I ever. Now, I’m allowed to visit whenever I have free time. Which is close to never, but I still check in on her during one of my work rotations.

The beat of music echoes off in the distance. My ears perk up as I try to figure out where it’s coming from. It’s not a regular occurrence for anyone here to blast music that loud. With all of us having keen hearing, we play music at lower volumes. Turning my head until I pinpoint the exact direction, I realize it’s coming from down the mountain. Goddess, how loud are they playing the music if I can clearly hear it up here?

The volume is steadily rising as the car moves towards where I’m parked in a small pull off of the road. There is a squeezing feeling in my chest, as though someone is slowly squeezing their hand around my heart. I pat my chest where my ballistic vest sits, trying to determine where the sensation is coming from. The closer the music, the more the squeezing sensation increases.

What is happening? I grab at the top of my vest, trying to relieve the constriction. A yellow mustang convertible comes flying around the bend below where I’m parked as streaks of blonde and brunette hair whip through the window.

My mouth is opening and closing like a fish out of the water. I feel as though I can’t breathe right as the car blows past me in slow motion. It’s like a movie, everything is barely moving. I can’t breathe, and the driver looks at me before she winks. The nanosecond that it took for that is like a snap of the spell. Suddenly, everything is moving at normal speed as they continue up the mountain.

I have to go after her, not only is she speeding, but the pain in my chest is pulling me in the direction she left.

Starting my cruiser, I slam it into drive and push the gas pedal to the floor. It doesn’t take long for my Charger to catch up to her. Flipping the switch on my dash, the light bar above me flashes blue, signalling for her to pull over.

The brunette flicks her eyes to the rear-view mirror before her turn signal lights up as she slows down. Easing her way to the side of the road, her brake lights burn bright red as she puts the car in park. My campaign cover rests in the passenger seat, where I set my recent book underneath. My hand lands on the Mountain Peek of my hat as I snatch it up.

I make quick work of stepping out of my vehicle. My chest is tightening to where I’m not sure how many words I’ll be able to say. There is only one reason that I’d be feeling this way.

Stepping up to the side of her car, sea-green eyes look at me as she attempts to portray an act of innocence.

With a pull of air into my lungs, my thoughts are confirmed. “Mate.” I squeeze out with a rumble of a growl.

The End