Page 10

Standing under the hot water, I close my eyes and allow the steam to envelop me for a moment, shutting my eyes against the world and trying to block out the way my body appears to remember Callum’s every lingering touch on my body from last night. The memory of last night is so vivid it feels almost real again. Echoes of years ago fill my senses, and the longing for him that never went away feels reignited. I can almost feel him inside me now, hot and hard, thrusting—

My eyes fly open as I hear movement from the bedroom: Harper.

“Mama?” I hear her sleepy voice through the sound of the cascading water. I quickly rinse, switch the shower off, and grab my towel.

“I’m coming, sweetheart,” I call out, wrapping my hair in a smaller towel. Stepping out of the ensuite, I find her sitting up in bed with her new favorite teddy bear. “I was just washing my hair. Did you sleep ok?”

Harper nods enthusiastically, and the way her mussed blonde curls bob crazily around her with the action makes me smile. She’s thriving at the moment, growing so fast, and finally starting to grow taller and look more her age. The fear that last night’s events might make things more difficult for her makes my heart clench.

No, this situation isn’t permanent. But I want any next steps to be easy on Harper. I need to decide when it’s safe to move on, not be pushed out. I’ll never forget the ease with which Callum turned on me. How could I ever trust he won’t just do that again? Sleeping with me obviously means nothing to him—he didn’t hesitate to reject me before publicly shunning me.

I had been shunned all my life, but destroying the bond between us destroyed so much more. I will never survive in this pack without my wolf; I couldn’t even survive with her. I feel her sometimes, stalking the outer edges of my consciousness. I felt her last night, so close. Callum’s wolf almost chased mine, trying to bring her back to the fore, but if anything, that seemed to scare her away more.

I sigh, scooping Harper into my arms, her childish giggles soothing my soul. She’s so small and fragile, a picture of the innocence I desperately want for her. I can’t let anything hurt her the way this pack has hurt me.

“Let’s go downstairs and get some breakfast, ok?” I ask as I help her dress and run a comb through my hair before carrying her toward the stairs.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee fills the air as we enter the kitchen, and I see Callum standing at the stove. He turns to face me, and my heart skips a beat—he looks so good in nothing but a simple t-shirt, apron, and jeans. His muscles ripple under the tight fabric with every movement, and his eyes are smoldering when he looks at me. The way his gaze sweeps over me makes my body tingle with awareness after what happened last night.

"Good morning," he says curtly, not fully meeting my eyes. It feels like a knife to the chest.

I nod uncertainly in return, setting Harper down at the table before pouring myself a cup of coffee. The rich flavor coats my tongue, sending warmth through me that has little to do with the caffeine. I take a sip and watch Callum expertly flip a pancake before plating it and walking over to Harper.

“Here you go, little one,” he says, gently putting the plate down in front of her and cutting the pancake into tiny bits. Something about the tender scene just hits me; he’s so sweet with Harper that it physically hurts to watch them together.

He clears his throat and leans against the counter, crossing his arms. “Sara’s coming over today,” he says abruptly. "I've already said yes."

I feel my heart start to race, a mix of nervousness and anticipation surging through me. It went well when I saw her the other day, but I can’t trust anyone here. Sara is Charlie’s mate; it all just feels too accosting. Is she just fishing for information? What does she really think of me? I swallow hard, trying to keep my emotions in check. "Okay," I manage after a moment. "That's...good. I think."

Harper sits eating her pancakes with glee, drowning out some of the tension in the room as she giggles and claps her hands together. But it doesn't last long before Callum speaks up. "I'm going for a run, and then there’s pack work to attend to," he announces, grabbing his keys from the hook by the door.

He waves at Harper, who squeals with delight before turning to me. For a moment, I think he’s going to say something about last night, but instead, he simply pauses, briefly looking as lost as I feel before the moment is broken, and he leaves without another word.

Sara arrives mid-morning, and I feel like I’ve been psyching myself up for it for hours by the time I open the door. Her easy smile puts me more at ease as we walk through the house, with Harper leading the way to the back deck, where I have coffee waiting.

As we sit down, the sun warms my skin through the pale fabric of my dress, and I try not to think about how much I wish this moment felt more normal.

"So," Sara says hesitantly as she takes a sip of her coffee. "How are you settling back in?" Her green eyes are full of curiosity mixed with caution, and for a moment, I wish we could just relax and really be friends.

I shrug, feigning nonchalance. "It's been an adjustment," I admit, trying not to let my nerves show. "But Harper’s doing well." I smile at my daughter, who is playing with some books on the steps.

Silence stretches between us as we both seem to be choosing our words carefully, and I find myself wondering who is more nervous at this point.

Finally, she breaks the silence, leaning back in her chair. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it," she starts slowly, "but you need to know that Charlie really does care deeply for you. He genuinely doesn’t seem to know what’s best to do." The way she says it sends shivers down my spine—is she testing me?

I take a deep breath before answering honestly, feeling the weight of those words on my heart. "I care about him, too. I always have,” I sigh. “But he’s the one who didn’t want me. It’s not up to me to make him feel better or trust him.”

I see the sadness in her eyes, but she doesn’t disagree with me. How could she? We fall into silence again, but Harper soon breaks it, reminding me that I promised her a snack. Remembering the cakes I made sitting in the kitchen, I head inside to get them. When I come back out, Harper and Sara are chatting away, and the sight warms my heart. Deep down, I know Sara has a good heart, and if I’m honest, I don’t think she’s here for any other reason than because she wants to be. For the first time, I let some of the tension in my shoulders drop, determined to try and engage with her properly rather than keeping my walls so firmly up.

The rest of the morning passes quickly once I relax, and before I know it, Sarah suggests we go to the park across the street. I hesitate—part of me wants to hide away and say no, but the other part knows that Harper deserves the chance to play with other kids her age. I know I should feel braver with Sara at my side, and Harper looks so excited by the idea, so I cautiously agree.

As we approach, I see a group of children playing together, and without missing a beat, Harper runs off to join them. The sight of her joining in fills me with warmth as she giggles, holding hands with a younger girl as a boy who looks to be her age chases after them. Sarah and I smile at the other mothers nearby and sit down on a bench, watching her play. "She's really happy here," Sarah comments softly, and I nod in agreement.

I lean back and try to ignore the sidewise glances from the other moms. I tell myself they’re probably just curious, desperately trying to remember what Callum said, that not everyone is necessarily against me. "It's nice to see her so content with other pups," I reply quietly as she turns to look at me, those friendly but curious green eyes studying my face intently.

Charlie's name is hardly mentioned again, which I'm grateful for, because I don’t want to ruin the first nice day I’ve had with a friend in as long as I can remember. I know I’ll see my brother at some point the longer we stay here and will have to face our history. But I’d rather ignore all that today and pretend that my life could be normal for once. Our conversation flits from talking about Harper to reminiscing about some of the colorful characters in the pack’s history and gossiping about people I remember. It's refreshing to have a conversation that appears to be genuine. It feels like a million years since I’ve had a friend to talk to.

Suddenly, there's a commotion as one of the boys starts throwing leaves at Harper. She squeals in delight at first, but then gasps as the boy throws more and more leaves until she’s fighting them off as they land on her head. The other moms stand at the same time, clearly about to say something, when suddenly time seems to stand still, and I feel panic rising in my chest when I see sparks flying from Harper's fingertips as she tries to defend herself. They're not big sparks, more like tiny embers, but it's enough to frighten everyone around us. My heart sinks as the women rush to grab their children and pull them away from Harper, fear and disgust written all over their faces.

Before I can even process what is happening, Sara jumps into action, scooping Harper up into her arms and rushing her over to me just as she bursts into tears. I hold her close, turning away from the others and calming her, unafraid as the tiny sparks rain down on us in a shower of Harper’s distress. Once she has calmed down, I lean down and pick my bag up, careful to shield her face from the women and children, because I don’t want her to see their fear.

"It’s okay," Sara reassures me, her voice steady despite the concern on her face. "We need to get her home." She turns to the other moms, who nod in agreement despite not being able to look me in the eye. "I’d appreciate it if we didn’t make a fuss out of this. Just kids playing, and she didn’t start it.”

I hold Harper close, who is still sobbing quietly, and walk back toward the house, my heart aching with every step. Sarah falls in step with me but says nothing. All my fears come rushing back at once, the fear that Harper will suffer the same level of rejection in life as I have, but for a different reason. It’s not that wolves aren’t used to the idea of magic; after all, the alpha’s family and others have gifts. But I don’t think they’ll accept it from my daughter. They already hate that I’ve returned. No one ever trusted my family, and now they’ll have an excuse to reject us even more.

Tears well in my eyes as I think back to how happy Harper was playing with the other children. It’s only natural that her powers rise to the surface when she’s scared. It’s all she ever knew with the Collinses, and I’m not sure she knows how to react any other way to a threat, even if it’s just a perceived threat in children’s play.

I pause on the steps and turn to Sara to say goodbye. I need to be alone with Harpers right now. “I’m sorry, I just need to get her settled.”

Sara’s eyes shine with understanding. “It’s going to be fine, Ava. It was just kids playing.” She leans over and rubs Harper’s back. “She has a gift; it’s not a bad thing.”

Sara leaves, and I shut the door behind us, leaning back against the solid frame with Harper in my arms. I pray she’s right. I still intend to leave, but it’s obvious the rogues are still hunting, although I don’t know why. Revenge? It seems unlikely. I never wanted to come back here, but being with Callum, safe in his home, and watching Harper thrive has been like a fairytale. And that’s what I’m afraid of more than anything. Because fairytales aren’t real—and neither is this.