Page 46 of The Witch’s Shifter (Season of the Witch #3)

Aurora

THE DAY I’VE BEEN DREADING is here. Today, Selene, Wyland, Fletcher, Gwynn, and Mama are leaving Faunwood and starting the journey back to Wysteria. Though cold, the day is sunny and bright. It’s stark in contrast to the gloom lingering in my heart.

Unlike last week when my family arrived, Faolan stands by my side. His hair is pulled back into a sleek black braid, making his jawline and strong brow even more pronounced. I told him this morning that he didn’t need to come, but he insisted. What a difference a single week can make.

Alden and Rowan are here as well, and when my family steps out of the Golden Lantern, the men immediately pick up their luggage and start toward the wagon waiting for them in the crisp leaf-scented air.

Gwynn soars overhead, a soft stroke of white against the cloudless autumn sky.

I wanted Harrison to be here, but he refused, claiming he didn’t need to see them off.

But I know the truth: He can’t stand seeing Selene go, and he thinks it’ll be less painful if he stays away.

I glance back up Hillock Lane, in the direction we came from, but I don’t see Harrison anywhere. Softly, I sigh. He’s more sensitive than he lets on.

“Goodbye, little sis,” Wyland says as he crushes me in a warm hug. In my ear, he whispers, “I’d tell you to take care of yourself, but with your guys around, I’m not sure I need to.”

“If they ever drive me a bit too crazy,” I say as I pull away, “I hope I’ve still got a couch with you and Selene.”

“A couch?” He rolls his hazel eyes. “You’ve got an entire room if ever you need it.”

“Thank you.” I squeeze his hand, then turn to face my sister. Her dark eyes are already glimmering with tears, and I hold up a hand, saying, “I’ve cried so much the past few days, I don’t know if I can do it again.”

She laughs and uses the back of her hand to wipe the tears quickly away. “All right, fine. I’ll try not to sob all over you. But come here.”

I’m in her arms then, enveloped in her soft scent of lilac. We hold each other for a long time, until the beat of my heart matches hers.

“Will you visit me again soon?” I whisper into her silver hair.

Against my chest, I feel her rumble with laughter. “Of course. That baby will be here in a few months, and I’m going to be right here beside you.”

“Really?” I pull away and blink at her, and she nods.

“Really. I know you’ll have all these guys around you, but some things just need a woman’s touch. Perhaps we can make it a longer trip. Wyland will likely have to stay in Wysteria for work, but I could visit for a few weeks, help you get settled with the little one.”

Gripping Selene’s hand in mine, I nod emphatically. “Please. I’d love that.”

“Then it’s a plan. I’ll see you”—she brushes a loving hand over my belly and smiles—“and the little one then.”

“I’m already looking forward to it. And to seeing you .” I stoop to kiss Fletcher’s head where it’s poking from the swaddle wrapped around Selene’s chest. He blinks blearily, yawns, and cuddles deeper into the warm fabric.

Making to step away, Selene pauses, then tips her head at me. “I read your lines, you know.”

My heart thuds hard in my chest. She’s referring to the lines on my hands.

Selene has always been gifted at chiromancy, the art of reading palms. At one point when she was first learning, I used to keep my hands clenched into fists or hidden in mittens or deep pockets just to avoid her being able to see them.

“I saw the baby’s gender,” she continues. Her lips pull up on one side, coy and almost catlike. “Would you like to know what it is?”

Rowan is speaking softly with my mother, but he must’ve overheard Selene, because he turns in our direction, and his eyes meet mine.

Does he want to know? Do I want to know?

He holds my gaze for a long moment, then smiles, and I think he’s leaving it up to me.

And I know my answer.

“No.” Shaking my head, I place a hand on my belly. “I want it to be a surprise.”

Selene hums thoughtfully. “All right, sweet Aurora. A surprise it’ll stay.” She takes Wyland’s hand, and he helps her into the wagon.

Now it’s down to me and my mother. The guys seem to understand how delicate my relationship with her is, for they finish their goodbyes and then step away, giving me space—not that Faolan won’t be able to hear us, but the gesture is still appreciated.

My mother meets my gaze, and her amethyst eyes are so clear and focused, it’s almost unsettling.

“Aurora,” she says, “there’s much I need to apologize to you for.”

Once my brain processes what she said, then processes it again to ensure I didn’t mishear her, I have to check to make sure my jaw hasn’t hit the ground.

Mama wants to apologize to me?

Momentarily, I wonder if she was overtaken by another spirit during our Samhain ritual, but I quickly dismiss that idea as being ridiculous.

My mother is an adept witch, one of the most powerful I’ve ever known; a spirit wouldn’t have the slightest chance at overpowering her will and taking control.

Which means she actually wants to apologize.

“Why?” I ask.

I don’t mean why does she want to apologize; I could probably fill a journal with the number of wrongs I feel she has committed against me. Rather, I want to know, why now?

“Last night, in speaking to Lilith, I was able to confront some things I’ve been struggling with for a very long time.

” She straightens her shoulders, her eyes softening as she regards me.

“From the first moment you met Lilith, there was a special connection between you. Perhaps it’s the earth magic, perhaps not, but I knew then that you would be kindred spirits.

And I was right. As you got older, your desire to be with Lilith only grew, and my envy grew along with it, like a weed in the garden. ”

Envy? My mother was envious of Auntie? Surprise makes my eyebrows lift. In all the years I watched them together, I never realized the truth in my mother’s heart; she always disguised it so well. How exhausting that must’ve been.

“I spent my time being angry that you preferred her over me, and in turn, I took it out on the both of you.” Mama shakes her head, and when she glances away and bites her lip, I can tell she’s trying not to cry.

“Instead, I should have been grateful. I should have fostered the relationship you shared instead of trying to tear it down. And for that I am so, so sorry.” This time when she meets my eyes, hers are swimming with tears. “I’m sorry, Aurora. For all of it.”

Without considering the possible implications of my actions, I fly into my mother’s arms. She lets out a breath of surprise, and then her arms are around me, unfamiliar but still warm.

“It’s not that I preferred her over you,” I say, my cheek pressed against her shoulder. “I just felt she understood me better, saw me for who I was. I always felt like I’d... like I’d disappointed you somehow.”

My evening in the pumpkin patch with Alden and Rowan comes back to me. I recall telling them my secret: that I’ve known from a young age that my mother is disappointed in how I turned out, in the choices I’ve made, in who I am.

But now, being held in her arms, I wonder if perhaps I could be wrong. Have I misunderstood her all these years? And is this why she always hated Faunwood—because it’s an extension of Auntie, an extension of my love for her?

Mama grips my shoulders and pulls away to look me in the eyes.

“You’ve never disappointed me. I’ve always been proud of you.

Your kindness, the way you see beauty in everything around you, your determination to carve your own path.

” She lifts one hand and places it on my cheek.

“I’m awed by you. And I wish I would’ve told you that sooner.

I never want you to feel like you’ve let me down.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. ”

Behind me, I can hear Selene crying. I turn to face her. “You said you wouldn’t cry!” I say as tears well in my eyes.

She just shrugs, tears still flowing, then presses a kiss to Fletcher’s head, looking happy and sad at the same time.

Mama clears her throat. “I have something for you. A gift. For you and the baby.” She pulls away and reaches into the pocket of her dress.

My eyes widen when she removes a golden chain with a large clear quartz dangling in the center, hugged on either side by rough black stones. The crystals catch the sunlight and shimmer.

“Quartz for healing, black tourmaline for protection,” Mama says softly.

“I know I’ve not been there for you in the way a mother ought to be, haven’t protected you or nurtured you the way I should’ve.

I hope to change that moving forward.” She lifts the necklace toward me. “Will you accept my gift?”

Nodding and trying not to let my tears fall, I turn and lift my hair.

Mama’s fingers are cool on my skin as she clasps the golden chain about my neck.

I feel her hesitate when she sees the scar from my mate bond with Faolan, but then she brushes her fingers across it lovingly, and in that one small gesture, I feel the acceptance I’ve spent my whole life trying to attain.

And my entire body feels lighter for it, like I could just drift up into the autumn sky and float away.

When she’s clasped the necklace and I’ve turned around, she opens her arms for a hug, and I step once more into her embrace.

“I love you,” she says softly. “And I always have.”

With my family and all their luggage loaded into the wagon, it’s time for them to leave. Alden, Rowan, and Faolan stand around me. Rowan holds my hand, his thumb tracing over my knuckles as I grip the clear quartz hanging from my neck.

I would never have guessed my family’s trip would wrap up this way, with both a gift and, more importantly, an apology from my mother.

This doesn’t fix anything—not truly—but it’s a leap in the right direction, and for the first time, it makes me feel like maybe Mama and I can fix what’s strained between us, can become more than distant relatives.

The idea makes me smile as I raise a hand to wave goodbye.

But just as the wagon starts to pull away, Faolan jerks his head to the side, blue eyes narrowing.

“What is it?” I ask him.

He continues staring into the distance for a moment, and then the expression on his face softens. It almost looks like he wants to laugh. “It’s the cat.”

The cat?

I look in that direction, but I can’t see or hear anything. A few seconds pass, and then a white shape flashes into view.

Harrison.

My heart swells.

He’s running as hard and fast as he can. His paws strike the earth and crunch the dried aspen leaves, and his silky hair blows back from the speed of his movement.

“Wait!” I tell the man driving the wagon.

At my outburst, Selene jerks her head up from where she was gazing down at Fletcher. When she sees Harrison, her lips pull into a smile, and she asks Wyland to take Fletcher so that she may climb down from the wagon.

Almost as soon as her boots touch the ground, Harrison is there, launching himself up and into her arms. She catches him with a little breath of surprise, then holds him close to her chest as her long cloak drifts on the chill breeze.

“I’m going to miss you too,” she says to him, eyes closed, cuddling him tight.

Harrison doesn’t say anything—not that Selene would understand him if he did. But he doesn’t need to; they communicate just fine as is, without the need for words.

“I love you.” Selene presses a kiss to his head. “And when I visit for the baby’s birth, I’ll bring you all the wispfish I can fit into my luggage. Does that sound good?”

In response, Harrison presses his head into Selene’s face, nuzzling her chin and cheeks. He’s purring so loud I can hear the rumble from way over here.

Selene laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Walking over to me, she gently places Harrison in my arms. “You two take care of each other. Love you both.”

As she steps away and climbs back into the wagon, Harrison curls against me.

“I’m going to miss her,” he whispers as the wheels start to turn and the wagon begins down Wysteria Way and toward the bridge crossing the river.

“Me too,” I say softly, scratching behind his ear. “Me too.”