"Um, should we go get Ella?" I asked hesitantly. While I wanted to tell Roger everything right then and there—I felt so safe with him—I knew Ella would want to hear it, too. And frankly, I didn't want to tell the story twice.

Roger remained still for a moment before moving. "Sure, Cora," he said, disengaging his arm from my shoulders and climbing off the bed. "I'll get them."

As he walked toward the door, I instantly missed his warmth. Suddenly, I didn't want to be alone. "I'll come with you," I said quickly, sliding off the bed and moving to his side.

"All right," he said, smiling down at me as he opened the door. We went through it together, me a step behind, allowing Roger to lead. I glanced at the grandfather clock—still slightly askew from one of Ella's wheelchair adventures—and saw it was early, probably too early to wake them after so little sleep.

"Should we—" I began, hesitating as we reached their bedroom door, but Roger shook his head. "They'll want to know," he said, turning the knob and opening the door just a crack to peek inside.

Sinclair sat up in bed, hearing the door and reacting to a perceived threat. He snarled. I gasped, taking a step back, but Roger's hand immediately steadied me.

"It's all right, Dominic," Roger called, opening the door fully so Sinclair and Ella could see us. Ella was quietly nursing Rafe while Sinclair dozed beside her; they were already mostly awake. The fear sparked by Sinclair's snarl faded as I saw the sweet reality of the scene.

"Cora!" Ella cried, trying to stand, but I entered the bedroom before she could.

"No," I said, crossing to her bedside. "Stay put—you're busy."

"Are you all right?" she asked worriedly, reaching for my hand.

"Um," I said, blushing slightly as I looked between her and a mostly naked Sinclair. Roger, beside me, didn't blush at all, despite seeing most of Ella's breast. The wolves' casual acceptance of nudity…I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it.

Hank's awkwardness when confronted with Ella and Sinclair's comfort with their bodies and sexuality suddenly came to mind. He's a surgeon, not an OB/GYN. Then it hit me:

Oh my god, Hank.

I hadn't contacted him since arriving at Ella's. He was probably frantic. Honestly, I hadn't even thought of him, and I felt incredibly guilty, especially considering what we'd done last night.

Blushing, I reached for my phone, but it wasn't there.

"Everything… all right?" Roger asked, looking at me with concern and perhaps a little suspicion.

"Fine," I replied, offering a forced smile and folding my hands neatly. I'd contact Hank later. We had more important things to do. "Ella," I said, looking at her seriously. "I… I remember things. Important things. I think you should hear them."

"All right," Ella said, her eyes wide and curious, but not pressuring me. "Whenever you're ready."

Ella:

Cora sat on my bed, exhaling a deep, shaky breath. I looked at Roger curiously, but his eyes were fixed on my sister, watching and listening. I adjusted my hold on Rafe, who was still happily feeding, and leaned back against Sinclair, who wrapped his arms around me for support.

"I can't believe I forgot," Cora said, looking down at her hands and shaking her head. "It's like a nightmare you forget in the morning, but then something reminds you, and it all comes crashing back."

"What is it, Cora?" I whispered, wanting to let her proceed at her own pace but eager to know.

"The man," she said, meeting my gaze. "Don't you remember him, Ella?"

"I—I didn't see him, Cora," I said, shaking my head. "I didn't see what you saw in the hypnosis. Maybe if I had, I'd have the same memories, but no…"

"He's—he's been following us our whole lives," Cora whispered, looking down at her hands. Tears welled in her eyes, and my heart ached to see her so upset. "He never approached us, never spoke. But I'd see him, like a specter—suddenly, he'd be there. Standing across the schoolyard, watching us. At the end of the hall, watching us. And once, at the foot of my bed in the orphanage—I saw him, watching me sleep."

Cora's voice caught, and she pressed a hand to her neck, closing her eyes. "And every time I saw him, I'd forget him, until I saw him again—and then I'd remember—"

"Oh, Cora," I murmured, leaning toward her. "That's horrible."

"And he's the one," she said, raising her eyes and shaking her head. "He's the one who made me switch the sperm samples. I'm so sorry, Ella—it's all my fault. It really was me."

"No, Cora," I said fiercely, taking her hand and squeezing it. "You did everything right. That priest, he did something to you, hypnotized you, made you forget."

"Don't forget, Cora," Sinclair added, his deep voice sympathetic. "We're not new to this—the priests who followed Ella her whole life wiped memories from her mind as well."

"But they're not the same priests," Cora breathed, looking between Sinclair and me and wiping a tear from her eye. "I can tell—I know it in my bones. There's a connection, a similarity. But they're not the same order. This man…he serves someone else. Not the Goddess."

I looked between Roger and Sinclair, who knew more about shifter religion than I did. "Are you aware of some…subset? Or a cult of priests? Who wear black robes?"

"No," Roger replied, running a hand through his hair. "I tried to research last night, but I came up empty. That doesn't mean it's a dead end, though many have better access to occult archives than I do."

"But don't you see?" Cora asked, looking between the three of us. "It's…it's me. I'm the connection. I'm the thing that brings it all together."

I stared at my sister, not understanding. "Ella," she said, leaning forward. "That priest—he let me see him, let us see him, when we were girls. He wiped the memories. If he'd wanted to do it invisibly, he could have. Ella, he wanted us to know him, to recognize him."

She swallowed, releasing my hand and gripping her own. "He wanted to be seen."

"We don't know that, Cora," Ella replied, shaking her head. "We don't know the details—it could have been a mistake, you seeing him. And—and me, if you say I was there."

"But don't you see, Ella?" Cora whispered. "He's been following us our whole lives. Us, not just you. Me, somehow? Somehow…I've been part of this plan all along."

"Well," I said softly, "you, too, are the daughter of a goddess. If he somehow knew our history and wanted a child of her line…"

"Then it makes sense," Cora whispered, finishing my sentence, "that he'd want two viable options."

I stared at my sister, my heart sinking as I realized this was far deeper and more complicated than we ever imagined.