Chapter 33 AURORA

“Evelyn,” I said. “I need to speak to Dane.”

Her voice, which had been bright and bubbly when she answered, turned suddenly cool. “Who may I tell him is calling?”

“Aurora DeVere.”

Evelyn let her breath out in a rush. “He said he doesn’t want to speak to you. Ever again.”

“He said he doesn’t want to see me. And he can’t. I’m on the phone.”

I heard Dane’s voice in the background. He sounded annoyed that she answered his phone. Then Evelyn said, “Wait, Dane, it’s…”

“Hello?”

His voice was like a caress. It was all I could do not to close my eyes and shiver as it washed over me.

Instead, I straightened my spine and kept my voice business-like. “Alpha Montague.”

There was a long pause, and I wasn’t sure if he’d hung up on me. Just as I was about to pull my phone away from my ear to check, he said, “Luna-heir DeVere. How can I help you?”

A humorless smile curved my lips. It was the first time he’d called me by my actual title. “After you left, I was able to get one of the pages we were searching for. I have the ceremony.”

Another pause. “You said it was unnecessary.”

I couldn’t keep the excitement from my tone. “I thought so, too. But it turns out the chosen of the goddess isn’t just the key that opens the door to the relic. She’s also… more. A healer. A leader. The ceremony unlocks the potential inside the chosen that lets her do what she needs to.”

“So, you’re saying the ceremony is necessary,” Dane said.

“Yes.”

“So, do it.” His voice was clipped and terse. My previous excitement died. I’d forgotten just how angry he was, just how little he ever believed me.

“All right. I’ll get on a plane back to Europe and ask for 100 wolves from the High Alpine Pack to participate, then.”

Another pause. “I see. I’ll provide what you need. What time frame are you looking at?”

It was such a business-like question asked in such a professional tone. The part of me who was a businesswoman relaxed. The part of me that had Dane’s body on hers just days ago wept.

“It requires a full moon. If we want this done soon… a week. But if you need another month…?”

“No,” Dane said. “A week. Here.”

“I will have to be there to perform the ceremony,” I said. “I can’t send Trajan or Evander. If you participate, you will, unfortunately, have to lay eyes on me.”

Dane’s tone grated. “I’ll do whatever I need to finish this so you can go back to wherever you were for the last five years.”

The line went dead. He’d hung up.

“What was that about?”

I jumped. Holden was standing in the doorway, looking at me. I cursed myself for not closing the door. After my disappearance, he had decided to stay for a while. I didn’t mind. I liked his company. “Business with Blue Ridge. You know I can’t talk about those kinds of things with you.”

Holden made a face. “Sounds serious.”

“I know you hate serious things.”

He laughed a little, but then his smile fell. “Aurora… what would you say if I told you I already knew?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. He couldn’t possibly. “Knew about what?”

He stepped forward, and the look on his face made my heart speed up. “I know about the ancient magic on Broken Forest land… Blue Ridge land, now.”

I gaped at him. “You… how would you know that?”

He grinned. “Fall Line is an old pack. The Coleridges are an old family. And about fifty years ago, we were deeply involved in resolving a pack war between Connall Montague and John Grayson of Hundred Lakes.”

I frowned, taking this in. He knew about the relic. He knew it was on Blue Ridge land. I took a breath. “What else do you know?”

He sat. “What else do you want to tell me? I know something has been weighing on you since that night with the Reeds and Montague. Just tell me. I know I can be an ass, but… you really can trust me.”

He reached over and gently ran his fingers along the back of my hand. I looked into his eyes. They were wide and earnest, and I so badly wanted someone I could talk to.

Someone who’d listen to me.

Someone who didn’t hate me.

So, slowly, I said, “That night… Esther Reed showed me things. Things from my past I don’t remember. I’m worried, Holden. She said I used to be like them, and that I changed after my… injuries, that night. What if she’s telling the truth?”

Holden shrugged. “What if she is? What if you were terrible?” He winked. “Is being terrible so bad?”

I blinked, then pulled my hand away. “The Reeds aren’t a fun kind of terrible. They’re actually awful people.”

But I remembered being in the new pack house. Things were so much quieter there than Blue Ridge. Yes, there had been bad times… I thought… but the Broken Forest wolves were some of the best hunters and artisans among the packs.

Holden found my hand again and took it. This time, even when I tugged, he wouldn’t let go. “Aurora, look at me. Each pack has… goals. Desires. When dozens or hundreds of people depend on you for their lives, sometimes things need to be… accomplished. No matter the cost.”

He looked troubled. I tilted my head. “Holden… why does it sound like you know that from experience?”