The waves lapped against the shore, a strange sort of music to my ears. For so long, I hadn’t thought of myself as part of the Cancer pack, and I’d tried to pretend that I didn’t love the sound of the sea as much as the next shifter. But there was something about it, something that eased the constant tension in my shoulders and made everything seem a little less daunting.
It was late, and I’d crept out of the house to walk along the beach. There were too many things to think about, and I didn’t want to keep Kaden awake with my pacing. I dug my bare toes into the sand as I continued walking, and tilted my head up to look at the stars. The moon had risen higher, and I found my gaze drawn to it, as usual. This time, I didn’t feel the serenity and strength it usually gave me.
Where were the Moon Witches? I didn’t have the faintest clue as to where I’d find them. Hell, I didn't even know where to begin looking. Had they gone into hiding? Or had every bit of their existence been systematically wiped out by the Sun Witches, except for the small traces of their blood in the Ophiuchus pack? Was my mom still alive, or had she perished with the rest of the Moon Witches?
If Kaden hadn’t appeared at the Convergence, I would have never believed that he—and the Ophiuchus pack—existed at all. Were the Moon Witches biding their time to make their comeback as well? Now seemed like the perfect time to do so—and we could certainly use their help. If they were keeping up with what was going on with the packs, hopefully they’d realize now would be the time to stand up to the Sun Witches. But so far, they hadn't made an appearance.
I shook my head and sighed. I was beginning to get frustrated with these insurmountable tasks we were having shoved onto our plates. Oh, just locate the Moon Witches, and find a way to make all of the other packs ally with you, while trying not to get captured again by the Leos and Sun Witches. Easy peasy.
A scuff of feet on the sand behind me sent me into an immediate defensive position. I half expected Brad to find me and try to beat me up again, just out of spite, but it wasn’t him who stood behind me. I blinked, fists still clenched. “You scared me."
“You shouldn’t wander off like that,” Kaden said. “It isn’t safe, especially when we have the Taurus pack hot on our tails.”
I rolled my eyes. I liked that he wanted to keep me safe, but sometimes he could be a bit overbearing. “Ooh, the big bad alpha, looking out for me to make sure I don’t get eaten up by the Cancer pack. Hold on, let me find a patch of sand soft enough to swoon onto.”
Kaden’s lips didn’t so much as twitch. “You do need to be more careful. So many people want you hurt—or dead.”
“Sorry,” I said with a sigh. “I just had to clear my head. This is all so overwhelming.”
“I get it. It’s a lot to take in. Being lied to your entire life can’t be an easy thing to swallow.” He tilted his head back to stare up at the sky, and I remembered when we'd first kissed, on the roof of his house as he showed me the stars through his telescope. He'd pushed me away after that, believing we could never be together, but now we knew the mate bond was a lie.
"It is a lot, but it's easier with you here." I turned toward him and he opened his arms wide, drawing me into his embrace. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent, feeling safe and content. I just had to ignore the niggling feeling in my gut that said this happiness could never last.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We spent the next week living with Wesley and the orphan shifters. I got the sense Kaden was impatient to return to the Ophiuchus pack, but I hadn't seen my brother in months. The thought of leaving Wesley so soon after finding out he was still alive physically hurt. But we couldn't stay on this island forever, even if it was the perfect hideaway. We had our own path, and Wesley had to take care of the Cancer pack.
The days passed like something out of a dream. During the day, Kaden often played video games with the young shifters, while Wesley and I chatted on the porch. Wesley caught me up on all the pack news, including who had survived and who hadn't, and the improvements he planned to make to the pack already. He wanted to find a new beta but decided it was too much change all at once for the pack.
In return, I told him more about my time with the Ophiuchus pack and all the things I'd learned, and then told him about everything that happened when I was being held captive by the Leos. We discussed the Sun Witches, and how it seemed as though they were controlling much more of our lives than we'd believed.
Wesley also spent time reaching out to the other pack alphas, without much success. There weren’t any immediate responses, but I had no doubt that Wesley would keep us updated if he found anything out. Mira was also silent, and I hoped that everything was going well with the Pisces pack.
A month didn’t give us much time to try and convince multiple packs that going against the Leos was a good idea, but I hoped that it would be enough to at least get them to come and hear us out. I just wanted this to be done, impatient for the confrontation to happen already. I was sick of running and hiding and being scared. I wanted the Leos to be taken care of, so I could enjoy my time with Kaden and the Ophiuchus.
On our last night on the island, I was so mentally tired that I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow, one of Kaden’s arms curled protectively around my side. When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was in the exact same position we’d fallen asleep in. I took a moment to look over Kaden’s handsome face, my chest bursting with affection. He looked less broody when he was asleep, closer to his actual age, and I wished I had my camera to capture the moment forever.
Breakfast was silent, and when I went to pack up our stuff afterward, I found that tears were prickling at the back of my eyes. I managed to hold them back all the way back to our boat, but when Wesley enveloped me in a hug, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. This felt too much like a true goodbye for me to think of it being anything else. At the Convergence, there hadn’t been time for goodbyes, just the heart-pounding need to get away from the danger. I didn’t want to leave Wesley, but I tried to reassure myself that we would see each other again this time.
“I’ll see you at the solar eclipse,” I said, with a sniff. “Stay safe and try not to almost die again.”
“You too,” Wesley said, giving me a sad grin. “I don’t know why you’re always such a magnet for danger, but I'm sure you can take care of yourself. And you have someone on your side who will help you now.”
Kaden nodded as he shook hands with Wesley. “She’ll be safe with me, I swear it."
“Good,” Wesley said and stepped back. "I love you, Ayla."