Page 62 of Mated to the Wolves

“Yl?”

“Princess.”

“I’m fine. I just slipped.” Their protective instincts surprise me. As much as I hate to admit it, things are changing.

“Be careful.” Fell says.

I nod. “I wasn’t trying to break my neck.”

I reach the bottom. Grateful to have my feet on the ground, I wipe my palms on my jeans and pull the flashlight from my pocket.

The light slices through the darkness and I see the tunnel I’d traveled in my dream.

“What do you see?” Kirk asks.

“A hallway.”

“Wait for us,” Bo demands.

“Yes, Your Highness.” I roll my eyes.

“Finally, you acknowledge my nobility,” Bo says cheekily.

“Cocky bastard.” I hide my smile.

“Are you thinking about my cock, love?” Bo yells down.

“Yeah, ripping it off if you bring it near me,” I call back.

Kirk’s laughter drowns out his response. I grin. I love seeing the somber man lighten up. He’d been dealt a bad hand that changed him in ways that hurt my heart. Like me, he’s a victim of circumstances bigger than him.

They join me and we turn to face the darkness. Despite the filth, the enclosed space doesn’t feel negative. We walk down the hallway. I stop a few feet away from the opening. I’ll never be able to unknow whatever it is I’m about to discover.

“What’s wrong?” Kirk asks.

“My parents kept this hidden from me.” Had my brother known? “ What if I’m about to learn something horrific?” Tarnishing my family’s image would kill me.

Kirk places a hand on my shoulder. “I can’t promise you it won’t hurt, but I think not knowing would be worse at this point.”

“I don’t want to ruin their memory,” I whisper.

Kirk wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into him. “We’ll do it together.”

Inhaling, I straighten up. “Let’s go.”

For once, Bo keeps his mouth shut, and I’m grateful. The closer we get the faster my heart beats.

I hold my breath. We step in front of the door frame. I see the room from my dreams. Sconces flicker to life, revealing the room in pristine condition.

Moving inside feels like trudging through water. The air is thicker than it should be. I exhale. Peace washes over me. The staleness is replaced with the scent of leather, old parchment, and lemongrass.

I feel like Belle stepping into the Beast’s library. Bookshelves, display cases with strange objects and a small apothecary section rest against the walls.

Bo releases a low whistle. Kirk heads straight for the apothecary. His brown eyes sparkle with delight as he runs his hands over the labeled glass bottles. Once a healer, always a healer.

I approach the shelf, and run my fingertip over the worn leather just as I did in the dream.

The gold lettering on the spine of a book shimmers and catches the light. The font changes to a symbol. I blink. The lettering returns to normal, and my fingers itch to hold the thick tome. I remove it.

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