Page 2 of Unforgivable Fate

Nova scrunched her nose, “You say finally like I’m getting old or something.”

“Yet still young enough to purposefully miss the point.” Maya gestured at her with her water bottle, “I’m serious. You’ve never been able to see your own future. Logic says that means you wouldn’t see your fated mate either since his, or her, future is tied to yours. If that’s the case, maybe the reason you can’t see glimpses of our futures anymore is because pretty soon, your mate is going to be part of this family, hence the dark spot.”

Maya looked far too proud of herself to have come up with this on the spot and Nova narrowed her eyes at her older sister. She’d been thinking about this, Nova realized. Really thinking about it hard. Though she’d given no outward sign that she was worried about Nova’s decreasing ability to see visions of their futures, Maya had clearly spoken about it with Zander and been thinking about it enough to have come up with this theory.

“It’s possible, I suppose…” She hedged, because she’d never told her sister about her own theory, about death lurking on the horizon. “But if it’s my mate, shouldn’t I be able to tell that? To recognize them or at the very least not feel queasy whenever that dark spot blots out a vision?”

“Queasy? Yeah, I remember feeling queasy when I thought about being mated too.” Maya laughed and Nova groaned.

“It’s not the same. You didn’t want a mate. You hated fate and expected the worst but I don’t. I never have. I’ve always trusted my gift and the force that guides it. Even when the worst happened and we lost Mom and Dad. Even when it hurt, I trusted that everything we were going through was happening for a reason and it was. Michael saved us and mated with Luna just like my vision showed. Leo found his mate in Darius. Even you and Zander, that was fate.”

Maya’s face was soft and thoughtful when she shook her head, “Exactly. You’re the one that constantly reminded me that fate is inevitable. It is what it is. Whether you can see your own future, see your own mate or not, there’s a reason your visions are changing. You just have to trust that it’s for a reason too.”

Nova contemplated throwing something at her sister but the only thing she had handy was the toddler and she didn’t think that would go over well so instead she scoffed, “When did you become the optimist? I don’t like it. I want my cynical big sister back.”

Carmen leaned on a letter that didn’t light up and immediately started crying. Nova winced. She’d forgotten that the Z had stopped working on the little toy. Earlier she’d distracted Carmen from pushing that button, knowing it would infuriate her tiny temper because she associated the letter with her daddy but this time Nova hadn’t been quick enough. She smacked the letter again and again but it didn’t light up and the tears soon became sobs.

Maya swooped in before Nova had a chance to figure out a solution. She picked her daughter up and held her close. She rubbed her back and spoke to her soothingly, rocking her back and forth.

Nova marveled at the change in her sister, at the softness of her. Maya had always been the strong one out of all of their siblings. She kept her emotions close to her chest. She was steel-willed and defiant to her core. But motherhood clearly agreed with her because all of her hard edges fell away when it came to her daughter and Nova knew Maya had finally let all of her old walls down so that she could love Zander and Carmen and Violet with her whole heart.

It was nice to see and she smiled up at her sister when Maya caught her eye.

“It’s hard to stay cynical when I wake up with the man I love and our beautiful girls every day.”

Nova’s heart gave a tug of envy but she only nodded. She understood and she was happy for her sister. She could only hope that Maya’s theory about her visions was more accurate than her own because she wanted this for herself someday. She wanted someone to love, someone who made her better, someone to wake up beside and to kiss goodnight. She was still young and she knew that finding your mate, the one person in the world that fate had made just for you, wasn’t something that could be rushed. But being around Maya and Zander only reminded her more that when she went home tonight she would be utterly alone, with not even a vision of the future to keep her company.

Since her mood was quickly souring, she held out a hand, “Help me up. I should get going.”

Maya used her free hand to help pull Nova to her feet while balancing the crying toddler on her hip, “Oh sure, Carmen starts crying and now you leave.”

“No, it’s not that.” She patted her niece on the back, “It’s not you, sweetheart. Auntie Nova just promised she’d swing by Uncle Leo’s on her way home.”

“Good lord, what’s that racket?” Zander came back into the apartment looking sweaty and out of breath and Nova couldn’t help but wonder if he’d literally come running at the sound of his daughter crying. He was such a good dad. He softened his tone and held out his arms as he approached, “Who hurt my baby girl? Tell me and Daddy will end them. Come here, baby.”

Maya let her husband take the child and scoffed when Carmen stopped crying the instant Zander tucked her against his chest, “It should annoy me that she instantly becomes an angel when her daddy holds her but I’m just glad the crying stops.”

Zander chuckled and pulled Maya against his side, kissing her temple, “Both my girls are angels to me.”

Nova pretended to gag and laughed, “That’s my cue to leave I think.”

“You’re heading back to Leo’s?” Maya’s brows knit together when she frowned.

“Yeah, he asked me to swing by before I went home tonight.”

Maya exchanged a glance with her husband but it was Zander that spoke up, “I know Maya has a theory about why your visions are blurry lately but I have a theory of my own.”

“Oh goody… I can’t wait to hear this one.” Nova rolled her eyes. “Everyone has a theory. Leo thinks it has to do with all of you being mated now. Darius thinks maybe the reason most packs don’t have Seer’s is because we outgrow the power at some point and that’s what is happening to me. Maya thinks it has to do with my fated mate but please, I’d love to hear your theory, Zan.”

Maya scowled at her, “Don’t be pissy about it. We’re all just trying to help.”

“It’s fine.” Zander reassured his wife. “I get it. I haven’t been a wolf for very long in the grand scheme of things. If none of you can figure it out, surely I can’t either.”

Nova rubbed her eyes, immediately feeling bad for snapping, “It’s not that. I’m sorry. I’m just on edge.”

“I know.” He shifted Carmen in his arms and then looked back at her, “And I think the reason you’re so on edge and your powers are off is because you’re using them too much.”

“What?” She tilted her head in confusion.

---