Page 11 of Beyond the Grasslands

“Did you know someone by that name?”

“We were supposed to receive Alpha Winslow’s daughter and her traveling companion, a female guard from her pack. They never told us why she was on the way, but there were rumors that she might be Thorin’s mate.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“She never arrived. Her pack started a search for her when she didn’t show up, but no trace of her or her guard was ever found.”

My heart hurt for everyone involved. “I think Alpha Greywolf and Alpha Winslow should be told. Maybe if you approach Miriam the right way she will confess and Bethany’s family can get the closure they need.”

Doubt creeped across Warren’s face, but he didn’t deny that it needed to happen. “We’ll try with her and the rest of her family. She would have needed help to carry that out.”

“Do you think her daughter was the one who helped?” I asked. It didn’t feel as though Catalina was part of it when Selene spoke of the incident, but who knew. It was obvious that the gods disclosed only what they wanted, and if what Selene said was true, they also didn’t know everything.

“I doubt it, but we’ll check into all the angles. We can at least put the question of whether she’s still out there to rest, since the Goddess confirmed it with you.”

“You believe I really spoke to the Goddess?” I asked because it wasn’t every day that a shifter received personal messages from any of the gods. The mate dreams were usually the extent of that interaction, and even my own mate dream had been different from the others. Selene didn’t normally speak directly to the shifters. She usually just bestowed dreams of their mates on the females who needed to seek them out.

“The dream you had of speaking with Selene before was true enough. You had your choice between two moon-blessed mates. That means something to me. If she spoke to you then, I won’t doubt that she spoke to you another time. I assume there was more to that conversation.” I nodded, but didn’t bother to fill him in. The rest of what was said was for me.

“I won’t ask about the rest. The pack doctor will be along shortly to check in on you and to see how your wounds are healing.”

“Thank you. Do you know where Alpha Greywolf ran off to?” I asked. It was the second time I’d addressed him as such insteadof Thorin and Warren apparently picked up on it, if his wince was anything to go by.

“I believe he is training with the warriors in case there are any repercussions from our time in the Thornwin’s pack.”

I offered a nod and weak smile before Warren came over and dropped a chair beside my bed. “Why don’t you sit here, Janella. Give Nika a bit of room to breathe.”

“Sorry, Nika.”

“Don’t apologize for caring about me because if the rolls were reversed, the Alpha himself would have to peel me away from you.”

Warren smiled at my sentiment, gave me a quick tip of his head, and then left the room. Janella moved herself to the chair and then took my hand in hers. “I was so scared for you.”

“I was afraid for you, too.”

“I need you to know that I think of you as a sister. A real one. There might not be a blood bond between us, but you are my person, Nika. Ever since that first night you were on the island, I felt this incredible connection with you and it has only grown since then.

“I feel exactly the same, Janella. That will never change.”

I closed my eyes with a smile on my face for the first time since I’d been kidnapped. I had lost my family a couple years ago, but a new one had been waiting for me on that stupid island and I was so thankful for it.

Chapter 6

Losses and Gains

THORIN

I feltNika’s finger twitch beneath my hand, but it took a minute for it to click that she might wake up. When she tried to grasp my fingers that were wrapped around her hand, I stood and left the room. What my wolf had done to her was reprehensible and I wouldn’t blame her if she never forgave me. I couldn’t forgive myself, so there was no way I could expect her to do so.

My wolf hadn’t even attempted to come to the surface since the incident. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was because he was happy with himself. We now had a mate who we had claimed, and for my wolf, that was all that mattered. The bastard, in his madness, must have forgotten that Nika hadn’t claimed us back because she was injured so badly that she passed out.

If I could cage the beast inside me and never allow him access to the world again, I would. His desperate actions had probably cost us a fully bonded mate. Eventually, the madness would take us both and someone would have to put us down.

We deserved it.

I left the house and went to walk amongst my pack for a bit. It was something my father used to do when he had a lot on hismind. He always used to say the best perspective could be found when you kept your mind busy while helping others.

I wasn’t sure how well that would work, but I made my way around the pack and talked to those who crossed my path just the same. They got the chance to tell me about their days, express concerns, and in some cases to apologize for being less than hospitable to my mate when she was in our care previously. They believed Miriam when she tried to tell them that the gods had given her daughter the dreams of me after her first moon-blessed was killed.

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