Page 66 of The Wolf and the Chimera
I squashed the hope in my heart. Even if we were, it only proved Circe’s power. If the ancient witch was capable of exiling the sorceress, the gods knew what else she was capable of and what kind of illusions she could concoct.
“Elle’s favorite color is purple,” Imogen said quietly. Her tired, blue eyes bored into mine. “She loves reading, anything from history to science to romance novels. She prefers a night light, though she doesn’t like to admit it, and she talks in her sleep.”
Against my back, Elle sobbed, and Imogen stepped closer. My fear and worry cracked, not only because of how well this woman knew Elle, but because of the love shining in her eyes. I glanced at Circe, whose gaze was cunning and cold.
Powerful or not, the witch couldn’t have faked such maternal devotion.
With a shaky breath, I let Elle go.
???
Elle
As soon as Ryder released me, I barreled into my parents’ arms and wept. My heart ached so violently, I wondered if it would burst from my chest. I inhaled my dad’s cologne and wrapped myself in its familiarity.
Despite that I stood in a different dimension, I had returned home.
The word prompted me to glance over my shoulder, at the werewolf who tracked my every movement. Though I had railed against him, he had only been trying to protect me, like he always did.
Something about needing him to protect me irked me more than usual. My own weakness prickled my skin, but I shoved down the feeling. I should’ve been grateful to have someone as strong and devoted as Ryder to protect me.
The sky could’ve fallen, and I still would have been Ryder’s first priority.
Even now, his body was stiff with the effort to stay back and let me have my moment with my parents.
Where you go, I go.
“Mom,” I said and swallowed. “Dad. This is Ryder.”
I couldn’t bring myself to call him my mate. The label was still too foreign on my tongue, but I wanted him in this moment with me.
I wanted him by my side.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Dad said.
Though his face didn't match his words, Dad stuck out his callused hand. Placing his other hand on the small of my back, Ryder didn’t hesitate to shake it. He murmured a greeting to my mother, but she surprised usby pulling him into a hug.
“Thank you for keeping her safe,” she said.
As the two people who loved more fiercely than anyone I had ever known embraced, my heart squeezed. I gestured for the other werewolves to join us, and they did, though they eyed Circe cautiously. The witch studied us all with an impassiveexpression.
“This is Kieran, Bo, and Melanie,” I told Mom and Dad. I smiled at Kieran. “They’re my pack.”
“As heartwarming as this is,” Circe said and crossed her arms. “We have business to attend to.”
Without offering further information, she turned on her heel and walked toward her towering castle of ice.I wanted to argue. I had just been reunited with my parents after believing them to be dead. Mom, however, offered the slightest shake of her head. I remembered the witch's power and assauged my frustrations by studying my parents.
My living, breathing parents.
We followed Circe, and I studied the castle’s artfully crafted towers and domes. Columns surrounded the building and upheld its massive structure. Centaurs, lions, Pegasi, and wolves were carved into the broad expanses of the eave.
The bluish-white structures glittered under the sun that now poked through the clouds. The storm had ended as soon as Circe arrived.
Was the ancient witch powerful enough to determine the weather in her realm?
As we walked through the double doors, warm magic tingled against my skin. My soggy shoes, running tights, and thin shirt dried. Power buzzed in the air, and the wolves growled.
“What was I supposed to do?” Circe asked. “Let you drip water all over my home?”
