Page 36 of Snow's Charming
I had mixed feelings about going back to the estate. Sure, I was glad I had my father back, but that didn’t mean I hated living at the inn.
For the first time in my life, I was happy. Family surrounded me here at the inn, and they all loved me. I didn’t feel isolated like I had while living with Jackie. To give up this love—now that I had a taste of a real family might kill me.
And I hadn’t even met the rest of the pack yet! There had only been hints of them so far. Thoughts of an Omega purchasing body wash for me and others, making me grilled cheese and tomato soup for me, washed a warmth over me that was indescribable. How could I just up and leave that? Especially now that I’d decided to become their Luna?
A terrible thought crept in and I went cold. I pressed a hand to my chest and took in a shaky breath as I uttered the horrific thought to the group.
“If we can’t break the curse, what happens to the pack if the Alpha and the Luna can’t be mates?”
“Nothing good.” Said Zhang in a somber tone. “Nothing good at all! The Nuri coven doomed your pack to the same fate as you. If you become the Alpha and Luna, your pack dies. If you don’t, your pack dies, too.”
“FUCKING HELL!” Said Sylus as he pounded a fist again.
Only this time, he made quite a dent in the wood. “As my people’s Alpha, I can accept my fate—but theirs? Hell to the fuck no! They don’t deserve this, Zhang!”
“No, they don’t. And I understand your frustration. We will figure this out. I promise.”
“When we banished Jackie to the mirror, I thought we solved everything. I thought I’d be able to be with my Sesi. My mate. My everything.”
His last sentence was but a whisper. He went to reach for my hand, but Raine stepped in front of him before our hands could touch.
“Raine, do not put yourself in front of my mate unless you want me to maim you.”
“Can’t be helped, Sylus. Until we understand this curse, you two can’t touch each other.”
“Do you realize how crazy this all sounds? He’s calmed me since the minute I met him. He heals me in ways you cannot possibly imagine. Every panic attack I’ve had here since the rape—Crap!”
I squeezed my eyes shut after my blatant admission. I didn’t mean to say it out loud in front of everyone, especially my father. He deserved a one-on-one.
“You were raped?”
His voice was a whisper back.
“It was Jackie’s date for you—wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was him. I’m sorry I never said anything to you. But? You were sick and…” My voice broke, as did myheart. This was a conversation I never wanted to have with my father.
He was in front of me now, cupping my cheeks and kissing the top of my head.
“Never apologize for that! I am the one who should apologize to you. Princess, I was supposed to protect you from the evils of the world—not invite them into the family!”
I pushed away from his embrace enough to reach his gaze.
“Dad, you couldn’t have known how evil she was. Your heart is pure.”
I rested a palm on his chest before continuing. “You couldn’t have known that Jackie was a witch. Hell! I didn’t know the supernatural existed until I met Sylus! And just so you know, Dad? When it comes to that movie with the sparkling vamps? I’m so team werewolf now, for sure!”
She laughed to lighten the mood, but no one else was laughing. Dad cupped my cheeks once more and looked toward Zhang.
“What do we do?” Asked my father.
“Well, first? I’ll be staying with you, and so will Raine. We will need to take turns watching Sesi and Sylus. The pull of the mate bond will eventually overpower them, and they will seek each other out. But we can’t separate them either. The separation may kill them.”
“So the best course of action is to set up a vigil? Idon’t know, Zhang. I think we need another plan.” Sylus said as he crossed his arms.
“And we can plan differently tomorrow. The goal is to pay a visit to Raven Thorne in New York. We just have to get there.”
“That’s all we have to do?” I asked Zhang, hoping, praying there was no catch.
