Page 66 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
And my old bedroom—the one place that should have been a sanctuary. Instead, it had been where I’d spent countless nights staring at the ceiling, listening to arguments about what to do with the broken wolf cub who couldn’t sit still, couldn’t follow instructions, couldn’t be normal.
“Rory?” Maxwell’s voice cut through the fog, his hand squeezing mine. “You alright?”
I blinked, realizing everyone was staring at me.
“We’re staying in the house?” I blurted out.
Alex’s expression softened slightly. “I’ve put you in the east wing. Away from…” He trailed off, but I knew what he meant. Away from my parents’ rooms. Away from my old bedroom. Small mercies.
I nodded, unable to form words as I stared at the manor’s façade. The stone seemed to loom larger with each passing second, the windows watching me like judging eyes.
“We don’t have to stay here,” Maxwell murmured, so quietly only I could hear. “We can find somewhere else. In the town, perhaps.”
Yes, the town—some blessed distance.
A deep crevice split across Alex’s forehead. “I dinnae think your mother—”
“What about Primrose Cottage, Dad?” Isla interrupted. “I overheard Samuel saying the roof was fixed now.” She turned to us. “I’m not sure how clean it is, but if you’re desperate…”
“Yes,” I said immediately. “Perfect.”
Alex sighed, then nodded. “Wait here.”
He disappeared inside, leaving us lingering awkwardly on the doorstep. Was he talking to my mother, getting her approval? My skin prickled with unease. Was anyone watching us, from one of the numerous windows? If I still had my pack bonds, I’d be able to sense how many wolves were in the manor house. But I didn’t. Only phantom pain where they’d once existed.
“Your home is beautiful,” said Maxwell politely to Isla, and I had to suppress laughter at his efforts.
Isla shrugged, her eyes drifting to the manor’s stone façade. “Not really my home anymore. And to be honest, I’m surprised you came back.” Her gaze returned to me, curious and probing. “Everyone is.”
I shifted my weight, and Maxwell’s iron-clad grip increased its fervor.
“The email sounded like a summons,” I said, trying to keep my voice light despite the heaviness inside me.
Isla nodded, though suspicion clouded her face. “And Kit?”
“He’s rather sensibly staying home,” I replied, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. Lucky bastard, safe in London while I faced the wolves’ den.
“And is it true you guys live together in London now?” The question held genuine curiosity—wondering how Kit and I had gone from despising each other to being roommates.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a grin. “City rental prices, right? Kit threatens to throw me out over my messiness every other month, but he loves me dearly.”
Isla smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I was sorry to hear he couldn’t make it. I always liked Kit.” She glanced toward the house, lowering her voice. “Mum did too.”
The mention of Moira, her dead mother, caught me off guard. No one in the pack ever mentioned her casually. “Yeah, she was… she was kind to him.”
“To both of you,” Isla said, something unreadable flickering across her face. “She understood what it was like to feel different in the pack.”
I shifted, unsure how to respond. The Moira I vaguely remembered had been distant. And in the years leading up to her death, she spent more and more time away from the pack. When Kit had told me, once I’d reached London, that it had been Moira who put him into contact with someone who helped him enter the black ops shifter unit, I’d been surprised. I’d wondered if my parents had found out, and that was the final nail in Moira’s coffin.
Before I could formulate a response to Isla, Alex reappeared, wiggling a set of keys. I exhaled with relief, grateful for the interruption. One awkward conversation successfully dodged, approximately fifty more to go.
“Voila. All sorted.” Alex tossed the keys in the air and caught them with a flourish.
Dragging me with him, Maxwell headed down the steps towards the car, clearly already eager to escape the joyous family reunion.
“Hold on,” Alex called after him. “You’ll need to leave the car here.”
Maxwell turned, frowning. “Why?”
