Page 27 of Wolf Bonded (Rejected Moons 2)

He nods.

“She lived among the coven,” I say. “Or…I should say, my fatherkepther. I didn’t recognize how fucked up it was at the time. I didn’t realize she was a prisoner. I thought it was a normal way to live.”

“That is fucked up,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry that happened.”

Suddenly, the question I’ve been biting back since we got here comes tumbling out. “Look, you don’t do that shit, do you? Your coven? Are you keeping women prisoner here? Or shifters? Or…anyone?”

He holds up his hands. “No,” he says. “Definitely not. Nothing like that happens here. We don’t keep prisoners. Everyone who’s here is here because they want to be, and anyone who wants to leave is free to do so.”

“Okay,” I say, a little uneasily.

“And we don’t hunt shifters,” he adds. “We don’t try to kill shifters. The only shifters we’ve ever harmed are the ones who have come after us. Or, I guess, if we see them attacking other people. We defend ourselves, and sometimes we defend others. But that’s all.”

“It’s…hard for me to take your word on that,” I admit. “It’s hard for me to conceive of Moon Casters as good people.”

“I guess you’ve never been around any who were,” he says.

I shake my head. “My father…he hated my mother. He resented her for being what she was, and for making me half shifter. I think he probably resented her for the fact that he was attracted to her in the first place. Eventually, he killed her for it.”

Wilder’s quiet for a long time.

“I’m really sorry,” he says at last. “That’s fucking horrible. I don’t know what to say.”

“Thanks.”

“It makes sense that you wouldn’t trust Moon Casters after that,” he says. “Of course you wouldn’t.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I watch Emlyn for a while. She’s talking to a group of the women who have just had the prenatal blessing put upon them. One of them is visibly pregnant and cradles her belly tenderly. As I watch, Emlyn holds out a hand and says something. The woman nods, and Emlyn touches her belly. A moment later, both their faces light up.

“I met a kid earlier,” I say.

Wilder nods. “Maddie. Our success story.”

“The coven really hasn’t had any other kids since the Reversal?”

“A few of the women who were pregnant when the Reversal happened gave birth. Otherwise, no.”

I nod. This fits with what I’ve seen in the intervening years. “If I had stayed with my coven,” I say, “I would have gone into healing. I would have wanted to help people with this.”

“How old were you when you left?” he asks.

“Too young,” I say. “I hadn’t gotten any specialized training yet. Everything I know about healing is stuff I’ve picked up on my own.”

“If you stick with us, you can get your training,” Wilder says. “My coven will help you learn advanced healing skills.”

“You’d do that?” I ask. “Take me in and just…teach me?”

“Of course,” Wilder says. “It’s good for all of us when Moon Casters develop their magic and hone their powers.”

“But I’m not just a Moon Caster,” I remind him. “I came from a coven, but I left for a reason. I’m part shifter as well.”

“I don’t hate shifters,” Wilder says with a grin. “As long as they’re not trying to kill me, I’ve got nothing at all against shifters. I actually think that what you guys can do is pretty badass.”

“You can domagic,” I remind him.

“So can you,” he says. “And you don’t even need the moon to help you.”

I grin. He’s right.

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