Page 33 of Nocturnal Desires

“What? Why?” she asks, knowing this is not easy for me. As the pod mother, I should be leading the charge. By giving up that position, I’m opening myself up to being replaced by her within my own pod. It’s a possibility that relieved me before, but now I am not so sure.

“Because I think I found my mate.”

“In my pod?” Her eyes sparkle with hope, but the longer I stay silent, the more her brows furrow.

“No. He’s a shifter, and he’s in trouble.”

“But—” I know what she’s going to say.

I didn’t get the impression that her pod is full of purists, but mating outside our species is not exactly welcomed—especially for the pod mother.

“It was a surprise for me too.” I save her the effort of finding the words to say. “But the signs are all there. If I don’t go to him now, I may lose the chance forever.”

“What do you mean?”

And once again, for the third time today, I launch into the tale. Her eyebrows crease more with every word.

“I see.” She doesn’t offer any other word of congratulation or concern, proving my suspicion that not all in the pod will understand.

“So, will you go?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” I respond, handing her the phone and texting Sebastyn to come pick her up in an hour and to take her backto the spot where he picked me up. “When Sebastyn drops you off, you’ll have to swim straight out for about thirty minutes and make a hard right. You’ll want to stay deep underwater, but you’ll find your pod there.”

She waves me off. “My mate is with them; I won’t have a problem finding them once I am in the right area.”

I nod, walking out of the door without saying goodbye. I make time to find my father and sister before I leave. The story is getting familiar as I repeat it to everyone.

Unlike the conflicting emotions shown by everyone else so far, Aqua and my dad were excited for me, ready to celebrate as soon as I can bring him to safety.

As soon as I was done saying goodbye to them, I called Skarlyt. They both offered to come with me. Of course, it would be smart to have someone with me, but this feels like something I need to do alone.

Without warning, Skarlyt transports us to a frost-covered beach and unfolds a map as I get my bearings.

“This is the area where they’re rumored to be.” She points to our current location on the map and circles a long finger over the small patches of water surrounding it. “All these lakes are connected.”

I take the map from her, studying it one final time before folding it up and placing it into my bag.

“Be safe,” she says, throwing her arms around me. ”We will be waiting for your call.”

I thank her and return the hug before walking into the freezing water and allowing the shift to overtake me. It takes a few minutes for my body to adjust to the cold and lack of salt in the water, but once it does, I start to swim.

Luckily, the sun is just setting as I circle the largest group of islands. I stop and investigate each light I see on the shore, hoping that I will find this coven behind them.

By the time the sun is dawning overhead, I’ve been swimming for almost ten hours and able to eliminate many of the landmasses on this side of the map as possible hideouts. I am trying to decide if I should rest a while when I see it.

A large cluster of lights on the edge of a seemingly abandoned lake. The closer I get, the stronger the thread inside me pulses.

It makes me wonder if he can feel it too.

Does he know I’m out here? Does he know I am searching for him?

Chapter Nine

Loukas

It’s been a week since Antonia let me out of that basement. A week of watching my children from afar. Seven days of watching my daughter be belittled, broken down, and beaten while I am unable to say or do anything about it.

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