Chapter 235

Sarah POV

The day was lovely—perfect, even. The girls were back in school and making up for lost time, Zane was in his office and waved to me as I walked past the villa, and all the “lieutenants” had gone home.

It was odd to look back on the past year. Had there ever been more than a day here and there to relax? Rogue werewolves, getting shot at, real bombs and fake bombs, human trafficking rings, and yet all of it was not as earth-shattering as the love I had found with an alpha wolf.

Walking the grounds of the villa on such a sunny, breezy day, I actually could believe Zane and I would find some way to be together. I confess, I was wondering if the Moon Wolves could help me if I ever found them. They had pulled off so many miracles over the centuries. What was one more to them?

I came to a choice in the path, left or right, and saved the way to the poppy garden for later. I cut across the “bowling lawn” to the Zen garden, please to feel pleasure at its serenity. My time at the Luna Temple hadn’t ruined it for me.

I saw it had been raked recently, and the “waves” were slightly different from last time. I thought about meditating, but I didn’t want to close my eyes, and instead I wandered on to the rose garden, wondering where Chloe would put her new piece when it was finished.

I had started my research on the Moon Wolves, but there was so little to go on. So much was shrouded in religious rituals and the “great mystery” of the race. The only things people really agreed on was their power and status, which for werewolves were the most important things, but still.

The problem was that no one seemed to know where that power came from. This wasn’t that unusual. Why did alphas have The Voice? What made gammas so naturally deferential? Wolves were such natural creatures, so in touch with the world around them, but how did they know their places in the pack so well?

I thought of Grace, of her incredible talent and of Miss Carmen’s belief that Grace would be able to sing in The Voice when she was old enough. I thought of the day I had fallen into a trance in my study, totally transported by her singing. How did that work?

As always, what literature I could find referred to the moon, to the Goddess Luna, and to the power of a full moon, a new moon, and the various other stages of the moon that ruled over wolf life. Humans had our own magic. Human females tended to synch their cycles with the moon, and some, like me, could access the astral plane.

But there was something at the core of wolves’ lives that separated us. The thought was immensely depressing. I thought about other things.

I knew the Cavendish City Luna Temple was recovering from the damage Janine and her followers had done. New leaders had been installed, and people were being invited to visit without the whole get-naked-drink-drugged-tea ceremony. I had heard from Lainey the flute player, who I remembered as being highly skilled, was planning a secular concert for which she would not be wearing her hood.

If I were going to research the Moon Wolves properly, I needed access to the sorts of books people didn’t put on the internet. Zane could help with that, I thought, but I needed to be careful not to step on toes. I was still a human and thus not able to claim wolf heritage and its many secrets.

I wondered if Melissa might help. Surely the Moon Wolves interested her too?

“Sarah!”

I looked over to my left at the sound of my name. It was Mavis, and I waved and called to her.

“How’s the garden?” I asked. We knew which one I meant.

“Almost back to its original state,” she said, walking up to me. “Come see.”

“I was headed that way.”

“It’s a lovely day for it,” she said. “I haven’t had a minute to tell you how relieved I am you weren’t hurt at the airport.”

We walked down the path together. “I was never personally in danger, but if we’d stormed the terminal, it would have been bad for a lot of people.”

She bit her lip and looked at me. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you a few things, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?”

We’d entered the poppy garden, and Mavis led us to a couple of chairs set out in the shade. As we sat, a maid came up with a tea tray and poured out cups for us.

“How lovely,” I said with a smile. The maid turned away quickly, and Mavis and I sipped from our cups and drank in the sunshine.

“I have to confess, when you first came here,” Mavis said, “I was very uncertain about you.”

“Hardly surprising.”

“You just suddenly showed up with Chloe, and it all seemed so pat, so preposterous. And well, I hate to say this, but you seemed almost too nice.”

I looked at her sun-weathered face in surprise. “Is there such a thing?”

“When your employer is Pack Alpha, yes.”

I laughed. “That makes sense.”

“But I see the children and Alpha Zane, and you’ve brought so much joy into their lives, so much possibility.”

I drained my tea and reached for the pot. I really hoped Mavis wasn’t going where I thought she was going with this.

“You would hardly be the first human to be accepted into a wolf family,” she said, dashing my hopes.

I looked at her. “Zane is Pack Alpha. It is essential that he show no weakness.”

“You are no one’s weakness.” Mavis sighed.

“That’s a lovely sentiment, but it’s different for us, being human.” I smiled, and she looked puzzled.

“What?”

“I’m remembering when I first met you. You were one of my first new friends in this new life, part and parcel of this incredible place to live. You were wearing this huge utility belt and that pointed straw hat, and for just a second it was like I’d found a garden gnome.”

Mavis burst into laughter before putting a hand to her stomach. She scowled. “Damn heartburn.”

“I hear you’re asking Chloe—” I broke off. “Mavis? Are you OK?”

She stared at me, and I thought she was having a heart attack. She shook her head and raised trembling hands to her face.

My stomach exploded in pain, and I vomited up the tea I had just drunk. I fell to the ground, my whole body shaking violently, my teacup shattering on the path, and I saw Mavis writhing next to me. Another wave of pain came on, and my bowls released.

It was getting difficult to see, but I heard someone approaching and wanted to call to them for help, but then legs were in my field of vision, and I saw a figure picking up the teapot and generally moving around. My feet felt like they were on fire.

The legs stopped in front of my face. Someone was bending over me.

“Die properly this time, little human,” a woman’s voice said. And then another onrush of pain began.