Chapter 33

Sarah POV

Late evening of our second day, the tribunal let us know I could continue as goddess-mother, though my case would continue to be under review. There were all sorts of warnings and the order to come to the temple for training, but we were allowed to go home without having to see each other naked again. I counted it all as a win.

Zane had Ollie raise the divider again on the drive home then looked at me with commiseration. “I know this was difficult for you.”

“For us both,” I insisted. “I particularly admire you for keeping your cool while they talked about all the horrible things that could happen to the girls if I didn’t ‘fulfill my duties.’ They seemed to suspect I would kidnap them and take them off to some human cult for a ritual sacrifice.”

He didn’t smile. “It was harder to sit through their admonishment that I was letting my dick choose my children’s guardians.”

I made a sympathetic noise, still not wanting to think too much right this minute of a wet, naked werewolf I saw through a gauzy curtain.

“But seriously,” I added. “I got the feeling the whole thing was kind of for show, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I never really sensed they were debating the answer, as though they could have just told us what they wanted from the beginning.”

“So, what do they really want with us?”

Zane looked out the window for a moment before meeting my eyes. The sunset, even through the tinted glass, made his face look gilded. “I have no idea.”

We pulled into the villa’s drive soon after that, and catching sight of that breathtaking building filled me with relief. It was solid but with flourishes, and with its three stories covered in yellowing limestone, it was obviously centuries old.

I wished I had the education in architecture to identify its style, but to me it looked vaguely French and Italian, though honestly it could have been Greek and Martian.

I had walked through the place enough now to know the villa boasted twelve bedrooms, three of which were parts of suites, like mine, a library, a study (which I did not enter), a music/media room, a kitchen, a formal and an informal dining room, a butler’s pantry, a regular pantry, a “small” ballroom, a sunroom, a wine cellar (locked), and goddess knew how many bathrooms.

Ollie pulled into the drive to the five-car garage, and Zane and I got out to the sight of two little girls running toward us with wide smiles. We had only told them we were going on “werewolf business,” but I knew they had sensed our tension when we left and were relieved to see us back.

“Did everything go good at the temple?” Chloe asked as I hugged her.

“Go well,” I said quietly.

“Go well,” she repeated and then sighed. “Did it?”

“Yes, everything is fine.” I hugged Grace close as well. “I missed you.”

She didn’t move away, just looked up at me through her blond eyelashes, and whispered, “Did you?”

“Of course I did,” I said. “I missed you very much, I promise.”

She squeezed a little harder, and then she let go when Chloe let out a giggle that let me know she was hiding something. I shot her a look, but she looked back at me with pre-Fall innocence.

“Come on inside, Daddy,” Grace said. “We’ve set up a late lunch for you.”

“How thoughtful,” Zane said with a smile, hoisting Grace up in his arms and nodding at Ollie, who then proceeded into the garage. He kissed his daughter several times on his cheeks, making her giggle loudly.

I looked at Chloe and made a kissy-face. She shrieked and ran off, laughing.

Zane and I followed with indulgent smiles. Everything that had happened at the temple was worth it, if I could come home to this.

For all the girls’ tells, Zane and I both walked unsuspecting into the kitchen, where gold and silver balloons, streamers, and a cake were waiting for us.

“Welcome home!” the girls shouted. Hans stood there next to the housekeeper, Elliot, both hiding smiles.

“Good to have you both home,” Hans said. “The girls wanted to celebrate.”

I looked at the cake more carefully. It was definitely from a bakery and shaped into a crescent moon. Just how much had the girls understood what was at stake?

“It looks delicious,” Zane said, reaching for a bottle of champagne that turned out to be sparkling cider. He poured it into the four flutes set out, then looked around with a frown.

“Hans,” he said. “We need two more, for you and Elliot.”

Elliot’s face showed surprise, but Hans merely reached under the counter and pulled out two matching flutes. “Thank you, Alpha Zane.”

Zane nodded his head with a smile, and I laughed. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so surrounded by love and support.

Naturally, that night, I thought the girl would want their story, but their bodies betrayed the bad sleep they’d had the night before when their father and I were at the temple. I no sooner had them tucked into Chloe’s bed than they both conked out. Of course, I’d still probably wake up with them tucked under my arms, but that was fine by me.

I really had missed them both terribly. I supposed I should have felt guilty that I missed Grace as much as Chloe, but it felt as though my daughter had sort of cloned herself. I could hardly envision Chloe without her sister now.

I kissed them both on the forehead while neither of them stirred. Then I took a breath and walked over to the window.

Zane and I had both known the temple had to let go free this day because tonight was the full moon. Of course, adult werewolves weren’t compelled to change under the full moon, but they greatly preferred it. I looked out at Luna as she hung there in all her majesty and felt humbled and grateful for the life I’d so suddenly been given, the life my daughter had been given, and the life I was able to help her have. I bowed to her and asked her to keep watch.

Somewhere out on the villa’s grounds, a Zane, naked except for his fur, was running through the trees, over the grass, howling and feeling whatever exhilaration wolves felt when they gave into their second selves. Zane was being the purest version of his other half, and I felt almost envious of his freedom.

What was it like to bay at the moon? What did it feel like to hunt, to bite and snap, to run and be chased even as you chased?

I laughed at myself—quietly, so as not to wake the girls.

I was a human, and humans had their own secrets wolves would never know.

I brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed.