Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

brIAR

" Y ou're sure I can't come with you?" Ava turns puppy dog eyes on me as I'm putting the last of my clothes into a backpack. We're leaving for Hawthorne Grove in half an hour, so I'm finishing the last of my packing. I'm not taking much, just a few outfits, a spare pair of shoes, and toiletries. We're listening to Ava's playlist as I pack. She's currently singing along to one of her favorite Taylor Swift songs, "You're on Your Own Kid."

"I'm sure, Bun Bun. We don't know what we're going to find when we get there. You're staying here where it's safe." There's zero chance I'm taking my little sister to a mage town. I don't know about much about mages, but I know wolves are often less powerful than them. We might not be able to protect her, so Ava is going to stay with Uncle Vale and Aunt Abbie.

I haven't been back to Hawthorne Grove in fourteen years. We left to move in with Patrick when I was seven. My mom and I never went back for a visit when she was alive, and Patrick didn't let me go back after her death either.

"I'm practically an adult. You don't have to treat me like a little kid, Rosie," Ava pouts.

"I'm not treating you like a little kid. I'm treating you like my only sister who I love more than anything, Aves."

She sighs. "Fine, but you better bring me back a souvenir. You'll be back before I have to return to school, right?"

When Patrick ran off after he kidnapped me, forced me to drink a toxic wolfsbane brew to turn me into a wolf, and beat me so badly I almost died, Ava had the option to continue going to her boarding school with a couple guards from the Wyldhart pack or go to a different one. She chose to stay where she is because she's made friends, loves the curriculum, and doesn't want to have to switch in the middle of the year.

I snort. "Sure, I'll bring you back a souvenir. Yep, this trip shouldn't take more than a couple days at most." The plan is to go there, get my memories, and come back. Here's hoping it will be that simple.

Once everything's in my new baby blue backpack, I zip it up and sling it over one shoulder. None of them will take credit for it, but one of the Wyldharts bought me the backpack after I moved in with them. It's my favorite color and is super comfortable. I love it, and it reminds me of the last backpack my mom ever bought me. It's bittersweet, replacing some of the stuff my mom got me with things the Wyldharts got me.

Walking into Malachi's closet, I step in front of the full-length mirror to inspect my outfit once more. I'm wearing a long-sleeve white silk blouse tucked into dark wash jeans. As always in winter, I'm wearing my black Nicks boots. That's one thing of my mom's I don't think I'll ever replace.

I tried to dress up to look more presentable for meeting my family. My cousin Emmy is the one creating a portal for us. After we visit Ophelia McAlister, we're planning on lunch with my aunt, uncle, and other two cousins.

To say I'm nervous would be a massive understatement. The only family I've had for a long time has been Ava. She's used to all my weirdness. The family waiting for me in Hawthorne Grove doesn't know anything about the person I am now, so I want to make a good impression.

"You look great, Rosie. They'll love you, and if they don't, Kai will kick their asses for you." Ava wandered into the closet while I was lost in my thoughts. I pull her into my side and give her a quick kiss on the top of her strawberry blonde head. She's growing up so fast, and I just want time to freeze. That way, I can have more time with her before she enters the "spending time with your sister is lame" phase.

One change I'm happy for is that all my mates have adopted Ava as their little sister. It makes me feel all gooey inside how good they are with her. She idolizes the three of them and constantly wants to hang out with them. They all indulge her whenever she's home from boarding school, which is almost every weekend now.

Ava's happier than she's been in a really long time. It makes me feel like I'm finally doing something right with her.

"Any of us will, Ava," Bastian's deep voice calls from just outside the closet.

Ava wiggles out of my side hug and skips over to Bastian. "Don't take too long in Hawthorne Grove. You promised to teach me how to fight over winter break." With her instruction delivered, Ava flounces out of the room.

My cheeks hurt from smiling at my sister for the past hour. She's a force of nature, and I hope she continues to be this full of life as she grows up. After grabbing my light blue wool peacoat, another anonymous gift from the Wyldharts, I walk toward Bastian. I stop when I'm almost toe to toe with him. "Is it time to go?"

"Yep. Dad's calling the mage girl to portal us over to Hawthorne Grove." Bastian pulls me into a brief hug. "Ava's right. Your family will love you."

I shrug but don't respond. People don't generally like me. Instead, they tend to forget about me. I've worked hard to blend into the background and leave little to no lasting impression. The less people remembered me, the less likely they were to notice anything wrong. I don't need to hide what Patrick did anymore, but I don't know how to break the habit.

Bastian grabs my hand and pulls me along after him. My hand's so much smaller than his, but it fits perfectly in his rough, calloused one. I pick up my pace so I'm walking even with him. Once I'm by his side, Bastian drops my hand to sling his arm around my shoulder, and I lean into the embrace.

After walking down the stairs, Bastian steers me to one of their formal living rooms. Vale, Abbie, Malachi, and Xander are there waiting for us. Aunt Abbie pulls me into a lingering hug, and Uncle Vale gives me a wide smile while he's talking on the phone. Malachi waits until his mom is done before tugging me to stand in front of him. He pulls my back flush against his front and winds his arms around my waist.

Xander looks everywhere but at me. Things have been… tense between us since Monday. Who knew making me come and then saying he'll never be with me would make things awkward? Apparently, everyone but Xander because he still decided that would be a great course of action.

Today's Saturday, and he's still avoiding me. Fed up with the situation, I tap Malachi's hand. He lets me go, and I make my way to Xander. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to," I whisper once I'm next to him.

"What?" Xander reels back like I slapped him. "Of course I want to go with you. Do you not want me to?" He stares down at me with uncharacteristic vulnerability on his face. Usually, he's so closed off that I have no clue what he's feeling. Right now, I can read all of it flitting across his face.

"None of this is about me not wanting you, Xander," I tell him with a sigh. Feeling drained from just a short conversation with him, I turn to go.

I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to talk to him in the first place. What did I expect? For him to apologize for being a moody asshole? I barely contain my laugh at the absurdity of that ever happening.

I don't get far before he snags my wrist and pulls my back against his front, much like Malachi just did. It takes me a moment to realize I didn't flinch from the sudden touch. I guess my subconscious trusts him. He won't hurt me physically, but he crushes my heart without thought all the time.

He leans down until I can feel his warm breath brush against my ear. "Is this about Monday?" I shrug, not sure how to answer him. It is and it isn't. Monday's just the latest example of his hot-and-cold routine. "I'm sorry, Briar. I let my wolf take over and handled the situation poorly."

I grind my teeth at him blaming his wolf for touching me. Xander the man would never stoop so low. "Oh, so it was your wolf who wanted to make me come?" I hiss, trying to keep the volume down so everyone else doesn't hear our conversation.

It's super cool being able to hear more now that I have my wolf. It's less cool when the only father figure I have left can also hear me talking about coming with one of his sons.

"No, that was all me. I wanted to make you come so hard you'd never think about another man again," he snarls. My eyes widen in surprise. I mean, he kind of succeeded. He has more skill than all the other guys I've been with combined. "But I let my possessiveness override my sense. Regardless of what you think, I don't want to keep hurting you."

"Then why do you?" My voice breaks on the last word. I close my eyes, hating that I'm showing him how much he hurts me.

"I don't know," he rasps. "You deserve so much better than me, sweetheart, but I'm not strong enough to let you go completely."

Before I have a chance to ask him what he means, a circular rip in the space-time continuum appears next to Uncle Vale. Purple sparks ring the opening. "Holy shit," I whisper. Xander lets his arms fall away from around me, so I wander toward it to get a better look.

When I'm standing right in front of the mage portal, I see clapboard and brick buildings smushed together. I'd guess that the colorful storefronts date back to the seventeen or eighteen hundreds. They also look like they're Greek Revival, but I'm not sure.

I'm almost tempted to jump straight through the obvious death trap just to get a closer look at the historical architecture. But, alas, I still have a little self-preservation.

If there's a cause I'm willing to die for, though, it's definitely cool architecture. I can already see my headstone. Here lies Briar, admirer of architecture and blind leaper through sketchy-ass portals. May she make smarter choices in the next life.

I was so caught up looking at the beautiful buildings that I missed the redhead staring at me on the other side of the portal. Emmy's mouth is tilted up in a half smile. "I see you still love the architecture of Main Street."

"Yeah," I confirm, not knowing what else to say. It's strange having people know things about me when I know nothing about them. Emmy seems to sense my thoughts, and her eyes fill with a sadness that makes me ache just witnessing it.

After dipping her head briefly, she looks back up and surveys the room. "You guys ready to go?"

Hell no, I'm not ready to go through a portal, but that's the fastest way to get to Hawthorne Grove, so I'm just going to have to suck it up. "Be honest with me, is the portal going to murder me or transport me to a burning hellscape?" While I've been through a portal before, I'm still wary of them.

Emmy tips her head back and lets out a genuine laugh. Her amusement is infectious, as I can't help but smile at her laughter. Once she gets her giggles under control, Emmy shakes her head at me. "Nah, you'll be fine. Even your wolfie guys will be all right. I've already sent them through once."

Sighing because I just need to get it over with, I take a reluctant step toward the portal. Before I can get any closer, Malachi steps in front of me with his back to Emmy. "There's not a chance in hell you're stepping through that portal first, baby girl. It should be safe, but I'm not risking you like that."

He turns around and walks through the portal before I have a chance to object. Sighing at his overbearingness, I call over my shoulder, "Anyone else want to jump in front of me before I go through? No? Great."

Taking a deep breath, I take the first step through the rip in space. I immediately feel covered in sticky pine sap. It takes what feels like an hour, but is probably only thirty seconds, to fight through the dense air. When I pop out on the other side, I take a deep breath of normal air, glad to be free of the mage-preferred method of transportation.

I glance around the cute downtown area. Red cobblestone sidewalks sit in front of a jumble of brick and clapboard buildings that are tightly packed together. All the businesses have hanging picture signs, like something you'd find in the eighteenth century.

Bastian and Xander follow me quickly. With a wave to Uncle Vale and Aunt Abbie, Emmy closes the portal. It makes a whistling sound as it disappears.

"Sorry I'm late, Emmy. Nan had eight million errands for me to do before leaving."

I turn at the sound of his voice and see a man jogging toward us. He's around the same height as Bastian and Xander, with broad shoulders, a trim waist, and muscular biceps straining the arms of his long-sleeve T-shirt. His dark brown hair is short and slightly shaggy. It falls in front of his gray eyes. The man has a five o'clock shadow making his sharp jawline stand out even more.

Dressed in just a black long-sleeve shirt, dark jeans, and black boots, the man doesn't seem to feel the December chill in the air at all.

Taking his eyes off Emmy, the stranger turns to us. When he sees me, he stops in his tracks. He looks like he's seen a ghost. "Little shadow?" he breathes.

I don't remember ever seeing the guy before, but my wolf perks up at his winter berry and frost scent.

Once he gets over his shock, the man runs straight at me. I flinch slightly at a stranger sprinting full speed toward me. His sharp eyes don't miss the small movement, and his expression turns thunderous as he comes to a stop in front of me. Clenching his fists, the man looks behind me to the Wyldharts standing protectively at my back.

Seeming to come to some conclusion, the guy mutters something under his breath. A pale green dome then shimmers into existence. It encases Emmy, the man, and me, leaving the Wyldharts outside.

I turn wide eyes to the enraged dude I'm trapped in a magic bubble with and wonder if this is how I die.