Chapter 6

SIX

INDI

"You guys have got to try this." Reese handed me a cup of steaming hot cider.

I took the mug with both hands, and it instantly warmed my fingers. The smell of warm apples and cinnamon drifted up to my nose in a swirl of warm steam. "Wow, that smells amazing."

"We get the apples from the orchard on the edge of the property. Trevor makes cider to keep in the shop. But I wanted you guys to try it because it's so good." Reese was Holden's wife. She was a siren princess, and he was now the alpha of all the wolves on Megelle Island.

But I knew Holden from when I lived here. And what Holden loved doing most of all was running Dunn Farms, his family's farm on the island.

Normally they were known for their Christmas trees, but during the fall season they transformed the place into a fall haven. A wooden fence lined both sides of the dirt road leading up to the house. Christmas trees were growing in perfect rows to my right, though it was still a few months until they'd be ready. Just beyond all the Christmas trees was the big red barn with all their animals. Young children walked in and out of the barn, petting all the animals. Across from the barn was Holden and Reese's home. It was a classic-looking log cabin, with a sloping roof and an oversized front porch filled with rocking chairs. Smoke billowed from the rock chimney on the side of the house.

The decorations around the house mirrored the little storefront at the end of their driveway. Fake spiderwebs adorned every window on the front of the small building. Hay bales were set up around the outside of it to hold all the pumpkin decorations. There was a small sign out front near the little store advertising freshly baked pies, pumpkins, and apples. The store itself was small with a front porch that ran its length and a long roof that covered it from one end to the other. Even now people came and went with all kinds of festive fall goods.

I took a big sip, and it warmed my body from head to toe so fast I wondered if one of the mages slipped magic into it. "It is really good."

Torren took a sip and nodded. "It's almost like coming home. Honestly, Dunn Farms always feels like home to everyone who comes here."

Reese shrugged and her red hair bounced over her shoulder and caught some of the light off the moon. "That's pretty much the goal. With Holden's pack and my family, we want everyone to feel welcome here."

"Well, you fit right in here." I motioned to her jeans and boots. I gave a little tug on the sleeve of her flannel. "Very fall lumberjack thing you've got going on."

She chuckled. "I never realized how comfortable and warm it is."

"In all fairness, you do look really happy. Almost like you're a different person. Not that you weren't great before, there's just something so at ease about you without that giant yellow raincoat and boots." Torren smiled to her, then nudged my elbow. "It's because she has someone."

I rolled my eyes. "Very subtle."

Reese glanced between Torren and me. "What's this about?"

"I think my sister needs a date for my wedding." Torren lit up with excitement. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and wagged it at us. "I've got it all under control."

"No, not that app again. I can't be with a guy who wants nine kids and a white picket fence. I'm not the fence kind of girl." I wrinkled my nose and took another sip of my cider.

Reese giggled. "It's not that bad."

"If she doesn't want to try the app, then I'm sure we can set her up with someone." Torren pursed her lips and glanced over as shadows of wolves running danced over where we stood just at the line of the forest behind the house. Torren's face lit up. "Reese, what about a member of the pack? There are a lot of wolves around."

Reese shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I don't know?—"

"What about that one I saw a week ago? I think his name was Jason?" Torren tapped her finger on her cheek as she thought.

Reese shook her head. "No, he's way too young."

"Ouch," I muttered over the edge of my cup before I took another sip.

"Not what I meant." Reese blushed and waved her hand between us. "I meant he's like teenage-young. He's in high school. He told me Will was helping him pick a college to attend."

Double ouch if she meant Will Bow. I forced a chuckle. "I was just teasing. I dated a nineteen-year-old when I was thirty . . . Never again will I date someone that young. The word teen cannot be included."

"Yeah, no, definitely not." Torren shook her head.

Reese gave a small, one shoulder shrug. "I don't really feel comfortable setting up one of the wolves with Indi when they're mortal and she's not. I'd feel horribly guilty for any broken hearts."

"See, that's a reasonable and fair reaction." I tugged on my sister's teal hair playfully. "More reason to not try to?—"

"Oh, there's Holden." She pointed to the wolf alpha himself just a little bit down the road. "I'll be right back. I'm not trying to put Reese on the spot, so I'm going to ask Holden who'd make a good wedding date."

"Torren, really—" Before I could even tell her to stop, she was already sprinting toward him and ignoring me.

Reese sighed and took a step closer to me. "I know I wouldn't want one of my sisters setting me up on a date. You might want to try the Neverland Dating app yourself."

I groaned. "Yeaaaaa, I'm not thrilled about it. But I think finding me a date is less about the wedding and more about trying to persuade me to stay on the Island longer."

"That makes more sense." She gave me a slow nod, her face falling as my words sank in. "I get why she wants to try and trap you here. She's been so happy since she got Nash, but she's been missing you a lot. Sorry, that's probably not helpful to you. But still, having a date to her wedding isn't a bad idea. The app worked for me."

I decided to ignore the part of her comment that hurt to hear because I already knew I'd messed up on that. "Is that how you met Holden?"

Reese chuckled. "Yes, but no, I was waiting for a date and got stood up and that's how I met Holden."

"Great. I might get stood up?" I laughed. "Sounds like a wonderful app."

This was getting worse and worse. All I wanted was to come home and be with my sister for a few weeks. Being here for her wedding was the cherry on top, an added bonus I was thrilled about. I just didn't want to have to find a date. I also didn't want to spend the next few weeks being set up constantly by my sister or the Vaunteros, because they hadn't stopped either. They were just easier to ignore.

"You might but you never know what can happen." Reese shrugged. "Getting stood up was the best thing to ever happen to me. Sure, Holden and I proceeded to date other people off the app until we failed so miserably that we struck a deal with each other, however without the Neverland Dating app, I never would've been in that restaurant by myself in a position to meet Holden. Everything happened for a reason."

"I guess it's all a matter of perspective." She wasn't wrong, any circumstance could lead to something else. But what if I'm not looking for something else? Or someone else? I just wanted to get through the wedding and spend some time with my sister. "Maybe I'll take a look. I don't know."

"Reese, can you help me for a second?" Holden called out to her as Torren began to walk back. "One of your sisters is in the pond and tried to drag someone underwater. Apparently it was beyond terrifying, and the guy threw up a little."

"He threw up? Like water?" Her eyebrows shot up.

Holden shook his head. "All she did was grab his foot and he threw up."

"You've got to be kidding me. Yeah, I'm coming. You'd think they'd know all of this was fake. The maze is just for fun. But I guess the season gets into people's bones." She reached for my cup. "Are you finished?"

I glanced down and the cup was indeed empty. I smirked. "I guess I am. You've got a lot on your plate."

"Yeah, but it's all in good fun. You two have a good time and think about what I said." Reese took my cup and grabbed Torren's as they passed each other. They paused to chat for a minute just as my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled my phone out and found a message waiting for me from Liam. Instantly I felt better just hearing from my best friend. ‘ So, are you back with the ex yet?'

I glanced up to check that Torren was still chatting before I typed a quick response. ‘NO. DON'T PUT THAT OUT IN THE WORLD EITHER. But my sister and her new in-laws are all trying to set me up with people—including him.'

‘Sounds like the devil dick is calling.'

I chuckled at his message, then typed my own response. ‘Very funny, but that's a ride I'm never getting on again.'

‘Pity. Then there is only one thing left for you to do.'

‘If you say join a dating app, I'm going to kick your ass.' Even as I typed my message, I knew he'd know I was joking.

‘ Look at you with your violent tendencies. If I didn't know you so well, I might fear for my ass.'

I sent him the eyeroll emoji. ‘ Okay, what's the one thing left for me to do? '

‘Do what they do in the movies, get a fake boyfriend."

I snort-laughed and shook my head. ‘LOL yeah, great idea. I can barely get a real boyfriend and now you think I should get a fake one. '

‘Fake it till you make it?'

‘I'm going to pretend you didn't just suggest that. Gonna fake that I didn't hear it until it vanishes from memory.'

‘No, you won't. You'll think about it at three in the morning then curse my name even while considering it.'

My face flushed with heat and my jaw hurt so I knew I was smiling. ‘ Shut up. Go follow your arrow somewhere else.'

‘There are a LOT of beautiful, friendly paths to fly over here.' He sent the winking emoji.

‘ Good. Get laid, you probably need it.'

‘Hey, maybe I'll be someone else's devil dick tonight . . .'

‘That's the spirit. Try on a different personality for a night, see where that gets you.'

‘You tease, but . . . I've had worse ideas.'

‘Now that's a book worth publishing.'

‘Be right back, gotta call my agent . . .'

I laughed and shook my head as I shoved my phone back into my pocket. My best friend was something else. Part of me wondered if the reason I gave up trying to meet him in person was a subconscious fear it would ruin him. Perhaps he wasn't as awesome in real life as he was via messages. It was a bubble of illusion I was terrified to pop.

Torren laughed at something Reese said, then waved and headed my way. She was all wide smiles when she got to me, with a wicked sparkle in her eyes. "So, we should run with the pack. It's so much fun."

Just then an older SUV came bouncing down the driveway. It was packed full of people, more people than belonged in the car. It reminded me of the clown cars I'd seen at carnivals as a kid. I found myself watching it as it parked up at the front of the lot.

Torren turned toward it as it jostled side to side like people were fighting to get out. "Oh look! The Bows are here!"

Warning bells went off in my mind. I couldn't see Will, not now. Not after so many people kept trying to set me up with him. We still hadn't seen each other since we broke up and I didn't know if I was ready to see him, at least not yet. If ever. When I dumped him, I knew it was a possibility since we were both supernaturals, but at that point in my life I'd never been to Megelle Island and he was born there. And raised. He'd only barely left the Island when we dated. That na?ve part of my mind insisted we'd never run into each other.

The doors all flew open at once, even the back hatch. One by one they tumbled out of the car like a bomb had gone off and they'd been thrown.

The overhead light in the car shined down on them, and I found myself searching for his face even while hoping it wasn't there. There were too many heads of red hair for my sanity. I wanted to see him more than I'd ever expected I would, almost like I was drowning an inch beneath the surface of the water. But my hands were trembling in fear that any second one of those beautiful redheaded boys would stand up straight and turn toward me and it'd be him. I wasn't ready. I was too fragile for that.

I took a small step back and shook myself. "Um, yeah. Let's run with the pack. It sounds like fun."

Running into Willem Bow was not in the cards for me tonight. It couldn't be. I wasn't even sure if he was on the Island at all, but that would remain a mystery for now.

Torren caught up with me. "I think you'll like it. I've done it a couple times."

"Let's run." I shifted into a wolf as soon as I reached the trees, not wanting to risk another second of seeing or being seen by Willem Bow.

Torren was beside me in an instant. She was a dark-black wolf with teal fur around her eyes and down her back. I bumped her with my side playfully and took off into the trees. For a few moments, I was lost to the cool breeze sliding through my fur and the feel of the soft dirt beneath my paws. The air was crisp and clean, and every breath calmed my rattled nerves.

A shriek broke through the night, and I nearly collided with Torren. We both slowed and looked around only to see a blonde woman wearing a black crop top and jeans stomping toward the exit. Her cheeks were flushed with anger. She growled to herself as he marched through the woods holding a cellphone to her ear. "Can you believe that, Sarah? I'm his fiancée . We're getting married and he's still behaving like a child. Once we get married, he's gonna have to stop with these childish pranks and grow up."

Yet another reason not to do the relationship thing. Whoever this chick was mad at was definitely going to get an earful from her later. Made me wonder what she was doing with him in the first place, but then again, it was impossible to know if she was the victim without getting the full story. Though, I didn't care enough to try and find out. The sound of her voice was grating like nails on a chalkboard.

We tiptoed away from her until I felt like we could run fully again. The footfalls of the other wolves echoed as they ran through the trees around us. Tonight was Wolf Night on the Island. Every Halloween season, one night of the month was designated for each species and the celebration fit accordingly. The first one of the season was for the wolves, and their spooky season spectacular was a haunted maze through the soon-to-be Christmas trees.

And the wolves were loving it. They jumped out of the trees, scaring people who wound their way through the maze. Then they'd jump back into the forest to hunt down their next victim, leaving a trail of screams and giggles.

The moon shined down on us, and I found myself feeling free and buoyant under its blue light. Leaves crunched under our paws and branches broke as we darted from one direction to the other. Torren nipped at my heels, so I let out a wolf-ish laugh. We ran in and out of the path they'd made for the people who came to participate in the maze, startling people and then jumping back into the forest. It was the first time we spent together that wasn't weighed down with wedding stuff or my dating life. I ran with abandon and freedom.

Then I heard someone giggle and stutter, "I peed a little!"

I put the brakes on right away and Torren snacked into my side. We both tumbled for a moment through the brush, and I flopped over on my back and skidded through the mud and fallen leaves.

Torren groaned and her words drifted into my mind. ‘ That one is not on me! You put the brakes on with no warning!'

I sighed and lay there for a moment just sucking in deep breaths. ‘ I got distracted by pee. '

Her wolfie head snapped up to look at me.‘ Oh good, you heard that too. Where'd it come from?'

‘ I think I'll let that one remain a mystery.' I let my head fall back as I lay there staring up at the moon.