2. MAVERICK

2

MAVERICK

The house is silent as it has been for the past week since I all but moved into Mateo's guest room. They all say I belong in this pack but the only thing truly keeping me here is Nepheline. The fierce Omega wolf that has somehow stuck her claws in me and isn't letting go. She finds her way into my bed most nights when her thoughts get too loud. Discussions about leading the pack, fighting super wolves, and taking down the Alpha that killed her family are only the tip of the iceberg.

We haven't figured out what to do with Calista, Kylan, or any of the other rogue wolves in this pack that would have followed Silas into the darkness. One thing is for sure—each and every one of them will be replaced on the council. This might be the first pack without elders but the tradeoff is wolves we can trust. I can't even imagine the shit we'll be facing once we step out of this pretty little cocoon the pack Alpha house provides. As strong as Nepheline is, an Omega isn't made to endure all of that and still lead an entire pack. I hope she leans on her Alphas.

Secretly, I hope that includes me too.

I sit up from my bed, restless and unsure of what our future brings. When working as a bounty hunter, I knew what to expect. Find the bad guy. Bring him in. Get paid. Or kill him. Send in a picture. Get paid. Now? I can't be sure that my next step won't incite a civil war within the pack or have Nepheline decide that I don't belong here. My past has made it hard to trust and even harder to believe there is a happy ending for me.

Running my hand through my hair, my gaze falls to the window, a sliver of moonlight shining through and onto my floor. It reminds me of the silver wolf I've been seeing in my dreams. I don't know what it means or if it's just my thoughts running rampant again from unease. Something is coming but what that is, I have no idea.

A door down the hall squeaks open and I wait for the routine of Nepheline slipping into my room as she asks to lie beside me. Several seconds go by, light footsteps rushing past my door and into the bathroom. I frown when the shower turns on, creeping toward the bathroom door to see what Nepheline is up to. I don't expect to see the beautiful Omega standing completely naked and staring into the mirror. Her eyes are bloodshot, her shoulders much lower than I'm used to seeing.

"Kitten, what are you doing?" I ask as I push open the door. Nepheline squeals and then slaps her hands over her mouth before turning to me. A smile cracks over my lips at her wide-eyed expression, a freshly fucked look overshadowing her sleepy expression. She doesn't respond, though, worrying me. I can't tell if the stress from being named the pack's Luna is the problem or something else. "Hey, talk to me."

Nepheline chews on her bottom lip, brows furrowing at my soft command. Then she just walks into my chest and sags against it. I wrap my arms around her, leaning my cheek against the top of her head while soaking up her scent. "I'm worried about you, Nepheline."

"Don't be."

She knows me better than that. I rarely ever leave her alone when her mind is reeling. I've been around long enough to know that allowing thoughts to fester is never a good thing. Slowly, I reach between us to lift her chin so that our eyes meet. Deep green eyes stare up at me full of the fierceness and snark I remember when we first met. "You don't get to hide anymore, kitten. If you thought your Alphas didn't notice, you're wrong. Asani and Mateo are bonded to you and the other two might as well be. They wanted to give you a little space, to work out what was in your head but it's been a week. Talk to me."

Nepheline strings her arms around my waist, silent for several moments. Her face scrunches up as she tries to find the right words. "It's like I'm trying to remember something and then there's this voice in my head and it's so damn familiar. I just can't figure out what it is. Who it is."

I wonder if the individual in Nepheline's dreams is the silver wolf in mine. It would be one hell of a connection but I'm not ready to voice that just yet. "How long have you been having this dream?" She mumbles ‘a week' which just adds further confusion to the issue. It's as if that now we're all in the same place, now that Nepheline has accepted her Alphas, the magic returning is bringing other pieces back as well. "Let's get you back to bed. Remi needs his body pillow."

That earns me a smile, the little Alpha growing on me. He's overly sweet with her and provides for the rest of us the way I thought most Omegas did. Here, with the Nightshade pack, there is no push against what Remi finds comfortable. In fact, I've seen him glow underneath the attention of his other Alphas and he regularly seeks out their approval within the house.

He's no less fierce than the others but the soft spot he has for his family is incredible.

"I don't really want to go back to sleep, Mave. It's frustrating. It's like I reach for whatever it is and then it runs away or disappears. It's there. I know it is but-" Her lip turns up in a little growl and I just laugh, pulling her to the living room. It's a second nest of sorts, a place where all our scents are firmly embedded into the cushions. If Nepheline isn't in her main nest or my bed, I find her here, sprawled out like a cat as we discuss next steps.

I settle on the floor amongst leftover blankets and pillows from last night, Nepheline tilting her head to the side when I gesture at her to sit beside me. "I have an idea. Shift for me, kitten."

"What, why?"

"Because I don't know much but I know about the healing powers of your wolf. I also know that sometimes clarity comes when the healing begins. It's something you haven't tried. What's the worst that could happen?"

Nepheline plops down beside me and I take several deep breaths when she presses against my side, reminding me that she's still naked. "This is weird. If you had a fetish like Remi, you should have just said so."

"I do not need a fetish to ravage you Nepheline."

"Then why haven't you? We both feel the same pull."

I've thought about Nepheline beneath me more times than I can count. Fantasies take over my rational mind as I catch her with her other Alphas, her joyous laughter and fierce determination drawing me in little by little. The need to touch her and kiss her and devour her grows with every moment I stay in this house. It isn't about Nepheline, though.

She lightly kisses my arm, waiting for me to answer. It's odd that an Alpha doesn't immediately bond their Omega or at least spend every waking moment talking about it. I let out a heavy sigh before dragging her onto my lap, Nepheline settling until her thighs on either side of mine. I cradle her cheeks in my hands, her lids fluttering closed as she gives herself to me. "Kitten, I want you. So much." I press my lips to hers, drinking in her sweet taste. "But I won't force this."

Nepheline leans in closer, wanting more. "It's about her, isn't it?" We've never spoken about my previous family. I've mentioned it in passing. They all know I lost my first Omega. It isn't a secret but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

"I didn't think I'd get a happily ever after again. And I'm not sure I have."

"Why won't you let yourself be happy?"

"Because I did that once, kitten. And it nearly killed me."

Nepheline whimpers at my confession and as much as I want the Omega currently pressed against me, I'm a bit selfish and want to guard my fragile heart. With Nepheline, I believe I can be happy again but it'll take me a while to truly believe that. She takes a deep breath and then releases it as her shift overtakes her.

Her wolf curls up on my lap, swarming me with white and red fur. I run my fingers through her coat, loving the way she purrs beneath my touch. She cuddles closer until the heat from her wolf begins to seep into my skin, images filtering into my head that don't make sense. Images that are not mine nor from my subconscious.

Squeals of laughter play in front of me before I find myself transported into the heart of a pack, one that I vaguely recognize. I squint, trying to understand what I'm seeing when the girl looks back at me and waves me forward. Nepheline. She can't be more than seven or eight, that wild smile I've fallen in love with staring up at me. It's the boys she's playing with that snags my attention.

This is her memory.

It has to be the one she can't quite grasp but I have no idea how I'm sharing it with her or why a younger Flynn is sitting a few feet away, his brows furrowed, anger pouring off of him. Nepheline isn't paying him any mind as she runs around with the other one, a boy I don't recognize but it's the warmth she holds for him that tells me how special he is.

And the few strands of silver falling from his hair tell me just who he is—the silver wolf from my dreams.

I continue to watch as Nepheline's laughter fills the air, the little boy finally allowing her to catch up. She throws her arms around his neck, kissing his cheeks as he holds her. "I'm going to love you forever, my Beta."

There's two things wrong with this scene.

One, Nepheline mentioned that she fell in love with a Beta when she was younger. This memory very clearly shows it was never Flynn.

Two, I don't understand why I'm here. In Nepheline's memory.

Things are changing.

The magic is returning.