CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

JUSTIN

January

Justin finished adding starter culture and rennet into the huge stainless steel vat where they made cheddar. He arched his back and rotated his neck, stifling a groan. His belly not only made him feel awkward and ungainly, but it often made his back ache and had been doing so for months. Sometimes as he worked, he imagined redesigning life on Earth so that pregnancy took six days from start to finish, labor was more like sneezing out a baby, and you enjoyed pi?a coladas on the seventh day.

At least he knew his baby's sex now, so that was worth it. He was going to have a daughter. She was going to be the most precious thing on the planet. He was already considering a few names, testing them out by randomly saying them aloud. Harper. Ashley. Naomi. Among others.

At the other end of the floor, Aunt Katie was draining whey from another batch. He opened his mouth to tell her this batch was set to go when the dogs began barking wildly outside. He immediately froze, listening hard with his heart in his throat. His first thought was "bear."

From the direction of the barks, the dogs were near the northern fence line and the woods. Their barks definitely weren't the typical joyful, playing dog talk or squirrel warnings. He knew the dogs well enough to recognize those barks. Danger! Alarm! Stranger!

Aunt Katie crossed the production floor, taking off her apron and hairnet as a scowl knitted her brow. Her scent was wary and tense. Lines of strain made wrinkles around her eyes.

Justin followed her. "Is it the bear again?"

"Can't tell. Something has them riled."

She headed for the doors, shrugging into her heavy work jacket and grabbing her hunting rifle. The gun always made him slightly uneasy. Maybe it was the wolf in him. His aunt had been bringing it with them into the "cheese hut" lately and leaving it by the door. She also seemed more on edge than he ever remembered. He'd asked her why she was bringing the rifle when they had a perfectly good fence to keep problems out. Her eyes had grown shadowed, and she hadn't really answered.

He put on his winter coat and tailed her outside, but at a slower pace. It wasn't only the extra weight his body had been packing on or how ungainly he always felt. He didn't intend to get close to whatever was out there. But he also wasn't going to allow his aunt to face whatever it was alone.

Was that machismo? Technically, he was a man, right? Mostly, anyway. Except for, say, the whole "pregnant" thing. Regardless, he should try acting like the man of the farm from time to time. Defending the ranch and things like that. After all, he'd faced off with a bear. He needed to practice getting a steely glint in his eye, wearing boots, scratching himself freely, and spitting for no reason. Manly things. Oh, and his wolf could pee on things to mark his territory. That was a classic, although it was unhygienic compared to putting up signs…

The cold air stung his face and made his eyes water. The chill made it hurt a little to breathe deeply. His breath steamed from his mouth as he followed Aunt Katie, staying maybe ten meters behind her. She held the rifle in two hands, striding toward the northern fence and the woods beyond it. All six dogs faced the fence in a rough line as if at attention and barked nearly nonstop.

Justin blinked his eyes because the cold was making them tear up. The sky was a sharp blue, clear and brilliant enough to make him squint. The sun blazed brightly but didn't seem to warm him much. He lifted his chin, trying to catch any strange scent in the air. All he could smell were the usual chaotic mix of pungent farm odors.

Then, in the woods beyond the fence, he heard something moving through the underbrush, scraping branches, crunching leaves. His heart stagger-skipped at the thought of the bear returning. Sure, there was a five-foot-high fence, but now that he was staring at it, he was no longer certain it would stop a determined bear. Bears were mean, furry tanks armored in layers of fat, sporting wicked claws and teeth and a lot of hangry disgruntlement.

Terrifying, in other words. Bears were terrifying. As he knew from firsthand experience. He'd believed facing a bear to save Pepper had made him tougher, gave him confidence and resolve, but now he thought that had been self-deluded crazy talk.

It wasn't a bear, though. A white form streaked from the brush along the edge of the winter-barren woods, running toward the fence. It was a wolf. A white wolf.

His aunt raised the rifle butt to her shoulder but kept the barrel pointed downward. Justin stopped, not wanting to get too close.

The white wolf sprinted down the hill slope and effortlessly leaped the fence. The female wolf moved with grace and predator power, landing in one smooth, flowing motion. She turned her golden yellow eyes to regard them and slowed to a stop a little ways past the fence. Her snow-bright fur was luxuriously thick but stained by some of the wet leaf mulch from the woods.

He caught the female wolf's scent now. It was definitely familiar. He tried to remember from where, but his memory for specific wolf or people scents had never been noteworthy. Isolation on the farm certainly hadn't helped.

The dogs barked and snarled. They growled and bared their teeth, but they didn't close in to attack. The white wolf merely glanced at them and dismissed them entirely as a threat. Her golden gaze returned to Aunt Katie, who still held the rifle without aiming at the wolf a dozen or so feet away.

Then the white wolf turned her attention to Justin. He was caught by surprise by the surge of her power, forging a strange connection between them that he didn't understand. It wasn't telepathy, not precisely. Yet, Justin's own wolf nudged at his mind, urging him to shift. His wolf was eager to make an appearance and greet this white wolf.

As he locked eyes with the strange wolf, she began to shift forms. The flare of the wolf magic was dazzling, a power intrinsic and primal in them all, yet also beautiful, almost dreamlike.

A halo of golden light enveloped her while undulating ribbons of white light wreathed her form, changing the dark silhouette from wolf to human. Another flash of light made him squint. After blinking away the afterimage, he was left staring at Brin Edwards, the majinette dreamer who'd promised Justin that he was the destined mate of Prince Richard Hargreave.

How wrong she'd been.

He was not happy to see her. He felt a twisting, churning mix of emotions—mostly confusion, anger, and grief. Was she here to torment him even more? If so, she could leave. He was done with that.

Richard told him that Brin betrayed the pack and lied about her vision, lied about them being mates. But facing her, he caught no scent that implied she was aggressive or evil or anything other than in need of a shower. It baffled him, and his roiling emotions aside, he didn't know what to think.

"No closer, stranger." Aunt Katie raised the rifle higher, still not pointing the barrel directly at Brin, but the warning was clear.

Brin stared at her with big golden eyes. Most wolf shifters didn't have yellow or amber eyes in their human form, but Brin did, and the effect was striking. It was also odd seeing her without the layers of elaborate ceremonial robes, vestments, sashes, and the diadem she'd always worn. Right now, she was quite stunningly naked. If he'd been the least bit interested in women that way, he surely would've enjoyed the display. Or been embarrassed by enjoying it while also enjoying it.

The dogs weren't confused by Brin's change in form. They lived with shifters, after all. But the biggest two—Bandit and Big Jake—did lumber closer. They growled low and menacingly, baring their teeth.

Brin glanced their way before his aunt could command the dogs to heel. The majinette dreamer raised a hand and pointed at them. "Stop."

The dogs stopped and fell silent. They didn't run, but clearly, Brin's powerful wolf aura, coupled with her utter lack of fear, had them rattled.

Brin returned her attention to his aunt. Her smile was benevolent—maybe too much so. "I mean you no harm."

Her rich, melodic voice triggered plenty of memories inside Justin. Memories of listening to her explain how the Goddess meant for Justin to mate with the prince and alpha heir to the pack where, as an omega, he was among the lowest of the low. She'd been so confident. He'd even believed her.

"Maybe you do; maybe you don't," Aunt Katie said, still holding the rifle aimed in her general direction. "You can start by telling me who you are and why you're on my land."

"I'm Brin Edwards, majinette dreamer for the Hargreave Pack. I've come to speak with Justin Turner." Brin's attention turned back to him. Her expression was guarded, inscrutable. He'd hoped to read guilt in her eyes, but if it was there, he couldn't see it. "Hello, Justin. It has been a long time. Congratulations on your child."

Justin found himself walking toward her without realizing he intended to move. Inside, he remained a twisted knot of conflicting emotions, but he was still somehow drawn to her. She had a presence, a gravitas and power that his wolf responded to. As he moved beside his aunt, she put out her arm and blocked him from going further.

Aunt Katie didn't take her eyes off Brin. She now held the rifle with one hand, locked against her shoulder. The barrel wavered a little, but Brin was wise enough not to make any sudden moves. The tension bleeding in the air thickened like clotting blood.

"Don't go any closer," his aunt growled at him. "Didn't you say those other wolves claimed she was evil?"

"Yeah, they did." He took one long, hard look into Brin's golden eyes. Maybe he was a fool, but he certainly didn't see the evil. Sure, he didn't know what to look for in a follower of the Devil She-Wolf, but he trusted his wolf to freak out if it caught a truly evil scent. That was one good thing about being an omega 'fraidy cat. "But didn't you say you never believed in any of that ‘bullshit?'"

His aunt grunted. "Maybe you have a point. But if she shifts back into her wolf and goes all rabid, she's getting shot in the ass."

Brin observed them in silence as they talked. She stood there regally, her expression serene, seeming unconcerned by the rifle or the dogs that eyed her with hostility or that it was quite cold out and she wore not a stitch.

Slowly, carefully, he reached out and put a reassuring hand on his aunt's arm. "I want to hear her out. Whatever she came to say. I want to hear it."

Aunt Katie's scent was still aggressive, worried, and suspicious, but she slowly lowered the rifle. "Fine. I suppose talking never hurt more than bullets or biting."

Justin had so many questions crowding his brain that he wasn't sure where to start. He blurted out one that elbowed its way to the front of the line. "How did you know I was here?"

"A dream vision," Brin replied placidly. "The Goddess sent me to find you again and showed me where to go."

"Bullshit," Aunt Katie spat. "You're talking about the same Goddess that told him some prince was his mate, right? And you think we're fools enough to believe a damn vision from that very-wrong Goddess brought you here? Hah."

The majinette dreamer didn't appear rattled by his aunt's venom. If anything, her eyes were kind. "I can't control what you choose to believe. But I've traveled a great many miles as a wolf to reach Justin." She smiled another tranquil smile. "I must also correct you. Prince Richard Hargreave is Justin's mate. That has never changed, and it never will."

Justin sucked in a breath of cold winter air. He felt as if his lungs filled with frost, making it difficult to breathe. Richard is my mate…

But she had to be wrong. Richard wouldn't have sent him away if Justin had truly been his mate. He floundered, bleeding inside with wounds ripped open anew, and he seized on the only thing that might keep him afloat.

"You are a traitor to the pack." Justin's voice was raspy, unsteady. He'd meant it to come out as an accusatory shout. Instead, it fell from his lips in little more than a hoarse whisper. She might not serve the Devil She-Wolf, but hearing her say those words again left him feeling bitter and betrayed. "You tricked everyone. Now you're tricking me again because it's easy."

She stared at him with her golden eyes. The kindness in them only made him feel more distraught and uncertain.

"I heard their lies when they accused me, claiming that I am a servant of Satornal," she said. "I know their allegations that I conspired against my king and alpha and sought to destroy his bloodline."

"Did you?" his aunt interrupted. "Not the first part. That's nonsense. You'd be more effective serving my boot than an imaginary boogeyman demon wolf. But were you using Justin as a pawn in some political game?"

"I did not use him. I am only a messenger. A majinette dreamer is supposed to remain above the political fray. Yet, I was falsely accused and my reputation destroyed. They used their false allegations to end the betrothal between Justin and Richard, the two I'd brought together in the Goddess's love."

He wanted to believe her. He desperately wanted her words to be true. But even if they were, what good would that do now? He was here, and he could not go back. Knowing the truth only made it worse.

His aunt still eyed the woman suspiciously. The dogs had stopped barking when the three of them began talking, but they stayed clustered around him and his aunt, grouped protectively in their little pack.

"If they believed you betrayed the alpha king," Justin demanded, "why aren't you behind bars?"

"They fully intended to arrest me, but the Goddess blessed me with a vision, and I escaped before the trap closed."

His aunt seemed even less impressed by that answer. "Do you ever say anything that isn't word-bloated pious bleating?"

"I do," Brin replied primly. "I'd be happy to prove it, but might we step inside your home? It is cold without my fur."

"I think not," his aunt replied, her voice sharp as a sword edge. "We stay where I can shoot you without having to mop my floor."

"Aunt Katie," Justin pleaded, shocked to hear her sound so aggressive. If anything, Justin should be the angry one. "She came all the way here to talk to us. It would be wrong to turn her away."

Also, she'd claimed Richard was still his mate. He still hadn't recovered from hearing that. He wanted to hear it again. It hurt deeply, but it was also wonderful to hear.

"So what if she ran all the way out here?" his aunt countered with a curt shake of her head. "Why should that make me trust her? She's clearly a wingnut."

"She said she was framed. I want to hear what she came to tell me. I think I deserve it."

He didn't know if her visions were true or if all that stuff about the Goddess had been a huge lie from the beginning. His faith in the Goddess hadn't been shaken when Richard ended things between them because he'd believed this woman was corrupted, a traitor who'd effortlessly manipulated him. But facing her again, looking into her eyes and hearing her words, had called all of that into question and rocked him to his foundations.

His aunt finally lowered the rifle completely, although she still showed teeth. "Fine. But if you've put my nephew in danger, I won't need the dogs to rip your ass apart. I'll do it myself."

Justin held his breath, his nerves twanging like strummed guitar strings. His aunt could be really scary when she got her fur up. He hadn't fully appreciated that until now.

Then again, she'd bitten the ear off an attacking bear. So maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

Brin nodded gravely. "I will heed your warnings, wolf. This is your territory, and he is your kin. Your nephew is in danger, but not from me."

His aunt made a sound between a curt growl and a sour grunt. She turned on her heel and whistled to the dogs. They scrambled after her as she stormed toward the house.

Justin started to follow, feeling weak with relief that things hadn't gotten out of hand. If his aunt was letting Brin into the house, there wouldn't be violence. Probably.

"You look beautiful with child," Brin told him as she fell in step beside him.

He felt his cheeks heat. "Guys aren't beautiful."

"I stand by my words," she answered with a knowing smile.

He couldn't think of anything to say, so he said nothing. He couldn't help but wonder if Richard would feel the same way. If only it had been Richard giving him the compliment, he would've fallen all over himself to believe it.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased, his ego preening after her words. He kept his eyes straight ahead as they crossed to the house, which was only respectful given her unclothed state, even if he was gay. Most shifters didn't fret much about being naked after shifting forms, but Justin had often felt self-conscious being nude around anyone except Richard.

Now that he thought about it, his easy tranquility and comfort around Richard had to mean something. Richard made him feel safe. He'd always felt perfectly natural and unashamed with the prince. Hadn't those feelings been part of the reason he'd accepted that a person like him could be the mate of a wolf prince like Richard?

That belief had been smashed to splinters months ago. But here was the same majinette dreamer back in his life again, insisting that everything she'd told him about Richard being his mate remained true. Justin didn't know what to believe. He didn't dare hope for what he wanted most in the world. He couldn't take another bitter, heart-wrenching disappointment. He had too many scars from the last.

Justin headed through the screened-in back porch and into the farmhouse with Brin. The skin on his face tingled with the change from outside cold to radiator heat. He stopped in the kitchen, idly petting a few of the dogs and trying to keep calm as conflicting hopes and fears warred with chaotic emotions inside him.

His aunt headed upstairs with the rifle and came back with a bathrobe that she tossed to Brin. Justin politely asked if Brin would care for something to eat or drink. He was surprised by the gratitude in her eyes, followed by an almost perfectly timed stomach rumble.

"I would love some tea and anything to eat that you care to offer," the majinette dreamer said. "I'm not picky, only famished. Thank you."

"I'll find you something," he assured her, wondering how long it had been since she'd had a decent meal. If she'd been on the run exclusively as a wolf—which seemed to be the case—she'd be burning a lot of calories. She'd have to hunt as she traveled or starve. But hunting wildlife near human cities or roads was a challenge.

Justin took last night's chicken casserole from the fridge and put it in the microwave to reheat. It wouldn't be gourmet, but it was good enough, and better yet, there was plenty of it. Some of the dogs loitered in the kitchen, hoping in vain that he would spill some food on the floor. To his surprise, Sweetie sauntered in like arriving feline royalty. She sat, curled her tail around her body, and stared at him with big cat eyes.

"Hey, Meow-Face," he said to her. "You hungry?"

She twitched her tail and continued staring at him with feline impassivity as if she couldn't decide whether to allow him the pleasure of feeding her. He took her silence as a maybe. While the chicken casserole reheated, he fed the cat and set her bowl on top of the refrigerator. That was the only place where the dogs wouldn't eat all her food, especially since she preferred to graze. The cat stared at the fridge, then at the counter she used to jump to the top of the fridge, and then she quietly padded away, her tail flicking saucily.

"So that's how it is?" he grumbled. "I'll be sure and add garnish next time, Your Worship."

Saying the words "Your Worship" immediately brought memories of Richard slamming back into his head like a car crash. Heath, Richard's best friend, always called Richard that when he was busting Richard's balls in the way guy-friends did to each other. Justin smiled to himself at the memory. He'd always liked Heath. They'd even headed into Boston a few times together—Richard and Justin on a double date with Heath and Sara, Heath's girlfriend, who worked in the pack's intelligence division. She was very smart and nice but also a little scary.

Justin closed his eyes, feeling a spike of grief drive deep inside at the memories. Even after all this time, it surprised him how hard that loss could hit. His hand settled on his belly, a touch he found comforting these days. Was it ironic that he probably gained more comfort from the touch than the child he carried? He smiled a little. Yeah, it probably was.

"You will make a good father," Brin announced, startling him. He'd had his eyes closed and hadn't caught her scent or heard her enter the kitchen.

Brin settled on a stool at the kitchen island, a feature his aunt had installed herself because an island hadn't been part of the original farmhouse kitchen. The blue fuzzy bathrobe Brin wore was so fluffy that it looked mildly absurd. And yet, it also didn't because the majinette dreamer had that wise and solemn air that gave her such quiet dignity and presence. He guessed she would seem the same even if she were wearing a clown outfit.

"Did the Goddess tell you I'd make a good parent?" he asked, turning to open the microwave door so she couldn't see his eyes. That way, he wouldn't reveal how muddled his emotions were right now. He used pot holders to pull out the casserole dish and set it on the counter. He kept his back to her, acting as if this were all routine and he entertained other shifters regularly.

"The Goddess didn't tell me that. I can see it in your eyes when I look at you. You're worried about being a good parent. You should not worry. You will do well by your daughter."

"How do you know I'm having a girl?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but he shook his head and cut her off.

"Don't tell me it's the Goddess again."

"Then I won't tell you that," she said, looking amused and not saying anything further.

He spooned out a generous portion of casserole and set the plate in front of her. "No disrespect intended, but it's far too soon to say things like ‘I'll be a good father.' There's no proof of that. I'm terrified I won't be a good parent. Not a day goes by that I don't fret myself sick over it."

"The fact that it means enough to worry you is proof enough. No parent is ever perfect." She picked up the fork he set out for her. "Thank you for this food."

Brin began to eat, and to his surprise, Sweetie wandered back in and jumped onto her lap. Brin didn't seem annoyed and stroked the calico with one hand while forking down chicken casserole with the other.

His aunt reappeared—still without the rifle, thank the Goddess—and walked to the fridge to grab herself a soda. She popped the top and gave her cat the side-eye. "I hope you remember who feeds you."

Sweetie squinted up at Aunt Katie and began to purr.

"This is quite delicious," Brin said around a mouthful of food. "Thank you very much."

His aunt made a monosyllabic sound that could've meant anything. Justin caught her pleased scent, though. Aunt Katie was a good cook, as he'd told her countless times since coming back to Cheddar Wolf Farm. He'd been too foolish to appreciate her cooking when he'd been living here as a teenager. Once you got out on your own, living on ramen noodles, instant oatmeal, and microwave burritos, you quickly realized what you were missing when it came to home-cooked meals.

Aunt Katie leaned against the counter near the sink and crossed her arms, still holding her soda can. "You can begin with the detailed explanations now. Try to keep the religious bunk to a minimum, thanks."

"You don't believe," Brin said. It wasn't a question, but neither was it a condemnation.

"What gave you that idea? Just because people like you use a deity to justify everything they do, good or bad?" His aunt snorted her derision. "You know what I believe in? Dogs and fine cheeses."

"Those are good things to believe in," Brin replied around a mouthful of food.

Justin did his best to hide his dismay at Aunt Katie's aggressive sacrilege to the face of a majinette dreamer. They were held as some of the holiest priests and priestesses of Cerasa. He was just as surprised that Brin seemed to take it all in stride.

"Let's cut to the chase," his aunt continued. "You risked a lot to come all the way out here to the middle of nowhere. What's in it for you? What do you want from my nephew?"

"Nothing is in it for me. As for your nephew, Justin needs to know the truth."

Justin forced himself to say it. "You mean the truth that Richard is my mate?"

"That is one of the things I've been sent to re-convince you of. I also bring a warning that you are not safe here. Danger is coming."

"What kind of danger?" his aunt demanded. She looked upset, probably because she'd put the rifle away. "Give us specifics."

"I'm sorry. I cannot give you specifics. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. If I knew more, I would tell you."

Aunt Katie slowly massaged her temple. "This is the most ridiculous divine intervention ever."

"She's kind of right," Justin admitted to Brin. "I mean…it's all very hand-wavy, isn't it?"

"Serving the Goddess is not for the weak of spirit," Brin replied a little defensively. "It is not an easy job."

"No, port-a-potty cleaning technician is not an easy job," his aunt corrected. "You get to play holy matchmaker. Badly, I might add."

"A holy matchmaker now hunted by her former pack. Do not make me speak of what this has cost me."

His aunt went still, sudden panic in her eyes. "You didn't lead them here, did you?"

Oh, shit. Justin hadn't even considered the possibility. Technically, he was AWOL from the Hargreave Pack. He'd been counting on them wishing him good riddance, happy to see his tail heading out the door. But if they were hunting Brin as a traitor and wolf-devil worshiper and found her here with him…

"I didn't lead them to you," Brin assured them. "I promise you that. I have traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles as a wolf in the wilderness, guided by the Goddess. I was not pursued. Such a thing would not be possible."

Aunt Katie shook her head, seeming both impressed and disgusted. "I can't believe you came all this way as a wolf. They do make these newfangled inventions called ‘cars,' you know."

Brin smiled politely, refusing to be baited. "Cars can be tracked by intelligence operatives. My human face can be found on security cameras. My wolf? She is off the grid."

"I can't believe any of that is necessary." Justin sank down on one of the stools. His strength felt as if it had drained out of him, leaving him scared and exhausted. "It's all so…outlandish."

Brin turned to meet his eyes, then dropped her gaze to his baby bump. "You must understand. You won't remain safe here forever, Justin. Your secrets won't stay secret. Once those secrets are known, you and your child will be in danger."

"And that's some kind of prophecy?" Justin felt sick to his stomach. He could taste hot bile in his throat.

"It was a truth the Goddess commanded me to share with you." She paused, her smooth, pale brow knitted. "But I also wanted to find you. I feel a responsibility for you. I still have a few friends and allies who have helped me flee, but when I learned that Prince Hargreave is to be betrothed to the Rainier Pack omega prince, I knew they'd succeeded in their plot to yoke Richard Hargreave to a false mate. They will stop at nothing to keep you and Richard apart so that a marriage alliance can be forged. The child you carry further risks their carefully laid plans."

Justin stared at her in horror. Betrothed. Richard was betrothed to another omega. A prince. Because, of course Richard should've been mated to a prince all along. A prince for a prince.

Even though it shouldn't have surprised him, the news still cut deep. Justin had never been formally betrothed to Richard. The date for the betrothal ceremony had been set for October, but Richard ended things before then. Not that a formal ceremony would've made any difference when Richard believed Justin wasn't his mate…

"Thanks for that news," Aunt Katie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She moved to stand beside Justin and put a hand on his shoulder. "We hadn't heard. No internet and I never watch the news for mental health reasons. But thank you ever so much for coming all this way to pee in our cream."

Justin held up a hand, and his aunt subsided, although she still looked plenty ornery. Sure, learning the truth had hurt. Being replaced as Richard's mate was never going to be anything but painful and humiliating. But there was something in what Brin had said that he focused on.

"You keep saying ‘they' as if there's some kind of conspiracy. Is that what you mean? Is there a conspiracy?"

"There is much you don't know, Justin. Much that has been hidden from the pack. Lies. Betrayal of the Goddess…and of me. You are owed answers."

"That's certainly true," his aunt groused.

Brin serenely ignored her as she continued. "Richard was wrong when he told you that I betrayed our pack. I do not hold it against him. He repeated what he was told by his father, believing what his king said to be true."

"Richard told me that you lied about us being mates to destroy the Hargreave line," Justin said. "If he believes that, and it's not true, then why are you here, with me, instead of telling him?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "He is beyond my reach in the palace now. They would disappear me long before I could ever speak with the prince if I tried." Her eyes held sympathy, but it was painful seeing her look at him that way. It reminded him of all he'd lost. "Besides, it is you and your child who will be in danger. That is why I'm here."

"What do you expect me to do about that?" he demanded. "This is the last place I can go. So it doesn't matter if I believe you or not. Belief doesn't magically change reality. If ‘they' are thwarting the will of the Goddess, have Her fix things! I'm just a low-born omega wolf. Richard's the crown prince of Altaden. After looking at it that way, it's easy to believe that you lied. Everyone else does."

"You don't think you're worthy of Richard, do you? That's why you refuse to accept what I'm telling you, even though your heart says it's true."

Justin flinched as if slapped. Her words had slashed him deep with one wicked slice.

Brin reached out and put a hand over his and squeezed. "It's okay. All of us have failed in some way. We fail each other. We fail ourselves. But have faith that you are worthy to be loved, Justin. Accept that truth."

His aunt shouldered her way back into the conversation. "That mushy stuff is all well and good for Valentine's Day cards and poems, but you need to either name names or take your conspiracy theories and get off my farm. My nephew has never been a threat to anyone. Who would want to hurt him?"

"The king," Brin answered so matter-of-factly it gave him chills.

Justin shook his head. "The king wouldn't hurt his own son. I don't believe it. Richard loved me once. I…I saw how much this hurt him too…"

Brin watched him with a hawk-like intensity. "You sense the truth of my words. You've seen it in the king, the same as I. He is an alpha who gets his own way, no matter what."

She wasn't wrong. Richard's father had always frightened him. Justin was ashamed to admit it, but it was the truth. The king was extremely intimidating. Richard was exactly the opposite. Richard's power, his strength and alpha aura, had always been a comfort, not something to fear. Richard would never hurt him. He would protect Justin, no matter what.

Or at least, that was what Justin had believed before he'd been cast out by the man who once claimed to love him.

As for the king? Every time the alpha king looked at him, Justin's entire body stung from the contempt in the king's piercing eyes. Justin wasn't allowed to forget that he would never be good enough for the crown prince. The king didn't need to speak a word. Those cruel green eyes said it all.

"So you're claiming your own alpha king framed you to destroy his son's love life?" Aunt Katie demanded. "All because he didn't think Justin was good enough for his boy?"

"Others did the king's work, but his was the command. He found a willing sycophant in Pirchet Aarden, a majinette who brought the accusation against me for the most venal reasons. Money. Power. Status."

"Another majinette dreamer?" Aunt Katie snarled. "So my nephew's being victimized by internal church politics?" She spat a scathing curse. "A thinking person might wonder why the Goddess didn't boot this Pirchet bastard's ass out of the special holy club if you're right and he's wrong."

"Pirchet is a dreamer. At least in title. We have our share of imposters, pretenders, and the corrupt, as does any priesthood."

"But you're the real deal, is that right?"

"Aunt Katie, please." Justin's head was pounding, and his stomach felt queasy. "That's not helping."

His aunt looked at him for a long moment, then nodded curtly. He turned back to Brin. "What would you do if you were me?"

"Leave here. Go somewhere safe."

"So, run. You're saying Richard is my mate, but you want me to run away from my mate. Find somewhere better to hide."

Brin didn't answer him. Her expression was no longer serene. It was pained, her eyes shadowed by doubt. "The Goddess will fix things between you and Richard—"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "Stop. I have a child to think of now. I don't have time for fairy tales. I can't go back to Altaden any more than you can."

"I know. I don't have a good answer. But you must find someplace safe."

"Do you know where that safe place is? Because I don't have anywhere else to go. I don't have money to live off while I'm hiding. Oh, and let me repeat myself. I have a child on the way, so I can't exactly live in the woods as a wolf."

"Justin, I'm sorry. I don't know where a safe place might be. I would take you with me, but that would only increase your danger. But you must leave here. Someone is coming who will bring danger."

He slowly massaged his forehead, trying to ease away the throbbing ache and the sudden tiredness from behind his eyes. He was exhausted by the frustratingly vague warnings she kept repeating. It was enough to make him want to scream.

"I can only promise to think carefully about what you said." He took a deep breath, feeling a pang of sympathy for her, especially because she seemed so distraught by his answer. He wasn't sure what she'd expected. "It's clear that you endured real hardships coming to me in person. I…I'm deeply grateful for that."

Justin had one of his hands on the table, the other still rubbing his temple. Brin reached out and placed her hand over his. At first, he believed she was simply giving him a comforting touch, a way to reassure him that things would be all right. That notion was erased from his head in an instant as Brin connected to him in a way far beyond the physical. He struggled to describe it, even though the connection had his eyes opening wide with surprise. It was as if the majinette dreamer suddenly became a presence inside his inner being, within his headspace, and she pulled his imagination somewhere else. In his mind's eye, he now stood with her on a plain of tall grass at night, with distant mountains on the edge of the horizon, a deeper shadow in the shadows, and overhead, so many stars glittering in the darkness. The reality of the imagined place was as powerful as the most vivid dream and left him reeling.

Their two wolves shouldn't have been able to directly sense each other when they weren't shifted. Yet, somehow they did. Her wolf stood beside his wolf on the grassy plain, where a wind that brought no scents with it sighed and stroked through the blades of grass, stirring them.

Their wolves touched noses. At the contact in this dream or vision or whatever it was, emotions flooded from her into him. He sensed her empathy and her kindness. He felt her fear for him and his child, her faith and determination. He also became aware of how deeply she hurt over what had been done to her—the betrayal and lies that had cost her everything. In that instant, he knew she was no traitor, and the feeling was powerful enough to rock him.

Her wolf tipped back its muzzle and howled. He knew the howl was a prayer to Cerasa. His wolf raised its head and joined her wolf song prayer to The Mother Who Loves. His human side was not precisely sure what he prayed for, yet the yearning in his howl certainly beseeched something. Safety, perhaps. Mercy. Protection for his child…

In the real world, Brin removed her hand from his. The strange shared vision of their wolves, the dark grassy plain, and the stars immediately vanished. His human consciousness rushed back to the forefront of his mind as if filling a vacuum. He gaped at her, stunned speechless.

"What happened?" his aunt demanded. If she'd had fur, it would've been bristling with concern and threat. "Did she hurt you?"

"No…" he managed to say. Forming words felt oddly sluggish, although the lethargic sensation was fading fast. "No. It's okay, Aunt Katie. It was just…unexpected. Our wolves met inside my head." He blinked at Brin. "Is that what you experienced, too?"

"I prayed to the Goddess with you. I asked her to send you comfort and to protect you, no matter your choices. I also asked her to give you dreams of your mate to prove the love between you is not gone."

"What does that mean?" Aunt Katie said, a muscle in her jaw twitching. "I didn't realize we had to apply to a higher power for dreams."

"If Cerasa hears my prayer, She will give Justin vivid dreams of Richard unlike any he's had before." Brin kept her gaze on Justin alone. "In this way, She will prove that Richard remains your mate, as She promised."

Justin was still reeling from the vision, and her words sounded disconnected and flat in his ears. But as the seconds ticked past, the vision in his head felt less real. It became easier to dismiss as something his desperate brain had imagined, clutching at straws. All he knew was that he didn't want to have vivid nightmares reliving that moment in the garden when Richard's life path had splintered from Justin's forever.

"What about…bad dreams?"

Her eyes held sympathy. "All good dreams come from the Goddess."

His aunt made a derisive sound in her throat. "I once dreamed that every time I tried to shift into my wolf, I turned into a hedgehog instead. Was that dream from the Goddess?"

Brin stared at her placidly. Slowly, one of her eyebrows arched. "What an odd dream. I'm certain it has no meaning."

His aunt bristled, and Justin cleared his throat, not wanting to get distracted by discussions about the nature of dreams. Or his aunt getting pissed off. "So, okay. Okay. Something happened. But how does it change anything? How much time do I have until this ‘danger' arrives?"

"I don't know," Brin answered. "I'm sorry."

He bit his tongue on a frustrated reply. He was rattled, but she clearly had come here believing she could help. He couldn't take his fears and frustrations out on her.

Aunt Katie clapped her hands once, the sound so sharp it made him flinch. "It sounds like my nephew and I have a lot to discuss," she said briskly and turned to the majinette. "I'll make up the pullout bed in the living room. You can sleep there. Stay as long as you need."

Brin seemed startled by the offer and then deeply touched. "You are kind, and I am very grateful, but I cannot stay."

"Is this a religious thing or a pride thing or just plain foolishness?" his aunt asked sharply.

"I have shared what Cerasa wished me to share. I was never meant to tarry."

Aunt Katie put her hands on her hips and glowered. "Winter's on its way. If that isn't bad enough, you try gallivanting across the countryside as a wolf and some trigger-happy rancher is going to shoot you. You did what you felt you needed to do for my nephew, so your heart is in the right place. Time for me to show some gratitude. Stay. Collect yourself. Go when you wish."

Brin actually appeared torn by the offer. That aura of serenity flickered like a failing television screen, again revealing her fear, her sorrow, and more than anything, her weariness—not just physical, but bone-deep emotional exhaustion. But it vanished again in the blink of an eye, and Brin was the same tranquil majinette dreamer she'd portrayed since shifting into her human form.

"Thank you," Brin said again. "I will gratefully stay for tonight. But please understand, I must not linger after that. I know you are fiercely protective of your nephew, and my presence is yet another danger."

Justin tried to think of some way to convince her to stay but couldn't—and maybe he shouldn't. He felt guilty about it, but if she was hunted by his old pack, he didn't want them chasing her here and discovering he was pregnant with Richard's daughter.

"I guess I respect that," his aunt said. "There's a bathroom upstairs. Fresh towels in the linen closet right next to it. I'm sure you'd like a hot shower after weeks on paws in the wild."

Brin's smile widened, for a moment making her seem achingly young, although she must be a decade older than Justin. "I would love that. Thank you."

She set the now-snoozing cat down on the tiles and followed his aunt upstairs. Sweetie shook herself, flicked an ear, and glared at Justin as if he'd been the one to get her kicked off the warm lap. Then she licked her tail fiercely and pretended he didn't exist.

His aunt returned to the kitchen shortly. They waited until they heard the shower start.

"So what do you think?" his aunt asked. "She talks like a damn thesaurus and she's a religious whack-a-doo, but I hate to admit, she seems all right."

"She believes what she's saying. I sensed it when she touched me that last time."

"Yeah. That seemed weird, and not in a good way. Your eyes went all far away, and suddenly it was like I shared a kitchen with hypnotized people."

He shook his head. "It was some kind of vision. We were together, in a field of grass as wolves, howling to the Goddess."

"Wait. Did you see anyone who looked like a goddess? Because I'd hate to put my paw in my mouth after all these years of blasphemy."

"No. But there was…something. It's hard to describe." He waved a hand at his head. "It's fading, though. It feels less and less real the more time passes."

"Maybe you should leave the farm like she wants." She held up a hand at Justin's immediate look of panic. "Listen. I have some money saved. Enough to get you somewhere else and set up. We were both afraid they'd take your child if they knew about her. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe we shouldn't risk it."

He was already shaking his head. "They will find me no matter where I run, Aunt Katie. They have an intelligence service. I wouldn't even begin to know how to get a fake ID. This is my safe place."

If he fled, he would be alone, cut off from his aunt because anything else she did to help might reveal where he was hiding. Not to mention that the whole pregnancy situation was going to become a lot more challenging as his due date approached. Even if he fled to another city, he wouldn't be able to survive without help. He couldn't work for humans, as he had when he'd been on his own in New York. He'd been required to give up his U.S. citizenship to become a citizen of Altaden and a member of the Hargreave Pack.

Just one of many mistakes he'd made… Although he still didn't think of Richard as a mistake. How could he? Those had been the best days of his life. He put a hand on the swell of his belly. And this coming baby wasn't a mistake either, no matter what the rest of the world might think. Unexpected? Yep. Unplanned for? Definitely. But a mistake? No, he'd decided his child wasn't a mistake, and it was his choice to make and his alone. He wouldn't judge others for their choices, and he didn't want them to judge him for his. Justin would go to his grave knowing he had made the right choice for him.

"You know you can stay here, no matter what," Aunt Katie said. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah…" His voice choked up.

"We'll be our own little two-wolf, six-dog, one-cat pack. Then we'll add another when the baby arrives."

"I know," he said. "I know we will."

He tried to blink back a sudden surge of tears and couldn't. He ended up crying. Stupid hormones.

She hugged him. He hugged her back fiercely.