Chapter 7

 

Cleona made her way back to her trailer, scooting along as fast as she could since she still only wore a robe.

Every muscle screamed with what she had just done between her first shift and then the mating.

Her steps faltered as her mind stuttered over how casually she accepted all that had happened in the past hour.

This couldn’t be normal. Surely she had suppressed her fear or disgust and as sure as the sun would rise tomorrow, it’d be back to rear its ugly head and bite her right in her sore behind.

Right?

She rubbed her ass cheeks as she walked, her hands gringing into the muscles there. Who knew you used the glutes so hard in wolf form.

She spotted Lucy’s car in their drive and frowned. Unable to sneak in, she accepted that she was just going to have to suck it up, lie and say she went out for air, and pray that her mother and Lucy were good enough people to just believe the lie and let it go.

She jogged up the steps, grabbed the handle of the door, and took a deep breath before stepping in.

Her mother sat at the now clear table, and Lucy swiped the dishcloth over one of their breakfast plates. Both women turned to her.

Lucy looked her up and down, her brows knit in confusion.

Her mother smiled that knowing smile of hers that told Cleona that she was still the master of spotting a lie.

Fine, yes, she had sex. Happy?

An hour earlier, they’d just been talking about her being adopted, and here her mother was in total mom mode, and as weird as it may seem, it was okay.

It’s not like she had family out there who had lived lives without her. From all indications, her real parents had died, and although sad, it helped her maintain some normalcy in the wake of their morning talk.

“You look…refreshed,” her mother said with a smirk.

“Well, why wouldn’t I? It’s gorgeous out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to—um—shower.”

“Yes, dear. You do that,” her mother murmured, lifting her coffee cup to her lips.

And with no shaking hands.

Cleona narrowed her eyes.

“Something the matter, dear?”

“Um, no.” She didn’t want to say anything and instead gave her mother these few moments to enjoy the way it felt to drink coffee before everything had changed. It was likely only a short reprieve, and it would be over soon enough. “Listen, do you have any documentation from Mylas, by any chance?”

“Mylas?” she asked, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes.

“Yes, from the—” Cleona glanced at Lucy. Oh, her mother didn’t want to talk about it in front of Lucy. “Never mind. The time got away from me. We can talk about it later,” she said as a chill washed over her.

Rubbing her arms to infuse some warmth, she smiled at her mother and headed for the bathroom.

She turned the faucet, the force of the water causing the pipes to clank and knock in a way she’d come to recognize as the hot water kicking in. Steam billowed up so she ran her fingers through the water one more time to make sure it wasn’t too hot and hopped in. She leaned against the wall, her palms flat in the tiny stall, and let hot water sluice over her face and skin, needing the relief from her soreness, but sad to wash off Leander’s touch.

She’d never imagined anything extraordinary for her in life. At best, women like her, blue-collar workers with high school diplomas, did good to find a job they liked, a husband they loved and married, and have a family.

She’d blinked, and that picture became such an elementary version of life. She mated, so really what was marriage to her? Maeve and Orion were engaged, but did it really matter? Was that what they told people because they couldn’t just march around as shifter and warlock?

Cleona and Leander needed a crash course in what they were so they knew what they needed to do.

And they needed the crash course today because something felt close. She couldn’t describe it. Couldn’t see it. But something hovered over them. Maybe it was nothing more than the idea of something looming, but she didn’t think so.

Turning off the water, she hurried to dry off and put on her uniform.

Stopping before the mirror, she ran a brush through her hair. With the third slide, the brush revealed a streak of silver threading through her hair.

Silver like her coat.

And a streak like Maeve’s.

Maybe it turned silver when she shifted? But wouldn’t Leander have said something? Maybe when they mated. It might just be the distinction on her like the symbol rising from the skin between his shoulders.

She’d have to ask Maeve.

A long-buried desire to have siblings rose up in full force. Something she hadn’t thought about in quite some time and according to Maeve, there were more.

Her family of two—er, three with Leander, would grow into nine.

Crazy.

She smiled as she braided her hair to keep it out of her face and to save her from blow drying.

Dabbing a bit of concealer on a sponge, she brushed over a few marks Leander had left behind on her neck and called it good enough.

She found her mom and Lucy in the living room. Lucy glanced up as she shuffled the cards. “Wish me luck. Your mother is hell-bent on making me pay for my winnings yesterday.”

“Go easy on her, Mom,” Cleona said, leaning down to brush a kiss on her mother’s soft cheek.

“Where are you off to?”

“What?” Cleona said, pulling back and meeting her mother’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, why?” her mother asked, narrowing her gaze at Cleona.

“Because you asked where I’m going. I’m going to work like I do every morning,” Cleona said, standing up straight.

“Oh, yes, that. I’m sorry, dear. I’m just distracted,” her mother said with a wave of her hand as she concentrated on the cards Lucy dealt.

Lucy shot Cleona a look and shrugged.

“Okay. Listen, maybe try to get a nap in today, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Leave us to our cards,” her mother said, waving her away.

She stepped out into the sunshine, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath of the air, noting the way the damp richness had begun to fade and the sun brought out the fragrant wild flowers as they heated up for the day.

This wolf thing had some serious benefits.

“Good morning, Cleona,” Leander said as he sauntered up to her in worn blue jeans that hugged in all the right places. The black T-shirt stretched across his chest fitted just enough to remind her of the curves and valleys of his muscles beneath.

“Leander,” she said with a silly grin on her face.

“You mind if I walk you to work?”

“I guess that would be okay,” she said, taking his offered arm. Her hand landed over his cuff and the moonstone heated under her palm.

“Do you feel that?” she asked.

“Ever since we mated. Now ask me what I feel on my back,” he said with a laugh.

“Is it bad?” she asked, the sound of their shoes crunching over the gravel unusually loud.

He nodded and kicked a pebble to the side of the road. “It’s the equivalent of a brand.”

She gasped. “I’m sorry.”

He shot her a look and winked. “Why? I’m not.”

She curled her fingers into his arm and leaned in tighter against his shoulder. “It’s painful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I’ll live. How painful was it when you spotted the streak of silver in your hair?” he asked.

“You noticed? I don’t know when it happened,” she said, reaching up and smoothing her free hand over her hair.

“I do. The minute you bit me. The silver started at the root and spread to the end,” he said with a shrug.

“You should have said something,” she said.

“Tell my woman she has gray hair? No, thanks,” he said with a smile.

“Silver hair, thank you very much,” she said, lifting her chin and enjoying the easy banter between the two of them. No more dancing, no more denying their feelings—she glanced around the park—and soon everyone would know they were a unit.

Only now the idea didn’t bother her at all.

“And that tone just proved my point,” he said, nodding his head.

They came to the parking lot, and she turned to him. “There’s something I didn’t tell you this morning.”

“What?” he asked, squinting against the bright sun.

“My mother said Mylas is the one who set up the adoption,” she said.

 His shoulders locked up, and his mouth thinned. “How is that possible?”

Cleona glanced back at her trailer. “She said he worked at the fertility clinic.”

“But what would he have to do with a litter of pups?” he asked.

She reared her head back. “Whoa, that’s weird.”

“Well, essentially, that’s what you would be. Isn’t it?”

She rubbed her forehead. “But we were born in human form. At least, I think we were.”

“Okay, that would make sense. But I’d still have to wonder why he was involved at all. What would be in it for him?” he asked.

“We need to find that out. Look, can you do me a favor? Call Maeve and Orion and have them come in. I’ll see if I can get off early, and we can all talk.”

“Maybe they can fill in the missing pieces,” Leander said, nodding.

“I’m hoping, but I have a feeling this path has a lot of twists and turns, and I still have two more sisters to find,” Cleona said with a sigh.

“I’ll do that. Now come here,” he said, pulling her into his arms and capturing her lips with his in a toe-curling kiss. His tongue swirled against hers, caressing her, before he pulled back and swiped her damp bottom lip with his thumb.

She laid a palm on his chest to feel the thud of his heart under her hand. “Can you do me another favor?”

He smiled. “You’re settling into this whole honey-do list thing rather easily.”

“Shut up. This is one that you usually do anyway. Can you check in on my mom in a bit? She’s being weird.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Weird how?”

“Well, I know she fessed up to adopting me, but there was no fall out from it. I mean, it’s not like there is another set of parents out there looking for me. She’s my mom. But she’s forgetful this morning. Or maybe she’s just avoiding talking about it in front of Lucy. I don’t know. But she didn’t realize I had to work this morning.”

His large palms spread over her back and roamed along her spine. “You work every morning.”

“Exactly. On the other hand, I got to witness her hand not shaking for the first time in two years. I’m sure it’s just a fluke, but I thought she was having a good morning.”

“Listen, don’t worry about a thing. I’ll call Maeve and have them meet us at the diner. I’ll check on your mom before I head over,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Her eyes drifted shut with the touch of his lips, and for the first time, some of that weight on her shoulders shifted.

Keeping that burden no longer balanced on just her shoulders.

“I love you,” he whispered, the words sliding inside her and winding around her lonely heart.

She smiled, slid her hand in his, and pulled back to look at him. “I love you, too, Leander. The leap wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I just closed my eyes and jumped.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and let her fingers drift from his before heading around the corner to the entrance of the diner.

Saturday morning diner traffic always tended to be on the light side since the commuters that frequented the diner were all spending time with their families. Cleona always took Saturday mornings to deep clean the dessert case; this morning, she couldn’t keep her eyes from glancing between the clock and front door as she waited.

“What’s got you so distracted, mia cara?” Sam said, passing by her with a bucket of dirty dishes from the only two customers who had just left.

“I’m waiting for some people, that’s all.”

“How’s the hand?” he said, shooting a look at her palm.

“What? Oh—that. It’s fine. I must not have caught it as bad as I thought I did or that burn gel works miracles.”

His shrewd gaze studied her. “Uh, huh. Or maybe it’s something else,” he said with a nod toward the silver streak in her hair.

“Look—” Cleona began.

“No excuses, mia cara. I don’t need to know everything. I just worry about you. If you say everything is okay, it’s okay.”

The diner door opened, and Maeve walked in followed by Orion. “It’s okay,” she whispered, her gaze landing on her sister.

“Uh huh,” he said, glancing between them. “I’ll hold down the fort. You go ahead and take some time with your company.”

Cleona rounded the counter, but the closer she got to Maeve, the more unsure she became, and her steps faltered.

“You mated,” Maeve said quietly.

“Uh, yes. I guess it would have been better to find out from you two what we were in for before we—well, you know.”

Maeve smiled over her shoulder at Orion. “Yes, I know.”

“Things are slow right now. Are you hungry?” Cleona asked.

Maeve’s fingers twisted in her purse strap. “Oh, we’re good, but we wouldn’t mind some coffee, if that’s okay.”

Cleona hitched a thumb over her shoulder and smiled at them both. “Sure, take the corner booth over there, and I’ll join you. Leander should be along as well.”

“Yes, we’re actually staying just down the street. He said he had something to attend to and then he’d be over,” she said, taking a seat in the booth.

“Yes, my moth—” Cleona’s throat went dry as uncertainty choked her.

Maeve looked at her with a questioning gaze. “Your mother?”

“Uh, yes,” Cleona muttered.

Maeve reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “She is your mother. I also had a mother and father. They’ve passed. Just because we have a history we didn’t know about doesn’t mean we have to let go of the one we know.”

Cleona nodded. “Thanks for that…let me just get that coffee.”

She turned and almost bumped right into Sam who had stepped up with mugs and the carafe. “It’s on me. We don’t need any more incidents,” he said, dispersing cups and filling them just shy of the rim. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you. This is perfect.”

They sat in an awkward silence while Orion sipped his black coffee and Maeve added sugar and cream to hers. Cleona dumped a small container of French vanilla creamer in hers and took a sip.

“It’s awkward for you, isn’t it?” Maeve asked.

“A little bit. I feel bad talking without waiting for Leander, but I guess we can get started.”

“What do you want to know?” Maeve asked.

“The silver streak?” Cleona said, raising her brow.

“Mating can be stressful,” Maeve said with a laugh.

“There’s a lot I don’t understand.” Cleona glanced out the window and saw no sign of Leander yet. Her mother was likely talking his ear off.

“He has a mark on his back, like a brand—”

Orion nodded and set down his mug. “You get the silver. He gets branded with the everlasting love symbol, and if you’re anything like your sister,” he said, casting a glance at Maeve with a sardonic smile, “a bite.”

Maeve laughed and elbowed him. “He loved it and he knows it.”

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch,” he muttered, picking up his cup once again.

“Sorry,” Maeve said with a grin.

He winked at her. “No, you’re not.”

“Okay, I’m not,” she admitted.

“How long have you two known each other?” Cleona asked.

“About four weeks,” Orion said, leaning back against the bench seat and stretching his arm out on the backrest.

“Wow, it’s like you’ve been together for years,” Cleona said.

“It’s quick, as it’s meant to be,” Orion said quietly. “I have a lot of the history that I need to turn over to Leander so he can study and prepare since he didn’t have a male figure to teach him.”

“Do you guys have visions?” Cleona asked, wrapping her hand around her mug. Okay, strangling her mug.

“Maeve had a doozy the first time she set foot on my land. Like the land tried to draw her in. It took casting a spell to pull her back.”

She shot up in her seat. “That’s the kind of thing that happened to Leander yesterday,” Cleona said.

“Happened to me, too…with close proximity to Maeve.”

“Did either of you have any before that?” Cleona asked.

“No, why?” they said in unison.

“Well, my mother pulled out some pictures I drew as a kid. A meadow surrounded by trees, and the tree you mentioned.”

“You’re the carrier,” Orion whispered as he looked her over with renewed scrutiny.

“What do you mean?”

He sat forward and leaned his elbows on the table. “I’ve been working on the histories with my dad. One of The Tetrad is the carrier of memories. It means that not only do we have what your mother, Brigid, left behind, but we can access those memories as well. Memories that by human standards you shouldn’t even have.”

“You mentioned something there, The Tetrad. What is that?

Orion leaned in farther and lowered his voice a fraction. “That’s what you and your sisters are. The Tetrad of the Moonstone Guardians Pack. It means the four. The last four remaining members and you were kept hidden so Belen wouldn’t get to you. The only way to fight him off for good is to awaken all four of you and find your mates. Then we’ll have the power to erradicate him once and for all. We don’t know how he knew your mother was carrying you, but—”

“Well, I might have a bit of information to help us find that. Mylas, Leander’s father, worked at the fertility clinic that my mother went to. He’s the one who secured our placement,” Cleona interrupted.

“Our mother was going to a fertility clinic?” Maeve asked.

“I guess. I don’t know. There’s a lot more information to dig up. All she left us was her necklace and her letter.”

“And right now, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is making sure Belen doesn’t gain control of any of you or the cuffs,” Orion said.

“Why would he go for the cuffs?” Cleona asked.

“They hold power. He was stripped of his. If he could get his hands on ours, he could use them to take our form. I don’t just mean possess us like he did to me before. I mean, he can literally take the same form as us and manipulate you.”

The hair on the nape of her neck rose. “Wait? What do you mean he possessed you?”

“Orion stepped out of the bedroom after we mated, and something was different. His reactions just weren’t his own. I don’t know how to explain it. He didn’t move the way he normally did.”

Dread pooled in Cleona’s stomach, making it sink to her toes.

“And he didn’t react as though we had just mated. It’s like he didn’t even realize it had happened.”

Her mother’s hands had stopped shaking.

“And he pretended to be our mother. He asked about this necklace,” Maeve said, holding up the silver necklace against her skin. “It’s the symbol that rises in our mate’s skin. She wore it and buried it for us where she died. He asked what the symbol was, that’s how I knew for sure it wasn’t our mother reaching out to us from the grave, but Belen manipulating me.”

Her mother didn’t remember their conversation or that she was going to work that morning.

Her heart seized in her chest. “Oh, God. Belen’s here!” Cleona cried out as she ran for the door.