Shenaya’s POV
“What the fuck?” I muttered in annoyance as the harsh ray of light suddenly snatched my sleep away. I moved uncomfortably under the duvet as I tried to cover my face so I could continue my sleep.
“Wake up…” an annoying voice that belonged to my best friend Lilah said and snatched the sheet off my body leaving me bare naked on the bed.
“Ewwww,” Lilah pretended to be disgusted at my nakedness. “Em, cover up!” she squealed while I struggled to open my eyes, still exhausted from the previous night. Suddenly, I remembered I spent the night in the warrior quarters at the pack house-in Aiden’s room, to be precise. And now Lilah is here. But where is Aiden? I quickly opened my eyes to see Lilah tugging at my legs, trying to wake me up.
“Lilah, stop acting like a 2-year-old,” I said, kicking her hand away. “Where’s Aiden? And how did you know I was here?”
“Your boyfriend told me I could find you here. He….” Lilah paused mid-sentence with surprise on her face.
“Oh my God… he marked you?” she whispered, covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide in shock.
“Don’t shout it out!” Shenaya quickly cautioned her and moved my hair to cover the mark. “It’s a secret and you have to keep it a secret,” I told her.
Aiden and I had decided to keep our marks hidden until his pack was settled, and we could move together. We didn’t want anyone, especially Aiden’s enemies, to use our bond against him or his family.
“Now get your butt off that bed and shower. I brought you some fresh clothes,” Lilah said with a scowl.
I got up without bothering to cover myself and walked into the bathroom. As I stepped in front of the mirror, I studied myself. The person staring back wasn’t my usual self. My hair looked like a bird nest, a complete mess, but there was an inner happiness in my eyes I couldn’t quite explain. The happiness I hadn’t seen in my eyes in a very long time. I smiled to myself as memories from the previous night flashed through my mind. My gaze fell on the mark on my neck, and I couldn’t help but grin.
‘Where are you?’ I mind-linked Aiden.
‘Good morning, beautiful. Trying out your mind link?’ Aiden replied with a warm tone. ‘It’s not a dream, we’re linked now.’
‘Have you seen the pups?’
‘Yes, they’re here with me on the field.’
‘Okay, I’ll see you soon.’ I closed the mind link and turned on the shower.
She took a quick shower and rushed out, holding a towel around my body. Lilah passed me the dress she had brought, and I quickly slipped it on.
“Why are you here again?” I asked as we left the room, trying to remember if we had an appointment.
“Andrew’s been trying to reach you. He said you’ve been ignoring his calls,” Lilah replied, eyeing me curiously. “Is something going on between you two that I don’t know about?”
“No, I wasn’t ignoring him. I’ve just been… occupied.” I wasn’t about to tell Lilah that Andrew and I made a stupid promise to each other to get married when we were pups and he couldn’t get over the fact that it was just a silly promise.
“Of course, you’ve been occupied,” Lilah teased, giving me a knowing look.
“Shut up,” I retorted with a laugh, I gave myself a mental note to call Andrew later in the day. We headed to the training ground together.
We stood at the edge, looking down at the warriors, who had formed a circle and were cheering as Ethan and Aiden fought in the middle like they were bitter enemies. Zoey, Midrar, and Leo were also among the crowd, watching the fight with keen interest.
I didn’t know little girls were so into fighting, I thought, amused by the seriousness on Midrar and Zoey’s faces.
Aiden and Ethan continued their sparring, and soon Aiden gave Ethan a swift attack that made him slip and fall. Aiden won the round, and the crowd cheered loudly. A proud smile formed on my lips.
‘Why are you here?’ Aiden asked through the mind link.
‘Just checking up on you.’
‘Your scent is so distracting and delicious, it’s making me horny.’ He said as I smiled in embarrassment.
Lilah looked at me and looked at Aiden and gasped. “You guys are now mind fucking” pushing me slightly.
The pups spotted us from the field and ran toward us.
“Mama! Aunt Lilah” they shouted as they raced to her towards us.
Lilah and I opened our arms wide to catch them.
‘Where’s your mother?’ Lilah asked Midrar.
“I don’t know,” Midrar replied casually.
“Let’s go to the pack house to find her”
We left the training ground together, but Lilah received an urgent call from a client and had to leave. She promised the kids she’d see them later.
When we arrived at the Alpha’s quarters in the pack house, we looked for Isla and Lucy but couldn’t find them. Since it was already approaching lunchtime, I decided to fix something for everyone to eat. Zoey decided to join me in the kitchen, and I saw this as the best time to explain what her powers were all about.
I picked Zoey up and placed her on the counter. I hadn’t prepared for this conversation, so I wasn’t sure how to approach it.
“Zo, do you know you’re very special?” I began, trying to steady myself.
“Yes, Mama,” she replied confidently. I wasn’t expecting that, but I decided to continue anyway.
“Why do you think you’re special, Zo?”
“Because I’m a powerful witch,” she said with a proud smile, leaving me in extreme shock. What? Who told her about her powers?
“How did you know you’re a witch?” I asked again, trying to push her for more information.
“I have a witch friend,” she said happily. “She’s been coming to me and practicing with me. She told me people with powers like mine are witches, and we can do anything in the world.”
At this point, the shock on my face was evident. I couldn’t hide it.
“What’s the name of this friend of yours?” I asked with a forced smile, trying to keep calm.
“Skylar,” Zoey said, and I felt my heart drop. My life flashed before my eyes. Skylar was back, and she had gotten to my daughter first.