Fates Entwined

15

She had a point. Even though the Ophiuchus treated Larkin like a member of our pack, other shifters tended to be suspicious or even fearful of her. It didn't matter that she and the other Moon Witches were our allies and had helped free the Zodiac Wolves, to them she would always be an outsider. She wasn't a shifter and never would be one, and even worse, she was a witch. After everything the Sun Witches had done, many shifters wanted nothing to do with magic of any kind.

"It'll be fine," I said, trying to sound confident. "I'll deal with this issue and be back before you know it."

"And Jordan?" she asked, looking skeptical.

"He won't be a problem."

She gave me a sly grin. “Are you sure? Because we both know enemies to lovers is the hottest trope.”

I snorted. “Only in romance novels.”

"Oh, that reminds me. I just finished this book and I know you'll love it. Take it with you so you have an excuse to bury your nose in a book and ignore Jordan." She picked up a hardcover and handed it to me. It had a discreet cover with a dagger and a crown covered in frost.

"Of Swords and Snow?" I asked, opening up the flap to read the inside.

"It's about a fae princess of the summer court whose family was killed by an evil king from the winter court. She sneaks into his castle to seduce the crown prince and take her revenge on the entire family, but then she discovers they're fated mates." Larkin spoke quickly, her eyes flashing with excitement like they always did when she talked about a good book. "It's the perfect enemies to lovers book and the spice is..." She made the chef's kiss gesture.

"It sounds good. Thanks." I shoved the book into my bag. Larkin and I had bonded from the start over our love of books, especially romance novels. She'd once told me they were the only thing that got her through her long years living in Lunatera. Even now she read a couple books every week, as if she wanted to cram as much romance into her life as possible since she couldn't experience it herself.

"You'll love it. The only problem is that the second one isn't out for two more months, and I'm not sure how I'm going to endure the wait. I need you to read it and suffer with me."

"That's what friends are for. Shared suffering." I glanced at the clock with a sense of dread. "Speaking of suffering, I should go."

"Promise me you'll be careful," she said, wrapping her slender arms around me in a tight embrace.

I hugged her tightly. "I promise."

"Don't forget all the spells I taught you. And if anything happens with Jordan..." She hesitated. "Just trust your heart. It will know what to do."

"I'll try."

“If you do have hot hate s*x…” She let out a dramatic, wistful sigh. “Enjoy it for me, okay?”

I huffed. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Sure it won’t.”

I hefted the bag over my shoulder and headed out, taking a deep breath as I started on the path to Kaden and Ayla's house. The morning had that crisp chill in the air that signaled autumn was fully upon us, and I soaked in the beauty of the leaves changing colors all around me. I'd never lived anywhere except in this forest and knew my way through it like the back of my hand. Now I would be heading to the Leo pack lands, which were about as opposite to Coronis as you could get. Did they even have seasons in Arizona, or was it just hot and sunny all the time?

When I arrived at the house, Ayla was already waiting outside, head tilted up as if listening to something only she could hear, with a small smile on her face. She seemed so content and sure of her place in the world, the complete opposite of when she'd first arrived here all those months ago. Back then she'd been nervous and awkward, with a sharp tongue to hide how vulnerable she really felt. All of that was gone now, replaced with a powerful, serene alpha female who knew exactly who she was and where she belonged. I envied her for that.

She flashed that smile at me. "All ready to go?"

"Where's Jordan?"

"He should be here any minute." She paused, studying me. "He's not so bad, you know, if you give him a chance."

"You have to say that because he's your brother."

"Maybe, but he was also there for me when no one else was, and he's trying to change. He's already grown so much and⁠—"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off when the front door opened and Jordan emerged from the house.

"Sorry I'm late." He strode toward us with a confident smile, his hair framing his face in soft golden waves, his blue eyes unapologetic. The tight-fitting black shirt he wore did little to hide the broad expanse of his chest and lean waist.

"Needed more time to make yourself pretty?" I asked.

He fixed me with that cocky grin I so loathed. "No, I always look this good."

I rolled my eyes. "You're here now, so let's just get going."

"No need to sound so enthusiastic." He turned toward Ayla. "We better go before Stella changes her mind."

"I'm on it." She took both our hands in hers. "Here we go. One, two, three..."

Jordan's body stiffened as the world around us went dark for a moment, before reforming again as an entirely new place I'd never seen before. I'd teleported with Ayla a few times before and had never been bothered by it, but Jordan yanked his hand away and bent over as though he was trying not to retch.

"Sorry, I tried to give you some more warning this time," Ayla said, patting his back.

"Can't handle a little moon magic?" I asked with a smirk.

"He's always hated my teleporting," Ayla replied. "Too much Sun Witch blood maybe."