Chapter 82

It felt weird being away from him for more than two seconds.

But she spoke,

"Damien will avoid you for a couple of months."

I was startled by the announcement, but I understood soon enough.

"I don't think Harlan would get jealous..."

"They can't help it," she interrupted.

"They get really sensitive when the bond is new. He was doing his best, but you two even being in the same room was triggering for him."

Right.

I thought I understood when Harlan explained it to me, but I still needed to get used to it.

I looked at her and whispered so they couldn't hear,

"What about Blaze?"

Her expression turned grim.

I couldn't not wonder about Blaze; I felt bad, and he was my friend, after all.

"He said he needed space and decided to go patrol the borders by himself, but you weren't the only reason for that," she whispered and kept walking as we arrived at Damien's study and she opened the door.

There, sitting on the couch wearing athletic clothes, was Gemma.

She screamed and ran to hug me as soon as she saw me, and suddenly I understood why Blaze literally vanished.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Gemma, but their past was complicated, and being under the same roof as me and her must have been too much for him.

I scanned the room, and due to the fact a certain vampire wasn't present, I could only guess she had gone with him.

"Maya!" she said as she hugged me.

"How are you? I--" she paused, and Elowen, Arden, and Callum turned to look at me, surprised.

Elowen stood up with a smirk.

"It looks like we have a new beta female," she smiled, and Callum beamed.

Arden looked at me and did a double thumbs-up as they all turned to look at Gemma, who was just staring at me smugly.

And then I realized.

She's a soulfinder.

"You knew!" I said, half angry, half amused.

"Of course I knew. I could tell the moment Harlan carried you to the bed princess-style," she laughed, and I fumed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"Because that's against the rules. The wolves involved must always realize they are each other's mates on their own, so I just heavily hinted and tried to nudge you both in the right direction."

I was going to ask more, but as soon as Harlan stepped into the room, his little sister squealed even louder and hugged him tight.

"I'm so happy for you," she said.

And Harlan tried to pretend he was annoyed, but I could feel what he felt now, and he was glad to see her. He missed her.

"So, you ready for the extensive duties of the female beta royale?" Elowen teased, and it was then I started wondering what exactly they were.

For some reason, the fact that I was now bound forever to this pack didn't cross my mind.

I would have duties now, things I had to do to ensure the pack's well-being—and while it made me a little nervous, it didn't really scare me as much as I thought it would.

"Don't mess with her," Harlan warned.

"Geez, that mating bond chafing a little bit, bud?" Elowen mocked him, and he had to take like five deep breaths to calm down.

Damien seemed quite serious. I could guess it was because Harlan told him about my attack—his side of it, at least.

"Callum," Damien instructed, and Callum stepped forward.

"I'm going to make sure your connection with the rebels has been severed. Can I?" he asked.

Harlan had to physically turn around as Callum held my hand. He closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, he nodded.

"She's clear. All ours," he joked.

He quickly stepped away, and Harlan sat next to me, draping an arm around me. I smiled, if only because I enjoyed having him near.

"Tell us everything," Damien said.

I hesitated, but I said,

"I remember the man that assaulted me. He was there."

Harlan tensed, and so did most of my friends.

"There were four, three I'd never seen before... I don't remember much, as I passed out," I finished, and Harlan held me tighter.

"Can you think of any details?" Selene asked kindly.

I hesitated again.

"There is one more thing, I just don't know how helpful it can be..."

Harlan looked at me and nodded.

"Once I died, I opened my eyes at a beach and heard a voice telling me it wasn't my time, that I should go back," I said, and they all gasped.

"Did you see where the voice was coming from?" Elowen asked, very curious.

I shook my head.

"No, all I saw was a blinding light."

"Well, that is certainly interesting," Elowen said, "but it doesn't get us any closer to the reason for the attack."

"Maybe they just wanted to hurt us, knowing how much it would mean to lose someone we care about," Gemma proposed.

"Or maybe she knows something they don't want her to remember," Selene proposed.

"Whatever it is, we must be careful. Things can go wrong quickly around here."