10
NESS
Ihoisted my bag higher onto my shoulder before climbing the steps up to Catriona’s front door. I would have liked to have come earlier, but the only time Catriona had been able to meet me had been in the late afternoon. Most of my day had been spent nervously awaiting whatever I might find here.
The elder pack member doubled as the pack historian. This old house on the edge of Onondaga Lake housed records going all the way back to the pack’s formation. I’d called her the night before to arrange a meeting under the guise that I wanted to read my prophecy. If I would find any information on what I was and what I could do, it would be here.
At least, that’s what I told myself as I knocked.
Catriona called out from deep inside the house. I eased the door open and stuck my head inside to listen because I hadn’t heard her clearly the first time.
“Get your ass in here and shut the damn door before you let the pollen in! I’m tired of sneezing.” Catriona stepped into the hallway ahead, motioned for me to close the door, then disappeared into another room.
I stepped in and did as she asked. The inside of her home was cozy, with plush furniture, pillows, and blankets everywhere. In the corner of the living room sat a piano. I remembered taking music lessons from Catriona. She never minced her words, especially when she told me that I would never have a future in music.
Catriona waited for me in the stairwell to the second-floor library. She shook the keys in her hands. “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
She studied me for a long while. “There’s no guarantee you’re going to find what you’re looking for up here.”
“I just want to see the prophecy records. I need to see it with my own eyes.”
Without saying anything more, she nodded and turned to unlock the door at the top of the stairs. The gleaming lacquered door swung open and revealed shelves crowding one another in a dark room.
Catriona stomped across the room and cracked open the blinds to let in a little bit of light. “Not much. The sunlight isn’t good for the records, but I don’t feel like paying more to the electric company, either.”
I gave her a nod, as if I cared. My heart raced. The hound whimpered pathetically inside me. I quieted her and braced myself. For what? I wasn’t sure. Anxiety crackled like electricity along my skin. It snatched my breath and left me shaking.
Catriona gave me a light shove, making me stagger forward. I gave her a glare, but she didn’t flinch. Catriona wasn’t one for pack theatrics, despite being a shifter. Her wolf seemed content with its power.
She reminded me of Audra, in some ways. Audra owned Bad Moon Café. My boss had an air about her that was hard to figure out. At the café, we’d taken bets on what Audra actually was because none of us knew for sure. I surmised that she was some kind of old shifter and that Alvin was afraid of her, because he didn’t mess with her. Addie and Vi thought that she was a demon more interested in living a human life than with compelling damning contracts out of unsuspecting victims.
Catriona and Audra carried themselves in a way that told the rest of the world to fuck-off. I wished I could figure out how they did it. I wanted some of that attitude for myself, but I couldn’t stop my hound from growling or yipping when push came to shove.
“Are you going to hover over my shoulder the whole time?” I asked meekly.
Catriona sighed, clearly annoyed with me. “Hear me out, child. It’s not you. It’s that cloud of destruction that follows you around like a sad puppy. I can’t have it wreaking havoc on my library.”
I’d hoped to take a peek at other sections. Because of my position within the pack, I wasn’t sure if Catriona would approve my request to dig deeper into the records. If Alvin told her to keep me from any information other than the prophecy, she would have to obey him. Not even her devil-may-care attitude would keep her from obeying the pack Alpha.
I sucked in a breath. I had no idea if Alvin had told her to do anything. My fear was that he had, and that Catriona would hover over me if she caught even a hint of my true intention.
At some point, I would have to trust the people in my pack, especially if I wanted to reclaim it from Alvin. He was the real problem. Once he was out of the picture, I would be alone with my pack for the first time. All the bridges I’d burnt would have to be rebuilt if I was going to be a part of the pack.
Catriona sighed again. “Damn it, child. You’re breaking my heart, standing there and looking as pathetic as you are.”
My lips parted as her words sank in. I gaped at her. She breezed past me, plucked a book from a shelf to her left, crouched, scanned the lower shelf to the right, and grabbed another book. She slammed them onto the table under the window and faced me.
“You’ll find your answers there.” She tapped the books once before heading to the door where she paused. “Try not to burn the place down.”
“I’m not a firestarter!” I called back to her.
For a heartbeat, I waited and listened to her retreating steps. Then, once I was sure that I was alone, I approached the books. They didn’t have fancy covers. There weren’t even titles on them, just a set of dates on the spines relating to the time captured on the pages inside. The first book Catriona had pulled was from the year that the witch had passed through.
The other book was older. The dates on the spine went back a hundred years, which made me raise my brows. I wasn’t sure what this book had to do with me, so I set it aside and opened the one with the prophecy.
My fingertips tingled. These pages held the reason for my position in the pack. I wished I could have burned it years ago, before I’d even shifted for the first time. I held onto the desire to turn back time because it made me feel like I had a little bit of control for once. I couldn’t change what was, though. Even if I’d burned the book, the memory of the prophecy would have remained.