My sister was the first person I turned to for good news and advice. Now shouldn’t have been any different.
Instead of taking comfort in sharing the news with her, the nerves in my stomach wound tighter and tighter.
“Does that mean you’ll stay here?” she asked when I didn’t say anything.
“I’d like to go with you.”
“But you aren’t sure.” Her voice shook then, her eyes shining with fresh tears. “Well, at least I know you aren’t dead.”
I winced at that. “I’m really sorry it took me so long to find you.”
“And your wolf still flipped out.”
“She did, but I don’t think it was because of you.” Maybe having her too close forced my wolf into a corner, but Val wasn’t what made my wolf so uncomfortable.
It was the city. The smells, the sounds, all of it. Even here at the edge of pack territory, my skin rippled under her layer of fur, the beginnings of a shift rolling through me until I forced it back.
“She doesn’t feel safe,” Val said for me, “and who can blame her? As welcoming as your pack may have been, there was always this uncertainty at the back of my mind. I don’t belong there.”
And that’s what hurt most of all, to know my sister would never feel as comfortable as I did around the pack. Not that I felt at home, but with Fallen there to guide me, it was only a matter of time until that changed as well.
“You could always visit,” I hedged, my voice sounding terribly hoarse as I looked from Val to the city behind her.
“And there’s no way you can come with me?”
I hadn’t planned to say goodbye to her so soon. As much as I wanted her to stay with the pack, there was no telling what
Ash might do once I returned.
“My wolf isn’t ready,” I finally said, nosing under her chin as I spoke. “But I promise to let you know once she is.”
“If that ever happens,” she corrected me, throwing her arms around my neck as she slowly broke down.
“It will,” I promised.
“And if I need to get in touch with you?” she asked, pulling away from me long enough to see my eyes. “Is there a number I can use?”
I wasn’t sure. “I’ll watch you walk home every night,” I said, “and I’ll howl to you once you get inside. If you ever need to talk to me, just come to the forest, and I’ll find you.”
“I’d offer to do the same, but it’s impossible to find my way back to the manor from here.”
I laughed at that, taking on my human form as I did. “Tell me about it. The only way I can find my way back is as a wolf.”
Startled by my sudden shift, Val recovered long enough to take me in her arms, holding me tight as she spoke. “You’ll always have a place with me. Never forget that.”
“I won’t.” My voice cracked. As it did, a hard lump formed in the back of my throat.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“See you soon?” she asked, pushing a tendril of hair away from my eyes.
“Every night,” I said again, hugging her one last time before shifting back into my wolf so I could watch her go.
Seeing as she didn’t have much with her when she first arrived at the manor, there was no reason for her to turn back.
She did it anyway, those same loving eyes full of tears.