“You didn’t know magic existed?” Meaning, I wasn’t the only one taken so completely off-guard by its presence.
Caitlin shook her head. “Not really. I mean, I heard some calling the man your mother ran off with a few…colorful names, but I was a kid. I didn’t know what they really meant by any of it. I was too young, I guess. It just goes to show there’s a whole world out there we don’t know about.”
Yeah, and that was understating it. These shifters knew next to nothing about cell phones. Cell phones. The piece of technology that was currently glued to nearly every human’s hand at all times of the day. Even my professors had their phones sitting on their desks while they taught. I could not imagine being so freaking clueless.
Plus, being able to Google anything I wanted whenever I wanted was kind of awesome.
“I’m sure others in the pack knew, but they never thought it would be used against us,” Caitlin said with a shrug of her thin shoulders. “Not like that. This is…like a nightmare. Twenty-four of us, gone.” She stopped walking, breathing loudly.
I turned to watch her, praying to God she was not going into labor, because that was something I could not deal with, but after a few long, heavy breaths, she seemed fine. Still, it got me worried, just like her mates had been. “Are you sure you should be doing this? I know what to look for—” Big, wide sticks that were more like logs. “—I can take it from here.”
“I’m okay,” Caitlin said, straightening herself out, her hand resting on her protruding belly. “The guys are just freaked because it’s…” She quieted. “This isn’t my first.”
“You have kids?” I blinked, shocked at the news.
It was a moment before she whispered, “No.”
“Oh, I—” I stumbled over my words, not knowing what to say.
“It’s okay. This is…the furthest I’ve gotten. The guys are both excited and nervous, and they’re making me want to get a house by myself and be alone.” She chuckled, as if she wasn’t talking about miscarriages and losing babies. “You’d think I’d be the needy one, not them.”
I nodded along, unsure of what to say. Clearly, Caitlin had dealt with it in her own way. Telling her I was sorry seemed a little pointless now, given it had happened long ago, before I had even come here. What was one supposed to say in a situation like this?
“Look at me, getting all sappy on you,” Caitlin laughed, though what she talked about was not a laughing matter. “I didn’t mean to, I swear. It was an accident.” She started walking, but not two seconds later, she stopped again. A pensive, thoughtful look appeared on her face. “This time, it’s just my bladder. Damn it. Okay, we have to go back so I can use a toilet.”
I nodded again. I was not going to be the one to argue with a pregnant woman. I’d never squatted in the woods before, so I couldn’t imagine trying to do it while pregnant—not to mention while members of the pack walked by, lugging half a dozen branches to the lake’s shore.
As we walked back and I carried the few branches Caitlin had pointed out, the woman added, “I’m surprised you’re out here, and not with your mother. Henry was in an uproar about her, made sure every wolf in the pack knew she was here.”
It didn’t surprise me. “Of course he did.” The ass.
“I’m glad you’re nothing like him, no offense.”
“Must take after my grandmother, then.” I meant it as a joke, but Caitlin must’ve taken it seriously, for there was some thought put behind her retort.
“I never met her, but I’m pretty sure she died giving birth to your mother.”
Oh. How lovely. Really, it wasn’t a wonder why Sarah never spoke of this place. Even if they weren’t shifters, she didn’t have a mother growing up; only a jerk of a father I couldn’t blame her for running from. Honestly, I would’ve run from him, too.
“Well, no matter what happened in the past,” Caitlin went on as we broke through the woods’ edge and trailed alongside the lake’s shore, heading for the mass of wolves working to arrange a pyre with a long, flat surface—for all the bodies to burn at once— “I’m glad you’re here now. If you wouldn’t have come, we might never have learned what happened to them. The pack is lucky to have you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to run to the restroom.”
I watched her go. She waddled more than she walked, but she held her head high. Caitlin was such a nice woman, and it was ridiculously easy to talk to her. Though I knew hardly a thing about her, it was almost like we were friends.
To have a friend again, after my old ones had abandoned me…it was a nice thought. I might have three future mates, but nothing could replace a good old-fashioned friendship.
Hopefully I wouldn’t screw any of this up.
Chapter Fourteen – Addie
I probably should have told someone about the whole Clay thing, but I didn’t want to take away anything from the funeral preparations. This pack had been beaten down time and time again by the death priest; they didn’t need any more. And then, when I thought about telling Sarah, it was back to practicing my levitation—which I was getting better at. Slowly. Regardless, as soon as we were in the living room practicing, Clay slipped from my mind, as impossible as it was.
And then, after dinner, after a shower, it was time to get ready. Sarah and I were in my room, my mom fussing over me as if this was some dance and not a serious matter, not a freaking funeral for twenty-four shifters who’d lost their lives at the hands of a spellcasting madman.
“Mom,” I whined, dodging her hands. Sarah wanted to doll me up. Makeup, hair, the whole shebang, and it was the last thing I wanted. Unless…dressing up and looking good for shifter funerals was normal? Sarah had mentioned they were usually a fun affair where everyone drank and told stories.
“Oh,” Sarah spoke, pushing me to sit on the side of the bed, “let me fuss over you. I won’t be here forever. Let me…let me do this, honey. It’ll make me feel better, plus I’d love to see those wolves slack-jawed over you.”
How could I go against her when she pulled the I-won’t-be-here-forever card? That was like, the most meaningful and depressing thing she could’ve said. Maybe she only meant she wouldn’t be in the pack forever, in this house forever. Because at this rate, if anyone was going to die first, it was going to be me. I didn’t want to think of a life without her; I could hardly picture a life here, at Crystal Lake, with my mom a day’s drive away.
“Fine,” I gave in, shoulders slumping.
Letting her take the lead, I played the part of a dress-up doll for the next hour. A nice, shimmery tank top—paired with one of my favorite jean jackets, because I had more than one packed, luckily—and some shorts that had sequins on the butt pockets. Another favorite. At least my outfit would be relatively normal—even if it was weird to wear this stuff to a funeral.
Everything else? Oh, my mom would make sure I was hardly recognizable.
My hair was next. Despite everything, there still remained some pink in my brown hair, though the heat from the curling iron Sarah waved in front of my face would only further fade it. Before she left, I would have to remember to ask her to send over dye. Or maybe the guys and I would take a road trip, because I’d only brought one suitcase full of necessities.
Silly as it was, and so strange as it was, I had truly believed I would pop my head in Crystal Lake, see the pack, learn my heritage, and then skip right out of town. Things had grown to be so freaking complicated, so quickly too, I never really realized how fast my mind had changed. And, by extension, how rapidly I’d developed feelings for Maze, Dylan, and—ugh—Landon. The feelings were because of my wolf, because of my connection to my inner beast, or at least it’s what I would believe.
To crush on three separate boys so fast was…stupid. I was nearly twenty. Almost a full-blown adult. I was just shy of being able to legally drink alcohol, though I already knew it was something I would not be participating in. Having crushes was so middle school, wasn’t it? I supposed I wouldn’t really know, because in all
of my life, no boy had ever elicited a similar reaction in my body, but my future three mates had.
Maybe it was because I knew they were chosen for me. Maybe because they were going to be my mates, I was predisposed to like them. Either way, I was screwed when it came to the guys, because the more I thought about them, the more my feelings for them grew, sprouting and growing tall, three beanstalks I could not cut down.
Would they be slack-jawed, as Sarah put it, to see me all made-up? Would Maze, for once, lose his ability to talk incessantly? Would Dylan take off his glasses and wipe them clean, just to make sure he saw every part of me without a smudge? And Landon…the hot and cold Landon. Would he tell me I looked good, or would he work doubly hard to ignore me and not look at me once?
I would find out soon enough.
Sarah worked to curl my hair, and once every tendril was curled, she ran her hands through my hair, working to loosen the curls, making them more wavy and less curly. More natural and less artificial.
She went to my suitcase, digging through my stuff. Sarah shot me an incredulous look. “This is all you have?” she asked, pulling out a small bag. “This is all you—” She let out a harsh sigh before I could even respond.
It wasn’t like I had drawers and drawers of makeup at home. A small bag of the necessities, but that’s it. Mascara, eyeliner, some eyeshadow, concealer, and that was pretty much it. I never learned how to contour and prime and stuff. Spending every waking hour on my studies, I always thought it was a waste of time.
Sarah held the small makeup bag to her chest, muttering, “I will work with what I have.” She unzipped the black bag, spilling its contents out on the dresser, digging through it. “How are you my daughter, exactly?”
Right. Because Sarah was all into makeup, especially when she had clients coming into the house for a reading. Luckily these days, most of her business came online or on the phone. Seeing her wearing deep purple eyeshadow and fake piercings was not something I enjoyed, trust me.
Sarah got to work, moving like an artist where makeup was concerned. I probably should’ve voiced that I did not want to look like a Halloween costume gone wrong, but by the time I thought to say it, she had already applied the eyeshadow. Whatever I looked like, it was too late to change it, and washing it off in the bathroom would only upset Sarah. I’d have to grin and bear it.
“You could come,” I spoke as she finished up. “I’m sure you knew some of them.”
Sarah frowned. “I’m sure I did, but I’m not going to go. This isn’t my pack anymore. It isn’t my tradition. Besides, my presence would only bring drama, I think, and other than those they’ve lost, you should be what they focus on, not me. You are the one who helped them find their missing brothers and sisters.” She set the tube of mascara down, leaning her back on the dresser as she gazed steadily at me. “You’re more a part of this pack already than I was after living here for sixteen years.”
“Don’t say that—”
“I’m not trying to get sympathy,” Sarah cut in with a shake of her head. “I’m only saying that…I hope you’re happy here, Addie.”
I gave my mom a smile, unable to speak in that moment. This should be a happy occasion, but it wasn’t, because it was a funeral. Because of Clay. Whatever sappy moment this would’ve been on a different occasion it was not today.
Sarah moved before me, doing a final prep, straightening out my tank top, moving a stray hair out of my face, and doing a few other small, fidgeting things that meant she was done. “If only,” she whispered, her fingers on the collar of my jean jacket, “you could get rid of this—”
“Not going to happen,” I said dryly. She had always hated my fascination with jean jackets, and she’d often made the comment that she prayed to each and every god mankind worshipped my obsession would fade.
It never did.
Sighing, Sarah muttered, “A mother can dream.”
I pointedly ignored her comment. “So,” I said, standing from the bed, “how do I look?” I did a mock spin, flipping my hair over my shoulder like I was some kind of model. Now wasn’t the time to act silly, but my stomach was suddenly so very nervous about this whole thing. I blamed Sarah, what she’d said.
I was the one to find the bodies, to find Clay. Would the pack expect me to give a speech, a eulogy for wolves I’d never met? Public speaking didn’t frighten me, but I didn’t think I was the best candidate for eulogies or even speeches, at this point. I hoped I’d just stand on the side and watch.
“You look beautiful,” Sarah whispered. With a clap, she added, “Now let’s go see how those boys react.” She was way too into this whole thing, but I supposed it was better than having a clueless mother who I’d have to explain the whole three mates thing to.
That was a conversation I was glad I wasn’t forced to have.
I pushed past her, the first to walk down the stairs and greet the guys in the living room. They were supposed to be the ones who stumbled over their words at the sight of me, but the instant I laid eyes on them, I found almost every thought process in my head ceased.
Maze wore a long-sleeved navy shirt, three buttons up top with a small collar. Clean jeans, and a black leather belt I knew he would never wear on normal occasions. He’d shaven, his dimples fully visible and making my stomach flutter the very moment he locked eyes with me and started to grin. His blonde hair hung over his forehead, messy but in a neat way.
Beside him, Dylan looked just as good. A similarly-styled shirt, only in a dark grey. His hair was slightly longer than Maze’s, and it was combed back so it would not fall into his eyes, over his glasses. I thought about making a joke about how nerdy he looked with the slicked-back hair and the thick-rimmed glasses, but I couldn’t, because even if he looked like a nerd, he was a hot nerd, and I was a nerd-lover.
Plus, no nerd had muscles like that.
Both twins’ injuries had healed.
I was almost hesitant to look at Landon, who stood behind the twins with his arms crossed. He’d recently shaved too, his stubble-free face making him look younger even though he was older than Maze and Dylan, and a few years older than me. He wore a plain black shirt, coupled with dark pants. The dark clothes with his light brown hair only served to bring out his eyes, their blue deep and intense. The injuries he’d sustained from Clay’s torture were nearly all healed, the skin on his arms mostly just tan and muscular, toned to the extreme.
Oh, yeah, I wanted to say something smart, something to make them laugh because I liked hearing them laugh, but my words didn’t work. Nothing came out. When I saw them, I was speechless. Utterly and totally speechless. Cleaned up, they looked even better than they did on a normal day, which said something, since these shifters were more attractive than anyone I’d ever seen.
As I was lost in my own mind, wondering why the sight of them together made me so tongue-tied, Maze took a step toward me, brown gaze eating me up. “You look…” For once, Maze was speechless, too.
Apparently, it was going around.
“Amazing,” Dylan finished for him. His glasses could not hide the fact he was checking me out too, regardless of whether or not Sarah stood on the stairs near them, watching it all unfold like a strange, proud mother hen.
I felt my cheeks start to warm. I wanted to thank them, to say they looked amazing as well, but still, a cat had my tongue, and the darn feline would not let it go. I probably looked like an idiot. A big, pretty, dolled-up idiot who turned into a drooling mess when her guys were around.
How pathetic. How silly. How…
I couldn’t even think of another word. It was that bad.
“Landon!” Sarah called from the stairs, “Aren’t you going to compliment my daughter?”
“After I finish looking at all these holes, maybe,” Landon muttered, purposefully turning his blue gaze away from me and staring at the nearest book-shaped hole in the wall. Still bitter about it, clearly, and just as much of an ass as he was before.
My mom and I exchanged a
quick look as Sarah said, “You have a lot of work to do on that one.”
I chose to ignore her comment, instead turning back to the twins. “It’s not too much?” I really should’ve looked in a mirror before coming down instead of trusting my mom’s makeup skills, but it seemed as if the guys liked it. Although, I knew, they’d probably still like me if I came down in a full-body sloth costume, but still.
Maze hurriedly shook his head while Dylan said, “Not at all.”
“Your eyes,” Maze finally spoke, “they’re greener. How’d you do that?”
I chuckled. Boys were ridiculous, no matter what the age, and clueless about makeup. “The powers of makeup,” I mused, linking my arms with theirs, one through each. The middle of a twin sandwich—a sandwich I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of.
Oh, God. That was a thought I probably shouldn’t ever have, especially with my mom so close and my emotions so obvious on my face.
“Landon,” I took on an authoritative tone, “get the door for us, will you?” I flung my head back and gave the grumpy one a dazzling smile. If he wanted to play this game, I was more than happy to go along. I did not need him so hot and cold. He would either have to let me in completely or shut me out entirely.
Not tonight, and not in the foreseeable future, but after things cooled and settled, I planned on having a long talk with him.
Landon shot me a glare, acting as if he wanted to say something, but surrounded by the twins, I was feeling bold and brave. I did not back down from his glare; I met him with my own, plus a smirk I knew would drive him nuts.
He let out a groan, moving around us, heading to the front door. Landon opened it with a dramatic flourish, shooting me a glare as he gestured for us to venture outside like he was the new and improved Vanna White.
Beside me, Maze laughed. “What else do you think we can train Landon to do? Let’s make a list. It’ll be fun, yeah?” His head turned to me, and I answered him with a smile.
Anything that annoyed Landon sounded like a plan to me. And truckloads of fun, to boot.
Crystal Lake Pack: The Complete Series: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance Page 29