Then Shane, a former human soldier who had been partially turned into a wolf thanks to a human torture experiment gone wrong, had been brought into the Pack, and mating bonds had changed yet again. Shane had been on the verge of dying and Gideon had been forced to make the decision to save his life. No one had known the ramifications of that act, but now Shane had two mates who would forever be thankful for what had happened, and the Pack had survived because they had a new member whose secrets had led them through the darkness.
Now, it was beyond difficult to tell who was your mate or not, and it took getting to know the person or persons as a human before the wolves were able to reveal who they could be. And even then, sometimes it didn’t work. Each couple or triad was different, and finding the true path to mating didn’t seem like it would get any easier anytime soon. Walker was afraid that some would lose out at finding their mate because there were so many obstacles.
He’d been happier when mating bonds were set in stone. Now, everything seemed so up in the air. Shifters had spent centuries finding their other halves one way and now having to find them another way meant that their world might forever be altered. It was shocking that anyone could find their mate.
Hence why this mating ceremony between Mitchell and Dawn was so important. This proved that mating bonds could still happen, even if it took a little more work. Dawn’s eyes were bright, and Mitchell looked like a new man, a small smile playing on his lips as if he had a secret that only the woman standing in front of him knew. And as Mitchell bowed his head and took his mate’s lips in a passionate kiss, Walker hoped that there was a way to find a potential mate that didn’t end in pain and suffering.
Walker was a Healer, the Healer of the Talon Pack. It was his duty and honor to Heal those under his care from physical wounds, just as it was his triplet, Brandon’s, responsibility as Omega to heal their emotional ones. Through his connection to the Pack, he was able to Heal injuries that were life-threatening, as well as simple cuts and scrapes. It physically hurt him not to use his energy and powers to help people.
And the idea that there were wolves—and now cats—out there who might be missing out on finding their mates because of a change to the Pack structure that wasn’t their fault hurt him, as well.
“As Alpha, I bless this union as the moon goddess instructs me. I wish you both long, healthy lives as you find your true calling as mates.” Gideon’s deep growl ended on a howl, and Walker threw back his head, joining in on the song of his people.
The other wolves around him howled as well, and even the few witches who had been mated into the Pack and helped strengthen the wards joined in. The only three who didn’t were the human women who had come with Dawn’s brother and parents. Walker lowered his head and opened his eyes to watch them as they glanced around, laughter in their eyes. He had a feeling Dawn hadn’t mentioned this part of the ceremony, but thankfully, none of them looked put off. If anything, they appeared as if they might have wanted to take part, but weren’t sure how.
Given how much time they were spending with the Talons, they just might have their chance to find their places within the den wards at some point—even if they weren’t Pack. There were a few humans in the Pack, but it was through special circumstance. In order to live as long as the wolves, they had to be changed. Only witches were able to truly tie their life forces to the Pack’s without the change, though some of them did anyway. So, having these three humans within the den wards was…interesting.
And from the way they looked at Walker and his family, he had a feeling they thought it was interesting, as well. He wasn’t like some of his family who heard the moon goddess’s whispered words and spoke prophecy, but he had a feeling the lives of these women and his Pack would be forever entwined.
How that would happen, and what it would mean, he wasn’t sure.
Kameron tugged on his arm, pulling him out of his thoughts, and he followed his triplet inside where the maternal females and submissives had set up a feast for everyone to celebrate Mitchell and Dawn’s joining. He’d been tasked with setting up a few of the long tables, but he hadn’t helped as much as the rest of his family since he’d been called away to help with a pup who had accidentally found a bush with thorns while chasing after a ball.
His family and Pack had welcomed Dawn in much smoother than some of the previous mates. Change was always hard, especially after their Pack had spent so long fighting for the right to exist, so he was glad the elders and the rest of the Pack had seemed to lighten up when it came to Dawn and her former Pack’s past.
“I need to head out to do another run along the perimeter,” Kameron said softly. “I’ll swap shifts with one of the soldiers who couldn’t come to the ceremony. That way, they can at least be part of the reception.”
Walker nodded and picked up a cup of punch, handing it over to his brother before taking another for himself. Though their metabolisms as wolves worked much faster than humans’, they could still get drunk after a while. And since Kameron was about to go on duty, and Walker was always on call as Healer, they’d stick to punch. He nodded to Leah, his brother Ryder’s mate, and held up his cup. The water witch was his assistant in Healing, though her powers were much different than his. But, hopefully, she would understand that she could drink if she wanted to. However, since she had a young pup in her arms, he wasn’t sure she’d want to indulge.
Their family had grown so much over the past few years, it was almost hard to keep up. But Walker would. Each and every member of his Pack and family were a part of him, soul deep, and he’d do anything to protect them.
Walker turned to his brother. “Anything I can do to help?”
Kameron shook his head. “We’re on routine shifts right now since we’re not sure who the fire witch was working for.” He gave Kameron a look. Oh, they knew all right, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it yet. Their new enemy was too good at keeping the blame off him and held far too much power.
Even working with the Redwoods, the Talons weren’t strong enough to take on Blade and the Aspens yet. And even if they were, Walker wasn’t sure it was the Aspens who were their new enemy, or just an Alpha gone rogue.
And for an Alpha to go rogue…well, that was something that could change everything.
Walker inhaled the sweet scent of a woman who made his wolf curious and turned as she stumbled into him. He caught her, pulling her soft body to his to keep her steady.
“You okay?” he grumbled, his voice lower than he’d intended.
“I’m fine. Just clumsy.” Aimee pulled away, and he released her, aware that she was much weaker than he was, and he’d been taught not to let the humans realize that they weren’t as strong as the wolves with everyday things.
“If you’re sure.” Kameron let out a sigh behind him, and Walker ignored his brother. He’d have to deal with the questions about his intense…whatever this was at some point.
“I’m fine,” she repeated. “Thank you for catching me.” She turned away then, going back to Dhani’s side, and Walker did his best not to stare.
It wasn’t only the Healer and wolf inside him that was drawn to this woman, but he wasn’t sure if it was something more. His wolf wouldn’t tell him if she was his mate or not, and with the new rules of mating that weren’t actually rules at all, Walker wasn’t sure he’d ever know.
But no matter where his mind went with potentials and fates, Walker knew one thing.
There was something wrong with Aimee.
And he was afraid there wouldn’t be enough time with her on this Earth for him to find out what their connection was…or could be.
Chapter Two
Aimee Reagan hated feeling weak, yet the idea that she wasn’t quite strong enough no matter how hard she tried seemed to be her forte these past few months. With a hand on the small of her back, she stretched, hoping the aching feeling would go away at some point. She’d been a waitress at the aged and rundown diner for a few years now, and she used to be a
ble to make it further through a shift before she started to hurt. Her feet ached, her back bothered her even more, and her wrists throbbed from the weight of the trays she held. It wasn’t anything uncommon for someone in food service, but she used to be able to last longer.
Heck, she’d been a waitress in some form or another from the time she was first able to get a job. At fourteen, she’d bussed tables as part of her high school courses, and as soon as she turned sixteen, she moved up to the hostess stand and sat people day in and day out. When she hit eighteen, she was finally able to waitress and had gotten a job at this very diner. They only served beer and boxed wine under their liquor license, but it was still a step up from most of the establishments around the country. She didn’t work at a high-end place where she made hundreds of dollars a night, nor did she serve customers who sat at tables draped with white linen, but she made her way just fine.
It wasn’t as if she had anything else to fall back on if she wanted out of food service. She hadn’t been able to afford college, and her family was so in debt that it wasn’t as if she could have asked them for a loan—even for community college. Her grades had been decent, but she hadn’t excelled since her time was spent working towards helping her parents with rent and food instead of taking the AP classes she’d qualified for.
Aimee didn’t hate her life or where she’d come from, but sometimes, she wished she could just catch a little break.
Her hands shook as she set them on the counter in the back galley, and she let out a slow breath. She had more bruises now than she had the day before and it was worrying. She’d gone to her doctor’s small practice twice already this month and hadn’t been able to get anything out of them except for some blood tests and a bill that had set her savings account back even more. No matter how much she paid monthly for medical insurance, it never seemed to be enough for her to qualify for anything except a blood draw and a shake of the head with a shrug when she asked what was wrong with her.
“Nothing,” they told her.
She just had thin blood and the aching muscles of someone twice her age. She was slowly wasting away, and her doctors had no answers for her, just more bills and fees.
And now that the dark circles under her eyes refused to fade away even under makeup, she had no more secrets either. Cheyenne, Dhani, and Dawn knew something was wrong with her, and she didn’t have much longer until they cornered her and tried to get answers.
Only, Aimee didn’t have any answers to give.
“Aimee, table seven needs more coffee,” Traci said as she bustled by. “I’d fill them up, but you know how the boss is right now.” She gave Aimee a look. “He’s looking for any excuse to fire the old hires like us because we cost a couple of dollars more an hour.”
Aimee sighed and reached out to grip her friend’s elbow in a soft squeeze. “Thanks. I’ll get right on it.” Billy, their manager, had inherited the place from his father when he retired. Ali still owned the place and stopped by from time to time, but Billy was the one Aimee dealt with on a day-to-day basis.
And Billy hated spending money when he didn’t want to, and if he could fire some of the older staff to save a penny, he would.
Not that Aimee was old since she was still in her twenties, but most of the staff here was high school students or early college age who didn’t serve liquor. As soon as most of them hit twenty-one, they either graduated or moved on to higher-paying temp jobs.
Somehow, at the advanced age of twenty-five, Aimee had become one of the old ladies.
“Aimee, why the hell are you just standing there? I don’t pay you to stand around playing with your phone.” Billy glared at her, and she held back a sigh before picking up the coffee pot. She wasn’t playing with her phone; she didn’t even have it on her. She was on a tight plan and almost out of minutes since she’d spent so much time on the phone with her friends lately after Dawn’s attack and everything that happened with that.
“On it,” she said with a bright smile she knew probably looked a bit bitter.
“You better be.” He stomped off after he growled, but she didn’t flinch at his tone. After all, she’d spent time with real shifters who growled and snarled at the drop of a hat. A manager on a power trip didn’t scare her. Yes, humans could be scarier than shifters most days since wolves never really hid what they were feeling, but Billy’s growl didn’t worry her.
She filled up table seven’s coffees with a smile, then did the same with two other tables before going back to the galley where she set down the pot and let out a breath. She was exhausted and worried that she wouldn’t be able to last much longer on her feet. It shouldn’t matter though because she was almost done working for the day. She just had to get through this last hour.
Only, as she took a few steps, her vision blurred, and she gripped the edge of a chair to keep balanced. Bile filled her throat, and in the distance, she heard someone calling her name. She blinked a few times and tried to reach out again to break her fall. The floor rushed up at her, and a flaring pain shot up her wrist as she fell face-first over her arm and hit the ground.
People might have shouted or come to her, but she didn’t sense any of them.
She didn’t sense anything at all.
Only darkness.
Aimee opened her eyes to vivid pools of blue that called to her on a level she didn’t quite understand. She blinked a couple of times, warmth filling her until the blue faded away and she instead found herself looking at the scruffy face of Walker.
Wait. Walker? Why was he at her diner? Was she still on the floor? She’d fallen, but maybe she’d hit her head and her dreams had brought in the one image that always soothed her even as it revved her up.
Not that she’d ever tell anyone that.
Walker couldn’t be real, not right then. He barely felt tangible when she was awake and lucid. This must just be a weird dream. Soon, she’d wake up, embarrassed that she passed out at work. Because that much she remembered.
“You’re in my dreams,” she muttered, her voice thick with sleep, and her throat scratchy.
Those blue eyes came back into view, this time warmer. “You’re not dreaming, Aimee, but why don’t you wake up just a bit more for me so I can check out that head of yours.”
Not quite what dream-Walker usually said to her. In fact, he didn’t generally say anything at all since the two of them—in her mind anyway—were more often than not tangled around each other, heedless to any warnings her inner self might give.
As it turned out, she was thankful she didn’t say any of that aloud. Because the more she blinked, the brighter the lights became around them, and she knew that, in fact, this was not dream-Walker. It was in-the-flesh-Walker, and she was on his medical bed.
Mortification set in, and she told herself it could be worse—she could have asked him to make out with her again or something equally as insane.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Why don’t you tell us?” Cheyenne’s voice came from her right, and Aimee tried to move to look, only to groan when her head spun.
“Okay, folks, let me check out my patient before you harass her,” Walker grumbled.
“We’re worried. We aren’t harassing,” Dhani put in.
“She’s our friend.” Dawn’s voice was much stronger than it had been before, and for that, Aimee was grateful, but she was still worried about why all of them were there, and why she was in Walker’s clinic to begin with and not in a human hospital.
“Drink this,” Walker said, putting a cup to her mouth. She greedily drank down the water, letting it soothe her throat.
“Thank you.”
He gave her a tight nod then went to look at the monitor above her bed. “You fell at work, that’s all they would tell us. You’ve been unconscious for the past two hours. I don’t think it was from hitting your head as your wrist took the brunt of the damage. It looks to be sheer exhaustion.” His words were filled with anger at the end, and she wondered what she’d done
to make him sound that way.
“Why am I here?” Aimee asked, afraid to look and see the worry on her friend’s faces. She hated troubling them, hence why she’d tried to keep her illness—whatever it was—from them as long as she could.
“Don’t you remember passing out at work?” Dhani asked.
“I…I remember that.” She lowered her head to look down at her hands clasped in her lap. Walker had lifted the back of the bed so she could sit up, but she still felt out of sorts. She had a brace on her wrist, and it didn’t hurt too badly, so she was grateful it wasn’t a cast. But since it didn’t hurt that much, she must have some form of drug in her thanks to the IV at her elbow. “But shouldn’t I be in a human hospital?” She winced and looked over at Walker. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. That would have been the case in most instances, but this was a special circumstance. I am medically trained, by the way. Have been for decades, and get recertified often. You don’t need to worry on that account.”
The word decades reminded her that he was far older than he looked and that her world wasn’t the same as it had been before she learned about Dawn and the world of shifters and magic.
“Traci called me,” Dawn said quickly. “Billy was just going to leave you there or some crap since he told everyone it was drugs and not a worker’s comp thing. With the way the laws are right now given the new government regulations on wolves and witches, things are a little iffy in some areas, so he probably would have gotten away with it. Anyway, I came down with Mitchell, and we picked you up since we were only a block away. You didn’t smell…off or too hurt, so we risked moving you. Plus, you woke up a few times so we knew you were fine for the most part, just tired and a little banged up.”
Aimee didn’t remember any of that. She could only recall the blue of Walker’s eyes. Though Mitchell had similar ones, she knew Walker’s by heart.
Eternal Mourning Page 2