How wrong we’d been.
I opened one eye and reached for my cell. Ridley’s name lit my screen. The sight of it was like cold water being splashed over me. Instantly I was awake.
“Hey,” I answered. Sleep clung to my words, weighing them down.
I forced myself into a sitting position, knowing Ridley would only call if she had information for me that might help get Violet’s wolf back.
“Morning sunshine.” Ridley chuckled. “You sound rough. Late night?”
“You have no idea.” I adjusted my pillow behind my head and leaned against it. “Did you find something? Please tell me you learned of a way to reverse what’s happened to Violet.”
“I did. Well, my aunt and I did. We found a spell. The problem is we can’t perform it until the full moon. Thankfully, that’s in two nights.”
Two nights? I couldn’t believe the full moon was upon me already. Time flew when I was stressed the hell out, I guess.
“That’s great. Is there anything that needs to be gathered for it? Anything the pack needs to do in preparation?” I asked.
“I think my aunt and I have everything. All we need is the full moon.”
“What does the spell call for?” I was curious as to what they planned to do to Violet. She’d been through enough already; hopefully this wouldn’t hurt her.
“We need to invoke the power of the moon goddess into a spelled liquid meant to find things that once were lost. There’s no guarantee it will work, but we can at least try.”
We had to try. I couldn’t sit around and let Violet continue to suffer. This needed to be fixed.
“What about the cost? Has that been determined?” I knew it was the first thing I’d be asked when I told anyone of the spell Ridley had found. Also, curiosity was pulling at my insides.
“My aunt said that’s something between her and your alpha.”
“Oh. Okay.” I didn’t like the sound of that, but there wasn’t much I could say about it.
“We’ll meet you and your pack at your usual ceremony grounds the night of the full moon to perform the spell,” Ridley said. “You get some rest. It sounds like you need it.” There was a slight chuckle to her tone. Could she tell I had a hangover?
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem. Call me sometime. I’d love to hang out.”
“I will. See you soon,” I said before I hung up.
I set my phone on my nightstand and thought about the spell Ridley found. I hoped it worked.
Clanking in the kitchen captured my attention. Gran was up and cooking.
I picked my phone back up and checked the time. It was after ten in the morning. I couldn’t remember when I’d last slept this late. My gaze drifted to Gracie’s bed. It was empty. There was no sign of Winston either. As much as he annoyed me sometimes, I sure could use a little loving from the fluffy thing.
I forced myself out of bed and down the hall. Gran was in the kitchen at the stove like I’d expected.
“Morning. You got in late last night,” Gran said without looking at me. Her words were clipped and harsh.
Had I been loud about coming in? The chances were pretty high, considering how much moonshine I’d had to drink.
“I did,” I said as I rubbed my temples in an effort to ward off the dull ache building behind my eyes from the brightness of the florescent light in the kitchen. “It was a really long night.”
“I’m sure.” Gran shifted to face me. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as her eyes gave me a once-over. “I can still smell the remnants of it on you.”
Her tone had my heart skipping a beat. She was pissed I’d come home drunk. Guilt sloshed through me as I suddenly felt no better than my dad.
I looked to the living room, trying to avoid Gran’s pissed off gaze and spotted Dad passed out on the couch with an empty bottle of rum near him. Gracie was in the recliner.
Shit.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I promised without looking at Gran.
“It better not. It’s bad enough I have one drunk coming in at all hours of the night; I don’t need my granddaughter coming home drunk too,” she whispered as she shook her spatula at me. While her voice was low, I was sure Gracie could hear every word she said from where she sat with Winston perched in her lap.
Embarrassment didn’t even come close to naming what I felt.
“I know,” I said as I dipped my gaze to the linoleum floor beneath my feet. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good. Now, tell me what has you drinking so heavily. What’s going on, Mina?” Gran insisted as she turned back to the stove and continued cooking.
I stepped to the counter and leaned against it, checking out what she was cooking.
Hamburger meat.
Cans of tomatoes and beans stood on the counter next to the crockpot. It must be chili night. Normally, I loved Gran’s chili. Not this morning, though. The thought of it had my stomach souring and my mouth filling with saliva.
“I can’t tell you everything,” I said as I grabbed a glass down from the cabinet near the sink. I filled it with tap water and chugged, hoping it would get rid of my headache. “But, I can tell you I spoke with Ridley this morning. The Caraway witches are going to help us with Violet.”
“What is it they plan to do?” Gran asked as she pulled out a cutting board and diced an onion.
“She said they plan to invoke the power of the moon goddess into a spelled liquid meant to find what’s been lost. They have to do it on the night of the full moon, which I can’t believe is two nights away. She also said they’d meet us at the ceremony grounds then.”
Gran scraped the diced-up onion into the crockpot and reached for a clove of garlic. I studied her face, gauging to see whether she thought what the Caraway witches planned would work. She didn’t give any indication.
“Do you think it will work?” I asked when I grew tired of the silence.
“It might. I can’t say it won’t, but I can’t say it will either. It seems plausible, though. Especially since they would basically be putting a piece of what was lost inside a potion. When Violet drinks it, it should be enough to help her wolf find its way back to her.”
I set my empty glass in the sink. “Makes sense.”
“I know that’s not all that’s going on with you,” Gran said as her eyes sought out mine. “Is there anything you can tell me about what it is you’ve been doing with Eli?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t. It’s all pack-related stuff. I can tell you something about me and Eli though,” I said. Nervous butterflies burst through the pit of my stomach as I thought about how to word what I was going to say next. “I broke things off with Alec. Eli and I…well…”
Gran’s eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth. “You two imprinted, didn’t you?”
My teeth sank into my bottom lip. All I could do was nod.
“Oh, Mina! I knew it! I’m so happy for you! I knew it would happen between you. I’ve never seen a bond so strong between two members of the pack before. The two of you were destined to be together. It was written in the stars, sweet girl.”
While I wasn’t sure I believed we’d been written in the stars, I couldn’t deny there had been a certain type of chemistry building between us for years.
“I knew working on whatever it is you are together would bring you close enough to finally realize it,” Gran insisted. “It’s a blessing in disguise.”
I swallowed hard. That was where she was wrong; there was no blessing in disguise anywhere in this situation. She would understand if she knew what I’d learned last night.
I folded my arms over my chest and stared at her. “There’s something else I need to tell you. Actually, it might be better if I showed you.” I headed back to my bedroom, remembering I’d brought the file on my mother home with me last night. I’d shoved it underneath my mattress to look at later in-depth.
Once I grabbed it, I headed back to the kitchen to show it to Gran. She des
erved to know.
“While I can’t tell you a whole lot about what Eli and I have been working on, I don’t think it would be fair of me not to show this to you.” I held the file out to her as my eyes shifted to Gracie in the recliner. She was watching TV while stroking Winston’s soft fur, oblivious to Gran and me. “But it’s not something Gracie should know about. Not yet anyway.” Maybe not ever if I didn’t find our mother alive.
Gran took the folder from me. Worry etched itself into the features of her face as her eyes grew dull. “What is this?”
“Open it. Look at the first page.” My heart hammered inside my chest as I waited for her to do as I said.
Gran’s hand shook as she opened the folder. I knew she realized what she was holding. Seconds later she slumped against the kitchen counter as though the sight of my mother had been a physical blow to her. “Oh my.”
“She never ran away,” I whispered. “She was abducted. By the same people who took Violet.”
Tears glistened in Gran’s eyes. “All this time,” she whispered.
The sight of her tears brought on tears of my own. I knew how she felt. Unbelieving. Stupid for not having known. Sorry beyond words for thinking ill of her for so many years.
“I know,” I whispered as I took the folder from her and wrapped my arms around her.
“Do you know where she’s being kept?” Gran whispered.
“Not exactly, but I’m going to find out,” I promised.
“Be careful, Mina. Please promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Always.”
I meant what I said, but I also wasn’t a fortune teller. I could promise I’d be careful until I was blue in the face, but I couldn’t predict whether I’d come out of what I already agreed to safe and well.
Gran squeezed me tighter. I closed my eyes and relaxed into the warmth and love she sent my way through her bear hug.
17
The next two days passed the way time always does when you’re waiting on something important to happen—slowly. I drank plenty of water and ate the food Gran shoved my way. I tried not to think about how the spell might not work or how it would mean Violet’s wolf might be gone for good, but it was hard not to.
My stomach somersaulted as I made my way through the woods, following behind those of my pack. The Caraway witches were supposed to meet us at the ceremony grounds, but also tonight Eli and I imprinting needed to be acknowledged. Even though everyone in the pack knew about it, it still needed to be made official.
We had to be bonded by blood, bite, and soul.
Eli squeezed my hand in his when we reached the clearing of the ceremony grounds. Ridley and her aunt, Rowena, were already present. Ridley smiled and gave me a slight wave.
“I didn’t think we would have an audience beyond the pack for our imprinting ceremony,” Eli insisted, his eyes having landed on Ridley and her aunt as well.
“Me neither,” I said as we reached the fire pit. “From the look on your dad’s face, I don’t think he thought we would either. Maybe they’re early?”
“I wonder what he plans to do,” Eli whispered. “Think he’ll let them watch or make them leave?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I continued to stare at our alpha, watching to see what he did next.
“Thank you, both of you, for coming tonight and for everything you’ve done in an attempt to help one of our own. Tonight is a special night. Not only because we hope to heal one of our young ones and bring back her wolf, but also because we have something beautiful to celebrate,” Eli’s dad said to all of us. “We’ll let the witches do what they must and then celebrate what needs to be celebrated before we run.”
Each member of the pack nodded and murmured their agreement. Our alpha nodded to the witches, asking them to continue. I watched as Violet was helped to the area she’d sat in last month, sipping her tea while hoping to become moon kissed. Her cuts were nearly healed and her bruises almost faded, but her ankle was still mangled enough for her to have difficulty walking. I sent up a silent prayer to the moon goddess, asking that whatever the witches did tonight brought Violet’s wolf back to her so she could be healed.
Ridley’s aunt stepped to where Violet was. I continued to look on as Ridley set out the contents of a silver silk bag she carried. A bowl, a bell, jars of brightly colored powders, a bottle of water, and a stick of incense.
A hush fell over the pack as we watched Rowena Caraway do her thing.
Powders were sprinkled on the ground around Violet. Incense was lit. Water was poured into a ceramic bowl and placed in a spot close to Violet while still able to reflect the full moon. Words were spoken under Rowena’s breath, making it difficult to hear. I’d never witnessed a witch use magic before, but I swore it should have been more exciting than it was. I’d been expecting harsh winds, lightning, or even a downpour of rain to burst from the sky, but nothing of that nature happened. In fact, things were so anticlimactic the only thing that signified Rowena’s spell was complete was Ridley ringing a bell three times.
Either TV had given me a biased view of witchcraft, or this spell wasn’t nearly as fancy as I’d thought.
“Now remember,” Rowena said as she swiped a few strands of her dark hair away from her eyes. “I can’t guarantee this spell will work. I can’t even tell you how long it might take before you see results if it does. This isn’t something I’ve done before,” Rowena insisted as she passed Violet the bowl.
Maybe it hadn’t been plain water inside, but rather the potion they were supposed to invoke the moon goddess into.
“Take three sips of equal size,” she instructed as she waved some incense around like a wand. “By the power of three times three, so mote it be.”
Again I expected a crash of thunder or something fantastical to happen but nothing did.
Violet seemed still as broken as she had. I stared at her, waiting for something to happen. A miracle.
Ridley moved to grab a bottle with a cork on the top and a tiny funnel from inside her bag. She uncorked the bottle and placed the funnel inside before handing it to her aunt. Rowena carefully poured the remaining liquid from the bowl into the bottle.
“All she needed was three sips,” Rowena said. “You should hold onto the rest of this case you need it sometime in the future.”
Did she know what we were up against? Did she know members of our pack had been abducted and could possibly have been severed from their wolf like Violet?
Rowena replaced the cork on the bottle once she finished filling it to the rim and stepped to where Gran stood. “If you need to use this again, make sure you do it beneath a full moon. You might have to adjust the dose, depending on how long the person’s wolf has been severed from them. I gave Violet only three sips because her wolf has not been lost long. For someone else, you may need to repeat monthly until the wolf is found.”
“Thank you,” Gran said as she took the bottle.
“You’re welcome,” Rowena said before turning her attention back to our alpha. “All I ask in return for what I’ve done here tonight is a favor when I need it in the future.”
“Done,” the alpha agreed without hesitation. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome. We will see ourselves out. Enjoy your run,” Rowena said as she placed a hand on Ridley’s shoulder and steered her toward the well-worn path that wove through the woods.
“Sylvie, go ahead and take the young ones home,” Eli’s dad said. Sylvie nodded and rounded up the children.
My eyes fell back to Violet. She sat with her back straight and her legs crossed in front of her. There was a dazed look about her. Was she worried the spell might not work? Or was it already working, and she was lost in her mind like when her wolf was first found and she’d been moon kissed?
“We’ll let the witches’ magic work its wonders on Violet while we continue on with the night’s events,” Eli’s dad insisted. He motioned for Eli and me to step forward. We did, me slightly more hesitant than Eli. “Tonight
, we celebrate the imprinting of my son, Eli Vargas, and Mina Ryan.”
The pack burst into whistles, howls, and shouts of congratulations. A wide smile spread across my face at the sound of them, my nerves suddenly forgotten.
“As is tradition, now that these two have imprinted with one another and their souls are bonded, they must be bonded in two more ways—of blood and bite—to make it official,” the alpha continued. “Eli, Mina, please extend your right hand.”
I did as I was told, knowing what was coming next. The alpha took Eli’s hand first. He reached for a knife in his pocket and held the silver blade high in the air. “Thank you, moon goddess, for bringing these two together. I now will join them by blood in your honor.”
I watched as he slashed a small cut across the palm of Eli’s hand before moving to do the same to me. The pain from the small incision was a lot less than I thought it would be. In fact, I barely flinched.
“Palm to palm, please,” the alpha instructed. Eli and I pressed our palms together. Cut to cut. Blood to blood. “May the moon goddess bless this union for all eternity,” Eli’s dad said as he cupped his hands around our touching palms.
My eyes locked with Eli’s. The corners of his lips twisted upward to form an adorable smile. I wanted to kiss him but restrained myself. Instead I focused on the warmth traveling from where our palms touched. Our blood mingled until there was no distinguishing where his began and mine ended. We were united, and I loved the rush of pure bliss coursing through me because of it.
How could I have ever fought against what I felt for him?
“Now I ask that you all shed your clothing and shift for the final part of the ceremony,” Eli’s dad insisted as he released our hands.
I pulled my palm away from Eli’s. The cut had already healed. Nothing remained besides a streak of blood across my skin. My eyes locked with Eli’s. The look in his eyes had goose bumps flaring to life across my skin. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. I smiled at him, delirious at this beautiful moment, before I shed my clothes. I was ready for the next part of the ceremony, ready for us to be united as one in every way as we were meant to.
Moon Severed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 3) Page 14