by Unknown
“I’m sure MacCulloch isn’t that odd of a name,” I said.
“Probably not, but what are the chances that each of these has the same names on it? It’s been driving me crazy. I thought maybe there was an error somewhere, but if you’re immortal, then maybe there are others with your name who are, too.”
I nodded slowly as I wondered who from my clan had come all the way to this small state. “Can I ask what his name is?”
“Sure,” she said as she put the files back on top of each other. “His name is Callen MacCulloch.”
“Hmm, I was hoping it was familiar. I didn’t know it as a child, but I come from a clan of immortals. I left them long ago though and haven’t run into another since. It could just be a strange coincidence.”
Even as I said the words, Ainsley’s memory came into my mind. But she was a Drummond, so she wasn’t immortal. Even if the wolf the hunters killed wasn’t her, she would have died a very long time ago.
Pinky set the files down on the seat between us. I picked up the top one, with the oldest date, but it didn’t have much information on it.
“Do you have his parents’ names? Maybe I know them,” I said, shrugging.
She looked at the top sheet of one of the other files and moved her finger down the page. When she found what she was looking for, she tapped the filled box on the page.
“No parents, but he has a sister,” she said as she took the file from me and then grabbed the last file. “How did I miss this? He has a sister listed each time, but they don’t share a last name. Nowadays that’s not that odd, but back then it was. I wonder why we don’t have a file on her. Could I have missed it?”
She stood and started looking through an open box, pulling out files as she made room to look for others.
“She can be part of Clan MacCulloch and not have our last name. There were a few families that still carried their old surname back when my father was chief. What’s her last name?”
“Drummond,” Pinky said as she opened another box.
Hearing the surname of my love knocked the wind out of me. I wanted to leave and forget I heard it. For a moment I thought Ainsley could still be alive, but it simply wasn’t possible.
“Drummond?” Rafael said as he grabbed one of the files we had been looking at before. “Pinky, what’s her first name? I can’t find it on here.”
Pinky knitted her brows as she turned away from the box and looked at Rafael. Then her gaze turned to me.
“Did I miss something?” she asked.
“Dammit Pinky, just tell us her name,” Rafael said as he thrust the file in his hand towards her. “Bran came here because he followed a scent. He’s a wolf, remember? But his mate died in the fifteen hundreds.”
“You caught her scent?” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me? I don’t need to look it up, I remember her name. It’s hard to forget the name Ainsley.”
“It’s even harder to forget the woman,” I said as I shook my head. “This is too much. I have to leave. I can’t take any more grief and disappointment. Someone must be using her name.”
“No, Bran,” Pinky said. “I got this file last week. That means she’s here. Call me crazy, but how could someone use her scent? You followed it, didn’t you?”
Pinky was right, but it didn’t make any sense. How was she still alive? Everything Pinky said came together and I realized that all these years, Ainsley had been traveling with a man. Callen MacCulloch. The thief not only stole my last name, but my woman, too.
“Where is she?” I demanded as I grabbed the files.
I threw aside the two older ones and looked down the one Pinky received a week ago until I found an address.
“Take me to 32 Lakeview Drive,” I said, standing.
I left the room and walked out of the house. There was no need for any other words. Rafael followed, and behind him Pinky scrambled to keep up. She jumped into Rafael’s car as he put it into reverse and I followed him back onto the main road towards a newer section of town I had never been to before.
The scent of raspberries filled the car, and I knew we were close. My heart thumped in my chest and for the first time in hundreds of years, I felt truly alive.
Seeing the street sign ahead, my foot pressed harder on the gas. I passed Rafael and found the house, barely putting the car in park before stepping out.
It was a small cottage-style house with a stone front that reminded me of the home she lived in with her father. The home was exactly what I would have built for her if she had become my bride. I stared at the house for a moment, inhaling the scent of raspberries I knew no one else could smell. I can’t believe it, I thought. How can she still be alive?
Rafael parked his car behind mine as I walked up to the house. I wanted to yank the door off its hinges and find my love, but I had to be civil. I didn’t want to draw attention in such a quiet neighborhood.
I rang the doorbell, listened to the delicate chime, and waited. I couldn’t have waited more than a minute, but it felt like I was reliving all four hundred and fifty years of my life all over again.
The door opened, and a man with chin-length wavy black hair and green eyes stood on the other side. He was as tall and broad shouldered as I was, and I immediately despised him.
The wolf within me howled loudly. I gritted my teeth, trying to control my temper, but it was useless. I pulled him out of the house by his shoulders and pressed him against the house.
“Who the hell are you, and why are you with my woman?” I said.
His eyes flashed amber and as his hands came up towards my chest, I caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of my eye.
“Stop!” a voice from inside the house yelled.
I didn’t change positions. I kept the man pressed against the wall, and he didn’t try to move. We both looked inside the house as she moved towards the doorway.
She wore jeans and a green knit top. Her hair was dark red and wild, but with the slightest touch of grey. Small wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes as she narrowed her dark green gaze at me. It was my Ainsley.
“How can it be?” I whispered.
“Let him go, Bran,” she said softly as she put her hand on my arm.
I released the man and swept Ainsley up in my arms. I didn’t care who he was, she would always be my one love. Pressing her tightly against me, I felt her heart beating wildly against mine as she clung to me.
A soft cry escaped her lips, and I felt her tears moisten my shirt. She wrapped her arms around me even tighter as I buried my face in her neck. I left Scotland long ago, but now in her arms I was home.
The man entered the house, and I let out a low growl. Ainsley pushed herself away from me and laughed.
“You’re jealous,” she said.
“I never stopped thinking about you all of these years. And now that I see you’re still alive, you’re living with another man,” I said. “Jealous doesn’t begin to describe how I’m feeling.”
“Come inside and I’ll explain everything over breakfast,” she said, then looked behind me at Rafael and Pinky. “And bring your friends.”
“Come inside? You want me to break bread with your…with this man?” I said angrily.
“I want you to break bread with my son,” she said. “With our son.”
Chapter Eight
Ainsley
I entered the crowded kitchen behind everyone. Even after so many years of living, I still woke before the break of dawn and made breakfast. Callen always teased me that I made enough to feed an army. Today, I had just enough for everyone.
The five of us sat at the long wooden table that made up the dining room. I sat in my seat at the head of the table and on either side of me were my two men, my son and my Bran.
“I never thought the day would come when I would see my son sitting with his father,” I said.
Happiness didn’t describe how I felt, it wasn’t a big enough word. In Scotland we called it àigh, but even that didn’t come close to all the
wonderful feelings I was experiencing. My blood pumped as my heart raced at the sight of Bran. Every bit of me ached to be held by him again, but there was so much to say and so much to explain.
“I never thought I would see you again,” Bran said. “You were so upset that night you came to my village. I don’t know what happened. If I knew then I would never see you again, I would have run into the woods after you. I would have risked my life for just another moment with you.”
“I’ll explain it all soon, my love,” I said. “There is so much I have to tell you, but please, just for now, let me sit and look at the two of you here with me. My two men.”
I reached out to both of them and held each of their hands in mine. It was amazing to me how much Callen looked like his father. As Callen grew, I was always reminded of my love for Bran because I saw him reflected in my child every day. Unfortunately, there were other things he inherited from the MacCulloch clan.
“How can this be, Ainsley? How is he my child? How are you still alive?” Bran asked as he looked from me, to Callen, then back at me again. As our eyes met, I felt that connection and comfort that I never felt all these years that I was away from him.
“I could stare into your eyes for the rest of my life,” I said. “There’s so much to tell you. I wish I could just pass it along to you with just a look or a touch so we could move on with our lives and finally be together as we were always meant to be.”
I let go of Bran’s and Callen’s hands and sat back in my chair. Looking down the table, my eyes were drawn to the human, Pinky Smythe.
“You know, there was a time where a human wouldn’t dare to lower themselves and dine with shifters.”
“I think even if I lived back then, or in any place that still carries that hatred, I would consider it an honor as I do now,” Pinky said.
I smiled at her, remembering the woman in the past who held Pinky’s position. They were very similar in their mannerisms, but it wasn’t the time for that.
My eyes were pulled back to Bran. I thought about his questions and wished there was an easier way to tell him. Even after all these years, I felt so stupid for running away from him that night.
“I’m sorry, Bran,” I said. “If I had only stayed, we could have been so happy together, we would have had all of this time together.” I shook my head. “But that’s only what I want to believe. What happened to us was fate, and had I stayed, things would have gotten worse. Your clan is cursed, my love. Even our son has had to endure that.”
“What do you mean? Our immortality?” Bran asked.
“Worse than that,” I said. “There’s nothing worse than living forever without your one love.”
Chapter Nine
Ainsley
Mid-1500s, Scotland
For weeks, I had been hiding something from Bran and my father. For the first time in my life, I understood the only shortcoming of my father was that he wasn’t a woman. It was something he always lamented. He wished my mother had survived my birth, but until recently, I never missed having one.
Now my body was changing. My bosom was expanding and my waist felt tighter. I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, but deep down I knew I was with child.
The sun was already beginning to set when I made the trek from my village to Bran’s. Many women wouldn’t go out alone at night, but I knew there was nothing to fear. If I needed to, I could change into a wolf and no one would be able to catch me.
As part of Clan Drummond, I wasn’t allowed to be in Clan MacCulloch’s territory. The bad blood between the clans was so old I didn’t think anyone knew what the fighting was about anymore. Luckily, Bran’s family lived near the edge of the woods that separated our villages.
I didn’t know what his clan would do if they found me, but I had to talk to Bran. The fluttering in my stomach gave certainty to my feelings and I wanted him to know. I knew he would be as happy and excited as I was.
Before stepping out of the woods, I undressed in a thickly wooded area and hid my dress. Not wanting anyone to see me, I changed into the wolf that was second nature to me. Not wanting to make much sound, I chose my footing carefully and avoided any loose rocks.
As I approached his home, I heard voices coming from the barn and knew one of them was Bran’s. I had never heard him sound so angry before. Staying in the shadows, I crept towards the open barn door.
“Then when I lead the clan, I’ll end this for good,” Bran said. “There will be no more children, no more births for Clan MacCulloch. This line ends with me.”
I stepped back and knocked into a butter churn. In my head, I clutched at my stomach, trying to protect the unborn babe inside of me. What was he saying? No children?
The sound of boots along the dirt floor of the barn reminded me I wasn’t safe. Coming to Bran was a bad idea. No matter how much I loved him, I would do anything to keep my baby safe. Even if that meant leaving.
My hind paws dug into the dirt as they pushed me forward and away from the barn. Bran’s scent filled me and I turned quickly to see him stepping out of the barn. The tartan of his kilt reminded me that we weren’t meant to be together.
I ran even faster. I had to reach the trees. Once I was there, I could safely hide until...
Until what? Bran would go to my village to find me, and they would know that I had brought them shame. I knew better than to have anything to do with someone from Clan MacCulloch. I should have never given him my heart.
Entering the trees, I made a series of quick turns to make sure he couldn’t follow me and then dove under a low-lying tree near my clothing. Huddling in a corner covered in dirt and leaves, I changed back to human form.
Biting my lip, I fought the tears and cries that wanted to escape me. Bran was so close, but he wouldn’t enter the woods. He knew he would never find me in them.
I reached out and yanked my wool tunic out of its hiding place and held it to me like a blanket. The tears finally spilled from my eyes as I gently rocked myself, trying to find some comfort.
I couldn’t think straight. The only words I knew for certain were ones that said my beloved didn’t want what I had growing inside me. I refused to bring shame to my father and I refused to return to a man who wouldn’t accept my child. Our child.
Pushing a deep breath out of my mouth, I felt stronger. I was strong. It didn’t matter that I was a woman. I would raise my child and care for him any way I could. Just as my father didn’t need a woman’s help, I didn’t need a man’s. The woods had always been kind to me and if I was lucky, they would help me now when I needed it most.
Gathering my courage, I pulled my shift on and went further into the woods. The darkness and uneven terrain would have been easier to cross as a wolf, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself. With each change, my scent grew. It was part of being a shifter none of us could control. I knew Bran was close and if he caught my scent, he would follow me.
I carefully followed the trees I used as markers in the woods. They looked different at night, but I knew they would bring me to the small clearing where Bran found me following the deer.
As I got closer to the clearing, I heard a strange noise that suddenly stopped. I stood still, standing beside a nearby tree, and listened carefully as I held my breath. I didn’t know who or what else could be in the woods, but I prayed it wouldn’t put me in danger.
I moved closer to the large tree and leaned against it, hoping to get some rest. The sound I heard appeared again. It started as barely a breeze and then grew louder. It was music, but it was unlike anything I had ever heard before.
The music called to me, begging me to join. I followed the sound and it brought me closer to the clearing. Instead of being dark, the clearing was lit by tiny colorful lights. A deer sprang out from behind the tree.
Standing within reach was the largest deer I had ever seen. The deer was as tall as a horse and with its head and antlers held high above mine, it was just as impressive. Behind the deer, the tiny lights dan
ced and weaved. The deer lowered its head and shoulders as if bowing to me before it entered the clearing.
I moved closer to the edge of the woods. Once the deer was away from the trees, its fur took on a silvery hue and became white. I gasped in surprise as I realized it was the white stag. I had to be dreaming, but never had I felt more awake.
There had always been tales about the woods, but I never really listened or believed them. I began to regret that. I searched my mind for stories about the white stag as I watched him prance with the lights, but all I could remember was that the white stag was a messenger from the Otherworld.
I sat on the cool ground and crossed my legs underneath me as I watched the stag dance with the lights. I had nowhere else to go. There has to be a reason why I’m seeing this, I thought.
One of the lights left the dance and turned in my direction. It grew as it moved closer to me, but I didn’t feel any fear. The light became brighter as it grew and I covered my eyes, unable to look at it anymore.
When I opened my eyes again, a small, old woman stood in front of me. She was hunched over and was wearing a long white robe. She had kind, watery eyes that were a similar yellow to our shifter eyes but had a hint of green. Her skin was wrinkled and her cheeks were hollowed with age. She smiled at me as her bony hand disappeared into her robe.
As I stared at her, my eyes wide and curious, she pulled out a ball of red yarn from her pocket. She held it up to me between her hands and then fished the end out of it.
The yarn rose slightly into the air and spun slowly, unraveling the end until it landed at my feet.
Follow.
I heard the word whispered, but the old woman’s thin lips never moved. Behind her, the dance had stopped and the white stag nibbled on the grass. Looking around, I realized the sky had begun to lighten. How long had I been sitting there?
Follow.
The word was whispered again, but I knew I was only hearing it in my mind. The old woman stretched out a long finger and pointed at my stomach.