“I never did get to thank you for your support as I left this world. You were my angel, that day, sent by the Mother of All. I’m only sorry it cost you so dearly in rehab time and pain. Thank you, Enid.”
Enid choked back tears. “You held my hand, too,” she said, her words a mere whisper that was heard throughout the room. “We were there for each other. I’m only sorry I couldn’t keep you here.”
“Nothing could have done that, my dear sister. It was my time to go, though I could have wished it otherwise.” Her smile was both sad and beautiful as she turned to look at her Pack. “Without that day, this Pack would not have grown to what it is now. It is by Her will that so many of you have become expert aviators with a strong and growing presence in the shifter community. You will all have your part to play in the upcoming difficulties.”
“Tess.” The people in front melted away to let their Alpha pass. Joe confronted the specter of his dead mate with tears running openly down his face.
“Joe.” That single syllable contained all the love and care in her heart for this special man, and Enid felt a bit like she was intruding on a sacred moment between mates. “Forgive me for leaving you, my love. There was nothing either of us could have done differently to change what happened. I want you to know that. More importantly, She wants you to know that.” Tess smiled softly at Joe. “I serve the Goddess now, my love, in a way you can’t even comprehend.” The blaze in Tess’s ghostly eyes intensified for a moment, and Enid knew the power was that of the Goddess. Somehow.
“I miss you, Tess. So much.” Joe made to reach out, but his hand could not touch the ethereal presence.
“I know,” Tess sighed as the light in her eyes dimmed a bit. “It’s why I begged the Lady to give me this chance. One last chance to speak to you and have you understand why your continued mission on this plane is so very important. I know you must have had doubts. You live for the Pack, and you’ve achieved great things in a very short time. You must continue on the path you’ve forged and build the Pack’s strength as quickly and as securely as possible. Trouble is coming, but I think you already knew that.” Tess shook her head. “I don’t have a lot of time, and I was never as eloquent as you, my love.”
“You’re doing fine,” Joe encouraged her with a grin. “What more do I have to do before we are together again?”
At those words, Enid’s heart broke. She would never have this man in her life. At least, not in any significant way. She might share his bed, but his heart had been given to this beautiful ghost long ago and would never be freed. Not that Enid could hold it against either of them. It’s just the way things were. The way things had always been. They were mates. Enid was the newcomer. She had no claim on Joe. She could never put a claim on a heart that wasn’t free to be given.
“That’s just it, Joe,” Tess said. “I begged for this opportunity to free you. I love you enough to let you go.”
“No!” Joe’s voice was ragged with the howl of his wolf.
“It must be,” Tess went on. “I have sworn my soul to the Goddess. I can no longer claim part of yours. Not when you are so vital to saving the future of the mortal realm. You must be strong and whole-hearted to do that, Joe. You must be free to mate again.”
Gasps were heard around the room, not just from Joe’s lips.
“Shifters only mate once,” Joe said through clenched teeth.
“True, but there are exceptions to every rule,” Tess insisted, her gaze turning almost mischievous. “That I’m taking this step doesn’t mean I love you any less. Quite the contrary, actually. By doing this, I prove my love for you. It’s big enough to let your heart be free to love again.”
Chapter Twelve
“I don’t understand.” Joe looked as confused as Enid felt, but she could do nothing but stand there and watch in awe as the Lady’s Light manifested in the form of Tess. Enid could feel the energies and enormous effort it took for this specter to exist on this plane.
“Enid knows…” Tess said, glancing at her. “I don’t have much time.” Tess reached out for the red candle on the altar and lifted it in ghostly hands. “By extinguishing this flame, I sever the bond between our hearts in this realm. I free you to give your heart fully to the Pack and the woman who will help you make it strong, where I cannot.” Tess puckered her lips and blew an ethereal wind that extinguished the flame, even as Joe stood motionless, a look of horror and hope mixed on his handsome face.
As the candle flame flickered out, Enid could feel the whiplash of energies flow between Joe and Tess. Both staggered a bit, and Tess’s form seemed to glow a bit brighter for a few moments.
“What have you done?” Joe asked, stunned.
“I’ve given you a gift, Joe. Don’t waste it.” Tess winked, and Enid could see a lone tear making its way down her glowing cheek. “Now, where is my granddaughter? I don’t have much time, and I want my babies to know how much I miss them and love them.”
“We know, Mama,” Tracy said. She was standing just behind and to the side of Joe, her mate at her back, her baby girl in her arms. Kevin stood next to her, and Ken was on Joe’s other side with his mate, Barbara.
“Tracy, Kenneth, Kevin and little Emma. Blood of my blood. I bless you all and wish you all the joy in life you can find. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you, but it had to be this way. Someday, I hope you’ll understand.”
“I don’t understand,” Kevin said, almost defiantly. He, as the youngest, had had the least time with his mother. Enid’s heart went out to the young man. “But I love you, Mom. And I miss you. So much.”
“Oh, my darling boy.” Tess’s voice sounded more than a bit choked up. “I think my leaving hurt you most of all, and you’ll never know how sorry I am for that, but it’s also made you a strong man, like your father. I want all that’s best for you, and for Tracy and Ken and their mates, and the whole Pack. Little Em will bridge two mighty forces in the troubles to come, and you, Joe, must continue building alliances or darkness will overcome the forces of Light this time, which you cannot allow to happen. The fate of the world is in your hands.”
“My hands?” Joe shook his head in disbelief as Tess smiled again.
“At least partially,” Tess amended her words. “You and so many others around the world. Strong Alphas of every species must band together. You’re beginning that work now, with this Pack. The Lady tells me to say this: Keep going. Keep growing. Keep allying with other beings of pure heart. Keep the faith strong and keep serving the Light. You will be tested. You will face trials. It will not be easy, but then, nothing worth saving is ever easy. Encourage the good things. Justice. Loyalty. Fighting for what’s right. And most of all…love.” Tess looked from Joe to Enid and back again.
Her spectral form stepped closer to her family for a moment, her hand rising to rest without actually touching on each forehead of her children and their mates as she smiled a blessing at them. She spent an extra moment with Emma, who seemed fascinated and not at all afraid of the glowing lady in front of her eyes. Enid watched, crying silent tears as the mother blessed her children for a final time then turned to face her former mate.