Dimitri, Lulu, and Alexei had finally returned to Blackwater from New York, but it wasn’t going to be a long visit. Just overnight and then they were returning to Narodnaya with my dad. Natasha had gone home on a plane a few days earlier, but made me promise to come and visit soon.
Tomorrow my dad and my brother would be gone. Now it was just one last family dinner.
I looked across the table at my dad, swallowing around a mouthful of chicken that my mother had made.
Weird or not, my dad had been staying with Mom while Remy and I had moved into the cabin. It was only temporary until our house was built.
A small thrill tickled my stomach at the thought.
Our house.
Pretty soon Remy and I would have our own home, which sounded crazy but felt totally right.
But it didn’t change the fact that Mom would soon be alone, and that thought kept me up at night. At least until Remy realized I was awake, then he did his best to tire me out so I had to sleep.
It usually worked.
I glanced at Mom and she gave me a tight smile.
“Food taste okay?” she asked.
“It’s great,” Dimitri said across from her, grinning.
“It’s amazing you can taste a damn thing the way you’re choking it down,” Lulu commented dryly, rolling her eyes. She smiled at Mom. “It’s really great, Ms. Markham.”
“Addie, please,” Mom corrected sweetly.
“It is fantastic,” Dad agreed warmly, taking a sip of wine.
“Remy will be sorry he missed it,” I added. He had been called into a last minute meeting before dinner. Some packs were still squabbling over territory lines, so Remy and Gabe had been trying to play peacemakers.
“It’s fine. It gives us time together,” Mom said dismissively. She looked at Dimitri. “Are you sure Alexei didn’t want to come?”
“Alexei’s a bit of a loner,” Dimitri replied. “He’s probably enjoying the solitude, but we can take him back a plate if there’s enough.”
“Of course,” Mom answered automatically. “I think I’ve gotten used to cooking for a lot of people at the new construction site. I’m going to miss it even.”
I slowly turned to look at her. “You’re quitting the cafe?”
Mom’s fork froze halfway to her mouth and clattered down. “I … Well …” She shot a quick glance at my father and then looked back at me. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I repeated. “How do you maybe quit your job?”
Mom folded her hands in her lap, her lips mashed together. “I was going to talk to you about this later, honey.”
“Talk to me about what?” Suspicion crept into my tone.
Across from me, Dad sighed and wiped his hands on his napkin before delicately laying it back on the table. “Skye, I asked your mother to come back to Narodnaya with me.”
I could feel my eyes growing rounder by the second. “You did what?”
Dimitri cleared his throat. “Lulu and I are going to head out.”
Lulu gave me a tight smile, following his lead when he stood up.
“We’ll see you in the morning,” she said softly, smiling at me.
I waited for them to leave before turning to my parents. “What the hell?”
“Don’t be angry with your mother,” Dad said quickly. “I only asked her this afternoon, and she hasn’t said yes.”
“It was a rather impulsive ask,” Mom added wryly, her nose wrinkling.
“But I meant it nonetheless,” he told her emphatically.
“Wait a second,” I said slowly. “Are you two, like, together?”
Mom exhaled slowly. “No.”
At the same time, my father said, “Not yet.”
I frowned. “Do you want to go to Russia, Mom?”
She was quiet for a long time. “I don’t know what I want, Skye. I never really had the chance to find out what I wanted. I’ve spent so long just surviving and existing that these last few months have been a struggle to find my place.”
“But you love the cafe,” I pointed out.
“I do. But I’m not sure what I want long-term,” she replied honestly. “And the last few days, spending time with your Dad, I can’t deny that there’s a connection there. One that never really had a chance.”
“Until now,” he finished for her, taking her hand in his. He flashed me a wan smile. “Sweetheart, we know this seems sudden.”
“You think?” I mumbled, looking at their hands.
But could I really fault her for that? Remy and I had a connection that rivaled the speed of a tornado when we bonded. If my parents felt even half of that pull, I couldn’t blame them for wanting to be together.
Mom licked her lips and sighed a little before pulling free of his touch and turning to face me. “I won’t go.”
“Adalynne.” The reproach in his tone bordered on disappointed.
“No, Nik,” she said firmly. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere if Skye isn’t on board. She’s our priority here.”
His eyes cut to me. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to come back with us then, little wolf?”
I couldn’t leave Remy or my pack. I wouldn’t.
I looked over at my father. “Can you give us a minute? Please?”
His gray eyes moved between us for a moment before he rose. “Of course.”
“Dad?” I stopped him when he was at the front door, waiting for him to turn and look at me. “Don’t go far, okay?”
Understanding lit his eyes and he nodded once before slipping out and closing the door.
“It was a stupid impulse,” Mom muttered, standing abruptly and starting to gather the dishes.
“Was it?” I pressed gently. “Or is this something you want?”
She dropped the dishes into the sink with a crash, bracing her hands on either side of the sink and dropping her head. “I don’t know anymore, baby.”
I got up and walked to her side, leaning my hip against the counter. “Lulu said she didn’t know if a broken bond could ever be healed.”
“Maybe it can’t be,” she whispered, shaking her head sadly. “But the connection I feel to him … I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m trying to tune into a radio station but there’s static. Occasionally I get this crystal clear picture, and then it slips away. Maybe chasing that is crazy.”
“Or maybe you two can find what you lost,” I said, leaning my head against her shoulder.
She snorted. “Maybe. But Skye, I’m your mom. I know I’ve been a pretty shitty one lately, but you’re barely eighteen. You haven’t even graduated high school. I can’t just leave.”
I shrugged a little. “Ainsley’s parents left her with her mates and their family.”
“I’m not abandoning you,” she said in exasperation. She turned and collected more dishes, but not fast enough that I didn’t see the tears in her eyes.
I waited for her to set the dishes in the sink with the others before I reached out, grabbing her hands in mine. “Mom, it’s okay.”
Shaking her head, she sniffled. “Skye, baby, I can’t leave you here alone.”