A cold breeze blew through the cave, and she shivered. Winter was coming. Christmas was around the corner, and the park would freeze up. The other shifters would try to come and visit her whenever they could, but it wouldn’t be long before the gap between visits grew longer due to the conditions.
Kindness and strength were her powers—that’s what the little boy had said to her.
Fifty-Two years had passed since then.
Molly was tired and had been ever since the accident that took her leg during the time Kas’ grandfather was alpha. She’d been hit by a car driven by a human. There was nothing medical or magical that could have been done to save the limb. She’d lost the leg and with it even more hope that she’d see Hayden again. Pretty much all her hope was gone now.
She dried herself with a towel and then dressed in a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. She placed a thick cardigan on top. She still had the slim body from her youth, but there were a few extra curves in places.
“Jessica?” she called into the air. There was no response.
Molly made her way back into the kitchen. The tiredness was overwhelming now, and she just wanted to sleep.
Maybe forever.
“Selene?” She tried summoning the young multi-shifter who’d recently come into the pack. She was the sweetest girl she’d ever met and reminded Molly a lot of herself. She’d felt an instant kinship with her.
“Miss Molly?” Selene appeared in the room. The young girl’s eyes went wide when she noticed the stew all over the floor. “What happened?”
“I dropped my stew.”
Molly went to take a step, but she was finding it difficult to put weight on her leg, having burned it on the hot soup.
“You’re hurt.” Selene rushed to her and helped her to sit down. “Let me look?”
“No, it’s all right. It’s just a bruise and a bit of redness. It’ll go away soon.”
Selene gave her a warm, reassuring smile, and after years of being the strength and the kindness to others, Molly allowed herself to take comfort from it.
“Miss Molly, let me go and get Brayden. He can help me tidy up, and maybe we can pack a few bits and pieces, and you can come and stay at the mansion for a while. I know Kas will want you close.”
“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone,” Molly started to protest.
She wasn’t sure now why she’d called Selene up here. She’d felt alone and scared—that’s why. It was time to admit the truth.
“You’ll never be a burden. We all want to help you,”
Molly reached out and put her hand on Selene’s pregnant belly. She felt the baby kick against her hand instantly. A low purring then erupted from Selene’s stomach. To an untrained ear, it wouldn’t be heard, but with her superior senses, Molly could hear the rumble.
“See, even my little one agrees.”
Tears filled Molly’s eyes. “I always wanted children.”
Selene knew Molly’s story—how she’d lost Hayden, her mate, and had never found another.
“I want you to come to the mansion and help me with this one. He or she is already showing a lot of characteristics similar to its father. I think I’ll need help.”
Molly nodded. “Go get Brayden.”
Selene disappeared, and a few seconds later reappeared with not just Brayden but also Kas. The alpha of the Glacial Blood pack.
“I’ll clear the mess up, You two go and pack Miss Molly’s belongings,” Kas ordered.
Brayden nodded, and Molly watched him lead Selene into the bedroom while Kas retrieved a cloth from the magical kitchen sink. Her alpha then got down on his hands and knees and started to clean the floor.
“You don’t need to do that,” Molly protested.
But she was silenced immediately when Kas looked at her with his eyebrow raised—the man could say so much without words.
“You were supposed to tell me when living alone got too much for you.”
“I’m sorry,” Molly replied, knowing she’d struggled on for too long on her own. “I know what you’re going through at the moment. I didn’t want to be under your feet causing trouble. I’m old now. The rest of the pack members are so young.”
“And they adore you.” Kas continued to clean the floor with various cloths and cleaners.
“You could put me in one of the cabins. I’ll be closer should I need help,” Molly protested.
“You’ll stay in the mansion. I’ll get you some ear plugs for when everyone goes to bed, though. They’re like bunnies at bedtime with all the sex,” Kas moaned.
Molly found herself laughing for the first time that day. “Yes please to the ear plugs. That’s not something I need to hear.”
Kas finished cleaning the floor and made his way over to sit at the table with her.
“I mean it, Miss Molly. You’re like a mother to me. Most of the good things I’ve learned have come from you. I don’t want you up here suffering alone. You’re coming back with us. No arguments.”
“Thank you, Kas.”
Molly allowed Kas to embrace her. She’d been by herself for far too long. She looked into her heart, to search for the feelings she’d always had for Hayden. Something told her he was no longer alone. Not in the same way he’d been previously. She couldn’t place it, but somehow he felt closer to her now than before.
There was a new link. A new bond.
It seemed like they had a mutual friend?
It all felt really strange.
“Miss Molly.” Selene appeared at the door of Molly’s bedroom, holding a picture of Hayden in her hand.
There were no pictures of Molly and Hayden together—their time as a couple had been all too brief. However, when Molly returned home from Vietnam, she’d been able to get a picture of Hayden in his uniform from his friend who’d lost the leg. She’d kept it beside her bed ever since.
Selene handed the photo to her. “I assume you want to take this.”
Molly looked at Hayden’s young face staring back at her from the picture. She stroked down it with her finger.
“Yes please.”
Kas helped Molly to her feet. She took one last look around her cave. Instinct told her things would be very different the next time she returned here.
Hayden was on his way back to her. Why now?
The purpose of their split dawned on her…the war between shifters and humans was approaching. She gulped as they dematerialized into thin air.
Please let him be on the side of the shifters.
Chapter Ten
After helping Miss Molly settle into the mansion, Kas had asked Selene to take him to his favorite hunting ground in the unoccupied territories at the tip of Northern Canada. She’d offered to stay with him until he was ready to go home, but he needed time to himself. His brain was full of everything that had been happening lately, and he was exhausted trying to work out how he’d be able to stop it.
He felt as though he was barely holding his pack together let alone himself, and with Jane constantly around him, he was beginning to lose his focus. Visions of them kissing often popped into his head from nowhere. His body was coiled tighter than a spring.
Kas slipped out of his clothes and placed them in a neat pile on the ground. They would be wet when he returned to them, but he didn’t mind because he’d go straight home and change. Everywhere around him was ice, except for where the cold water broke through thinner patches of ice. He shifted into his polar bear form and dove into the ocean. The cold didn’t affect his thick skin and fur—it just gave him the freedom he desired. He surfaced before diving under the water again.