"I can't believe you couldn't figure out who it was." Amelie finishes up her eggs and bacon and then gets up to set her plate in the sink. It's late morning, and we've already done our training for the day with Micah and Sebastian.
Faith sits across from me at the table, so I look over at her. "You met everyone, right? Surely, the feelings would've gotten stronger the closer you got?"
"I think I met everyone," I reply. "Then again, I'm not your usual wolf. Maybe the bond will be different with me. Watered down even since I'm only half shifter."
I'm met with silence. And that right there is my dilemma. No one knows anything about my kind, not even Seraphina. Amelie comes over and kisses me on the head. "I'm sure whoever the guy is felt it too."
"Did you see anyone acting strange?" I ask.
She shakes her head and grabs her car keys. "Not that I noticed. Then again, I ignored the guys. I'm done with the opposite sex right now." That is until she finds her true mate. Things will change for her. She waves at me and Faith and heads to the door. "I'm heading to work. I'll be back this afternoon."
"Be careful," I call after her.
Once she's gone, I finish my breakfast, and Faith helps me clean the dishes. "Now that we're safe within a pack, I should probably get a job too," she says, handing me a soapy plate.
I rinse it off and place it on the drying rack. "What do you like to do? Did you go to college?"
She smiles sadly. "Never went to college. It would've been fun to have the experience, but I knew it wasn't in the cards for me. When Micah and I were in hiding, I would paint and help him with the landscaping. We had a cute little house in the middle of nowhere."
Micah is her protector, just like my father is mine. I can sense both of them out in the woods. "I never went to college either, but I had a private teacher growing up."
Faith purses her lips. "I had Micah as mine. Talk about a pain in the ass."
I love being around Micah, but I can only imagine what it's like to be around him twenty-four-seven. "What did you guys do for money?" I ask curiously.
She finishes cleaning the last dish and hands it to me, her expression sad. "The Lyall's are worth millions. My parents were too. Before they died, they made sure that your father and your uncles could access it to take care of us."
It reminds me of the Sierra pack. They were worth a lot, but I haven't touched any of the money. I doubt I ever will; it's blood money. The only thing I took from the house were my clothes and what I had left of my mother.
Faith grabs her phone off the table and shows me pictures of where she used to live. It looked like a country cottage with a flower garden in the back. Very earthy and full of life. "Looks like my dream home," I say with a laugh.
She sighs. "It was. I miss it every day."
I bump her with my shoulder. "You know, my father and your brother are architects. They can have you a house built exactly the way you want it."
Her eyes twinkle. "True. I might have to take advantage of that."
We both laugh, and I walk to the door to peer outside. There's snow on the ground, glittering as the sun shines against it. I'm half arctic, so the snow calls to me, but my mother was a summer fae. I love flowers and warm weather as well.
"What do you want to do today?" Faith asks. She joins me by the door and smiles at the snow.
"We could go for a hike? I know you're dying to get out in the snow just as much as me. I've read there are some amazing trails in the Grand Teton National Park."
Her grin widens. "Sounds perfect. There shouldn't be any hikers this time of year."
Well, except for me. She can shift if things go sideways. All I have is my magic, and luckily, it’s never failed me. "Let's go then."
Once we've changed into more suitable clothes and some hiking boots, we get in my car and head toward the Grand Teton National Park entrance. I know my father and Micah are close by. "Do you ever feel guilty for having Micah follow you around all the time?"
Her gaze saddens when she looks at me. "Yes. I've tried to get him to stop, but he won't. The Lyall's are loyal, and they're true to their word. Sometimes I think it's keeping him from finding his mate."
"I think my dad's guilt is what keeps him from his," I murmur, turning my attention back to the road. Even if I didn't agree to have him as my protector, he would've vowed to be it anyway.
The first trailhead we get to is at Taggart Lake. I pull into the parking lot, and there isn't a single car around. We hop out of the car and start on our way down the trail. Everywhere you look, there are blankets of smooth snow, no footprints whatsoever except for the occasional hoof prints of the elk.
We walk through the snow, and it makes a crunching sound with each step I take. "I don't know why, but I love the sound of walking through snow."
Faith giggles. Her steps are nowhere near as loud as mine. "Not if you're trying to sneak up on someone."
I look over at her. "Have you ever had to kill anyone?"
She shakes her head. "Not yet. Hopefully, I don't ever have to. Micah's trained me my entire life. If I get in a situation where I have to fight, I'm confident I can take care of myself." She says the last part loud enough for Micah to hear her. A low growl echoes through the woods, and we laugh.
"I think I can too," I roar. "I seem to recall a certain wolf falling in a hole the other day."
Faith snickers. "That was epic. I would give anything to have your kind of magic."
"I wish you could too. Then maybe, I wouldn't be so much of a freak."
She grabs my wrist, halting me. "You're not a freak, Laila. You're special."
"Thanks. I don't know what I would've done the past month without you and Amelie." She lets me go, and we continue on our way down the trail.
"You know, Christmas is coming up. We should get a tree," Faith suggests.
The idea makes me smile. For once, I'll be able to celebrate the holidays with my real family. "That would be great. I don't think I've ever had a normal Christmas."
"No Christmas tree?"
I snort. "Definitely, not. No, the Sierra Pack didn't celebrate the holidays the traditional way. Their Christmas presents to each other were hunting down and killing other wolves. Always bloodshed."
Faith scrunches her nose up in disgust. "What the hell? I can't imagine what that was like."
"Let's just say it wasn't full of holiday cheer. I take it Micah always made sure you had a good Christmas?"
She nods. "We used to get a tree and decorate it. Then, on Christmas day, we'd have a huge dinner, just him and me. I would make all the trimmings, and he'd bake the ham. Then, for dessert, I'd make some fudge and peanut butter balls."
My stomach growls. "Please tell me you'll make them for this Christmas."
"Of course," she laughs. "Can't have Christmas without treats."
"Or without magic," I add, veering off the path toward the thickest blankets of snow. I place my hands over the top of it, and as soon as I feel my power, I open my eyes and smile as the snow twirls in a little mini-tornado.
Faith gasps. "What are you doing?"
"Watch," I whisper. In my mind, I know what I want the snow to become. A few seconds later, I reach into the fluffy pile of snow and pull out a large, frozen snowflake. I lift it for Faith to see. "If you want, I can decorate the house with these."
"Oh, my God," Faith squeals. "That is amazing." She takes the snowflake and holds it in her hand. "It's not melting."
I shake my head. "No, it won't. Not unless I want them to."
"I didn't know you could do this kind of stuff with earth magic?" she said, gazing at me in awe.
I shrug. "Honestly, I don't know what all I'm capable of. From what I've read in my mother's journals, my power is slightly different from the normal fae. I can do things that a lot of them can't."
Faith lifts the snowflake in the air and studies it. "You could be like Seraphina. Maybe your wolf side is magical too. Mix that with your fae abilities, and you could be some super fae shifter witch."
I burst out laughing. "Super fae shifter witch. I like it."
When we finally reach Taggart Lake, I gasp in amazement. It's frozen and surrounded by the majestic Teton mountains. I hop up onto a huge boulder and look down into the water. It's so clear it's like looking through glass. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow and watch the steam billow in the wind. I feel a shift in the earth behind me, and that's when I hear an unfamiliar voice.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Heart racing, I get on the offense and jerk around. Faith does the same. I can feel her wolf on the surface, alert, and ready to strike. A guy steps out from the trees, dressed in black leather pants and a black shirt, open in the front to reveal his pale skin. I can feel his magic. He's fae. Judging by the dark hair and icy blue eyes, I know he's not a summer fae like me, but winter. My mother wrote about all the different fae in her journals.
"Who are you?" I shout.
He holds up his hands. "I don't have long. Just know I'm not here to hurt you. My name's Beck. I've been waiting for you to get away from the Sierra pack for years. I promised your mother I would come for you." I freeze at his words, and Faith grabs hold of my arm. Growls erupt behind me, and Beck turns his attention to my father and Micah, who are probably only two seconds away from attacking. Beck steps back towards the trees. "I'll be back, Laila. One way or another, I'll find a way to you."
The next second he's standing between the trees, and then bam. I see a hazy shimmer, and then he's gone.
* * *
After the encounter, Faith and I leave to go back home with my father and Micah close on our heels. I'm in shock. I've never been approached by another fae before, nor do I know what it means. Faith and I sit on the couch while Micah stands guard at the door, and my father paces the floor in front of us.
"And you said this has never happened before?" my father asks.
I've already told him this. "Yes, for the millionth time. All I know is that his name is Beck. I have no clue who he is or what he wants."
Micah glances out the door window. "We all know Alina was good. This guy could be too."
My father huffs. "True, but we don't know. I can't take any chances. For all we know, he wants her to go back with him. I can't let that happen."
Eyes wide, I jump to my feet. "You mean to the Land of the Fae?"
He stops his pacing and looks at me. I can see the fear in his eyes. He already lost my mother, and I know he doesn't want to lose me. "If you go there, I don't know if you'll be able to come back," he replies, his voice torn. "I can't cross over and save you. I'm not fae."
Micah sighs. "We have to tell the pack. Everyone needs to be on guard in case this is a bad thing. I'm hoping it's not, but we've never dealt with any of the fae other than Alina."
The mention of my mother's name makes my father wince as if he's been struck. It kills me to see him in pain. He focuses on Micah and nods. "I'll get everyone together. You stay here and keep the girls safe."
He storms out of the house, and then he's gone, just a white blur racing through the trees. I walk over to Micah but keep my gaze on the woods. I have a feeling things aren't going to go the way I want.
"What happens now?"
I meet Micah's gaze, and he sighs again. "Once my brother lets everyone know what happened, you'll probably have more wolves watching over you."
Groaning, I lean against the wall. "Micah, I just came from a pack that kept me under lock and key. I can't go through that again."
He nods, and I can feel his genuineness. "I know. It'd be a lot easier if you were mated. The mind to mind link comes in handy sometimes."
Faith jumps off the couch. "She does have a mate. She felt him."
Micah glances over at her and then to me, his mouth gaping in shock. "Seriously? Why didn't you say anything? Who is it?"
I shrug. "Don't know. I felt him at the party last night."
Micah runs a hand through his blond hair. "Holy shit, this is crazy. We need to find out who it is."
I grab his hands. "Please don't say anything. Let's keep this between us. At least, until the meeting is over."
He huffs and shakes his head. "Dammit, Laila. Why do you women always make things difficult for me?"
Faith giggles and kisses his cheek. "Because we love you."
He scoffs. "Yeah, right." His eyes bore into mine, and I know he can sense what I'm trying to hide. "Why are you scared, Laila?"
Turning my back on him, I walk to the other side of the room to peer out at the mountains. In my reflection, I can even see the worry in my eyes. Why am I scared? The answer's simple.
"I'm scared because I don't know who it is Micah. The guy is going to be a stranger. I know it's a huge thing to find your true mate, but I don't have the full mind of a shifter. For years, I hated that side of me, especially after seeing what the Sierra pack was capable of." Tears well up in my eyes. I glance over my shoulder at him and Faith. "I'm more fae than anything."
Micah closes the distance between us. He looks so much like my father. "You may be mostly fae, but whoever your mate is will love you for who you are. Embrace it. It's a love I'm hoping to find one day."
He wipes away my tears, and I wrap my arms around his neck. "Thanks, Micah. You'll find your mate one day. I have no doubt." Now all I have to do is figure out who mine is.