Chapter 60

Mira

I was the first one to wake up. The air felt different, lighter somehow.

I took my first breaths enjoying whatever bliss I was in, registering my own existence as my brain turned on for the day.

I looked over at Dominic. He lay on his back, breath steady, with one arm stretched into the middle of the bed. He was reaching towards me.

I didn’t have to move much to carefully reach out and touch him, putting my hand at his elbow and my forearm on his forearm.

In some sort of archaic, viking, mythical, fantasy world, it was an oath between the two of us.

Dominic’s hand stirred, slightly tickling my inner elbow as his unconscious mind became aware of my presence.

A vision came to me, straight from my dreams, of wolves. The two of us, Dominic and me. We were howling.

The sensation became so loud and so real, like I had entered a virtual reality and was now living this experience. My heart was loud but steady in my chest, and it almost felt too slow to me.

I pulled my arm away as carefully as I could, and the vision disappeared. Dominic’s human face appeared clearly in front of me again. He flexed his arm, feeling my absence, and resettled his body back into sleep. I always admired how he could do that.

I took a deep breath and felt the engine in my chest kickstart and return to normal. At this rate I would need to get a pacemaker to be around Dominic.

Another shot of adrenaline hit me as I thought back to last night.

That kiss.

The vibrations of my body were set off once more as I ran my fingers across my lips, remembering how he pressed his to mine with such gentle ferocity. His arm wrapped around my back pulled me closer to him. I opened my mouth to sigh as our bodies pressed together.

He took the invitation and explored deeper with his kiss, teasing me with his tongue. I ran my hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, gripping softly to the tight curls on his head.

He growled and I pulled him harder into me until he was almost on top of me. He stopped himself from putting all his weight on me, which after the fact I was grateful for.

But in that moment, something came over me and I wanted him closer and closer to me. I had never felt that way before, and by the light of the morning I was conflicted once again.

Dominic looked stoic as he slept again, and I wondered how he would feel when he woke up and we had to face whatever happened last night.

Maybe we just wouldn’t have to talk about it.

I suddenly felt trapped in bed, so I got up and gathered things to go out for a run. I needed air and time to myself to breath and think and find some answers in the wisdom of the natural world around me.

I went out our back door, the secret door, just to give myself an extra edge.

Setting out on a familiar trail, I set my mind on a longer loop and wondered if I could find Dominic’s overlook again. We had gone again recently, and I tried my best to keep track of the route there and back, but I wasn’t quite proficient yet. It was almost like some part of the trail was hidden to the common eye, only found by those worthy of the quest.

I laughed to myself as I thought quests and knights and valiant steeds and wizards in towers concocting love potions for sad maidens. Sometimes I thought I would’ve done well in medieval times, maybe I could’ve cured the plague.

My medical thoughts brought my mind to other medieval medical practices, those I had been seeing again and again in the old texts I was reading. Part of me just hoped they were children's stories, but I knew better than that.

I knew now that something bad happened to her, and I was close to putting more of the puzzle pieces together. And once I had certainty, I could turn to Dominic, maybe his father or the elders, and something more could be done.

But for now, I still needed to look out for myself. I felt a pang of guilt thinking about not involving Dominic in this part of my plan, but I knew it was for the best for now.

If I could do this, if she could rediscover and reclaim my wolf, she would be worthy to stand by his side of Luna of the Pack. If I couldn’t… I didn’t want to think about that right now.

I tuned out the voices in my head and focused on the sounds around me. The birdsong, the swaying and creaking of the trees, the soundtrack of the forest guided and inspired me as I continued on my run.

I pushed my legs, enjoying the burn and the breathlessness as I jumped lightly over rocks and avoided trees. I wasn’t able to find the secret spot I was seeking, but my body and soul were sated by the time I was back to the compound.

Walking discreetly around to the back, I checked my phone for the first time since I had left the house.

Lucian had been calling, and calling.

Reflexively I brought my open palm to my forehead, realizing I had never called him back last night.

I pressed the call button and waited as it rang on the other end.

“Hey, Lucian, it’s Mira,” I started, “look I’m so so sorry I never called back last night,—“

He interrupted me, and I listened. Because I was still catching my breath from my run, it wasn’t hard to notice when it caught in my throat. I felt unsteady, and walked to the wall of the building and sat down on the ground.

“Are you sure it’s what we think it is?” I asked him.

I waited again, unconsciously twisted the end of my shorts as I hugged my knees towards my chest.

“I understand, and I still think I need to see for myself,” I told him, confidently enough to convince him and myself.

I pulled the phone away from my face to look at the time.

“We should leave soon,” I said into the phone. “Just give me twenty minutes.”

I hung up the phone, and pulled myself back to my feet.

By the time I got inside, Dominic was already gone for the day meeting with his father.

I showered quickly and dressed in comfortable jeans and a button-down shirt. I wore sneakers and grabbed a sweatshirt and my small medical bag. I knew I needed to be prepared for everything.

Before leaving, I messaged Dominic telling him I would be home late.