“Nimue told you that you’d have to sacrifice something,” Caleb said thoughtfully. “Maybe it was your relationships, your emotions.”
“She said I’d have to sacrifice what was most precious to me,” I said slowly as I thought. “And the trials were designed to test my intelligence, strength of character to overcome my worst fears, and determination when it seemed that all is lost.”
“That sounds like they wanted to see if you’d be able to handle the power of a goddess before they gave it to you,” Cody pointed out.
“Exactly,” Froston agreed.
My eyes went to where my mother was holding Skye, because Froston still couldn’t keep his eyes off either one of them.
“We should get you settled,” I offered my mother. “Skye might like to meet some of the other pups we have here.”
Froston cleared his throat. “It would be better if the two of you came back to Winter. I can protect you there.”
“Not a chance,” my mother said flatly. “And I can’t think of anyone better to keep Skye safe than her sister.”
I looked closer at the little girl, who had her head buried in her mother’s dress, but was shyly peeking out at me.
“Hey, Skye,” I said softly as I got down to her level. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Anna.”
“I know,” she said with a giggle. “Mommy said we were going to come to live with you, but it was a secret.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” I told her honestly before glancing up at our mom. “Both of you.”
I grimaced at the ruins of our once beautiful mansion. “I wish we had some better accommodations to offer you, but I’m afraid we’re short on space at the moment.”
The grief that I’d pushed back over losing our home hit me suddenly, and I looked at the ruins of our mansion in a different light. It wasn’t just a building made of wood and stone - it was the memories of us. Late nights with the twins in the movie room, the first time I’d met Austin and James, family dinners with the table Cody bought just for us.
There were also bad memories ingrained in those walls. We’d fought Gemma in my room, and while the smoke stains and blood had been cleaned up, the memories had never really faded. I’d spent most of my time in the guys’ rooms after that night.
I looked up at the charred remains of our home. Yes, we’d lost a lot of material items. With the chaotic state of the world, we might not be able to replace them. But what was really important? I still had every one of my mates, and we could make new memories. A new home.
I glanced over at Skye and my mother as some of our other packmates approached to greet them. Both our pack and our family were quickly growing. After all of this was over, we could build a new home with room for anyone.
Froston surveyed the damage along with me. “What happened here?” he asked with a frown. “If the Morrigan attacked, I would expect to see more of you dead.”
I wasn’t the only one who shot Froston an irritated glance.
“It was humans,” I told him with a sad sigh. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the Morrigan’s influence on our world?”
“Yes, of course,” Froston agreed. “It’s been quite irritating that I can’t enjoy my trips here any longer.”
“Well, we’ll try to get this world cleaned up for you,” I said sarcastically.
“I’ll give you some space,” my mother said with a glance at Froston. “I need some time to explain things to Skye, and I’d like to get her a snack before her nap.”
I read between the lines to see that she actually wanted to get as far away from Froston as possible.
“Of course,” I agreed. “I’ll ask Lori to find a spot for you.”
Froston hung back as we introduced Skye and Astrid to the rest of our pack. Lori brought Skye to meet the other pups under my mother’s watchful eye, and she seemed happy to have new playmates. I’m sure it couldn’t be easy for a little girl to suddenly be yanked out of the only world she’s ever known and thrown into an unknown situation.
“If she’s anything like you, she’ll fit in just fine,” Austin assured me with a murmur in my ear.
I smiled back at him. “You always know what I’m thinking.”
“I wish I knew what he was thinking,” Austin said through our bond as he motioned