Moon Child (The Year of the Wolf #2) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,65

a bedroom that looked onto another house, to go downstairs and enter a kitchen with one of those breakfast counters, where I’d sit and grumble about having to get up early for school, before I’d eat, then head out to catch a bus.

Normalcy.

Nothing about our childhood had been that.

Then, she’d died. And my hopes for her had faded away.

The reminder had me asking about her new normal, which was pretty damn abnormal to me. “Why doesn’t it get tedious? Having strangers walk around your home all the time? Coming to you and Eli at all hours of the day?” I badgered.

Her frown was aimed at me—not the question. Me. “No, Lara. Their problems are my problems. I can feel them, whether they come to me or not. So, when they do, it’s always a relief. Plus, it’s actually rare for them to come outside of polite hours.” She shrugged. “They’re considerate. And they appreciate us because we rule in a completely different way than Eli’s parents.

“We’re at their service. We serve them when they need us. And outside of an emergency, they respect us for what we do for them and give us as much freedom as any leader can hope to have.”

I tipped my head to the side. “A different way than Daniel’s father too, no?”

She cast me a look. “Yes. He lost a challenge. Challenges happen rarely, and only with alphas who are terrible to their pack. Who mistreat them or are cruel.”

I thought about that as I stared at a console table where an arrangement of dried flowers was gathered. “We’re fortunate, aren’t we?”

“What makes you say that?” she replied, her tone shocked. Not because she thought we weren’t lucky, but because of how my brain was totally going bibbidi-bobbidi-boo with how I was leaping from topic to topic.

“Because if Choi wanted the sins of the fathers to be borne by the son, we’d be screwed, wouldn’t we?”

Her lips twisted at that. “Screwed isn’t the word.”

“It’s wrong what he wants to do. Daniel’s home is here now,” I informed her, glancing at her to see what she thought of my words.

I trusted Sabina. She was my sister. She’d been my lifeline back when I was young. But she was new to me, and I was still learning this newer version. The one who smiled more freely, who held onto her son as if he could disappear in the blink of an eye—completely understandable after what had happened to Joshua. Who could kiss one man then another and then another, dancing between them as she sought and gave affection to her mates with a freedom that touched me.

So new, different, but still somehow the same.

A breath escaped her. “I’m glad you think that way.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll hold great influence over Choi.”

“Why will I?” I queried, nonplussed by her words. “We were strangers.”

She snorted. “You’re many things, Lara, but strangers aren’t it.”

Squinting at her, I asked, “You sensed the attraction between us?” An attraction I didn’t trust.

Nor did I trust him.

Seeing wasn’t always believing.

Her eyes bugged. “Are you being serious?”

“When have you known me not to be serious?” was all I had to say to that.

“No wonder I’m well adept at handling Ethan and Eli,” she muttered with a slight grin. “That was more than just attraction, Lara. Surely you know that? And anyway, now we’re on the topic of last night, what did you do?”

“With the wolf thing?”

“Yes,” she said dryly. “With the wolf thing.”

“I don’t actually know. It was an experiment.”

“Some experiment. I always knew you were foolish where it came to acting on your instincts, but this isn’t the same world you’re used to. This has more danger than you know—”

“I figured that when I was locked inside my cabin for days on end, thanks to a rampaging hyena person, well, thing,” I retorted gruffly, folding my arms across my chest as I glared at her, not appreciating her holier-than-thou tone. “You never know what you can do until you test things out.”

“There’s testing things out, and then there’s turning into a wolf,” she grumbled. “What if you hadn’t been able to turn back?”

“I knew I could. I leaned on your she-wolf for help.”

“On mine?” Her frown reappeared. “I didn’t feel that. I didn’t feel like you were weakening me in anyway.”

I shrugged. “I’d have continued in that vein, whether you were weakened or not.”

“Gee, thanks.”

While her words were peeved, her eyes twinkled, and I shot her a smile I knew could be defined as cheeky. “You’re