SWNOVELS Chapter 101
Chapter One Hundred and One
Soon after, signs for Coldfoot get more frequent. The miles tick down and then we're there. I give Eric directions past the tiny downtown, away from the visitor center and ranger stations, right to the base of the mountains.
The old packhorse is tucked into the Brooks Range foothills, just inside the Arctic Circle. The few hikers who do pass it rarely stop, and the Coldfoot locals give it a wide berth.
My pack keeps a presence here, but it's low profile. I'm half expecting it to be empty when we get out of the truck. But as soon as my feet touch the ground, the front door opens and a familiar face pokes out. "Ashley McNally? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Hi Lorelei. Long time no see," I say.
Lorelei is a childhood friend.
At least, I thought she was a friend. Her greeting isn't exactly warm and friendly. The last time she saw me, though, we'd been preparing for a wedding that never happened...or rather a wedding that happened days ago, instead of years ago.
Lorelei's face twitches slightly, and then she frowns.
The bruise inside me pulses. She must have tried to speak to Isis.
"Is it really you?" she asks. "I didn't expect you after... You look...different."
I look like garbage. After weeks in a coma and years of neglecting myself for the sake of vengeance, I know what she sees. I'm too thin, my skin stretched uncomfortably over my ribs and spine. The dark circles under my eyes seem permanent, and the weight of my grief for Merilee and the terror I've been living under can't help matters.
Lorelei is just too polite to say it outright.
"I haven't had the easiest time lately," I admit. "It was a long journey to get here, and we're tired and hungry."
Her gaze shifts over my head to where Eric is standing behind me.
"There's plenty of food in the kitchen," she says, pushing the door wider to make space for us to come in. "It's just me and my parents here right now. Most of the pack is in Denali this time of year, so there are plenty of rooms here, too."
"Good," I say following her in. "We're expecting more company. My daughter and my...her father. And his mate."
Lorelei's eyes widen in surprise. "So your friend here is not your daughter's father?"
"No, he's...this is Eric MacPhearson. My husband," I answer.
I can't quite make myself say the word "mate." It feels wrong, since we haven't marked each other yet. Plus I used the term so often with Cam when the whole relationship was built on my deceit. I'm not sure I deserve to use the word, let alone have one.
It's his name, more than his relationship to me, that catches Lorelei's attention though.
"I don't know what the hell you're doing, Ashley, but I hope you've thought it through," she mutters.
"This is my territory," Eric says coldly. "My mate and I can travel through it whenever we like. We don't need permission."
Lorelei shakes her head. "You might
have control of the coasts, MacPhearson, but this is the interior. Things run differently out here. Folks remember your big siege, and that big show of power-how you decimated our pack and the left us here to pick up the pieces. But things have changed. Don't expect anyone to swear you loyalty
anymore."
"I'm aware of your petty rebellion," he says. "And what your leader did to secure it. When the vampires turn on you, you'll be grateful to have my wolves at your back."
I catch a flicker of gold in Lorelei's eyes. She's not one to back down, but neither is Eric.
In fact, I can see the little flexes and changes in his face that indicate he's communicating with someone-probably calling in his Ravens to come swoop in and punish Lorelei for insubordination. "We're here for my daughter," I say quickly. "Nothing else."
Eric glances at me, but doesn't correct me. He's still talking to someone else in his mind. Whatever it is, the conversation is more important to him than anything Lorelei has said.
"Besides, it's bad manners to talk politics on an empty stomach," I add.
"Right, of course," Lorelei says, resigned. "You remember the way, yeah?"
I nod, and head down the hall. The
kitchen is at the center of the packhouse, with the rest of the rooms radiating out from it. In the old days before electricity, there was a fire in the center of the room all winter long to provide light through the shortest, darkest days of the year.
I
It's still the gathering place, though the fire pit has been updated from the rough stone circle I remember into an elegant brick structure. There are tables arranged in a wide circle around the room. An alcove on the western side of the room contains the pantry, refrigerator, and a few smaller kitchen appliances. There's a large wood-burning oven and stovetop just outside the alcove, next to a long prep table. Content
Wolves out here can get lonely. The miles of solitude and untouched wilderness are a blessing, but we're pack animals, after all. At the end of the day, we long to be together, and this room is evidence of that. It's in our blood.
Standing in it with a husband who loathes me and a friend who mistrusts me is agony. I feel the absence of everyone I've ever loved as if each loss were fresh.
Lorelei heads into the alcove to rummage around for snacks, but I'm rooted to the spot, the good memories stinging as much as the bad ones.
This is my punishment, I think.
This is the consequence I have to face for the way I've betrayed everyone around me.
It's what I deserve for tricking Cam into mating me, and casting Mia out.
It's penance for killing Adriana and leading the wraiths right to Eric's sister.
"They're here," Eric says quietly, startling me.
I whirl around to the doorway as Cameron walks in. Alone.
I peer past him, but there's no one behind him. Mia is nowhere in sight-and neither is my daughter.
"Where is she?" I ask, frantic. "Cameron, where the fuck is Merilee?"