Chapter 73

(**Rayne’s POV**) 

Hours after she left Parker at the hospital, Rayne looks out at the beach and finds her friend sitting out there on the sand. Arabella’s red hair is flying with the breeze coming off the water as the waves crash against the shore. What is going through her mind as she sits out there alone? Does she think Rayne and Parker are angry with her like Edmund is? 

After the initial surprise of knowing that Arabella knew she was fated to be with Edmund faded, Rayne understood why she never said anything. The question burning in her mind now is why Arabella said nothing to her or Parker about her visions.  

Arabelle knew who she was the second they met. Is that why she stuck around and kept coming back all these years? Did she feel obligated to protect the daughter of her future mate? Is that all there was to their relationship? Obligation? 

Exhaling the breath she was holding, Rayne steps outside to go talk to her friend.  

“I was wondering how long it would take you to join me.” Arabella doesn’t look up as Rayne sits next to her. She continues to watch the waves. Every so often an animal would for out of the water to collapse onto the sand.  

Rayne can feel the sadness coming off her friend. “What you said about choosing me a long time ago as your family....” 

“When I first met you, I did not know that the little girl in my vision was you. Even after you told me where you were from, I didn’t know. My vision didn’t give me the pack name you both were from. I didn’t know that you were that girl until a few years ago.” 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“I didn’t know who to bring it up. Besides, my visions are not always clear. They could happen right away, the next day, or many years after. They are often cryptic in nature, so I have to figure out what they mean.” 

“Is that what you have been doing all these years? Figuring out what your vision meant?” 

Silence. 

After a few minutes of silence, Arabella finally answered her. “I thought after a while that if I distanced myself from you, the visions would go away. The day before your father came back into your life, I had another one. It was the same as before.” 

“What did you see exactly? Then and now?” 

“The first vision was simple.” Arabella described the small clearing near the treehouse that is near the edge of Jade Moon lands. In the vision, she saw a nine-year-old version of Rayne standing at the base of the tree. Tears streaking down her face as she stared back towards the house where her nightmares had yet to start. What the vision showed her next made her sad. Edmund’s ghostly image appeared in the sky through the trees. He was staring down at his daughter, looking like he wanted to say something to her. That was when the feeling struck Arabella. A feeling so intense that she pulled herself from her vision. “I knew right away who he was to me. I just didn’t know who he was to you.” 

“When did you know?” 

“After we got you back from the Dark Witch. I saw into your memories.” 

“That was years ago, Bella. Why did you keep quiet about it all?” 

“By then you were family to me. I loved you like a sister before I knew you were that little girl. I became protective of you. After I knew who you were, I was afraid you would hate me if I told you what I knew. I had to wait to see if what I saw would come true.” 

“You knew he was alive all this time!”  

“No, I saw a ghostly image of a man. That could mean many things, Rayne. He could be dead but trying to convey a message to you. He could be alive but lost, which is what happened. I had no way of knowing any of that just from that first vision.” 

“The second one?” Rayne prompts Arabella to share what she saw in her next vision. 

Arabella let out a shaky breath before she spoke. “That one was much darker than the first one. There was a dark black mass surrounding him. His eyes were empty of all life, almost like he was dead, but I could see his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. He looked nothing like the image I saw before. I almost didn’t know it was the same man. The second I saw him on your deck I knew who he was.” 

The quiet sob that left Arabella made Rayne wrap her arms around her shoulders. “I don’t think he hates you.” 

“He does. I understand why. I was in his mind when he remembered everything. The feelings he has for your mother are just as strong today as they were when they met each other. His love for her is what kept him tethered to this world, even if he was unaware of it. I have no place in his heart. Part of me is alright with this.” 

“The other part?”  

“Wishes for things to be different. I never want to replace her in his heart. That is not what I want.” 

“You deserve to be loved too, Bella.” 

Arabella scoffs at her words, then stands up in a smooth motion. Dusting her skirt off, she holds her hand out for Rayne. When they are both standing, she brings Rayne in for a hug. A feeling of loss settles over her as Arabella steps back. The feeling that she wouldn’t be seeing her for a while settled in her stomach. 

“I know what you are doing,” she tells her. 

“It is for the best, Rayne. You know I will always be there for you when you need me. I am not abandoning you or your baby. I just think it would be best if I am not around for a while. I will send Lynn next time unless it is something that needs to be handled personally.” 

They stood on the beach, staring out at the rolling waves for what felt like hours. Neither speaking. Each lost in their thoughts. Rayne leaned her head into the soft touch as Arabella stroked her cheek. Without saying the words, each woman nods once before Arabelle vanished. 

Her French perfume lingered in the air long after she left. 

Even though Rayne knows her friend will be back if she is needed, the feeling of loss is still the same. Will her father one day long for the woman the Moon Goddess gave him? Who knows if they will ever be able to be together? One thing is certain, no matter how strong a bond is, it takes both parties to be willing for it to work. 

Two hearts must beat as one for their bond to blossom. 

For Edmund, his heart is still with Mia. Rayne understands this. The fact that Arabella is willing to step aside for him to heal shows her selflessness. She is putting her mate’s needs before her own.  

Now it is time to seek her father out. He was silent the entire way home and then went straight to his apartment above the garage. Maybe it would be better to let him come to her this time. Give him time to cool down and think about what he said to Arabella.  

Rayne knows his words hurt her even more than she lets show.  

With a sigh, she turns to walk back to the house. Deciding a nap would be good for her and the baby, she heads straight to the bedroom. However, after tossing and turning for an hour, she gets up again. She will not be able to sleep until Parker is home and in bed beside her.  

After changing into clean clothes, she heads back to the hospital. Until he is released, she will stay right there with him. She leaves a note for her father on the back door before she hops in the jeep. She highly doubts he will come out of his apartment for the rest of the day.  

Before she can put the jeep into reverse, her father flags her down from the top of the stairs. She turns the engine off, then hops out to see what he wants. The look on his face tells her that is isn’t going to be something she wants to hear. 

“About the witch,” he says. 

“Arabella, her name is Arabella.” 

Edmund grunts once, then nods his head. “I will not apologize for what I said. It is how I feel, Rayne. I hate that she knew about you and me from the beginning yet did nothing to help.” 

“Magic isn’t always clear cut. Arabella was given two faces with no names, or how those people were related to each other. There was no way she could have known right away with the information she was given.” 

“Yet she knew right away that I was her mate.” 

“That is what the vision wanted her to know. In the first vision you were nothing but a ghostly image and a feeling. So, she did the only thing that she could do. She waited for time to pass and another vision to come.” 

“She told me she knew who I was to you before I showed up here. How?” 

Rayne reminds him about the time she was kidnapped by the Dark Witch. “I almost died that night. When she found me, she used magic to speed up my natural healing abilities. In doing so, she caught some of my memories. She also had a second vision the day before you showed up at the bar.”

Edmund lets out an angry huff. “Yet she still kept silent.” 

“She could have used magic to find you, but she never uses magic for personal gain. That would have been crossing a lone for her. Before you keep dragging her down into your hate pit, I need to make one thing clear here.” 

“What is that?” 

“Arabella is my friend. She has been there for me when I need her more times that I can count. I understand why she kept silent after you came here. She didn’t want to hurt you further. One day you will get through the grief of losing mom. When that day comes, if you want to find her, she will be available. Until then I am not talking about this with you anymore.” 

“You are going to side with the witch over your father?” 

Rayne lets out a heavy sigh as she looks at her father. It makes her sad that he even said that. “I am choosing to have no part in this. I love you both, but I am not taking sides at all. You are my father and will always have my support. Arabella is my friend, one who has helped me when I was at my darkest hour. I will always be there when she needs me.” 

“How has she earned your respect and devotion?” 

“By always being there. When she learned I was the girl from her vision and my relationship with you, she tried to distance herself. She failed. I am happy she did.” 

At a loss for words, Edmund spun on his heels, then stomped up the stairs. A moment later, his apartment door slams shut in his anger. With a shake of her head, Rayne turns back to the jeep. After getting behind the wheel, she backed out of the driveway. 

This has been an enlightening day. 

Her best friend is her father’s second chance mate. 

Talk about a surprise. There isn’t anything she can do about it. The best thing to do is stay out of it. Argyle and Jazmine are living in different countries, and now so are her father and his mate. Between the four of them, they have more drama that a television soap opera. 

Then there is Parker’s dysfunctional family. His younger brother wants to kill him to be the only sibling Owen has. That is insane family dynamics at work right there. Now she just hopes that Owen stays put right here in California rather than give in to Killian’s demands. 

It would break Parker if he lost his brother after only just now getting him back. After everything their family has been through, they deserve some peace. Rayne just hopes that Killian doesn’t send someone else after them.  

With a nod of her head, she makes a decision. It is time to call in a favor with one of their old allies. If Killian thinks he can always get what he wants, it is time to prove him wrong. Parker made friends with a nomadic pack of werewolves from Ireland. Their numbers at the time were in the hundreds. That was a few years ago, so they have probably grown in numbers since then. 

If Killian wants a fight, she will give him one.