290
Matt
He shook his head. "The White Moon Pack was originally a pack of shifters who had a habit of marrying witches; several different families were under that banner. The Ashgraves were one of the few lines that avoided being infected until Eve."
"That must have been hard."
"It was… devastating," Trent said. "Your grandmother couldn't even speak to her own daughter directly…"
He shook his head. "But all of that is in the past now… What matters is what we can do now… What Eve set out to do for you."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Drink," he chided, stroking my hair. "You're just as bad as she was."
I flushed and sipped. It was a lemony blend of something that was familiar.
"She used to drink something that smelled like this all the time."
He nodded. "I bet. Now… I want to help you… Help you get out of Blue Moon. As I understand, that is what you and Tony are after these days."
I nodded. "Oren had the pack attack the mother of his child… a three-year-old. She's in the hospital. Tony tried to turn her to save her."
His eyes widened. "Well… that's not what I expected, but okay. The offer is still there."
"Why?" I asked, looking at him. "Why me and Tony? Why now?"
Why was he being so calm about this? Shouldn't he be angry?
"I worked… myself to the bone to get to my position, to find a way to force the Council to test Eve for the bond, to rescue her… By the time I had enough clout to do so she was dead."
My gut lurched. The pain on his face.
"I was there…"
He clenched his jaw. "I know."
"How could you know that?"
"It's all over your aura," he said. "You haven't been around a lot of highly trained witches, so you wouldn't know, but it's all over you, smeared across your magical signature and everything else, and it will stay that way, likely for the rest of your life, even when the spell breaks."
"H-How…. What does that mean?"
"It means that Eve loved you and that love can't be worn away." His eyes were misty. "If the only thing I can do for you as your father, as a man who loved her so much, is rescue you and her other son from that psycho, then that's what I'll do."
"What… were you?"
"… she was everything to me," he said solemnly. "Still is."
My heart raced. Were they mates? I knew shifter mates worked differently than werewolf mates. My stomach churned at the thought as a few things floated over to us. He held up something that looked like a watch.
"This is a magical communication device. You can contact anyone securely, even if they only have a phone." He wrapped it around my wrist. "It works like a smartwatch, but better."
He smiled and put a necklace around my neck. It vanished as soon as it hit my skin.
"This is a person portal. It will activate when you're in danger and get you out of anywhere. Currently, it's set to bring you to wherever I am."
My heart clenched. My eyes burned, and I couldn't help but wonder how I had ever tricked myself into thinking that Oren gave a damn about me. I'd never experienced that kind of love before, and it was both terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
I brushed my hand across the watch face and shuddered at the warmth that settled over me.
"These are a month's worth of potions," he said, setting the bag in my lap. "They can be added to anything… potion knowledge or not."
He stroked my head. "I'm going to take the rest of the spell off you and anchor an illusion in your personal portal and communication watch."
"W-Why?"
His lips twitched. "You're hiding it from Tony, aren't you? You're only going to get worse if you have to wait it out. It'll be safer for you to just wear an illusion."
He placed his hand on my head. The warmth of his touch sent a jolt of electricity through my body. I look up at him, my eyes filled with gratitude and awe.
"Thank you, Trent," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
Trent smiles, his eyes filled with warmth and affection. "You're welcome, Matthew."
My lips twitched. "Why… do you say my full name?"
He chuckled as his hand warmed, and his eyes began to glow.
"Because it's my father's name."
My heart swelled. I felt his magic washing over me in steady, soothing waves. His eyes glossed over as he drew his hands away.
"Damn it, Eve.."
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head. His golden hazel eyes flickered with golden light. "It was keyed… It would have remained until I could take it off… She always meant for you to find me."
My throat grew tight. He pat my shoulder and tucked me in, taking my empty cup.
"Rest a bit more. When you're ready, I'll take you wherever you want to go. We'll talk about getting you trained."
I nodded, my heart swelling with gratitude as I drift off to sleep. I didn't know what the future held, but it was such a relief not to be alone anymore, to have answers.
"Is he still alive?" I breathed. "Your father?"
"Yeah… And he's going to demand to meet you, probably sooner than you're ready. Brace yourself."
"Never had a grandfather…"
He chuckled. "Well, you're in for a treat. You've got uncles and aunts, too."
"Sounds… perfect."
I didn't know how long I slept, but Trent was there when I woke up, and he took me to the penthouse and did something to my car that would make it damn hard to follow me. I was grateful and almost giddy with how good I felt. I still looked terrible, but the pain was a lot less. I promised to call him before getting into my car and driving back to Yellow Ridge. It was almost six by the time I arrived. Based on when Tony usually got off, I had maybe an hour to go grocery shopping, maybe a little more if I picked up a large enough haul.
As I stepped into the hospital, the familiar scent of disinfectant and sterility filled my nostrils. I rolled my shoulder, trying to work out a kink, and I made my way to the nurse's station, my heart pounding in my chest. Arwen was there, her curly indigo hair was in that same bun on top of her head and looked like it was about to come tumbling down. She greeted me with a warm smile, her dark brown skin glowing in the fluorescent lighting.
"Matt, how are you feeling?" she asked, her voice gentle and concerned.
"I'm alright," I replied, my lips twitching into a smile. "Better even."
Arwen's eyes softened. "Good to hear. I'm about to wrap up, and then we'll go?"
I nodded. "Sounds good."
I waited around, watching her check in with other people and stations before she disappeared for a little while. Then, she came towards me in jeans and a loose sweater that hung off one shoulder.
"Let's get you to the grocery store, hm?" She laughed, walking toward the door. "I didn't think I'd be teaching a man to shop at this age."
I laughed and got into my car before following her. It wasn't too far from Tony's penthouse, but the entrance was half-hidden in the alleyway. From the outside, it looked more like an office building, but as soon as I walked inside, I could smell the produce.
She had me grab a basket and pick up one of her own before leading me to the produce. Another flashback hit me, and I smiled. It didn't feel like lightning; it was more like a movie that just started playing in my mind.
"I've been to one before," I said softly. "My mother took me with her shopping once…."
I picked up a sparkling plum, checking for firmness. I could hear her in my ear. Arwen's gaze was soft and glowing.
"Something has changed…."
I nodded. "But let's not ruin the fun with depressing things. What are those?"
She grinned, holding up the bag. "These are Golden Maddens. They are some of the best things you will ever have, but you'll have to learn how to crack them. We'll get you the processed version since I'm pretty sure you haven't been cleared to start training your magic like that quite yet."
As we walked through the aisles, Arwen explained things I didn't know and helped me put together the cart and fill in the parts of my nutrition I didn't remember from my childhood.
I guessed Mom had only been able to pick up things that she could hide easily.
"Have you given any thought to how you're going to tell your brother?"
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