† Sage †

So much for cooking me breakfast.

I stood on the front porch as Maddock drove away in the truck. It felt wrong to see him leave like that. I kept replaying the conversation, trying to figure out if I’d said anything offensive. Maybe I’d insulted him somehow when I jumped out of his arms, but–seriously–who picks someone up like

that?

It was intense. Being that close to his body had sent my emotions haywire and there was a moment where I almost…

Kissed a complete freaking stranger!

Thankfully, I’d avoided that situation and now I was left with this.

The only thing I could think of was that he’d lied to me about staying in his house. If he’d spent the whole night getting it ready, why was his stuff still here?

I shouldn’t have said anything.

I should have just taken Coral back to the inn.

Then he wouldn’t have been put out on my account and I’d not be standing there, feeling like a piece of shit.

In what world did he think I’d be okay with my younger sister living in the same small cabin as a grown ass wolf-man who I just met?

I barely even brought my ex-boyfriend to my own apartment and he’d never stayed the night even though I’d known him for years.

But we weren’t in my world anymore and this new world was strange. “Come on.” Kera and Coral bolted past me in a mad dash to the car.

“Let’s get you unpacked and then try to release your wolf.”

“Hey, slow down.” I snapped to get Coral’s attention and both girls froze, staring at me.

Where were Kera’s parents?

Didn’t she need to go home at some point?

I’d be losing my mind if Coral stayed out all night with strangers, but I felt like I’d caused enough awkward tension by not understanding their

culture for one day.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” I told Coral as she opened the door to

the car. “I need to speak with Maddock again before we can stay here in his home. This wasn’t the arrangement I thought it was.”

“Like that’s going to change anything.” Kera snickered and Coral nudged her. Both girls held back their laughter at some inside joke.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I narrowed my eyes at Coral. She shouldered her backpack and handed her suitcase to Kera,

shaking her head as she came up to the porch. “We’ll talk about it later, but it’s nothing bad. You’re actually going to love it so chill out.”

She breezed past me into the house and my jaw dropped to the floor.

Did she just dismiss me like that?

Kera smiled and followed my sister, walking backwards as she talked to me. “Besides, Uncle Maddock is as stubborn as an ox. If he says this cabin is yours, then the only thing left to do is enjoy it.”

The girls disappeared into the back bedroom and left me alone again on the porch.

There was an old show with like fifty remakes that my father used to watch when I was a girl called the Twilight Zone.

I was pretty sure I just stepped into an episode. One where my sister was instant besties with a wolf-girl and apparently fit right in, leaving me to catch up, and a sexy wolf man had given me a gorgeous dream home in the middle of a picturesque valley like some pathetic sort of twisted rom-com.

I snapped my mouth shut.

One hundred percent positive I’m hallucinating on toxic air.

But I guess there were worse ways to die. Coral was happy at least.

She wasn’t scared and alone and tucked into some cold research facility to undergo tests for the rest of her life.

Might as well make the best of it.

I sighed as the weight of everything settled on my shoulders and took one last look to confirm that Maddock was really gone. I kind of liked having another adult to talk to and he was easy on the eyes.

My stomach rumbled.

Or maybe it was because he’d promised me breakfast.

Well, if he wasn’t here to hold to his word then I had no reservations about raiding his pantry. There was also a six-burner cast iron stove in the

kitchen that had me drooling when I’d glanced around. I was dying to check it out.

* The wolf-man was well stocked.

I’d give him that.

The ice chest was full of dozens of eggs, rounds of cheese, a few gallons of sweet-smelling milk that seemed as rich as cream, and some questionable cuts that looked very much like organs.

That kind of meat was expensive in Ethica, and I knew chefs who swore by the taste, but I wasn’t fond of cooking with it. I wrapped the organs back in the paper and placed them on the shelf.

The pantry was stocked too. Potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, giant squash, carrots, and celery–my eyes grew wider at each bin. This selection could rival some of the higher end kitchens and it was all here for the taking.

But it was sparce in the spice department. There was a glass jar of salt and one of sugar, plus a peppery mix that smelled good but I couldn’t place the type of peppercorns with my nose alone.

My mind was already whirling with possibilities for a meal.

We needed something filling but bright. A celebration feast for the start of our new lives. Though we were definitely going to need more spice.

My babies!

The color drained from my face as I sprinted out of the cabin. In all the drama, I’d forgotten about my potted plants stowed in the trunk of the car.

“I am so sorry,” I whispered as I scooped the pots into my arms, turning them so they could bask in the sunlight and checking the leaves for any brown curls.

My basil was full and lush. I’d never pick favorites, but I was

always drawn to my overproducer. I put her pot on the porch and ran back to grab my lavender, cilantro, parsley, and thyme.

They all survived the trip well enough and I found a cup to carry down to the brook, marveling at the clear water that flowed so freely.

Everything about this place seemed unreal.

I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air.

The world still existed outside Ethica’s walls and it was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. We were here and got to live in it.

This was one hell of a hallucination.

*

The rational part of my brain knew how irrational it was to be standing in someone else’s kitchen and preparing a meal, but this was where I’d always felt the most steady so I ignored the voice of reason. My hands were warm in a good way as I minced onions and garlic and sliced tomatoes into thick slabs.

The cast iron stove with the open flame heated beautifully. My skillet sizzled with frying potatoes, turning them golden and crisp. I cracked the

eggs and nestled them into the pan.

The mozzarella was so fresh that it must have come straight from the source. I moaned in ecstasy as I snuck a taste. Then I snipped my basil, breathing in its earthy scent, and let the aroma fill the kitchen.

By the time breakfast was done, I was more than excited about our

new beginning and resolved to thank Maddock properly. I’d even cook him up his organ meats and serve them on his mismatched dinnerware.

Presentation wasn’t important anyway. Especially when I was starving.

“Coral! Kera! Come get some food.” I cupped my hands around my mouth as I called to them from the front porch.

Kera was in her wolf form and bounced playfully around the wildflowers. I didn’t know much about wolves, but she was graceful and quick with her beautiful reddish-gold coat as she dashed around my sister.

Coral looked ridiculous, leaning on her hands and knees in the grass with beads of sweat on her forehead and tendons bulging in her neck.

I thought for a moment she was about to change and my heart caught in my throat, not sure if my already teetering sanity was ready to handle my sister turning into a wolf.

But she fell on her back with a frustrated sigh. “We’re coming.”

*

“What is this?” Kera sniffed the plate.

“Whatever it is, you’re going to love it,” Coral answered as she dug in her fork. “Sage is the best freaking cook.”

I smiled a little at her subtle praise. It’d been a long time since she thought I was brag worthy.

“Eggs caprese over potatoes. I didn’t have balsamic for the reduction, but I figured the caramelized onion glaze could…” My voice trailed off as I looked to the girls who stared at me with glossy eyes and cheeks stuffed full. “Never mind. It’s food. Enjoy it.”

After they’d finished off every last scrap and practically licked the pans, Kera leaned back with a content smile. “I’m so happy you both came here. Things are going to change now for the better. I can feel it in the air.”

“Me too.” Coral nodded eagerly. “I was scared to leave, but now that I know the truth, I never want to go back. I can’t wait to meet my wolf and see what her coat looks like. And I’m really happy we met you.”

To new beginnings. I smiled to myself as I pushed my chair back from the table. Coral was happy and she was fed. My work was done for the morning.

I moved to clear the plates from the table and Kera grabbed my arm. “What are you doing? You cooked for us. We have to do the dishes.”

When Coral stood to help without protest, my jaw about hit the floor. “You can stay.” I laughed.

“Oh good.” Kera looked to the empty pan wistfully. “I didn’t want to leave.”

There was something about the shift of her eyes, a hunger that was more than an appreciation for a meal. It was a craving for a different life.

I recognized that look and reached for her hand. “You don’t have to go anywhere. I mean, you have more claim to your uncle’s house than we do so you should stay, but I do have to ask where your parents are. Won’t they be worried that you’re spending so much time away?”

“Not really.” Kera shrugged, but she wouldn’t meet my eye. “My mom, Delilah, died right after I was born and my dad is the Alpha so he’s mostly busy with…uh…pack stuff. As long as I don’t miss training on Monday, he’ll probably be happy to have me out of the house. I usually hang out with Maddock anyway.”

I was building an image of a father that I already didn’t like. The executive types could be assholes. I also didn’t like how the mention of Maddock spending time with her seemed to make my heart swell.

“I’m sorry for your loss. My mother died during child birth,” Coral said softly, trying to make the girl feel less alone in a room of strangers.

I swear if the whole impure blood thing never happened, she’d be in some kind of diplomatic position. She had a knack for reading the room. “Do you remember what your mother was like?”

Kera shook her head. “All I know is that she was the Alpha’s daughter from the Fenrir pack to the west. My father picked her as a chosen mate and her father agreed to the arrangement.”

“How did she die?” Coral asked.

“She found her fated mate,” Kera whispered.

Her eyes widened and she backtracked. “Being mated didn’t kill her. Gods, that’s not what I meant at all. It happens sometimes when people make a mistake. She was very close with a shifter when she was young and everyone thought they were fated, so when he died, she knew she’d have to pick a chosen mate. Most people don’t know for sure until after puberty hits anyway, but sometimes the loss is so strong that it can feel like the same kind of heart break. But she mated my father and then met her true fated mate. He challenged the Alpha and lost. She didn’t survive the pain.”

The girl’s story pulled at a raw ache in my soul. She was basically an orphan like us. True, she had Maddock and I knew we were strangers, but I decided I was about to adopt her too.

“Whoa, this mate stuff sounds intense,” I tried a joke to lighten the mood. “And I thought dating was hard.”

The girls burst out laughing, sharing a pointed look like there was something I was excluded from. I watched Coral closely and wondered if she’d already gotten that pack link thing. It’d be another way that I was frozen out from the almost adult secrets and thoughts that were budding in her mind.

Kera turned to me with such a happy smile that my heart melted and I forgave their secrets.

“You can choose a mate, but that’s what makes things complicated. Being fated isn’t something to be scared of though. It’s when the stars and destiny align to give you a perfect match. There is only one thing in life

worth as much as that kind of love,” Kera paused to wink at Coral, “finding great friends.”

Stab me with a freaking fork.

The girl was an adorable romantic and her speech had chills running down my spine. When she carried the dishes to the sink, the deal was sealed.

She was ours now.

“I’d like to meet your father soon,” I added because I was still the adult in the room.

“Later.” Coral grabbed the plate in front of me and pointed to the closed bedroom door. “First, you need to get unpacked. Your room is that one. I already picked mine.”

Okay then. I guess we were really doing this.