Shards of Sanity (Book 6, Forgotten Series)

Chapter Ten

The sun was nearing it's peak in the sky by the time we reached Fortis. The drive had been long and the phone calls I had to make had been just as. The phone calls to friends and family that brought tears to my eyes as I choked out that we had lost Amelia, that Mene had taken her back. Every one of them had made my chest tight and harder for me to breathe.

Then there had been Lilith.

She was a strange creature, conversation with her went no where, her memory was spotty or non-existent in some cases. She was timid and overly shy and it put me into a weird place mentally. The bond was forced on me but I felt that overwhelming urge to just draw her close and hold her tight until she was soothed from her fears. I looked at the jagged scar that now crossed my hand. It looked forced and unnatural on my palm but it was still there. No matter how Lilith acted, no matter how strange the situation was, no matter how out of balance I felt with this bond, Lilith was by my side and she would be there always.

I still didn't know what to feel about that. I loved Catherine, I still did, nothing would ever change that. I had lost her so suddenly and that was a hole and a pain I would never truly recover from. Lilith was there but with her it was different, she occupied a different space. However it did not stop the fact she as standing in the spot of the mate I had loved and had lost.

I knew it wasn't her fault but that didn't stop the flaring of resentment I felt for it. I never asked for another female, never asked for Catherine to be replaced. Yet there it was, the creature that I never wanted who took the one thing I had left of my previous family. I closed my eyes with a sigh, it wasn't her fault. I told myself that again and again and again. I couldn't take that out on her, I never would take my frustration and resentment out on an innocent party.

I opened my eyes and glanced at Lilith from the corner of them. She was sitting with her knees to her chest as she picked at her nails. It seemed to be an entrenched habit of hers and if I was correct, she would start humming soon. It seemed to be a repetitive cycle she would get into. Her silences were punctuated by picking at her nails and humming to herself. I wondered if it was a self-soothing motion, something that helped calm the chaos that was inside of her mind.

The SUV pulled to a stop and I looked at the large pack house. My gaze was drawn to the group of people that stood outside of it, Gamgam stood in front of them all and she moved towards us. She opened the back door, looking at me, the muscles in her jaw twitching as she clenched her teeth. Her eyes were red and I clenched my jaw as my eyes watered. "They are in the back." I gave a shaky inhale and she gave a sharp nod before moving out of the open door. I looked at the priest up front giving a small cough to clear my throat. "Do you have a way to get home?"

He glanced over his shoulder at me, giving me a small smile. "I'm alright. I have a teleportation ready to go. You go and be with family." I nodded at him and took my seatbelt off. I glanced at Lilith and she started humming a low tone. I sighed as I shifted to look at her fully, or trying too, she was still hiding behind those tangled curls.

The back of the SUV opened up and I closed my eyes tilting my head upwards. "Come now, my pui de lupi. I know this is hard." Gamgam's voice was soft and soothing and Shey whimpered before she coughed. I knew it was a precursor to another round of sobs. "Let her go, my pui de lup. You need to let her go."

"I can't." Shey's voice shook and cracked and I shifted to look into the back and she was clinging to Amelia's her shoulders shaking hard as she pressing her face into Amelia's white curls. She let out a small sob, clinging to Amelia as she pulled her little body to her chest.

Gamgam's eyes were filled with tears as she reached out and touched Shey's leg before grasping Luka's as well. "I know this is hard, believe me I do but you need to let go." Tears slid down her cheeks and Luka gave a shuddering exhale before he pulled Shey's arms from around Amelia while she let out a keening sound of distress.