Page 52 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
She smiles and nods, continuing the braid while I hold the opposite end for her. Once she’s ready for another shell, she adds it the way I showed her, glancing up. “Like this?”
I nod and grin. “Exactly like that.”
Looking beyond pleased with herself, she keeps going, eventually nattering on about something I don’t have the full context of.
For a moment, I forget that I’m the outsider here. The witch everyone else is wary of. Instead, they allow me to simply be a woman sitting in the sand with the children and elders, participating in something profoundly symbolic. It’s something I’ve never done before, yet they’ve welcomed me into it anyway.
Something about that makes my heart ache.
It’s hard to ignore how much I actually want this…the belonging and quiet acceptance. In a way, it feels like a betrayalto the defenses I’ve built, and to the part of me that knows I shouldn’t be lulled into thinking I’m safe.
But resistance is draining, and I’m tired.
I catch as Jonah’s attention turns to me and the little one, and there’s something more lighthearted in his gaze now. “It’s nice to see you here, Sera.”
The claim catches me off guard, and initially, I want to assume he doesn’t mean it, but the sincerity in his voice says otherwise.
He seems to catch on to my surprise, and he hums. “Traditions are strongest when they are shared.”
Even if it isn’t an apology or full acceptance, it feels like the start of something more positive.
***
When more darkness surrounds us and the shared laughter and joy start to ebb, a few of the sleepy young ones are collected, and some of the older kids head back to the main fire or head home with their parents. Our group is smaller now, with a handful of elders and kids remaining, along with Eve.
The torches burn lower now, then, without warning, the air shifts, and I feel it before I understand it.
Jonah goes still at the same time I do, and he glances toward the tree line.
A scent reaches us through the wind, but it’s all wrong. It’s sharp and cold, and one I’m far too familiar with.
Wraith Peak.
Before the thought fully forms, I’m on my feet, and I feel Eve’s hand around my wrist.
Five figures step out together, slipping from the darkness like shadows taking on tangible forms. Two are shifted while the other three remain in their human shapes, all big and menacing with their predatory gazes.
The children still, when they realize, and the elders rise to shield them.
“Why are you here?” Jonah calls to them, slowly standing to his full height.
One of the men I don’t recognize grins, but it’s more like baring his teeth. “You know what we want.”
My stomach drops as every piece falls into place in my mind. They’re not here for a fight or to challenge anyone. With only the elders and a few young ones around, the rest are too far, and some are even gone home for the night as the festivities have started to dwindle.
They’re cornering us on purpose. At least, they’re trying to corner me.
“Stay behind us,” one of the elders murmurs, though despite their calm tone, the kids fill with fear at once.
Looking between the pack members and the Wraith Peak wolves as they start to spread out, aiming to circle us, my heart pounds.
Their eyes are set on me, but even if I’m the target, nothing is stopping them from taking one of the children or harming the elders. I can’t let that happen.
One of the kids breaks away in tears, heading for the path back to the clearing, slipping just out of Eve’s reach. At the same time, one of the shifted wolves lunges at them with a snarl.
Immediately, magic pulses inside me, surging fast and instinctively. Without time to shape it carefully like I usually do,I send the energy out, reaching into the sand and stone beneath it, and I yank.
As the wolf snarls, the sand shoots upward, sending it soaring backward with a yelp before colliding with the ground. It scrambles, claws trying to find traction in the unstable earth beneath it.
