Chapter 1
James
The familiar scents and scenery of my home enveloped me as soon as I crossed the border. The ever-present forest that held all my best memories whizzed past my window.
My clan was 10,000 wolves strong, but our lands were spread out.
Some of the territories had been my mother’s legacy and some had belonged to Clan Douglas since the dawn of time. That meant traveling across other clans’ land, which meant gifts and welcome receptions everywhere I went.
It had been three months since I saw my family or my home.
I had bought a new truck before I left, but I was sick to death of it now. I had covered every inch of the Douglas clanlands and checked in with every wolf personally. I had a notebook full of notes about the different regions and a running count of members. Births, marriages, matings, and deaths were all logged.
I still wouldn’t finish the census report for months, but it only happened every decade, and this was my first trip as the Ceannaire.
Having seen so many clansmen with their families made my heart ache.
I don’t have a wife that makes my heart swell.
I don’t seem capable of having a mate that knows me through to my soul.
My niece didn’t run to the door in excitement when I got home before; now, after three months, it seemed unlikely that she would.
I drove to a nearby pull-out and saw my brother waiting for me in his blue pickup truck. He waved when he saw me, and I waved back. By the time I pulled up beside him, he was outside of his truck.
Niamh was just a few inches shorter than me; he was probably six feet. He had similar facial features, but he had Mom’s pale blue eyes and I had Dad’s gray eyes.
We both trained like the beasts we were, so our physiques were similar—too tall and too bulky to be completely comfortable anywhere.
My brown hair was longer and messier than his brown hair.
We hugged and patted each other on the backs. We talked about his wife, kid, and soon-to-be-born baby, and a few clan matters. Niamh was Coimhdeacht, the guardian of our clan and head of security.
I was eager to check on Rhia. We did not have the kind of relationship that a lot of families did, and I wanted to remedy that.
“How is Rhia?” I asked.
My brother sighed.
“She seems okay, but I haven’t seen much of her honestly. Every time we tried to see her, Sheena had already made plans for the day.”
“I suppose they are busy, trying to get to know each other.”
Niamh grunted.
“I visit her at daycare a few times a week,” he said. “She seems okay.”
I was surprised to find out that Rhia was attending daycare.
Why does she go to daycare if Sheena doesn’t work? She doesn’t have any other responsibilities. Maybe she just needs a few hours to herself.
Where the fuck is my niece?
“That is probably where she is now,” he added. “If I had to guess. Want me to take you?”
I nodded and rushed around the hood to the passenger seat.
I went to the daycare, eager to surprise Rhia, but it was empty. I had never been there before, so I wasn’t sure if that was typical.
Do they close early on Fridays?
I took my brother’s walkie-talkie and asked where all the kids were. I was told that one of the daycare workers took them into town every Friday afternoon.
“One worker?” I asked. “How many kids?”
“Thirteen,” she replied.
“You think one person can handle over a dozen kids?” I barked. “Rhia is a handful. Sheena can barely handle her alone.”
The woman on the other line laughed but quickly corrected herself.
“Forgive me, Ceannaire, that wasn’t intentional,” the woman said. “But I assure you, Morrigan has the situation under control. She would never let anything happen to the kids—but especially Rhia. They are attached at the hip.”
I told my brother to drive me into town.
“Morrigan,” I said, trying to place a face with the name. “Who is that? The name sounds familiar.”
“Everything I know anout her past is just from my background check.
She is a refugee. She was raised by humans. She is a full-blooded wolf. She shifts, but she doesn’t really participate in any of the clan hunts.”
“Why did she want to come here?” I asked.
“She’s an orphan. I want to say that her parents were killed in a clan dispute and she was cast out as a result. Raised by humans, but you know how that goes—wolves should be around other wolves.”
I nodded in agreement.
“She also practices the ancient ways. She does moon baths. Started prayer groups. Won’t marry any man that isn’t her mate.
Wears the icon all the time. Has brought the faith back to the preschool. She doesn’t call herself Seanchaì but she is definitely Seanchaì.”
“She’s that faithful?”
My brother nodded.
He paused and something in his expression shifted.
“And James- she has gold eyes.”
Seanchaí was the equivalent of a priest or priestess. Someone whose entire life was guided by faith.
We hadn’t had anyone claim the title in our clan since my grandfather married someone from the Ón clan instead of his mate. They left us to live in sin and another never found us. There were Seanchaì in many of the other clans still.
“I must have approved her move, but that was months back.” I said.
“I think it was around when Dana died,” Niamh said. “I want to say that she came the same day that Rhia did.”
That must be why I don’t remember. Our baby sister’s death had done a number on my psyche.
“Did she go before the council or anything? I feel like I heard her name more recently.”
I racked my brain trying to remember.
“Probably because every single male in the clan is trying to mate with her,” Niamh said. “It feels like everytime she goes out, I’m called to break up a fight. She hasn’t found her mate yet.”
“Hasn’t she?” I asked. “I thought Faoil never left a fertile female wolf unmated.” My tone showed more annoyance than I intended.
My brother shrugged, ignoring my jab.
“Who knows? Maybe her mate is in her old clan. Maybe she isn’t fertile. You’re the one that’s supposed to fix our reproductive issues, bro.”
I sighed.
Our birth rate was lower every year and fewer of our youth were shifting. Those that did shift, shifted later and later. It turned out, it was worse than I thought.
“There is one weird thing about her,” he told me with a mischievous grin. “I don’t want to tell you though, because I want to see if you notice.”
No one seemed to know exactly where this woman had taken my niece and the other kids, so we drove around the small town looking for the daycare van.
We found it outside the fast-food restaurant. It looked closed from the outside, but as I approached the building I could see movement inside.
I could hear uproarious laughter and shouting even from the sidewalk. I peeked in the window to see kids running around and bumping into each other on an enclosed play structure.
A short, curvy woman with black hair to her shoulders was watching them play and laughing. A child ran up to her and she bent down to lift them into the air and spin.
I noticed her posture change as my eyes settled on her. Her eyes darted toward me, as if she could sense me.
Strong instincts, I thought.
I don’t know what I thought a Seanchaì would look like but it wasn’t what I saw. I could see why the men of the clan were interested in her.
I tore my eyes away from the beauty and searched for Rhia. She was playing with a group of girls, running and giggling. My heart melted.
I finally opened the outside door and an avalanche of sound overcame me.
“Sorry,” a teen yelled from the counter. “This is a private event.”
I glanced at him sharply.
“Oh—sorry, Ceannaire,” he said. “I didn’t realize it was you.”
I nodded at the little turd and kept moving.
The woman looked at me. As I approached, I could sense her anxiety. That was a pretty common reaction to seeing me—I was the Ceannaire and that scared people—but this was a different response. She looked at me like I was a ghost.
At some point between me seeing her from outside and me entering, she pulled her hair into a low bun. I noticed her pull her icon necklace out of her collar and straighten it.
She was tiny, just over five feet, I guessed. I couldn’t smell her at all—not as human and not as a shifter.
How strange. That has to be what Niamh was talking about.
I had never met a living being that I couldn’t scent before.
She took a breath and steadied herself staring at me.
She does have golden eyes.
I had never met anyone with golden eyes before. People used to think that it was a sign of being favored by the gods.
She didn't smile at me. She made eye contact so intense it made me hesitate.
She didn't hesitate.
“Can I help you?”
