"There is darkness in light,
There is pain in joy,
And there are thorns
On the rose."

~~ Cate Tiernan

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~Nova~

The forest was dark, the earth slick beneath my feet as I did my best to follow Hatter. I hated the dark, a fear I hadn't quite been able to outgrow. But it wasn't the time to dwell on childish paranoia, Hatter's pace slowing to a stop as he stared out into the shadows. I couldn't see or hear anything, but his senses were better than mine and all I could do was trust his judgement.

My teeth chattered slightly and my clothes were heavy and cold, the wet material weighing me down. A warning growl emanated from Hatter, the sound low as it rumbled through his chest. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and goosebumps raised on my arms as I held my breath, my heart pounding loud in my ears. 

"What is it?" I breathed, the words almost inaudible.

Hatter didn't say anything, only giving a slight shake of his head. As quietly as I could, I moved to stand beside him, cringing when a twig snapped under my weight. I closed my eyes, mentally cursing in two different languages, before risking a glance at Hatter. The clouds shifted above the trees allowing moonlight to trickle through the leaves and creating patches of light across his face. Even with the shadows mixing with the moonlight, there was no mistaking the narrowing of his eyes as he silently scolded me.

I smiled sheepishly and shrugged, unable to take back the mishap but hoping that whatever had caught Hatter’s attention hadn’t heard it. With slow and careful movements, he turned his body and moved closer to me until his chest lightly brushed mine. Hesitant to move and make any more sound, I held myself as still as possible despite the jittery energy that begged me to… I had no idea what I was supposed to do but whatever it was, it did not involve standing still. 

He leaned closer until his lips grazed the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, and whispered, “There are wolves here and they seem to be looking for your mother as well.”

Before I could fully process what he had said, the sound of short howls and yips filled the night air. I looked over Hatter’s shoulder and into the darkness but I couldn’t see anyone or anything.

“And they’ve found her.”

His words made my blood run cold as the triumphant calls from the wolves grew louder.

“Where is she, Hatter?” I asked, looking up at him. “I know you’ve seen her, too.”

If the wolves had found her and were getting closer to us, there was no way that he hadn’t seen her already. For some reason he hadn’t mentioned it or maybe he hadn’t had the chance. Either way, my mother was in danger and I couldn’t help her if I didn’t know where she was.

“Nova, let me deal with this,” Hatter tried to reason but I shook my head.

“I’m not fragile and I’m not helpless, but I can’t see in the dark,” I whisper-shouted. “You can tell me where she is, or take me there, but I’m not going to just stand in the dark while you do all the work.”

“Are you hearing yourself right now? This is not a competition and I know you aren’t weak, but this is at least a dozen wolves, Nova,” Hatter replied quietly but still remaining calm. “They could easily outmaneuver you and rip your throat out.”

I opened my mouth to argue again but he cut me off.

“Or rip your pretty little head right off your shoulders and I don’t know about you, but I kind of like it where it is,” Hatter growled, his amber eyes glowing bright in the darkness. “Now, I’ll take you to her but if I say run, you better fucking run. Do you hear me?”

Clamping my mouth shut, I nodded and was secretly relieved that I wouldn’t have to wander through the dark woods towards a bunch of shifters all by myself. I’m sure if I voiced that concern to Hatter he would just laugh at me and I was in no mood to be made fun of.

“This way,” he whispered as he turned and made his way through the darkness, his steps silent as if he were a ninja.

I did the best that I could in doing exactly as Hatter was doing but compared to him I sounded like a drunk elephant I’m sure. This was one of those moments that I wished the gods would let me have wings. It would have made my life, and Nevada’s, so much easier in probably a hundred different ways, but no. The gods had a sick twisted idea of humor and only gave them to fae on rare occasion after proving their worth or some other stupid shit. I had never bothered to figure out how to get them as I never planned to need wings.

The yips and howls suddenly ceased and the sound of a woman sobbing somewhere up ahead of us could be heard in the night. I glanced at Hatter before increasing my pace and hoping that I didn’t find a root with my foot and find myself face first in the mud. I could feel the excitement coming from the shifters, along with fear that I guessed to be that of my mother, which let me know I was getting closer. I may have been pissed at her but I couldn’t just let wolves tear her to shreds just because I held a childhood grudge.

Pushing through a thick patch of brush, I stumbled into a small clearing and found my mother cowering on the ground. I didn’t see any of the wolves but I could feel them, their anxious energy bursting from the edge of the trees like invisible starbursts.

“Mom, are you alright?” I asked, crouching down beside her and putting my hand on her arm.

She let out a startled yelp, her eyes wide as she whipped around and would have fallen backwards if I hadn’t held her upright. Her breathing was heavy and her body was trembling beneath my hand.

“Oh, Nova baby!” she exclaimed in relief before throwing her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“It’s not safe, mom. You need to get up,” I told her as I stood and tried to pull her to her feet.

“That little faery isn’t going anywhere with you,” a familiar voice spoke from behind me. Recognition sparked in my mind and anger flared in my chest as I whipped around.

There stood a skyclad Jackal fresh from a shift back into his human form. He was the arrogant piece of shit that had harassed Nevada on more than one occasion before he had tried to kill us with his pup squad at the theatre. August and Hatter had thankfully shown up when they had, before either of us had been injured horribly. However, that had been before my magick had grown stronger, before I had gained more control over it.

"I see you're still alive," I pointed out in a bored tone. "Whatever you thought you were going to do, I suggest you find another way to spend your night."

"On the contrary, I think this is exactly how I want to spend my night," Jackal leered, his eyes traveling to my mother who clung to my side. "Besides, this one is owed some attention, aren't you sweets?"

She shook her head and stepped even further behind me, shielding herself from his gaze as her trembling intensified. It was then that I realized Hatter hadn't followed me into the clearing, yet I could feel his presence just out of sight. It felt hazy, muddled as a voice would be underwater. Pushing the confusion of his energy away, I focused on Jackal.

"You have no business with her, dog," I jeered as magick began to churn to life inside me. "Take your mangy ass back to your master like a good little mutt and leave us the hell alone."

The leaves on the bushes behind Jackal rustled before being pushed aside. At least a dozen wolves crept into the clearing on either side of him, their teeth bared as they growled obviously offended by my words. My muscles tensed, ready for an attack, but nothing happened. Instead, Jackal held up his hand to them and they stilled but kept their golden eyes trained on my mother and I.

"You're outnumbered, young prince," he chuckled darkly, gesturing around the clearing. "Magick or no, there are more of us than there are of you and we could rip you to pieces where you stand."

Despite my common sense, I laughed.

"You think your band of raggedy little pets is going to frighten me?" I scoffed. 

One of the wolves took a step forward, snarling angrily and the snap of his jaws expressed the power behind them. I wasn't afraid of them, however, even though I knew I should use caution. Too much had happened tonight, leaving my emotions raw and ugly, and I let that fuel my magick as it swelled in my veins.

"Easy, Jazz. We'll get our chance soon enough." Jackal laid a hand on the wolf's head in an attempt to calm him yet the wolf whipped his head to the side with a snarl directed at Jackal as well.

I could feel a mix of emotions coming from the wolf and it was obvious to me that he didn't want to be part of this confrontation. He hadn't appreciated my insult but he didn't seem to be happy with Jackal either, which was almost intriguing. Movement in the corner of my eye drew my attention and I saw Hatter strolling out of the woods, his eyes blazing. Jackal must have recognized him as his face paled visibly and he took a step back.

"That's impossible," he mumbled in disbelief. ". Where did you come from? Why didn't any of you tell me he was here?! You're supposed to be dead."

"I am, you pissant," Hatter growled, his dual canines shining in the moonlight as fury rolled off his body with an intensity that nearly knocked the breath from my lungs. "And you will be soon."

"Listen, man, hey it wasn't personal," Jackal defended, laughing nervously while holding his hands up in a peaceful manner. "It was business, you know, what's best for the pack and all that."

What the hell was happening? I felt my mother shaking uncontrollably behind me, her fear mixed with Hatter's rage was almost suffocating. I attempted to dislodge her to get some distance but she held on with a death grip. Trying to block out the emotions that threatened to choke me from everyone around me, the first tendrils of fear from the wolves making it increasingly difficult, I forced my focus on the scene before me. 

But the sight of an almost solid white wolf, silver strands catching the light of the moon, called my attention instead. It's brilliant blue eyes burning with an indescribable emotion, it approached our fucked up group of rivals. The wolf didn't pay any attention to my mother or myself, its sole focus being on Hatter. I had never seen a wolf so beautiful, or large for that matter. Its thick white coat rippled in the moonlight as it moved and its head came nearly to my chest.

The other wolves behind Jackal noticed this new wolf and took several steps back before lowering their heads in submission. Jackal had his eyes locked on Hatter who looked ready to rip out Jackal's throat at any second. The wolf that was called Jazz was sitting on his haunches, looking between the two with a mix of confusion and fascination, but none of the three realized we had a new addition to this party of ours.

"Hatter!" I hissed, trying to get his attention.

"Not now, Nova," he growled maliciously without taking his eyes off Jackal.

"No, seriously, Hatter!" I called again, this time more urgently as the white wolf paused a few feet in front of me. 

I held my breath when it turned its head to look at me, cocking its head to the side as if trying to figure me out. I could feel the power coming from it that signified this wolf was definitely an alpha. 

"What?!" Hatter snapped impatiently as he finally looked towards me.

I didn't say anything because there was no need. The mysterious wolf took a step closer and sniffed curiously at my shirt and then my hands, before finally up towards my face, an odd look flashing in its eyes just before it turned away to look at Hatter. I did the same and was shocked to see that his demeanor had completely changed. His eyes had reverted back to their normal warm amber and all traces of his hybrid abilities gone.

He looked completely normal except for the fondness that swirled in the golden depths and the smile that played on his lips.

"I had been told you were dead," Hatter spoke with quiet wonder to the wolf while the rest of us seemed frozen as we watched.

The wolf's fur rippled and I watched as this strange creature that Hatter seemed to know and love turned into its human form. The man stood, in all his naked glory, and smiled at Hatter. He was so familiar yet I couldn't figure out why or where I may have seen him before.

"I've missed you too, brother."

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A/N: Hope to have another chapter ready soon!

Getting to the good stuff 😇😈

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~SM~