Page 103 of Wolf's Providence

I was going to cry. “I thought I was, and then I found something out, something that made me question everything.”

“Tell me?”

How do you explain blood magic?

“Have you ever been so caught up in the moment, you thought it was perfect, and you’re ignorant of everything, andthen the bubble bursts and the outside world comes in, and you start to question everything?”

“I think so?” She thought about it. “My first boyfriend was a bad boy.” She saw my look and grinned. “I know, no surprise. He was abad, bad boy though. Dad hated him. It made me only want him more. He did crazy shit. Dangerous. I thought it was sexy. And then one night he took it too far, people got hurt. It’s not so sexy when the police come and ask you where you were the night of a robbery.”

“Oh shit.”

Lily sniffed. “So yeah, when I woke up out of my lust-filled haze, I saw he wasn’t fun, he wasn’t sexy, he was just a thug.” She gave me a thin smile. “Is that what you mean?”

No. Never. Maybe?

“Kind of. I thought I was happy. Until I learned something about Caleb, about something he did, and now I don’t know what to think.”

“Did he hurt someone?”

Depends who you asked…

“No. Not really.” I shook my head. “Not like that.”

“Did he refuse to help someone?”

“Caleb? Never.”

Lily bit her lip as she watched me. “Cheat?”

“No.” I saw her about to speak. “He did lie though.”

She frowned. “Who told you he lied?”

“He did.”

We held each other’s stare. “Is it forgivable?” She leaned forward and patted my hand.

Her question struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “I don’t know yet,” I replied, the truth of it filling me with relief and a sense of revelation. “But it’s complicated. There’s so much I still need to figure out.”

Lily let out a thoughtful hum. “When you get to that point, I’m here to listen. But only you can know the answer.” Lily moved in her chair. “Doc was looking for you. He’s worried. It’s been a long time since he saw you, he said.” She flicked imaginary hair from her pant leg. “There a story there?” she asked not so innocently.

Hearing Doc’s name made my heart twist. I felt a pang of guilt for how easily I had let my old life fade into the background. “No, nothing like that. He’s a good friend. I haven’t needed to see him,” I said. “But I’ll give him a call. I’ve missed his unique style of doctoring.”

There was a pause as Lily watched me. “Well, make sure you give him enough of your time. It’s not everyone who has such a committed doctor.”

That was true, but I didn’t think it mattered to Doc.

“I’m planning to stay a little longer this time,” I assured her, though a tug in my heart reminded me of the mountains and Caleb. “I just…need to see everyone and catch up.”

“Good. You better be ready for all the hugs,” she said, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I looked out the window, letting the familiar view blur as my mind drifted to Caleb. His quiet strength, his protectiveness, the way he’d become this steady presence in my life, even if he’d tried to keep his distance at first. I hadn’t planned on feeling this way, on finding someone who felt like…home.

I hadn’t planned on questioning the truth of how I felt. Were the feelings mine, or were they the result of shifter magic?

I thought about the fact I’d been drawing him, pulled to him, long before I almost died. The attraction had always been there. The need to help had always been inside me.

The need to be with him…it wasmineand mine alone.

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