Phantasm [noun] - an illusion, apparition or ghost.

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The next morning, it was lightly snowing. I could see the snowflakes gliding in the air through the gap left by the slightly open curtains. Inside the cabin was warm, though. I was being kept warm by Kane's gentle embrace. He was breathing softly into the curve of my shoulder, and I could feel the short strands of his hair tickling my neck. My head had been resting on the bicep of his broken arm, and even though I was worried about hurting him, he wouldn't hear of my not sleeping in his arms.

Ever since he had helped me fall asleep that first time, right after my fight with Celeste, we had made it a habit to sleep in the same bed. I had never had such a solid sleep routine.

My fingers lightly brushed his other arm that was around my waist, holding me against him. My hand slowly flattened against the back of his hand before I threaded my fingers through his. When I gently squeezed, he stirred and pulled me tighter against him. His breathing deepened for a moment before he tucked his head into my neck and pressed a kiss to my skin, right against my pulse.

"Morning," he murmured, his deep voice vibrating in his chest.

I slowly smiled and closed my eyes. My heart was beating a tattoo in my chest. "Good morning."

His nose traced the curve of my shoulder as he trailed kisses across my skin. He gently turned me onto my side. He smiled warmly, pushing the wispy strands of hair away from my face. My hair was in a bun and a few rebellious strands had escaped the hairband during the night. His eyes scanned my face, and his proximity silenced anything I wanted to say. He was unbelievably handsome.

Since last night too, I was feeling the walls I had up slowly coming down. His confession that he was falling for me filled me with a joy that couldn't be quietened. I had made a habit of not telling Kane things, but he had a way of making me feel safe enough to confess them. It was the only reason he was the sole person who knew what my nightmares were about.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers.

I pressed my lips together to try and suppress my smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He chuckled. "I do."

I stared into his warm and comforting eyes. "I'm thinking about how handsome you are." My gaze didn't waver from his until I noticed the light dusting of red that covered his face. I raised my hand to feel his warm skin and laughed. "Don't tell me I make you nervous."

His hand lifted to grip mine and he kissed the inside of my palm. "I'd be lying if I said you didn't." He held my gaze and his voice softened. "I care about what you think of me."

His heartbeat quickened in the silence.

"Soon enough, you'll be able to read my mind," I joked. I took a deep breath when his expression barely moved. He wanted me to be all in too. I gathered my confidence. "You've become the most important person in my life. I'm glad that I met you because I think you're perfect, especially for me."

He exhaled softly, as if he had been waiting for me to say it. "A part of me died when I looked at my wrist and saw nothing there. How did you feel?"

I dropped my gaze to his shirt. I took my hand from his to flatten it against his chest, just over his heart. "Like someone had torn my heart out and never put it back." Kane and I were two sides of the same coin, two halves of a whole, and we had experienced almost the same things.

"I know the way we met wasn't how either of us wanted it to happen, but how did you feel when you realised you had a mate?"

Vulnerable candour wasn't my strong suit, but his comforting gaze coaxed the answer from me. "Like I could finally breathe. I didn't understand anything but despite everything that was happening, I knew that was when my world started to spin again."

He finally smiled. "If I knew then what I know now, I think that day would've been so different."

I thought back to him chasing me in the early hours of the morning. I suppressed my shiver and focused on the Kane in front of me. "What would you have changed?"

He chuckled and cradled my face with his hand. "Everything. And when we met outside Eryx's house, I would've started with hello and maybe a kiss."

I raised my eyebrows and laughed with him. "You would've kissed me in front of all the alphas and my parents? No, you wouldn't have."

He grinned. "You would've had no reason to hate my guts. But even through your anger, I could tell you were drawn to me."

He wasn't wrong. Even though I was practically blinded by anger, he was still the only one I could focus on. Looking back now, I could remember the first time he touched me. He had wanted to look at my wrist, and it was the first time I could notice the mate pull. His touch had made me feel like I was floating.

I wanted to distract myself from thinking about what had actually happened that day,  so I asked the one question that had been on my mind for years. "What do you think your first words to me would've been if the spell wasn't cast on you?"

His eyes dimmed at the reminder that there was someone out there, Leander and possibly others, who wanted him to feel nothing but misery. I slid my fingers across his jaw to anchor him in the moment. He stared at me in silence for a long moment then cleared his throat. "The face that launched a thousand ships doesn't compare."

The emotion gripped me by the throat and I managed only to let a light exhale escape. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine those words on my skin. Oh, how I wished they were.

His thumb softly rubbed my cheekbone. "It's okay, Rina. It's okay."

I opened my eyes as the pain now gripped my heart. Who could be so cruel as to rob us of that experience? I slid forward and wrapped my arms around him. I buried my head in his chest. "I would've waited a lifetime for you." My words were muffled against his chest, but I knew he heard them. I would've said that to him.

He curled his arms around me and pressed his lips against the top of my head. "I know. I'm here now—we're together now."

We stayed in each other's arms for ten minutes more before my phone vibrated on the bedside table. I slowly turned around and saw my mum's good morning message. We were going to have breakfast with them before we made our way back to Scotland.

"It's my mum. She says breakfast will be done in twenty-five."

Kane sat up. "Okay. Do you want to go shower first?"

I nodded and threw the covers off me. "I'll be quick."

—————

My parents had cooked a full English breakfast. I could smell the meat from outside, and my mouth had instantly watered. I had my plate in front of me but first, I cut up Kane's food where needed so he could just use a fork.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss my temple. "Thank you."

I returned the smile then immediately dug into my own food. I let my parents eat a substantial amount before I raised what Kane and I had come to speak to them about.

"You know I realised you two never really speak about the war much."

My dad almost choked on his orange juice and coughed a few times. "What?"

My mum slowly chewed her mouthful before speaking measuredly. "We kept you from fighting, not only to protect you physically but mentally from the effects of warfare."

My dad recovered. "Why are you bringing up the war?"

I glanced at Kane who was watching my parents. We had agreed that I would take the lead on this conversation. "Kane and I...we learned that there's a reason why we didn't have anything on our wrists. A spell was cast, sometime before or during the war, against Kane so that he would be separated from his mate."

My parents shared a glance.

"Our bond has been fighting against it, but it hasn't come without physical pain. We don't know the extent of the spell's effects or what will happen if we don't complete the mate process soon."

My dad looked uncomfortable and moved in his seat. "So why haven't you?"

My mum nudged him. "That's the question you're asking when our daughter just told us there's a spell that's been causing both of them pain?" Her alarm was clear and she turned to look at us. "This is dark magic, Ri. Do you know who cast it?"

I shook my head and frowned. "I was hoping you'd know."

My dad straightened in his seat. "You think one of the alphas had it done?"

Kane spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm sure of it."

We all looked at him. I placed my cutlery down and laid my hand on his arm. "Do you know anything about any one of them working with a coven during the war?"

The silence was thick between us for an uncomfortable and drawn-out few seconds. My dad finally spoke. "Leander raised the idea—"

"That scheming piece of—" Kane cut in but was himself interrupted.

"He raised the idea when we all realised the extent of your strength. He didn't want to lose the war, but when we got word of the mark appearing on you, Alpha Eryx wouldn't allow him. He threatened to pull the reinforcements we sent. To my knowledge, Leander never went through with it."

The fork bent in Kane's hand and the fury had begun to blaze in his eyes. Amber was quickly turning golden. "And you trust that tyrant had a change of heart? He wants to ruin my life and has dragged my mate into this too."

His words came out mixed with a growl. I knew if he didn't calm down, he would shift right in front of us.

I pushed my chair back so I could turn to face him. "Kane. Breathe."

His eyes snapped to mine, wild and golden. I gasped quietly, and the fear must have been clear on my face because he faltered. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I hesitantly stood up, placed my hands on his shoulders and gently massaged them.

I looked back at my parents. "It's likely, isn't it? That Leander went through with something, even if it wasn't to turn the tide of war."

My mum had a deep frown on her face. "The witches were neutral during the war. And they too know the great meaning of the mark of an alpha. If Leander worked with one, we know nothing of it. Alpha Eryx has never spoken to us about it."

"And how sure are you," Kane replied, trying to keep his voice steady, "that Eryx didn't work with him?"

My dad shook his head. "We've honoured the treaty. By law, he can't do anything to jeopardise it without the pack's knowledge because war will involve us all."

"Law meant nothing before the war." Kane exhaled harshly.

"To Leander," my mum clarified. "And we're no longer just his ally. We're yours now too."

I wanted to take comfort in my parents' words. I wanted to trust that this pack was still my home.

"How do we find out if he did have this spell cast?"

My dad looked between us. "He's a hothead. To accuse him alone of breaking the treaty without proof..."

"She's asking for proof," my mum responded, placing her hands on the table. "Leave it to us. If he's done it, then he's not only put Alpha Kane in danger but you too, Rina. He won't harm you and get away with it."

"Eryx cannot find out about this—not yet," Kane said, sliding his hand up against mine.

My dad nodded. "Fine. We'll reach out to the surrounding covens to see if they know anything."

My mum made a sound in agreement. "I have a favour to cash in."

I sighed in relief and sat down again. "I knew I could come to you with this."

"We're always here for you, Ri. You know that." My dad reached for my hand over the table and squeezed it.

I smiled back. "I know, Dad."

We finished the rest of our breakfast in silence. Kane looked angry, and as if he was trying to stop it from spilling over the edge. When it was time to go, he finally mustered up a smile in my parents' direction.

I brought them each into a tight hug. I wasn't sure when I would see them next.

"We'll see you soon, sweetheart. Be safe." My mum squeezed me in her arms.

"I will."

My dad stood in front of Kane and slowly held out his hand. Kane's eyebrows raised in shock, but he shook his hand gently.

"I'm trusting you to protect and keep her safe," my dad spoke, firmly and seriously.

"With my life," Kane replied.

My dad ended the conversation by dipping his head graciously. I tried to keep my emotions at bay as we made our way out of the house.

Kane held open the car door for me, and I stopped with one leg in the car. "Can we see Tiana and Levi on our way out? They'll be at work in town."

He nodded and waited for me to sit down before closing the door behind me. It was a short drive into town and he parked the car in the supermarket parking lot. We walked hand in hand to their workplace, Levi's family construction store.

They were at the tills when we walked in. Levi spotted us first and smiled when he saw me. Tiana frowned as she realised I was coming to say goodbye.

"I'm going to wait for you outside," Kane murmured in my ear, squeezing my hand before stepping out.

Tiana and Levi came around and I stood in the middle as I hugged them. "You two should come up and visit sometime. I'd love for you to see how beautiful the territory is."

"We'd like that," Tiana replied into my shoulder.

Levi had an arm around us each. "It was nice to see you, Ri. We're glad you came back to visit."

I stepped back and looked up at him. "It was nice to see you too."

Tiana patted my shoulder. "Video call from now on, yeah? We still have our phones."

I laughed. Hopefully, things would die down enough for me to have time. I knew, though, that I would make the time. Seeing them again made me realise how much I had missed my friends. "Of course."

Tiana glanced at Levi and took a step back. "I'll leave you two to it."

Levi sighed and smiled sadly. "We both knew it was coming, didn't we?" he spoke. I didn't say anything, and so he continued. "I know this is a conversation we've both avoided having, so I'll keep it short. I knew one day I'd meet my mate—I was just holding out on the hope that it would somehow be you. Now that I know it's not, I just want you to be happy. I'd rather be your best friend than a stranger, so I'll respect your mate bond."

I stared at him and gently touched his arm. "Your mate will be lucky to have you. I can't wait for you to meet her."

Levi blew out a breath. "Yeah, me too. Take care of yourself, Ri."

I pulled him into another hug. "You too, Lee."

When I met Kane outside, my heart felt lighter. Our visit was ending with more closure than I was expecting. Kane slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer as we began to walk.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah." I reached up and linked our hands. "Let's go home."

We quickly got back to the car and began our drive back to Scotland. When we had left town, the stretch of road captured my attention. I hadn't left my home town much before meeting Kane, but this route was particularly picturesque. It was lined with trees on the right-hand side. The woods began off the main road.

Kane warmed the car up as he drove.

We had only been driving for ten minutes when Kane winced. I wasn't ashamed to admit I was watching him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded, squinting his eyes at the road ahead. "Yeah. It's just my head."

"Do you need some painkillers?" I asked as I reached towards my bag.

"No. I'm—what?" his gaze turned to the side of the road. I followed it to see the deer that was coming out onto the road.

I expected him to slow down, but both hands lifted off the steering wheel to suddenly grip his head. He groaned in pain, and I could've sworn he was beginning to shift as his bones moved slightly underneath his skin.

"Kane!" I exclaimed, gripping the steering wheel and turning it hard to avoid hitting the deer.

We veered off the main road, but before we could hit anything, he slammed his foot on the brake. The car jolted as we came to an emergency stop, and I felt the seatbelt dig into my skin.

He leaned back into his seat and tipped his head back. He forced his eyes open and exhaled, getting control of the shift. My heart was racing with fear and I watched him, alarmed.

He quickly turned his attention to me, panting. "Are you okay?" he put the car in park and took his seatbelt off. His hands were all over me as he checked me over.

"I'm okay!" I gasped, gripping his hands. "Are you okay? What just happened?"

The disbelief was clear on his face. "The deer, Rina. I didn't see the deer—I saw you."