“I was worried it would come to a point where someone finally did choose to believe it, so I left before things were said that couldn’t be unsaid.” And because she’d needed the time and space to deal with her own grief. “I’d always wanted to do a little traveling anyway. Most avian shifters do.”
Dominic tilted his head, asking, “Why didn’t you go back?” It was odd seeing him without his usual impish grin.
“Every time I thought about it, it just didn’t feel right,” said Riley.
“Of course it didn’t feel right,” said Taryn. “A shifter’s territory is their safe place. That event tainted it for you. And you no doubt felt betrayed by the very people who should always support you. I wouldn’t be in any rush to return either.” She blew out a breath. “You’re truly ready to go back, even if it’s just for the weekend?”
Riley nodded. “It’s time.”
After a moment of silence, Taryn asked, “When do you need to leave?”
“Friday.”
Makenna winced. “Can’t you leave on Saturday instead?”
Riley frowned at Makenna’s worried look. “Why?”
“Taking a trip on Fridays leads to misfortune,” Makenna said sagely.
Ryan closed his eyes, sighing. Makenna was incredibly superstitious and saw signs everywhere. Ryan, however, was a very practical person who believed superstitions were completely illogical.
“Sorry,” said Riley, stifling a smile, “the party’s Friday.”
“I’ll text Shaya and ask if there’s any chance you can borrow Nick’s friend’s private jet,” Taryn said, referring to the Mercury Pack Alphas. The packs were very close, especially since Roni had originally been a Mercury wolf, and so they shared Roni and Marcus. “We’ve done it a few times,” Taryn added. “Where in Arizona does the flock live?”
“Sedona, Arizona.”
Trey rubbed at his jaw. “The question is . . . who do you take with you to Sedona?”
Riley frowned. “I don’t need anybody to come along.”
“None of us go anywhere alone, Riley,” said Trey. “You know that.”
“I was invited,” announced Tao. “Lucy asked me to come.”
“Ah, well, then it makes sense for you to go,” Taryn said to him.
Shaking her head, Riley insisted, “I really don’t need protection.”
“Like Trey said, we don’t go anywhere alone,” said Dante. “The ravens aren’t going to like having a strange wolf on their territory. Tao’s a Head Enforcer—that’s a position people take note of, and it would make anyone very reluctant to fuck with him.”
“What about Kye?” asked Riley. “Tao’s his bodyguard.”
“And I take that position very seriously,” said Tao, “but someone else can take over for a couple of days. You can’t go there without protection, and you know full well I’m not going to hang back here while you leave our territory for the weekend, so why are we wasting time discussing it?”
Turning to fully face him, Riley folded her arms. “Lucy might have invited you, but I didn’t.”
Tao gave a careless shrug. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m going.”
“Tell me honestly, how much of that story did you already know?”
“Most of it,” Tao replied. “I didn’t know you’d been at the shooting or that anyone had even thought to pin the blame on you, but I did know there was one.”
Trick frowned at Tao. “You knew . . . and you didn’t tell us?”
He shrugged again. “It was Riley’s story to tell.”
Dominic arched a brow. “So it was okay for you to know, but not the rest of us?”
“I dug up her story because I needed to be sure that everyone—including Riley—was safe from her past. I wasn’t going to turn her story into a subject of gossip; she didn’t deserve that.” Tao turned to Riley. “Someone’s got to go with you. I want it to be me. If that isn’t what you want, I’ll stay behind.”
“Really?” asked Riley.
“No, but it seemed like a nice thing to say.”
She did her best to fight a smile, but she knew her lips twitched. “I’m done here.” Riley could argue with him all she wanted, but it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. The stubborn wolf wasn’t going to relent. “Where are the kids?”
“Baking cookies with Grace and Lydia,” said Makenna. “They got bored with me.” She pouted, making Riley laugh. All the pack members enjoyed spending time with the kids, but Makenna was always the most eager to do so.
Riley walked out of the living room and through the tunnels until she came to the spacious and modern kitchen.
Savannah looked up and grinned, her hands covered in dough. “Riley, look, we’re making cookies!”
“Cool, I want to help.” Riley spent the rest of the day with them, baking cookies, drawing pictures, and going for a run near the river.
Later that evening she guided them into their small bedroom, smiling as she breathed in the scents of baby powder, fresh linen, and crayons. What had once been a plain guest room was now a charming children’s room. Colorful posters of cartoon figures were tacked to the walls, books were stacked on the niche in the cave wall, and paper, crayons, and coloring books were scattered on a small desk.
As per their usual routine, she helped them change into their pajamas and then switched on the closet light and left the door ajar. Savannah grabbed a stuffed wolf from the overflowing toy box and Dexter chose a small red car before they crawled into their narrow beds.
Riley pulled the soft comforters over them and then knelt on the rug between the beds. “On Friday I need to leave here for a few days.” It would be best to tell them now before they heard it from someone else. It would be the first time she’d been away from them since first meeting them at the shelter, and she suspected it would be hard for all of them.
Savannah clutched the stuffed wolf tight to her. “Leave?”
“Only for the weekend. That’s not long.”
“Why?” asked Dexter, voice low and wary.
“I’m going to see my uncles,” said Riley. “They’re having a party and I’d like to be there.”
“I like parties,” declared Savannah. “Can I come?”
Riley gave her a rueful smile. “Not this time, baby.”
Savannah pouted. “You won’t go alone, will you? Taryn says we shouldn’t go places alone.”
“Tao’s coming with me.”
Savannah’s cute little face scrunched up. “But he’s mean to you.”
“And I’m mean to him.”
Savannah chuckled. “Me too.”
“You’ll be back?” asked Dexter, fiddling with his car.
Riley nodded and said firmly, “I’ll be back.”
The cub held her eyes. “You promise?”
Her chest ached at his plea. “I promise,” she vowed. And that right there answered the question of just how hard it would be for them and for Riley if she left the Phoenix Pack for good. It would be agonizing.
She’d loved the kids since the moment Dexter offered her a stale cookie while Savannah touched her hair, seeming mesmerized by the color. People tended to be wary of ravens, but they hadn’t shown any such wariness. Only curiosity and a loneliness she could relate to. She’d bonded with them in a way she hadn’t with anyone other than her uncles.