childhood.


    Her words caught me by surprise. Not because they were true, but because she felt they were. "Oh, baby." I cupped her face. "Just because you are a shaman, and you see more than you should, doesn''t mean I have to add any more on to ruin You are a kid, and I want you to stay that way until you are older."


    She pouted. "But why?"


    your


    I crouched down so I could be level with her. "Being old isn''t what it''s cracked up to be. We have bills and responsibilities. But most of all, we worry. We worry about what going to happen, what our actions will do, and what we can''t help. That''s not fun." I tugged on her pigtails. "I want you to be a kid. When all of this is over, you are going to be going to school with the other kids. You will get to y, and just grow up at your own pace. Don''t rush it, okay?"


    She watched me for a minute and then nodded. "Okay."


    I smiled and kissed her head. "Good." I stood up and walked out of the room. Carly caught up to me and slipped her tiny hand into mine, and we ended up walking down the stairs with each other. "Okay, I''ll be back in a little while and then we will get started on


    the box of paperwork."


    "Are you looking for something?" Her voice was soft, but eager.


    "I don''t honestly know. Maybe?" I chuckled as she looked at me with her tiny pinched brows. “I guess we will find out together."


    I winked at her and then stopped with Toya and Wendy. "Hey."


    "Hey." Toya smiled as she washed the dishes. "How are you feeling?"


    "Yeah, your mom caught us up." Wendy came over and rubbed my back. "It''s a lot."


    I huffed out a breath. "Yeah." I shook my head. "But I have bigger things to focus on." I leaned in to Wendy. "Today when Ie back, I have to work on paperwork, and Carly is going to help. But when she goes to bed, I want to talk about the n."


    "n?" Toya perked up. "Are we moving on soon?"


    I nodded. "We are." I sighed. "But I want to talk to my dad first."


    Wendy nodded. "Makes sense." She turned away, but then looked at me over my shoulder. "Where are you going?"


    "Back to the apartment building." I walked to the door. "My father...he used magic to keep stuff from me. Said it was for the


    best."


    Toya scoffed. "All dads think they know best, but mostly they are just too afraid of their kids growing up."


    I rolled


    my eyes, "That sounds...exactly right." I huffed out anotherugh and then I headed to the back door. "I''m just going to


    run there and back." My two friends nodded. "Tell my mom when shees down to where I went."


    Toya smirked. “She''s been up. She''s outside right now, texting your father.” Toya wiggled her eyes brows, and I wanted to vomit.


    "Gross." My best friendsughed as I walked outside to see my mother in shorts and a t-shirt with her phone in her hands. She


    looked like any normal twenty something year old woman, and not the fifty something she actually was. A smirk hit her lips, and


    I grimaced. "Mom, ew."


    Her head snapped up, and she blushed as she slid her phone on to the table. "Baby. I didn''t hear you." The tips of her ears turned


    pink as she looked away.


    Iughed. "Do you hear yourself? You are a wolf who didn''t hear meing. Tell daddy I said hi." I shook my head as I looked


    down at her.


    Her ears turned a brighter red. "Oh shush. He just said something...funny." She couldn''t even meet my eyes.


    I held up my hand. "I cam honestly say. I do not want to know." Sheughed as I pushed away at her. Her face was alight in a way


    I hadn''t seen in years. "You look happy." Her face stilled for a moment.


    Then she smiled bigger than before. "I am happy." She looked down at the table and touched her phone. "Soon I''ll be able to see


    my mate again. And we can get back to the life the goddess has given to us." She sat back, then looked at me. "I spent so many


    years hurt and angry that he betrayed us. But sitting here knowing I was the one that did and he is still willing to ept me puts


    things into perspective a bit."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I will never say stay in an abusive or hurtful rtionship, but I will say this. Forgiveness, whether it is for the other person, or


    just for yourself, is more important than holding on to the pain and anger." Her eyes were soft. "Even if you never mate with


    Rowan, forgiving him...and yourself costs nothing and will save you so much wasted time."