Chapter 459

Nina

After Daphne’s swift departure, I stood alone in the forest clearing, the whisper of leaves and distant birdcalls my only companions.

The realization that she knew more than she was letting on about the yellow-eyed wolf weighed heavily on me. Her help could be instrumental in figuring out whoever was stalking me and my friends, but she was tight-lipped and unwilling to offer her services. I walked back to my car, lost in thought, the gravel crunching under my feet as I replayed our conversation in my mind.

As I drove home, the quiet streets of Mountainview seemed distant and unimportant. My mind was elsewhere, tangled in whatever web had been formed by the yellow-eyed wolf.

And yet, when I pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car, the sound of laughter reached my ears. Furrowing my brow, I circled around the side of the house and spotted my mother and Tyler in the pool, tossing a beach ball back and forth.

“Oh, look who it is,” my mother called out, her eyes shaded by sunglasses. “Where’d you run off to this morning?”

I shrugged. “Just needed a little ‘me’ time,” I said vaguely.

“Understandable,” my mother said, leaning on the edge of the pool. “Why don’t you come in for a swim? It’s supposed to be a scorcher today.”

“Oh, I don’t know—”

“Aw, c’mon,” Tyler said, pushing his lower lip out in that signature pout that I always found impossible to ignore. “The water’s nice. Besides, aren’t pregnant ladies supposed to exercise or something so they don’t get fat?”

“Tyler,” my mother scolded, splashing him. “That’s rude.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright,” I said. “I guess a little swim wouldn’t hurt.”

A little while later, dressed in my bikini, I was stepping into the cool pool water. The sun had risen high into the sky by now, and my mom had been right; it was a hot one today, and it was only going to get hotter as the summer went on.

My mother floated nearby, her hair fanned out around her like a halo. She looked so content, so at peace, that it made my heart swell. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her this relaxed. Maybe never, honestly.

“You know, I can’t remember the last time we did something like this,” I said, swimming closer to her.

She smiled, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “I used to take you and Tyler to the YMCA all the time, you know,” she said.

I furrowed my brow, struggling to remember. My mom, noticing, laughed. “You were little. Tyler was a toddler.”

I nodded slowly as I paddled circles around my mom, holding onto a pool floaty.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure,” my mom replied. “What’s up, sweetie?”

“You… You seem so much happier lately, “ I said softly while Tyler splashed around in the background, doing somersaults under the water like a little kid.

My mom opened her eyes, squinting against the sun. “Do I?”

I nodded. “You do,” I said. “I figured maybe it was Tyler’s recovery, or maybe my dad… But these past few days, being back in Mountainview, you somehow seem even happier than in the werewolf realm.”

My mother paused, considering my words. I saw something flash across her face, something that I couldn’t quite read, before she shrugged. “I always liked it here,” she said. “And besides, it’s nice to visit my daughter.”

“When will you go back to the werewolf realm?”

“Soon,” my mother said with a sigh. “Your father is probably quite lonely by now.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, resting my chin on my pool floatie. “Do you think… Do you think I was too harsh with him? I mean, after everything that’s happened…”

My mom sat up, treading water as she looked at me. “Honey, don’t feel bad,” she said. “Your father has been through a lot, yes; but you’re not your sister. You don’t have to drop everything to try and become like her.”

Her words struck me to my core, made me realize something that I hadn’t noticed yet. Maybe, in a way, I had been trying to fill my sister’s shoes. Despite everything, she was the perfect princess. If the Luna hadn’t wreaked the havoc that she had, then Selena would have made the perfect heir to the throne.

Not me, though. I didn’t want that. It wasn’t… me.

“Mom,” I said softly then, blinking away the tears that threatened to come at the mention of my sister, “what if… what if I don’t want to be the princess?”

My mom blinked at me, taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I don’t know if I’m cut out for it,” I said. “I don’t know if I even want it. God, the thought of someday inheriting the throne makes me sick. It’s the last thing I’d ever want to do.”

There was a silence for a few moments, punctuated only by the sounds of Tyler splashing around in the background and soft music emanating from the speaker, before my mother answered. “You’re young, Nina. Too young to be thinking about something like this.”

“But dad seems to disagree,” I said. “Every other minute he’s reminding me how I’m a princess, how I should act a certain way, live a certain way, be a certain way. I need protection, fancy dresses, better etiquette. I need to live in the werewolf realm, leave my human friends behind…”

“Nina, you know he doesn’t mean that.”

“But how can you be sure?” I asked. “I only met him a few months ago, you know? We barely know each other. And every time he looks at me, I know he sees Selena.”

My mother fell silent again, and this time, she didn’t answer—because Tyler was suddenly swimming up to us, showing off his tricks, and splashing us.

The moment dissipated for now, and maybe that was for the best.

…

Later that evening, as Enzo and I crawled into bed, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm light in the room, I knew it was time to tell him about my encounter with Daphne.

“Enzo,” I began, my voice low, “there’s something I need to tell you about the bird shifter spy.”

Enzo turned to face me, shooting me a quizzical look. “What about it?”

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “Her name is Daphne. I met her today in her human form. She knows about the yellow-eyed wolf.”

Enzo sat up straighter, his interest piqued. “Wait, what? You met her?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I caught her looking at me.”

He swallowed, “So, do we send her back to your father? Tell him to stop sending spies? That’s what you wanted, right?”

I shook my head, my fingers playing with the edge of the comforter. “No, that won’t help,” I said softly. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I know he’ll just send another one. So I was thinking, if we’re stuck with her... why not use her to our advantage?”

Enzo raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

I leaned back against the pillows, my mind racing with possibilities. “Daphne has seen the yellow-eyed wolf. She’s seen it a lot, actually. Maybe we can convince her to follow it, find out where it’s going, who it is.”

Enzo’s eyes lit up at my words. “That’s… not a bad idea, actually,” he said thoughtfully.

“But here’s the thing,” I said. “I asked her, and she said no. We might be able to convince her, but I don’t know how. There has to be something she wants more than money, something to make her turn against my father’s orders, right?”

As I spoke, Enzo furrowed his brow, thinking deeply. “Hm,” he muttered, leaning back on the pillows. “You’ve got a point.”

I let out a soft sigh as I slid down beside him, curling up in the crook of his arm. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and the sensation made me shiver.

“There has to be something,” I said softly as sleep began to wrap its warm fingers around me. “What could a little bird want more than anything else?”