Shaking my head, I glance over at Pruitt. “We should probably head to Esme’s,” I tell her before I stand and move to pull her seat out for her.
“Do I have to change?” Pru looks down at the cut off shorts, and my oversized hoodie she’s wearing. I love the fact she’s wearing something with my scent on it, thus making her smell of me. It’s a way of marking her that makes my wolf happy.
“No, you don’t have to change,” I assure her, reaching for her hand as we walk out of the room.
“I still can’t believe we’re going to go see a witch,” she mumbles under her breath.
“You’re in our world now.” I smile at her. “This is just the beginning of the crazy.”
Behind us, I hear Remi choke on something. “For the love of God, what is in this smoothie, and why does it taste like dirt?”
“She isn’t wrong.” Pru covers her mouth with her free hand to stifle her laughter.
19
Pruitt
I look around Esme’s shop like I did a couple of days ago, but this time I know Esme is a witch, and the things I’m looking at aren’t just for decoration. They’re meant for spells and charms.
“Well, if it isn’t Ryker Weylyn,” Esme's musical voice comes from behind us, and we spin to look at her. Unlike the other night when she was wearing the long skirt and loose blouse, she has on a simple pair of jeans and a floral top. It’s understated compared to what she was wearing before. Her eyes are as dark as I remember them being, so black I swear they reflect the light.
“Esme.” Ryker smirks at the woman, and reaches down to give her a big hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“I never thought I would see you in my shop again,” Esme responds before leaning back to check him over. “Now, let me get a good look at you.” She starts at his toes, and her gaze travels up, taking in every aspect of him. “Your aura looks much better than it did the last time I saw you. I would assume this pretty girl would have something to do with that.” She waves her hand in my direction. “Having Grey back in your life must bring you such relief.”
“It’s Pruitt,” I correct her. “My name is Pruitt. I…I don’t remember being Grey Thorne. And that’s actually why we’re here.”
“You were the one who locked away her memories and her wolf,” Ryker explains. “And now we need you to get them out.”
Esme’s face falls as she looks at us. “I told Addison fourteen years ago it would be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse those spells. Her memories, I’m certain are lost forever.”
“I’m not worried about my memories.” I step forward. “As far as I’m concerned, the person those memories belonged to died with my parents that night, and if I’m honest, I think it’s best I don’t get those memories back. I don’t need those back. But I need my wolf unbound.”
“I’m running out of time,” Ryker tells Esme, and I wince when he says the words. When Avery said them, it was easy not to believe her, but now Ryker is admitting that he’s feeling the consequences of not having a mate.
“How long do you have?” Esme’s voice is full of sorrow as she questions Ryker.
Ryker pauses before answering. “Not long, a couple months, maybe?”
“You’ve been feeling this way for a while?”
“Yes, it started about six months ago,” he tells us. “I thought there was no hope, I figured I would take out as many rogues as I could along the way then take myself out before I turned.”
“You were going to kill yourself?” I choke out, my stomach lurching as I speak.
“I couldn’t let myself turn into one of those monsters, and now I can’t have you watch me turn into one…”
“So, that’s still your plan?” I recoil when he reaches for me. “If I can’t shift, you’re going to kill yourself?” The vibrating feeling in my chest returns, and my heart rate increases, pounding hard in my chest.
“Pru…”
“Don’t! I did not—” I pause, shaking my head. “We did not go through all we went through to have you kill yourself if I can’t shift. That isn’t an option.” I whirl around to face Esme. “You better tell us what we can do, because I’ve spent fourteen years thinking I was missing something, and now I’m not going to watch that something take his own life.”
“It would appear your wolf isn’t as bound as we had originally thought…” Esme breathes, her obsidian eyes scanning me.
“What? Why do you say that?”
“Pru, your eyes are glowing, and we can feel your power,” Ryker tells me, a proud look on his face.
“My power?” I repeat.
“Yes, every wolf has power,” Esme explains, “and it would appear you’re a very powerful wolf. Which is why your wolf has been able to break through the spell I bound her with. It’s not surprising considering Archer and Genevieve were both very strong alphas. Both born alphas if I remember correctly.”
“What’s a born alpha?”
Ryker steps in and clarifies for me. “A born alpha is a wolf who was born with a large amount of power. Versus an alpha who gains his or her power by moving up the pack rank, like my dad and mom. They weren’t born as alphas, but they acquired the power after they became alphas of the pack.”
“So, if my parents were both alphas…” I gulp. “That means I’m an alpha too?”
“You will be once
