CHAPTER 26 – Holly
Holly was up bright and early the next day without meaning to be. She wasn’t what anyone would call a natural early riser. Even if she woke up at seven in the morning every day for three years straight, she’d sleep until ten, given the first opportunity.
Keller didn’t tell her anything else other than she was leaving the house, so she wasn’t sure what to wear. She was half tempted to wear the cocktail dress and heels out of pure celebration. In the end, her usual uniform of warm leggings and a long-sleeved shirt won out. When she bounded down the stairs, Keller was already waiting for her in the kitchen.
“Good morning.” He grinned over his shoulder from his position at the stove. The smell of eggs wafted through the room.
“Morning!” Holly took a seat at the kitchen island. “Where are we going today?”
“I thought it would be a good idea to take you through one of the forest trails,” he said, flipping a golden pancake. “It’s important that you familiarize yourself with the area.”
Holly tried not to look too disappointed. It wasn’t what she was hoping for, but at least she’d be able to get outside for a while. She didn’t like sitting on the deck after what had happened with Loch and the strange bears. She felt exposed.
“I should probably layer up a little more.” She examined the flimsy sleeve of her shirt.
“Yes, you should.” He nodded. “Autumn is coming in quick. It’ll be snowy before you know it.”
A shiver passed over Holly at the thought of being here long enough to see snow. No matter how much she tried to get herself used to the idea, she just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this was home now. She’d likely have her baby in this house. She didn’t recall seeing a hospital when she’d driven into town with Johnny.
“Are you all right? You went silent on me,” Keller said from his chef station.
“Yeah,” Holly mumbled. “It’s just that it’s weird, you know? Having my life mapped out for me.”
“Not your whole life,” Keller offered.
“Just who I’m going to marry and when I’m going to have a child,” she countered. “Now, I can’t be sure, but I’ve heard that children are pretty time-consuming.”
Keller chuckled. “I’ve heard the same thing. I’ve noticed something, though.”
“What?”
“Nowhere in any of the texts we’ve read about the prophecy was a timeline mentioned,” Keller said. “There doesn’t appear to be any rule dictating how quickly all of this has to happen.”
“That’s a loophole I can work with,” Holly said. “At least, I’ll have the time to make the right choice.”
“Try not to worry yourself over it,” Keller said. “I know that sounds like pretty stupid advice but worrying isn’t going to make things fall together sooner. Bonds like the ones the maiden is said to have cultivated with the firstborns take time to form.”
Holly thought it over. As usual, Keller’s logic was sound. Unfortunately, it didn’t make her feel much better. At the end of the day, the bottom line was the same. There were four firstborn sons in the territory, five if she counted the mysterious Trevor.
“Keller?” she said suddenly. “What about firstborns in other territories? Do they count in all of this?”
“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Keller said, piling eggs, pancakes, and fruit onto a plate and sliding it to Holly. “The original tale of the maiden took place within our territory. The king she chose was of the Silver Spruce Clan. The fact that you’re Pearl’s granddaughter makes me think you’re meant for a Silver Spruce male.”
“That’s good enough for me.” She shrugged. “Five firstborns are more than enough for me to handle.”
“Five?” Keller’s brow furrowed.
“I looked at the family trees the other night. There’s a fifth firstborn son. His name is Trevor. I couldn’t figure out the last name. Do you know him?”
“I can’t say that I do,” Keller said after a moment of contemplation. “There might’ve been a kid called Trevor in one of my elementary school classes, but I haven’t heard the name around recently.”
“Oh.” Holly frowned. “Maybe he moved out of the territory.”
“It’s likely. You might have noticed, but it’s not like there are a ton of opportunities for people here. If you’re not looking to go into the lumber, fishing, or tourism business, there isn’t much for you.”
“You’re not in those fields,” Holly pointed out. “Why did you set up your business here?”
“It never occurred to me to leave.” Keller grinned. “When my high school friends started packing up for college, I didn’t feel jealous. There’s a community college here that’s pretty good, and I already knew what I wanted to do. I guess I never left because I knew you would show up sooner or later. The prophecy kept me rooted here for you.”
“I see.” Holly smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
They ate quickly. When she was done, Holly ran back upstairs to put on a jacket and her borrowed hiking boots. When she came back down, Keller was out front, waiting for her.
“I’m not much of a hiker,” she warned him.
“That’s okay. You won’t have to work that hard,” he assured her. He offered his hand, which she took, and led her toward one of the trailheads.
“How far does Pearl’s property extend?”
“Around a mile,” he said. “No one is that finicky about property lines around here, though. Not when it comes to the forest. Thankfully, we haven’t had any developers sniffing around the land. Otherwise, it’d be a different story.”
“Would anyone in town allow developers to do anything?”
“I don’t think so. Even those who know nothing of the shifter community are incredibly protective of the forest. It’s hard to live up here if you don’t
