Second Fate

8

Caitlyn had pulled me into a corner hidden between an expensive vase from Jenny's last holiday in Italy and a large but dried-up fern. The whole house smelled of caramelized sugar and peaches because Jenny had been baking all Saturday morning, but right now, Caitlyn's flowery perfume was the only scent in my nose.

There was no escaping her scrutinizing stare.

"Will you tell me on your own or do I have to ask Vine for the full story?"

Seems like she has heard about the garden meltdown.

And she was worried sick, I could hear it despite the sharp tone of her voice. For that reason alone, I told her everything that had happened, from the promise to my meeting with Kenna's mother.

"... and that's why I stormed into the garden to tell him my opinion about it all. And to leave his lying ass."

"You did WHAT?" As soon as Caitlyn noticed how shrill her voice had become, she stopped herself. After clearing her throat, she continued: "I mean, I knew you had a thing for him, and he always seemed to treat you ... a little cautiously."

The unspoken words, but I thought he was just uncomfortable because of your infatuation with him, hung in the air while we inspected the fern touching my right shoulder. It was a really sorry excuse for decoration with its dry leaves and drooping arms. My stomach was in knots, but it wasn't due to Caitlyn being wrong. She'd had every right to assume that; after all, I'd been under a similar misconception.

But as it turned out, I had never been crazy. Fated partners or not, Vine was definitely attracted to me. Otherwise, he'd never have come up with this grand story of being destined.

"So ... you left Vine's ... ass?"

"I didn't have a choice", I replied defensively. "He has a mate."

"What are yo–"

"But despite that, he's telling me that there's this strange connection between us. That we could be fated." I narrowed my dark eyes. "And he never once mentions her to me. Imagine Neal doing the same."

"That would be terrible."

"Obviously. I don't want to be a part of his", I said, continuing in my head, no matter how painful it is to accept reality.

As a rule of thumb which I'd learnt over the course of my childhood, the more something hurt, the more likely it was real.

"Just listen for a moment – that would be terrible if it was true. But Kenna is dead, Jamie", said Caitlyn in a serious voice. "She's been dead for about eight years."

I blinked at her in confusion.

Kenna is dead.

That meant, Meredith Montgomery hadn't been lying, and Vine had been bonded to her daughter. It meant that the pack knew about Kenna. Just like it meant that I'd been mistaken about another very important fact.

"Then why is her mother so damn sure that she's alive and bonded to Vine?", I shot back after I'd recovered from the whiplash. All this conflicting information made my head spin.

"She is not. Well, technically she is bonded to him, because a bond doesn't reset with death, I think, but she's not alive."

"How sure are you?"

The look of conviction in Caitlyn's eyes flickered as if she started to remember how little she actually knew of Vine. Even though he was a trusted part of the pack, his past was somewhat of a mystery to most. Whenever I'd tried to find some information, the wolves had been as clueless as me.