Missing California

Missing California
Vicky

The morning air was crisp as we left Dracula’s Castle, the weight of its stone walls and blood-soaked history lifting with every step toward the plane Dário had waiting for us. The jet’s interior was plush, leather seats and soft lighting a stark contrast to the castle’s gothic gloom, but my mind was a storm of emotions.
Marcelo stood by the tarmac, his purple eyes reluctant but understanding, insisting a witch accompany me to guide my emerging powers. I shook my head, my voice firm.
“It’s not necessary,” I said. “Sage can spend time with me. She’ll help if I need it.”
To my relief, Marcelo, Dário, and Alpha Edy agreed.

Marcelo left, somewhat reluctantly. But it was better this way. The castle held too many ghosts and I needed distance to heal, to forget or at least forgive myself for ending my biological father’s life.
The Lycan Kingdom was my refuge, but the pack? I wasn’t ready to return, not yet. The thought of facing James, of having the serious conversation we’d delayed, twisted my stomach.
I loved him, but doubt lingered.
Would he stay with me, truly, after everything? I didn’t want to pressure him.

The plane hummed, the landscape blurring below, and I settled into my seat, James beside me. Something new stirred within me, an extra energy, like a current beneath my skin. It was subtle at first, playful even. I craved chocolate, and moments later, Dário handed me a gift box of rich truffles.
I hummed a song absentmindedly, and it began playing on the car radio as we drove from the airstrip. Feeling cold, I shivered, and James appeared with a coat, draping it over my shoulders. I thought of Mike and Petry, and James handed me his phone, their voices already on the line.
When I wondered about Toby, his call lit up James’s cell.
My thoughts seemed to ripple outward, answered by the world around me, a strange attraction I couldn’t name.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind—Dário should invite James to stay at the castle, formally, as my mate. Less than three minutes later, the lycan king approached, his presence commanding as he asked to speak with James privately. I blinked, my heart skipping.
Was this my power, manifesting my desires, or just the universe aligning?
James turned to me. “Love, we need to decide together if I stay with you at the castle, if you want to be alone, or if you will return with me to our pack,” he said. “I will respect your decision. But I want you to know that I want to be close to you, no matter where, and I will wait for you as long as necessary.”

His words were a gift, a sign he was trying to honor my agency after our past struggles. But they also overwhelmed me, the weight of choice too heavy for this moment.
“James, I’m not ready for this conversation right now,” I said, my voice gentle but firm. “I don’t think this is the place or the time.”

“Okay,” he said, his expression turning serious, a flicker of hurt in his eyes that pierced me.

“Let’s just get to the castle first,” I said, reaching out to caress his cheek, my fingers lingering on his warm skin. He leaned into my touch, his hand playing with my hair.
I closed my eyes, seeking calm, and a vision flooded me. I was walking barefoot on a sandy beach, the sea lapping at my toes, the sun caressing my skin with a warmth that felt like love. A name echoed in my mind: Luca.
Then I saw him. A man with bright green eyes, curly blond hair, a smile that lit my soul. Love for him surged through me, instant and overwhelming, as if he were the most important man in my life, a future I hadn’t known I’d claim.

A sharp discomfort jolted me, not mine but James’s, a wave of his emotions crashing through our bond.
Oh, Goddess, I’d forgotten to block it.
I opened my eyes, my heart racing, and found James staring at the floor, his head bowed, his jaw tight. Had he felt my love for Luca, seen the vision that wasn’t his?
I thought it would be better if we talked when it was just the two of us.
…

James

Vicky was different today, her smile brighter, her dark eyes sparkling with a vitality that both warmed and unsettled me. She asked Dário to drop us off with a car, just the two of us.
What was she planning? Was this goodbye, or a chance to rebuild?
“James, before we go to the castle,” she said, turning to me as we drove, “there’s a beach nearby. Would you take me there?”

“Of course,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. I’d follow her anywhere, even if it broke me.

The beach stretched before us, a crescent of golden sand kissed by gentle waves, the air salty and warm, the sun painting the sky in hues of amber and rose. Vicky kicked off her shoes, her laughter soft as she walked to the sea, her feet playing in the shallow water, the breeze lifting her dark hair. She looked like a vision, the sun caressing her skin, her movements free and unguarded, mirroring the scene she’d seen in her mind.
I stood at a distance, my heart aching, not understanding her joy, fearing it belonged to someone else. She opened her eyes and smiled at me, extending her hand, a gesture that felt like salvation.

I crossed the sand, my bare feet sinking into its warmth, and pulled her into my arms, her body fitting perfectly against mine.
“You look so beautiful like this. Vicky, I…”

“Shhhh,” she whispered, her fingers brushing my lips. “Just kiss me, love.”

I kissed her, soft at first, then deeper, pouring every fear, every hope into her.
But doubt lingered, and I pulled back, my eyes searching hers. “Do you want me?” I asked, my voice raw. “I mean, do you still want me?”

“I do,” she said. “I will always love you. You are my home, James. And I chose to be with you forever. You’re the one who seems to have doubts.”

“It’s just that you’re so young,” I said, my voice breaking.

“I thought we had already overcome this,” she said, her tone gentle but firm. “Now I ask you, James Williams, can you let go of our mistakes and never speak of this again? Will we start over from today until the end of our days? Do you swear to the Goddess that you will never leave me alone again, no matter what the danger?”

I took her hands, my heart steady despite the fear of failing her. “Even with the greatest fear in the world, which is losing you, I swear,” I said, my voice resolute. “I have never disbelieved in your strength or your love. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to keep you safe. The problem is me, not you.”

She nodded, her eyes glistening, and then she broached the wound we’d left unhealed. “About having children…”

I braced myself, the memory of our fights over this cutting deep. “Vicky, it would make me happier, yes,” I admitted, my voice soft. “I won’t lie. But if you don’t want, I will respect that. I was an idiot. I thought you didn’t love me enough to have a child of mine, that it meant you’d leave, that you’d get tired of me…”

Her eyes widened. “James, how can you think that? I just didn’t grow up in a normal family. I spent a lot of time in orphanages with children without parents. I unconsciously blamed those parents for leaving those children there alone… And I have a big fear of being a mother and making mistakes that will make my child suffer like I suffered. It was never because I didn’t love you or want you forever.”

Her words shattered the walls I’d built, revealing my blindness, my failure to see her fears. “Oh, Goddess, I’m a complete idiot,” I said, my voice thick with regret, pulling her close. “Forgive me, love.”

Vicky

I kissed him, he picked me up and went into the sea with me. The water was cold but our bodies were burning.
Could we make love here, with the sea as our witness, sealing our vows?

James paused, his lips hovering over mine, his eyes darkening with a question. “Who’s Luca?”

I laughed, the sound bubbling up, light and free, though I saw the hurt in his gaze. I could tease him, let him squirm with suspense, but I loved him too much to let him suffer.
“Luca will be the most important man in my life,” I said, my voice soft but deliberate. “I’m sorry, James. When he arrives, you’ll be the second.”

His face fell. “So, one day you’re really going to stop loving me?”

“James, on that day, you won’t suffer because of it,” I said, cupping his face, my thumbs brushing his cheeks. “You’ll be very happy because he’ll be our son.”

A scream so loud it startled me, echoing across the beach, a raw, joyous howl that made the waves seem to pause. My wolf, crazy with happiness, spun me in his arms, the world blurring as I laughed, dizzy with his love, his strength, the future we’d create together. Water splashed around us, the sun warming our skin, and I felt Veny stir, her joy mingling with Tunder’s.

“When are you thinking about that?” James asked, his eyes shining like the sea.

I grinned, a secret I’d held close spilling free. “Oh, I forgot to tell you… Before you left for Romania, I told Dário I needed to see a doctor, and I had my IUD removed,” I said, my voice teasing but soft. “So, I don’t know if this is normal for werewolves or if it’s because I’m a witch now too, but he told me in a dream that he’s on his way.”

James’s face lit up, his arms tightening around me. “You, Diana Williams, made me the happiest man in the world. I love you and our little one.”

We kissed tenderly, the sea cradling us, our lips soft and slow, sealing this moment. The cold water lapped at my skin, but his warmth was all I needed.
“James, I want to spend a few days in California, when the boys will be on vacation?”

“Soon,” he said, his smile wide. “We can visit them and stay there. Liz will be happy to know she’ll have a little brother.”

“I would love to go to California, love,” I said, my heart swelling. “I always have good memories of the time we spent there.”

“Let’s go!” James said, his excitement infectious. “I want to tell everyone the news.” We stepped out of the water, hand in hand, our laughter mingling with the waves, our home not a place but wherever the other was. The Lycan Kingdom stretched before us, a future bright with Luca, with love, with the pack we’d build together.

But, since nothing was perfect, a doubt crossed my mind.
What if... this baby wasn't James's?

End of book III - War