Can you die of a broken heart? For a Wolf, the answer is yes. Can what's broken be mended? That depends.
It's been a year since his mate's betrayal, and Martin lives for one thing: his kids. As a single dad, he devotes himself to ensuring his child...
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The mysterious bookstore is tucked in the corner of an old strip mall between a Thai restaurant and a nail salon. With a hand-painted sign, a single, dark window and a plain, peeling door, it's easy to overlook.
In fact, Noah has explained, only those with a need of the knowledge it contains can see or find the place at all.
"Good thing we can all see it, then," Sky remarks.
Noah shrugs and unlocks the door with an antique key. "Maybe. It might not work quite the same since I brought you here, but we can hope."
He holds the door and we file inside.
Ambrose had come along, and while I hadn't wanted to bring them, but one mention of 'magic bookstore' and there was no chance of leaving the kids behind.
Noah flips a switch on the wall and crisscrossing strings of fairy lights flicker to life, bathing the place in a warm, ambient glow, which reveals either a fire-marshall's nightmare or a hoarder's dream.
Bookshelves of all sizes, arranged haphazardly, create a maze of strange angles and narrow aisles. Books, also in no apparent order, pack the shelves. Most appear old, with cloth-bound covers and faded spines, but a few newer titles stand out like dashes of color on black-and-white. I frown as the kids immediately take off into the bookish chaos, delighted by the enchantment of hidden corners and secrets waiting to be found.
"There's not a kids' section, is there?" I ask, worried that Nico and Rio might come across an illustrated Kama Sutra, or something.
"Not that I'm aware," Noah says easily, shutting the door and pocketing the key.
"Wouldn't you know?" Sky asks, his eyes flicking over the titles on the nearest shelves.
Noah smiles, and something in his expression strikes me. He's grown into himself since finding his mate: discovered a serene confidence I never knew he had. We were inseparable as kids — he, Travis, and I — like three parts of a single whole, but adulthood saw us drift apart. Travis moved to Oregon to join his mate's pack, and Noah was absorbed with his studies. In our separation, other interests eclipsed the childhood passions we once shared, and our individual personalities became more pronounced: like Noah's shy nature, Travis' workaholic tendencies, and my inability to grow a spine.
Now Noah has found a balance with his mate, each complementing and completing the other: Ambrose bringing out my brother's strength, and Noah helping to soften Ambrose's harder edges and temper his fire — literal and otherwise.
I wonder if the same might be true of me and Sky, if that's what differentiates 'true' mates from the more ordinary kind, and if so, what I could possibly have to offer him in return.
Turning aside so no one sees my expression, I pretend to be absorbed with the books while Noah explains the workings of the shop to Sky. My brother's demure demeanor might hide the heart of a strong wolf, but my mask hid only an empty shell.
