The Fated Prequel: Fate's Heart
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Mackenzie Madden
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Returning Home
Prequel
THERESA
The car bumped over the gravel road. Branches from the trees stretched out in an attempt to swipe the vehicle as she passed, just missing by scant inches. Theresa barely noticed.
Her eyes were fastened on the windscreen as she took in the sight of the familiar forest. Her heart fluttered like a wild thing in her chest. She almost wished she’d taken her dad up on his offer to drive back because she’d clearly underestimated how much she’d missed this place.
Home.
It’d been two long years since she’d left this place, slinking away under a shroud of grief. She had sought refuge with the BlackFlare pack, trying to find a new normal in her life after watching her mother battle illness for years before it claimed her life.
Theresa had never intended to stay away forever, though. She always planned to come back after she finished school.
Now, driving on these familiar rough roads, it felt like she was breathing lighter for the first time in years. She passed by a cabin and saw familiar faces peering around in curiosity at the strange car.
As soon as they saw her face, they were grinning and waving. There was one large group near the road, and one of them separated, running up to the car.
She slowed down to a crawl, lowering her window as Gregory kept pace beside her. They were of a similar age and had trained together, right up until she’d left.
“Theresa.” He smiled, reaching through the window to briefly skim his knuckles over her cheek—the affectionate touch of pack welcoming her home. “You back? Tell me you’re back.”
It was nothing short of a demand, one that made her wolf twitch in irritation, but she was too happy to let it affect her mood.
“I’m back,” she confirmed, grinning when he let out a loud whoop that was immediately followed by a loud cheer behind them.
“Go see your old man,” he said. “But come find us later. We’ll run!”
She promised she would before he fell back, turning to run back to the group. As soon as he reached them, they gave her one last wave before melting into the trees.
God, she’d missed SilverRiver. BlackFlare had been welcoming and kind, but they hadn’t been her pack.
She couldn’t regret leaving when she had, though. Her father had survived his true mate’s death, but he’d been a broken man, a shell of his former self.
Timothy Pickett had barely been able to look after himself, let alone his sixteen-year-old daughter. So they’d decided together, along with the alpha, that it would be best for Theresa to finish her schooling away from here—the place where they’d watched her mother wither away into nothing, unable to do anything to save her.
Theresa came to a fork and angled the car to the left, heading toward her family’s cabin. She’d tried convincing her father to move to another cabin, but he had been unwilling to abandon the home he’d made with his mate.
Even if all the memories soaked into the wooden walls were full of bittersweet, inescapable pain. She hadn’t come close to mating, either with her true mate or a chosen, but she understood that shifters didn’t just get over the death of a mate, especially a true mate.
The metaphysical bond was so deep that it essentially tied their souls together, melding two beings until they were almost one. The connection couldn’t be broken without dire consequences, so it was rare for anyone to survive the passing of their true mate.
She knew part of the reason her own father had survived was because it had been one of her mother’s last wishes that he not leave Theresa alone in the world. She’d always be glad for the extra years with her dad, even if they’d been separated.
But she knew he was struggling. It was part of the reason it had felt so urgent to come home as soon as she graduated.
But even with her return, she knew there was a good chance he’d choose to go roaming or just…fade away. Honestly, she couldn’t imagine needing someone that much, and more than once she’d hoped that maybe he’d find someone else.
He wouldn’t have the heart to mate again, but even finding someone who could give him companionship might be enough to hold him here. Anything to distract himself from sinking into the grief and heartache of always missing his other half.
She edged the car around a large fir tree, smiling when the log cabin she’d been born in came into view. Standing just in front of the steps was another familiar face, and she turned off the engine, practically springing out of the car.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Phillip called out with a wide grin, spreading his arms wide. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
A laugh peeled out of her as she lunged at him, throwing herself into the next alpha’s arms. “Oh my god!” she cried out. “Did you have another growth spurt, or are you taking those human hormone pills again?”
He went still under her, a soft growling rumbling out. “What do you mean, again?”
“Oh, never mind that!” she said breezily, pressing a smacking kiss to his cheek. She stepped back, making a show of looking around. “Where’s Marie? Is she here?”
“You’d better not be talking about those smoothies.” He clearly wasn’t going to let it go, and she bit back a smirk. “You told me it was protein powder you were adding to them.”
“Phil.” She clicked her fingers in front of his face. “Marie. Where’s my Marie?”
“I think you mean my Marie.” He scowled, looking put out. “I lied. I didn’t miss you at all. Go back to where you came from.”
She didn’t change her expression, staring up at him expectantly, and he finally let out a rough sigh. “Marie wanted to be here, but she’s working in the nursery today.”
A wry smile curled his lips. “There’s been a baby boom or something, so they’re always needing extra help at the moment.”
“Perfect.” Theresa smiled, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. “I know what job I’ll sign up for first.”
“Rollins said he’d meet with you first thing tomorrow,” Phillip told her, naming their alpha. He reached out, cupping her face. “You’ve been missed, Resa.”
He jerked his chin at the cabin behind him. “By all of us.”
Her smile softened, faded. “Is he here?”
“Yeah.”
She swallowed hard, staring at her old home. She hadn’t let herself think too hard about walking through that door or even those first moments with her father. The first year she’d been with BlackFare, he’d visited once a month, but the second year, she’d barely seen him.
In fact, the last time he’d visited had been six months ago, and their video chats had been sporadic at best, so she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
She looked up at her friend. There was a perturbed expression on his face as he gazed at the cabin.
“Is he bad?” she asked hesitantly.
Phillip looked down, his brows dipping as he considered her question. “He’s about as good as what you’re expecting.”
Their friendship had always been built on brutal honesty, and even though his words struck her like blows, she appreciated that nothing had changed in the time she’d been gone.
“Resa, you know he was never gonna be fully right after losing Caroline.”
“I know,” she said with a soft sigh, leaning her body against his. “I just miss her, you know? And it feels like I lost him when I did her.”
Her eyes burned with a familiar sensation that had stalked her the past two years whenever she thought of her mother. Whenever she thought it might start hurting a little bit less, she was proven wrong.
“Do you think…?” she broke off, unable to force herself to finish the question, but Phillip eyed her knowingly.
“There’s a good chance he’ll go roaming now you’re home.” He lifted one shoulder. “But he’s also made a friend.”
“A friend?” she echoed.
“You actually wouldn’t know him,” Phillip mused. “I think it’s been about a year and a half since he transferred to SilverRiver. Rollins made him lieutenant a week ago after Keith transferred to FuryClaw so that he and Florence could be closer to their family and grandpups.”
“He—who?” Theresa demanded impatiently, unsure how to feel about her dad making a friend and no one even mentioning it to her once. She knew her father was a fully grown male and could look after himself, but her protective instincts roared to life, edged with a jealousy that she had no right to feel.
“David Lyttelton,” Phillip supplied, amused at her ire. “He’s a good man, Resa. He’s been taking Tim on runs or inviting him to poker night. Sometimes, he just comes here and listens, even if all your dad does is talk about Caroline.”
A surge of inadequacy joined the torrent of emotions in her chest. Those were all things she should have been doing. Instead, she’d run away, even if her dad had practically shoved her out the door. He’d been unwilling to keep her buried underneath his grief, as well as managing her own.
“That’s good, I guess,” she murmured, trying to hide everything she was feeling. But Phillip saw right through her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.
“Nothing will beat having you home, Resa.”
Before she could respond, the door to the cabin flung open. Her father strode out, hand up over his forehead to shield his eyes from the sunlight. He’d lost a lot more weight since the last time she’d seen him. His clothes hung from his frame, and his cheeks were gaunt.
“Is that my girl, standing out here gabbing with a young man instead of greeting her father?”
“Daddy,” she breathed, shoving Phillip away and ignoring his huffed laugh. She burst into motion, running up the wooden steps until she could throw herself at her father. She clung tightly to him as he stumbled a step back, unprepared for the ferocity of her greeting. She inhaled deeply, breathing in his familiar scent as he wrapped his own arms around her. He held her so tight that her ribs ached in protest.
“Oh, my girl,” he murmured into her hair. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
She sniffled, rubbing her nose against his shoulder. “Missed you, Daddy.”
He pushed her back with his hands on her shoulders, his eyes suspiciously bright. “Let me get a look at you!” He grinned. “You grew up while you were away, Tessy.” There was a dark edge of guilt in his eyes, but he didn’t let it dim his happiness. “You look just like your momma.”
Theresa sucked in a sharp breath, the ache in her heart almost too much to bear as she watched one tear escape, trailing over his cheek. “She’d be so damn proud of you.”
“Daddy,” she protested weakly, her own eyes burning. But she didn’t let her tears fall, squeezing her eyes shut. “Stop it. This is a happy moment! No maudlin feelings allowed.”
“Too right,” he agreed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her into the cabin. He looked over his shoulder, calling out to Phillip, “Put yourself to use, boy, and get her bags!”
Theresa looked back just in time to see Phillip gaping up at them. She quickly smothered her giggle. He mumbled something under his breath but turned away and headed for the back of her car.
Theresa looked up at her father with a scolding expression. “Daddy, he’s gonna be your alpha sooner rather than later.”
Her father shrugged, looking unrepentant and so much like the father she’d grown up with before her mother passed. She felt herself getting choked up again. “Boy needs to earn his dues before he’s any kind of alpha I’ll respect.”
He tugged her into the living area, practically forcing her down onto the sofa that he and Mom had picked out when she was six—after the previous one had been shredded by her claws.
“I’ve made coffee.” He spun on his heel, heading for the kitchen. But halfway there, he stopped. Looking back at Theresa, he pointed a finger and said sternly, “Don’t move.”
She grinned back, making a show of getting comfy. “I won’t move a muscle.”
He nodded and disappeared, giving her a chance to look around at a room that felt like it’d been stuck in time. A picture caught her attention, and before she knew it, she was up and striding across the room. She picked up the delicate white wooden frame and stared down at it.
Her mother grinned up at her, her eyes bright and creased with happiness. Her arms were snuggled tightly around a younger Theresa, about thirteen years old. It’d been right before Caroline had been diagnosed and three years before she’d been taken from them.
“Hi, Mom,” Theresa murmured, tracing a finger over her cheek. “Sorry I’ve been gone so long, but I’m home now.”
“Yes, you are,” her dad agreed as he walked back into the room with a metal tray covered with all the fixings for hot drinks. “And I’m not letting you leave again—you can be sure of that, Tessy.”
She placed the photo frame back down in its place in the center of the mantle.
Giving the photo one last sad smile, she knew that it wasn’t her leaving that they needed to worry about now.
