Star Blessed

Something Better

RAFF

"You got her a puppy?"

Lincoln entered the office, his vision trained on Meribella who was sitting on the floor playing with the wolf pup she'd named Aurora. Scratching the back of his neck, he had to admit the animal was cute, but it was strange seeing a she-wolf, no matter how young, scampering about in the den of werewolves. She was what could've been if greed hadn't grown in the hearts of man.

"No, she got me one," Raff quipped. "What'd you find?"

"That woman is a hellion. She took out the gates with her car. Fynn was in the guardhouse, and he managed to hit her bumper a few times."

His hands found the bridge of his nose again as he pictured one of his men shooting a gun at Meribella, but he knew he'd be just as pissed if they hadn't pulled the trigger. "Do werewolves get heartburn? Because I think I have it."

"Hmm, your heart is involved in this mess, but it isn't from reflux," his Beta griped. "Where's the witch? I saw her in the car."

Meribella looked their way when she heard him ask about Thorne. All of the softness she wore while playing with Aurora hardened. Standing, she brushed the fur off of the floral skirt she wore, drawing his attention to her long legs, which drew his attention to...

"Raff... Raff? Did you hear anything I just said?" She was giving him a knowing look, but her smile said she wasn't mad about the direction of his thoughts.

"You'll have to repeat it," he said, elbowing Lincoln as the man snickered.

"Thorne needs to rest because she was attacked."

Both he and his Beta stiffened. If they were in their wolf forms, their ears would be straight up and their hackles raised. The wolf pup sensed the tension and began to growl, her small vocal cords producing a rather fierce sound. She scrambled to Meribella's side and dropped her plump bottom on her foot, keeping her lips drawn back and her eyes trained on the men.

"When?" he demanded, making a mental note to come back to the pup.

"I'm not sure of the exact timeline," she began, a blush staining her cheeks, "sometime while we were together. The houseboat was trashed. It looked like someone tried to slit her throat, and when they couldn't do that, they stabbed her in the side and fled."

"Fuck," he yelled. He was tempted to add a third hole to the wall, but Lincoln's steady hand on his shoulder calmed him.

"That's like the bodies on the beach. Both of them had their throats slit, but I'm guessing the attacker didn't expect Thorne to put up a big fight," his friend said, fingers tapping on his dimpled chin.

"Or they lost the element of surprise," Raff interjected, "I can't imagine anyone involved in this mess not knowing they were about to deal with a witch, especially a water witch on a boat. Gods, Meribella, what if you'd been home?"

She shook her head. "I don't think they would've shown up at all. They knew I was at your place. Hell, the entire town knew apparently. They've been warning me that I was moving too slow-"

"Who's been warning you?" he asked through gritted teeth. Here was the moment he'd been waiting for. Would she be honest with him?

"Herrin. He's the one who took me to the Starless pack, and he's the one who threatened me in the liquor store. He-" she stopped to draw in a shaky, tear soaked breath, "He put his hands all over me, and he threatened my m- he threatened my friends."

Everything blurred and went red. Fur sprouted from his arms and his nails lengthened as he fought to overpower his beast- this was the second time in less than three days that he'd almost shifted against his will. Not since he was a teenager had he had so many issues controlling his shift, but his emotions hadn't been stable since he pulled Meribella out of that car.

"Raff, it's ok."

"No, no it's not. You were doing fine before you met me," he said.

She rushed forward and put her hands on each side of his face. "Look at me. When you pulled me out of that car, I was existing. My sole purpose was to find that damn skin because I didn't think I could have a life without it. Hell, you were right. I was half-starved- physically and emotionally, and if I hadn't met you, I'd still be that way. You saved me in more ways than one that night."

When their lips came together, he tasted the salt of tears and wasn't sure if it was her crying or him. But he didn't care. The kiss was brief but conveyed more meaning than all the ones before it, and he held her tight against him, terrified of the letting her go again.

"Barf," Lincoln gagged, "Can we get on with the story? Shit, come get your little ankle biter."

He looked over to see Aurora hanging from the hem of his Beta's jeans, her little teeth buried in the denim as she growled. Releasing his woman, he walked over and scooped up the pup. Surprisingly, she snuggled into him and closed her eyes.

"Clearly, she has good taste," Meribella joked.

"Hardy har. What happened after you found Thorne?"

"Well, first I should begin with the fact that I ran into Caspian again." She paused, gaging Raff's reaction to the news, but when he said nothing, she continued. This time she launched into the story without stopping. Her words were rushed, tumbling over one another, sometimes stuttering as her emotions got the better of her.

"You healed her?" Lincoln asked, unable to hide his awe.

"I guess that's what I did, but I think it's more than that. After putting Thorne to bed, I fell asleep and woke up in the middle of the woods armed with a gun. I didn't feel a tug to return to the ocean- it was like it was already inside of me."

She lifted her hands and they began to glitter, water forming above her palms. It grew and shrank at her will, spinning and churning until he grew dizzy watching it. Curling her fingers in, it disappeared. "Before, I had to be in the ocean or recently in the ocean to shape water. No I can create it, and I don't feel sick."

Raff eased himself down into a nearby chair, overwhelmed with everything she'd told him. He'd been a member of the supernatural community since birth, but nothing he'd witnessed measured up to this. The Guardians could heal, but she'd brought Thorne back from the beyond. "What happened in the woods Meribella?"

"I still don't know how I got there, but I knew I had a purpose. I just started walking, and that's when I saw Herrin. He was fighting with another wolf- an actual wolf, not a werewolf- and he was about to kill Aurora. I shot him. I tried to save her mother, but the power wouldn't come like before. I couldn't leave her behind; she would've died."

"At least you're safe now that he's gone," Raff said feeling no sadness at the loss of his packmate. "I feel better knowing the inside man is gone."

"But he swore he didn't attack Thorne-"

Lincoln snorted. "We can't trust the word of a traitor."

"Even a dying one? What reason would he have to lie? He said he'd been told Thorne was off limits, and he was going to give me a name. But he died before he could say it. That means someone is still out there, waiting to punish me for not doing my job. I just wish there was a way to tell them I don't even want what they're offering."

Raff gaped at the woman across from him. "You don't want to find your skin?"

"I've found something better," she confided, peering at him through thick lashes.

He was out of his chair within seconds and across the room. She laughed as he swept her up in his arms and spun her around. "But, you can't. I can't be the reason you give up the ocean-give up shifting."

Lacing her fingers behind his neck, she laughed. "I was talking about Aurora."

"Oh my gods, you two! I'll be in my office when you decide you're ready to work on this really big problem we have."

"It's about time you do some work," Raff called, his blue eyes transfixed on the woman in his arms.

"And Lincoln," Meribella added, "don't interrupt this time."