  &quot;Ten years ago, it was about all wolves… a species that dared to kill his woman and his unborn child for merely existing. When he found out she lived and died at the hands of the Santo pack and he thought his child too, he concentrated his hatred on one pack alone.&quot; Leyanne wanders casually across the floor, shrugging as she goes, and all eyes follow her. An awkward quiet around the room instantly as we all digest this.
  &quot;That s why the fog stayed only with us and them … nothing further out. We saw no vampires in our entire trip to find Leyanne.&quot; Meadow fills in the blanks, adding to what I guess she spoke to the witch about, and brings my mind to the truth of her observation. Outside the Santo domain, we never picked up on a single vampire in eight hours of cross-country travel. Not one sense of them, no scent in the air at all. It s why Leyanne didn t care about 

  &quot;I do. I happened upon some helpful hints in a grimoire or two in my luggage that gave me some answers. We re lucky enough to be in a part of the world that grows what I need, so I ll be back before we leave…. I have to go find some very rare plants.&quot; That upbeat tone of a woman who is smug with her new discovery and confident in her own remedies.
  &quot;Wait.&quot; Colton hesitates, grabbing her arm as she moves to pass and my heart stops in my chest, which is already hammering like a war drum. I know he s hesitating about whether he wants this or not. He probably has the same thoughts swirling in his head as I do about the outcome should Sierra be free of my life burden.
  &quot;This is a good thing, Cole…. Sierra and Alora unbound. Sierra is already so far through her life cycle, Alora has barely begun ….. you know when Sierra s time comes Alora will leave too if they are

  The homestead is eerily silent since we returned. There s been a strange atmosphere in the whole place and even the village out back seems still and devoid of noise. Everyone is home licking their wounds, absorbing the reality of what we did and went through, and homes are filled with warm reunions and an aura of hope. The air is lighter, brighter, and the fog is completely gone. It feels like something huge is now settling to dust yet spirits are high despite the need for peace.
  Colton is sat on the bed drying his hair after the third shower he took to rid himself of a weeklong buildup of debris, grime, and of course, Vampire blood. Something he does when he needs to think for a while, and I know he probably wanted space from me to let the remainder of his anger fizzle a little. Even though now, I m laid on the bed behind him and he seems so much calmer than before. 
  I m resting a

&quot;Ten years ago, it was about all wolves… a species that dared to kill his woman and his unborn child for merely existing. When he found out she lived and died at the hands of the Santo pack and he thought his child too, he concentrated his hatred on one pack alone.&quot; Leyanne wanders casually across the floor, shrugging as she goes, and all eyes follow her. An awkward quiet around the room instantly as we all digest this.
  &quot;That s why the fog stayed only with us and them … nothing further out. We saw no vampires in our entire trip to find Leyanne.&quot; Meadow fills in the blanks, adding to what I guess she spoke to the witch about, and brings my mind to the truth of her observation. Outside the Santo domain, we never picked up on a single vampire in eight hours of cross-country travel. Not one sense of them, no scent in the air at all. It s why Leyanne didn t care about leaving us out in the darkness alone. She knew we weren t in danger so far from the mountain because 

chapter 106