CHAPTER 256: THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET

Jacob~

I couldn’t rest the night after I saw her again.

Easter.

Even just thinking her name slowed everything in me—the world, my thoughts, the restless noise of the ancient powers that lived beneath my skin. All of it softened. She had that kind of power. Not magical, not mystical. Just... hers.

She’d asked to see me again.

Me.

That simple sentence had played over and over in my head like a heartbeat I couldn’t ignore.

So what did I do?

I bought the damn house across the street from hers.

It was impulsive, I’ll admit that. But I’m Mist. I wasn’t just some love-sick pup chasing after affection—I was the Wolf Spirit. I knew fate when I felt it clawing at my soul. The moment Easter had looked up at me on that park bench with her shy smile and those emerald eyes, I knew. Destiny had cracked open something I’d thought died when I erased her memories.

And I’d be damned if I let it remain dead.

The next morning, I stood beside my car, trunk open, pretending to offload a few moving boxes into the house I had technically just claimed ownership of twelve hours ago. The morning air was fresh with dew, birds chirping lazily as the sun began its stretch over the horizon.

And then I saw her.

Easter stepped out her front door with Rose in one hand and a tote bag in the other. Her curls were pulled into a loose, chaotic bun with a few strands dancing freely around her face. She was wearing this soft green cardigan that made her eyes pop even from a distance, and Rose was dressed in a unicorn backpack almost half her size.

I froze, a box in my arms, trying not to look like I’d been waiting.

Our eyes met.

She blinked, stopped in her tracks, and tilted her head. "Jacob?" she said slowly, like the name itself wasn’t sure it belonged here.

I feigned surprise so hard I deserved an Oscar. "Easter?" I blinked like I’d just spotted a ghost. "Wow. I... didn’t expect to see you here."

She walked forward cautiously but with curiosity painting her expression. "What... are you doing in this neighborhood?"

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly and gestured to the house behind me. "Uh, believe it or not... I just moved in. This one’s mine now."

Easter’s mouth opened in a small ’o’ of delight. "You’re kidding! That’s your house?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "I signed the papers yesterday. Kinda last-minute. I’m still figuring things out."

She laughed—a soft, warm sound that made the morning brighter. "That’s crazy. The house right across the street from mine?"

"Wait, seriously?" I turned dramatically, staring at her place. "That’s yours? You live right there?"

She nodded, laughing. "Yeah. That’s my house. Rose and I moved in a few months ago after my divorce."

I didn’t comment on the word. My heart already knew the scars behind it.

"Well, talk about fate," I said, setting the box down carefully by the front porch.

Easter looked at me for a beat longer, her expression tender and a little shy. "Do you, uh... need any help settling in?"

I raised a brow. "You mean like a neighborhood guide?"

"Exactly," she said, adjusting Rose’s backpack. "I can show you around if you’d like. There’s a nice coffee shop a few blocks down. The grocery store’s kind of a maze if you don’t know the layout. I’ve gotten lost in there more times than I’d like to admit."

I grinned, heart skipping. "I could use a good tour guide. Honestly, I just moved from a different state. I’m clueless around here."

"Well..." she looked down at Rose, then back at me. "I have to drop Rose off at preschool. Then I’ve got lectures till about two. But after that, I’m free."

I nodded gratefully. "That would be amazing. Thank you."

She smiled—sweet, radiant—and her cheeks took on that natural blush that made her look like something out of a fairytale. "It’s my pleasure."

And then Rose piped up in her usual sunshine voice, waving her tiny hand at me. "Bye-bye, Daddy Jacob!"

Easter’s face went bright red.

"Rose!" she gasped, tugging lightly on her daughter’s hand. "We talked about this, remember? Jacob isn’t your daddy."

Rose giggled, a mischievous sparkle lighting up her emerald eyes. "But he feels like a daddy," she said with a shrug, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He even smells like one! Alex always calls Uncle Zane his daddy, so I picked Daddy Jacob to be mine."

I choked down a laugh, warmth spreading through me like a fire I hadn’t known I was missing. Easter turned toward me with apologetic eyes, mortified.

"I—I’m sorry," she stammered, clearly embarrassed. "She has such a vivid imagination. She’s been saying a lot of weird things lately..."

I waved it off gently. "It’s okay. Really." I looked down at Rose and winked. "You’re not too far off, blossom."

Easter tilted her head. "Blossom?"

Oops.

I quickly cleared my throat. "Just a... nickname. She reminds me of one. Something soft and full of color."

That seemed to calm her.

Easter nodded, and then she gently squeezed Rose’s hand. "Alright, little flower. Let’s get going."

"Bye, Daddy Jacob!" Rose chirped again, skipping ahead.

Easter gave me a shy glance, her eyes dancing with awkward amusement. "Sorry again..."

"Don’t be," I said softly, watching them as they walked down the path. "She’s... incredible."

Easter didn’t say anything more, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—confusion, curiosity, something older than memory and warmer than coincidence. She turned to catch up with Rose, and as I watched them disappear down the street, a strange tightness formed in my chest.

But then—

Pain exploded inside me.

It hit me like a hammer to the ribs.

My hand flew to my heart.

No. Not pain—ache. Deep. Ancient. Like something inside me had just shattered and sent tremors across my soul.

My legs almost buckled as the full weight of it bore down. I stumbled against the side of the car, gasping softly. The box I was holding hit the ground with a dull thud.

My breath came in ragged bursts. My vision blurred.

This was more than a simple ache.

It was a warning.

The ache wasn’t physical. It was spiritual. Something old. Something sacred. A tether built by blood and spirit—by family.

One of my siblings.

No.

Natalie.

I could feel it now. Clear as a howl in the dark. Natalie’s presence flickering like a candle caught in a storm. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She was in danger.

The pain came in waves, not sharp but suffocating—like someone squeezing my ribs from the inside out. The sky still looked the same. The birds still chirped. But the world no longer felt safe.

My smile vanished.

The warmth from moments ago drained from my bones, replaced by the cold sting of dread.

Natalie.

I had to find her. Now.

But even as urgency screamed inside me, my eyes lingered on the spot where Easter and Rose had disappeared. That tiny figure skipping happily in her unicorn backpack, Easter’s soft voice calling after her.

They didn’t know.

They didn’t see what I felt boiling under my skin—the ancient storm gathering in my soul.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself upright. The powers in me growled low and wild. I didn’t know what was coming yet, but I could feel it stirring like thunder beyond the horizon.

Still, I whispered her name before I moved. "Natalie... hold on."

The wind shifted. A crow cawed from a distance.

And I knew—this peace wasn’t going to last.

But I also knew this: I would protect her with all my heart and life if I have to.

My little moon.

I glanced back in the direction Easter and Rose had gone, my voice barely a breath as I whispered, "I’m sorry, Easter..."

My throat tightened. "I know this isn’t what you deserve to hear. And even if you can’t hear me right now—I still need to say it anyway."

I exhaled slowly, the weight of guilt pressing on my chest. "Something came up. I have to postpone our meeting."

My fingers curled into fists. "I hate this... hate that I’m doing this to you. I never wanted to let you down again. But Natalie needs me."

I stared at the path ahead, as if hoping she’d turn around. "I just hope...you’ll be able to forgive me."