Free Cracked by Vanessa North

accepts his as a mate worthy of you—and he’s a very dangerous wolf. That’s powerful moon magic right there.”
    “He’s so much older than me,” she whispered. “You all know him better than I do.”
    “Honey, your mate is older than me. And my mate is 200 years older than me. And lest we both forget, your mate was my mate’s best friend for years. Trust me when I tell you, he is one of the very best men, one of the very best wolves, you will ever meet. And you need to see the reflection of that in yourself.”
    “How?” She finally looked up. “Because I look at him, and I’m breathless. It’s ridiculous how perfect he is. Handsome, sexy, so fucking smart I could die. How can little Ita Murphy be enough for an angel like him?”
    “You know I used to feel that way about your aunt? How could a fuck-up like Fionn Murphy deserve the brilliant and beautiful wolf who built Amazon from nothing? Nothing. And I doubted myself for so long, Littlebit.”
    “You seem to be so sure of yourself now.”
    “Yeah, you know why? My bond with Mo, it changed me. It made me a man worthy of her in every way. She made me a better person. The difference here—you’re already a great person. He’s just going to help you see that in yourself.”
    “Why me?” she asked. Fionn knew she wasn’t talking about Angelo anymore.
    “Ha! If Sara were alive… oh, she would kick your butt for voicing those words,” he smiled. “You know why. You’re a Murphy. And you’re the Albina’s daughter. Genetically speaking, you’re the closest thing to a Messiah in wolf mythology. And you know better than anyone that our prophecies aren’t just wishful ramblings. They’re cultural lampposts, showing us our path.”
    “Do you know why Kathy is here?” She turned and looked at Fionn sharply.
    “Yeah. I know. Annie told me.”
    “Annie’s back?” Delight flickered across her face.
    “How do you feel about it?”
    “About Kathy? She has free will, and Fionn, I know this sounds crazy to you, but I trust her. She knows what she needs to do.”
    “Actually, she doesn’t. Not yet. But Annie and Gerard will tell her what she needs to know.”
    “Oh. I thought she knew.” Sarita’s face fell before she steeled it. “If they don’t tell her, I will. She needs to make a choice. It has to be a choice freely given, or it changes everything.”
    “Free will for the win,” Fionn smiled, slipping his goggles off. He blew her a kiss as he slipped from the studio.
    “From your mouth to the Goddess’s ears,” she murmured as she studied the bizarre bowl in front of her. It reminded her of the old Pac-Man video games she and Mac had found in the rec center basement, but something about it fed an undercurrent of anxiety. Frowning, she moved it to the first of two cooling furnaces—the glass had to be cooled slowly to prevent cracking, a sort of thermal stress fracture from cooling too quickly. She’d cool it over two days’ time, then arrange the shipping for it. With a shudder, she realized the sooner it was out of her sight, the better she’d feel. Art didn’t have to be comfortable, but that didn’t mean she wanted to keep it around if it wasn’t.

Chapter Eight
    A week to go until the full moon, and Angelo needed to make a decision.
    He could re-affiliate with the Amazon Pack, but to what end? He didn’t want his old position as Third, and he didn’t want to have to challenge Graham. And it would mean either living full-time in the Amazon Compound or living as an outlier and traveling back when the moon called. Neither option was particularly appealing to him. In the last twenty-five years, he’d grown accustomed to his freedom, his beautiful Manhattan apartment, and the occasional late night runs in Central Park. But would Sarita be willing to leave her family, to move to New York with him? She could continue with her art; he’d rent her studio space if she needed it.
    Frustrated, he paced the floor of the suite he was