The Bridge (Golden Lycans Sequel)

Just See What Happens

***Serena***

I wake in the quiet stillness of the night. My watch reads just past three in the morning.

The air has turned cooler since we fell asleep, the dying fire little more than a pile of glowing embers. Rising silently, I add a few pieces of wood, crouching to gently blow on the coals until the new logs catch, flickering back to life.

I don’t need the extra warmth—Lycans run hotter than humans—but I want them all to be comfortable. Happy.

Settling back down, I watch the flames dance, their light flickering across the sleeping faces around me. I close my eyes, extending my senses, tuning in to the slow, steady heartbeats of my six friends.

"...She is innately a pack animal at heart, who wants to provide for us all…"

Finn’s words echo in my mind, unsettling something deep within me. I glance toward him, curled in Austin’s sleeping bag, his expression peaceful in sleep. My teeth graze my lip before I quickly look away.

Can I do a perimeter check? Hera’s voice stirs in my head.

Sure thing. I’m awake, they’re asleep—they won’t know…

Moving quietly, I slip into the shadows of the trees. Stripping down, I shift swiftly, paws meeting earth as Hera emerges. She lopes off soundlessly, slipping through the dark, instincts sharp, senses flaring.

For half an hour, she moves through the night, watching, listening, ensuring nothing lurks beyond our little camp. Then, lifting her muzzle, she releases a soft, commanding howl—a warning to any rogues or wild wolves nearby. An alpha is guarding this place.

Satisfied, I shift back, hurriedly pulling on my pyjamas before padding barefoot across the cool grass.

Sliding into my sleeping bag, I exhale softly and listen again.

Six heartbeats.

Except… one isn’t slow and steady anymore.

Someone else is also awake.

..

The crystal-blue waters return to my dreams once more, and this time, I embrace them. Each time they come, they feel more real, more tangible, as if the dream is no longer just a vision but a memory waiting to resurface. I dive in without hesitation, the water cool and smooth against my skin, wrapping around me like an old friend. It cradles me, soothes me, dissolves every tension in my body until I feel weightless—whole. Here, beneath the shimmering surface, there is peace. A quiet, endless peace.

Then, abruptly, it’s gone.

I wake with a sharp inhale, the sensation of water still clinging to my skin even though I am dry. Above me, the sky stretches vast and pale, its soft blue blurred at the edges as if the dream still lingers. The air is warm, carrying the faint scent of earth and distant voices. People are talking somewhere nearby, their words drifting toward me like whispers on the wind.

I let my senses expand, sharpening my wolf hearing, filtering through the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of life. Slowly, the voices come into focus, and I catch the end of their conversation.

“…I really wouldn’t worry about all that for now. But who cares what he might think? Just be you and… just see what happens?” Christa’s voice is quiet, meant only for the person she’s speaking to.

I stretch lazily, feeling an easy contentment settle over me. The night run had been exhilarating—Hera had relished the freedom of the open land beneath the stars. It’s going to be trickier now with a human roommate, but I’ll find a way. I always do.

Pushing myself up, I scan the clearing and spot Christa and Finn standing several metres away near the cars, already dressed and ready for the day. With a yawn, I rise to my feet and wander over.

“Ahh, another joins the world of the living,” Christa teases, a bright grin on her face.

Finn takes a deep breath of the fresh morning air before turning to me.

“How did you sleep?”

I nod, stretching my arms above my head.

“Yeah, great. I just love sleeping outdoors like this, every time I do it,” I smile, feeling the truth of my words settle deep in my bones. If only I could tell them how much better I sleep out here—how right it feels.

“You are an interesting one, Serena,” Finn remarks, his blue eyes so much brighter in the morning light.

Christa shakes her head with a smirk.

“Girl, I would love to know how you spend the holidays. You definitely live life to the fullest. Just imagine a day in the life of Serena Landry when she isn’t at school.”

For a moment, I let my mind wander—would I ever be able to show Christa where I’d really grown up? Tell her everything? The thought is a distant wish, one I don’t dare hold onto for too long.

Instead, I flash her a knowing smile and say,

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

Finn chuckles under his breath.

“Darwin.”

I smirk.

“It’s true, though.”

With that, I rummage through my backpack, pulling out a fresh change of clothes before heading toward the cover of the trees. As I step away, I take in the crisp morning air, the scent of earth and leaves grounding me.

By the time I return, the camp is stirring, voices rising, movement everywhere—everyone else is awake now, ready to face the day.

"Who gets to cook eggs and mash up avocado for breakfast?" Christa calls out. Joel volunteers, much to our surprise.

"Like you know how to cook," Theo teases, "aren't all your meals just delivered to your trailer when you're not at school?"

"There was a time in life when I wasn't an actor, you know," Joel says with a roll of his eyes, "before I got my first big paycheck, we couldn't afford much. I pay for school."

Twenty minutes later, I'm glad to see Joel proving everyone wrong with some perfectly cooked poached eggs that we eat with mashed avocado on some bloomer bread.

"Excellent job, Joel," Stacey says fondly.

"When you work out as much as I do, preparing eggs becomes a true skill," he says happily.

..

After breakfast, we begin packing everything up after we use the water from the stream to give the cooking pots and pan a good clean.

"Well guys, I wanna hear it," Theo says loudly to the group as I close the boot of my car.

"Okay, okay, yes, camping was actually really good fun," Joel says, giving in first.

"It has been very...surprising. I would very much like to do it again," Finn agrees.

"I've secretly wanted to do it for years, so I'm pretty happy," Christa says happily.

"The weather is still great. We could walk up that hill?" Alice suggests, pointing to a large hill nearby.

..

We did end up walking the hill, and the views were pretty great. I could still see all the way to the coast, and the sight of it stirred something deep within me, an ache I couldn't quite name. It reminded me of the sea in my dreams—the same endless blue, the same quiet pull that made me long to dive in, to let it surround me, to feel whole again.

I feel different. Changed. As we journey back to school, the weight of the past few days lingers in my chest, settling into something I can’t quite name. It’s as if a part of me has shifted, realigned in some quiet, unspoken way.

As I turn the car off the main road and onto the long driveway leading to the school, I remember—I’m supposed to meet Sen in the botanical garden at three o’clock. A quick glance at the dashboard clock reassures me that we’ve made it back in good time. I exhale in relief. The last thing I need is to irritate Dad by appearing careless about the ‘job’ he’s given me. He was lenient enough in letting me go on this trip, and I don’t want to test his patience.

Christa and I head straight to what is now our shared room, tossing our bags onto our beds. While she starts unpacking, I drift onto the balcony, drawn to the view stretching out across the school grounds. The familiar sight soothes me, but my thoughts are anything but calm.

Finn.

I still can’t quite shake the revelation that he had been out there running every time I had stood in this very spot last year. That he had noticed me. That he had wanted to know me.

Now, as my mind drifts to us sitting around the campfire together, laughing, playing music, something stirs inside me—a heartbeat quickening, a feeling I can’t ignore.

“Is everything okay? Your expression is quite intense,” Christa’s voice comes from beside me, pulling me back to the present.

I blink, shaking my head slightly before turning to her. “Yeah. I have to go meet someone in the botanical garden shortly.”

“Ooh, anyone interesting?” Christa asks, raising an eyebrow. Then, with a playful smirk, she adds, “…a guy?”

I laugh lightly at that, and for a fleeting moment, I think I see something shift in her expression—relief, maybe?

“Ah, no. I’m good friends with the woman who teaches in there,” I say as I step back inside.

“They all think you’re great, by the way,” Christa remarks, still unpacking her bag.

I pause, caught off guard. “Yeah?” It surprises me, considering how much of myself I keep hidden from them.

She looks up at me with something close to disbelief. “You’re this self-defense teaching, gymnastics-mastering, guitar-playing, singing, fish-catching, athletic astronomer who can cook, sail, and casually quote Charles Darwin? And that’s only what we know after two weeks.” She shakes her head, incredulous. “How could anyone not find you totally intriguing?”

I shrug, feeling a rare flicker of self-consciousness. I know I have a lot of skills, a lot of interests—it’s just how I’ve always been. But hearing it laid out like that, I almost don’t know how to respond.

“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” I say simply, meaning every word. “They’re all pretty great too.”

Christa studies me for a moment, a thoughtful expression settling over her face. “I’m really interested to see what happens in the next few months,” she says slowly, as if trying to predict the future.

I smirk, deciding to lighten the mood. “Hopefully a successful trial court in law class?”

She bursts into laughter, and with that, I grab my things and head for the door, ready to meet Sen.

..

I step into the memorial garden, and a comforting warmth wraps around me. The sun bathes the space in golden light, illuminating the vibrant greens and rich colors of the flowers. It feels even warmer here today, the heat held close by the thick hedges and stone pathways.

As always, I take a deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating blend of scents that linger in the air.

“You’re right on time,” Sen’s voice drifts toward me as she appears from a side path, her presence as calm and steady as ever.

“Got back not too long ago,” I reply, following her into the heart of the garden. Sen lowers herself onto the soft grass beneath the tree’s shade, and I settle beside her.

She studies me the way she always does, her gaze flickering as she reads my aura. Her dark eyes widen slightly, and for just a moment, a smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

“You…had a very good time,” she observes, rather than asks.

I nod, my smile already forming before I can stop it.

“If I’m honest, last night was…” I pause, searching for the right words, but there’s no need to hold anything back with Sen, "to be honest with you, it was the best night of my life. I feel so much better than when I last spoke to you.”

The sheer truth of my words fills me with a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time. Sen glances up at the thick wisteria plumes above us, her expression thoughtful.

“You come of age in twelve days,” she states, her voice quiet but firm.

I nod, the weight of those words pressing gently against my chest.

She watches me for a long moment, a tentative expression crossing her face, as if she is choosing her next words carefully.

“Do not be afraid, Serena.”

I blink, uncertain what she’s referring to exactly. But I take her words in, knowing Sen never speaks without purpose.

“Tell me all about your trip. Every detail. Tell me everything about your new friends,” she says, settling more comfortably in the grass.

So I do.

For the next twenty minutes, I tell her everything—the hike, the campfire, the laughter, the freedom I felt. Sen listens intently, impassively, as she always does. A few times, she opens her mouth as if about to say something, but she never does.

When I finally fall silent, she exhales slowly.

“I’m excited for you. For your new friendships," then, after a brief pause, she adds, "you won’t be able to go out like that for entire weekends in the not-too-distant future, so I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself.”

A small frown pulls at my lips.

“That sounds ominous."

She laughs lightly.

“Well, this is your final year. You’ll have mock exams after Christmas, coursework due regularly…don’t forget you are at school, Serena.”

I arch a brow at her, sighing.

“I haven’t forgotten. I need to start looking at universities, actually.”

Sen nods approvingly.

“Excellent. You are doing well.”

...

***Ella***

I check my watch again...twenty past six...Will is late. As if hearing my tut and sigh a few hundred miles away, I finally see him emerge from the tree at the bottom of the pack house garden.

"Sorry, got held up," he says before embracing me warmly.

"It's okay, you're lucky that I like you," I reply with a laugh.

"Dinner?" he says, looking hopeful.

"Yes...Aus is cooking," I say with a playful eye roll, "and it's roast lamb, just the way you like it."

Will grins happily at this news, "excellent."

We walk together up the garden and I inquire about people I know back at his pack. Most importantly, I want to know how Annabelle is doing.

"Well, I was going to tell both of you at dinner," Will starts to say, "but I have a sneaking suspicion you already know."

"I honestly do not know what you mean," I answer, somewhat truthfully. I have an idea, but I've come to realise in recent years that while it's great to hear good news, it's even better when it's given, rather than read in someone's aura without their knowledge. As such, I haven't looked at Will's. I try not to at first, when he visits.

"You have more decency than I do," he laughs as we enter the kitchen diner through the patio doors.

"Always have had," I retort. Austin is just taking a tray of the most amazing-looking roast potatoes out of the oven as we come in, and he nods toward Will.

"Have you guys had a catch-up already without me or was this one late again?" he asks.

"The latter, of course," I smile as I head to the fridge for a bottle of wine.

"To think I could've had this every Sunday," Will mutters to himself as he sits down at the table. I pour him some wine as Ollie comes striding through the door, always just in time for food.

"Hey, Will," Ollie says, picking up the wine glass in front of Will that I'd just filled. Will sighs and grabs another empty one from the table and I begin to fill that one instead.

"To what do we owe this esteemed pleasure?" Ollie says in a posh accent, taking a seat on one of the bar stools while Austin cuts the lamb joint.

"Well...Annabelle is six weeks pregnant," he says with a huge smile going across his face. I promptly put the bottle of wine down and hug him, squealing with delight at his news.

Much better in person.

"Congratulations, man!" Austin says before he looks off to the side for a moment, "Atlas is very jealous."

I shoot an annoyed look at him across the breakfast bar, "and yet he wants you to do that Ambassador job..."

"What job?" Will asks after receiving a silly high-five from Ollie.

"I've been invited to apply for the United Kingdom Ambassador role," Austin reveals.

"Wow. So you'd be in one of the big council seats, and also..."

"-advisor to the UK ambassador for the UN, about supernatural issues and interests," Austin finishes as he carries the lamb joint to the table.

"That's...prestigious," Will says. I see him checking Austin's aura for a brief moment, and he narrows his eyes a little.

"What," I ask blandly.

"Invited to apply...or have been asked to do it?" Will asks for clarification. My eyes go wide and I stare at Austin for a moment. Will is ridiculously intuitive, moreso than I am unless I have physical contact with someone. Austin sighs and looks at me for a moment.

"Asked to do it..." he slowly admits.

"Why would you say you've been invited to apply if it's essentially already yours?" I ask him. As soon as I ask, I know why and I feel a little guilty.

"Because of what you're working on with the others," Austin replies curtly, "it's important, and I don't want to be a conflict of interest. It needs to happen."

"I can't think of anything better than it happening with you there in that chair," I say imploringly.

"I am so lost," Ollie declares, having finished his glass of wine already.

"You'll need to remain that way, I'm afraid," I say with a sigh. It was hard keeping secrets from people we loved, but it was important.

"How is Serafina doing?" Will asks to change the subject.

"Great, as usual. She studies, she...studies some more..." Austin says with a frown.

"Uh huh. Sounds like she's living the life," Ollie jokes.

"She's an excellent student. She mentors the younger ones, she runs Annabelle's club for omegas there, she's already done all her university applications," I say diplomatically.

"Serena?" Will asks with an apprehensive expression.

"Busted her and a hoard of others her age for drinking in a barn on the McGreer farm a little over a week ago," Ollie says, taking several slices of pink roasted lamb out the roasting tray.

"A lot can change in a week. She went camping last night with six humans who are her new friends," I add. Austin looks at me inquisitively, probably wondering how I know about this.

"She's finally moved on from that bolshy Kate girl from Blackwater Eclipse?" Will asks as he spoons some potatoes onto his plate.

"Yeah, finally," Austin says with a relieved exhale.

"She's back on track," I say, thinking I ought to not mention a few other things Sen told me an hour ago when I visited her at the school.

"She comes of age in twelve days...watch out Exton," Ollie laughs.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," I say cryptically.

..

Later that night, after Will has left with another few vials of test medicines, I enter the bathroom off our master bedroom.

"I knew one day you would come around to this," I say with a smirk at the sight of my very tall, very hot fiancé laying in a bubble bath.

"It's actually a great place to think," he admits. I come and sit down next to him.

"So...I found out something interesting about Serena today from Sen, and when I tell you, you need to keep it between us, because she didn't find it out directly from Serena," I say with an intense expression.

"Sure, I can do that," he nods. I pause, wondering if I should tell him, because I also feel like Sen should've kept it to herself too. But it could lead to Serena feeling some emotional turmoil, so her older brother and alpha did need to be aware...I think.

"Sen saw Serena a little before her camping trip, and then she saw her again a few hours ago once she'd got back from it. She said her aura looked quite different within that time. She asked Serena to tell her all about her trip and her new friends, keeping an eye on her aura while she did so," I recount, pausing yet again.

"And?" Austin asks, now sitting up a little, "is my sister okay?"

"Yes, don't worry, she is doing very well. For now. But...Sen thinks that Serena might be developing feelings for one of the humans, particularly after last night," I say with a little sigh. Austin sinks into his bath a little further, clearly conversing with Atlas for a moment.

"Thinks?" he asks to clarify.

"She isn't too sure. She didn't say which one it was, but she could see a clear change to her aura whenever she mentioned him," I continue.

"Oh dear. She comes of age in twelve days, when she might start to sense her mate," Austin says with a frown.

"Exactly. Sen is a little concerned she's heading for some heartache or some emotional conflict. But I guess, as faeries, we haven't really noticed if a mate bond just overrides anything she feels for anyone else? What do you think?" I muse.

"Couldn't possibly know myself, I only had eyes for you once I got over Ava. Which was sadly faster than I thought I would. But even before I realised it was a real mate bond that we had, I was strangely willing to go down that road with you anyway. I felt awful about it at the time, but part of me just wanted you, regardless of whether my mate appeared or not. I remember saying to my mum that while I cared about hurting you, I also didn't care. It was a very strange feeling at the time," Austin replies. I frown at him, but then I smile.

"Sen is going to keep an eye on her anyway, but...I really want to know who these new friends are," I say with a laugh.

"Unfortunately, she can't exactly bring them here, can she?" Austin says sadly, "or...can she?"

"No," I say bluntly.

"But there are Sundays..." he says. True, Sundays here are family days, and it is just us and our closest here at the pack house. It would just come across as a rather large family home...

"Not yet," I add, "we will...just see what happens. If she asks, I think we should accommodate it the best we can, in the safest way possible. Have humans even been here before?"

"Not that I know of. I don't think we tend to make friends with too many humans, to be honest," Austin says. After a pause he laughs lightly at a thought he's clearly just had, or something Atlas has said to him. I c**k my eyebrow at him.

"We are just wondering what this human is like, out of any other, out of all the Lycans that go there, to manage to catch Serena's eye," he says with another laugh, "I'm imagining some tall, extra beefy version of Louis Astor...but maybe it's actually deeper than that. Maybe she's growing up?"

"I know. I could describe Serafina in about twenty words. But I'd need at least two hundred to describe Serena. I am really intrigued now, too."

"Yeah, over the past two years she has become quite a remarkable young woman. She isn't academic and studious like Serafina, but she's just so...dynamic. I just hope she stays moving in the right direction."

"I think she will. I wonder if she even knows what she's feeling yet. I could imagine her having a bit of denial, feeling something for a human. For anyone, really. But...we shall see," I say, reaching into the foam and blobbing some bubbles onto Austin's nose.

"So, are we taking bets on a girl or boy for Will and Annabelle?" Austin says, changing the subject and blowing the bubbles off the end of his nose.

"Boy," I guess, "and I think they'll be a hybrid like Will. His warlock side is so strong I think it'll happen."

"The next year is going to be very exciting," I say with a lopsided smile, "a baby for Will and Annabelle, the twins coming of age and going to Uni...and then our wedding next September, of course."

"Yeah how's the planning getting on?" Austin asks. I stare at him for a moment and realise he isn't joking.

"I thought....you...were..." I say with a shocked expression.

"What? No! I have a fancy job and a pack to run," he says, his voice getting adorably pitchy. I laugh at this because I don't often hear it.

"Well...I helped put an Ilisarov frame on someone's smashed up leg the other day and that took four hours. I've not had much time either between the hospital and the council," I laugh.

"We could elope? Get married where I proposed to you?" Austin suggests with a laugh. I shake my head at him.

"No. Enough has happened on that particular part of that mountain in Chamonix."

"It's a great spot," he says with a wink. I laugh and nod, because he's absolutely right.

"Three pivotal things have happened there," I say with a sigh, "but you know your parents will freak if we don't do it properly. You're the alpha to the most influential pack in the country, almost the largest. It is sadly expected. Which is what you told me way back, when I was amazed at the size of Kyle and Ebony's wedding. Amazed and also scared."

Austin sits up and clicks his finger.

"Freya can plan it," he suddenly says. I snort with laughter, but actually...

"You know what? That's not such a bad idea."

...

***Serena***

I'm just about to crawl into bed when my phone starts to vibrate on my bedside table. I'm surprised at who is calling me at half past ten at night.

I wander out to the balcony while Christa sorts out some laundry.

"Serafina my love! How are you doing?" I ask my sister over the phone as I shut the door to the bedroom.

"I'm so great. How are you?" She asks. She sounds like she's bursting to tell me something.

"Also great, I've just got back from a camping trip. It was-" I say before Serafina interrupts me excitedly.

"Serena...I found him," she gasps down the phone. My breath catches in my throat at her words and I bite my lip.

"-I found my MATE," she finishes. I don't say anything for a moment, because her words have conjured a rather mixed reaction within me right now and I'm a little taken aback. I can feel my heart racing a little and a few thoughts are going through my mind.

"Well, I guess you made the right call going to Howardian," I manage to reply, wandering backwards and forwards on the balcony.

"He's amazing. His name is Scott. I can't describe how incredible our connection is and how hard it hit me. It all happened yesterday. I was out with friends, and we went to this comedy night...and there he was. He graduated from Barmouth last year and has moved back home. Serena...he's the HEIR to the Rosedale Moors pack, the ninth largest," she tells me with even more excitement in her voice.

I exhale slowly, pressing my fingers to my temple. Of course. This is exactly what Serafina has always wanted. She was born to be a pack Luna, and now fate has handed her the perfect future on a silver platter.

"I am really so happy for you, Serafina, that's...everything you've ever wanted," I tell her, wiping away a tear that's annoyingly escaped my eye and slid down my cheek.

I can feel emotion building in my throat and my heart is beating even faster now.

"Hopefully it's your turn soon, Serena. Was is it that you want?" she asks down the line. I stare out into the darkness of the grounds, breathing a little faster than usual, far too afraid to voice that I'm not actually that sure of what I want right now.

Her phone call and her words have stirred up something very unexpected in me.

"I don't know yet, but don't worry about me, I'm doing great. I need to go, I'll call you next week on our birthday. I look forward to meeting Scott someday soon," I promise her, before I say goodbye and hang up.

I pray that Christa can’t hear the quiet sob that shake my chest as I grip the balcony railing, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. The weight of my own realisation crashes over me.

I don’t want to find my mate. Not yet.

...Maybe not ever...

Because the person I keep finding myself thinking about, the one whose words echo endlessly in my mind, playing over and over like a melody I can’t silence—

Isn’t Lycan.

He is human.