by Mia Rose
Her nana nodded as though she now understood something. “So, that’s why he came here, then? To apologize and try to make amends.”
“Yes,” Noelle lied, “but I will not be seeing him again.”
“Ah.” Her nana twisted Noelle’s hair while staring into the distance. “And so, then entered Edmund?”
Noelle smiled a little at his name. “Yes, well, as you can imagine, I was not expecting all of that to happen.”
“It is better this way, Noelle. To learn and accept our way of life is difficult —trust me, I had to do that once. But this man already knows the truth in the world, so it’s almost as though you were made to help each other. You should not let that go.”
Noelle nodded thoughtfully as she recalled the way that Edmund had recoiled from her earlier in the day. Her nana was right, she could not let him go. Not only because he would have the cure for her family, but also because Noelle believed that he was the cure for her own loneliness.
When Declan woke up the next morning, he realized one thing almost immediately —it was silent. No one was there knocking at his door. His phone was not blowing up with phone calls and messages. He had actually managed to wake up on his own.
Initially, he had felt relief, but that quickly washed away to full-fledged anxiety. What did this mean? Was everyone alright? What if someone had come in the middle of the night and killed his pack?
Declan threw on his jeans and ran out the door. He raced all the way to Gabriel’s door and pounded on it, nearly breaking it from its hinges.
Gabriel yanked open the door, clearly unamused. “Declan, what the fuck, man? Is the building burning or something?”
“No,” Declan said, looking around. “Are you alright? Is everyone okay?” Gabriel stared at Declan, his brows furrowed.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing, I just…” Declan ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “It’s just no one woke me up this morning.”
“Do you need your own personal alarm clock?” Gabriel laughed.
“No, it’s not that. I just got worried is all.” Declan sighed, partly out of relief and partly out of embarrassment.
“Well, we are fine here, so…” Gabriel trailed off, trying to push Declan out of the doorway.
“We?” Declan asked.
“Yeah, umm, Megan and I.”
Declan smiled at his friend and pushed his finger to his lips signaling that he would keep it quiet. He backed out of the doorway and walked slowly to his office struggling to remember the last day where he’d woken up feeling like everything might just turn out alright.
He opened the door to his office and found Avril sitting at the desk. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Declan!” she said, standing in a rush. “I wasn’t sure what time you came in, so I was just trying to orient myself with everything and identify what needs to get done first.”
“What?” Declan asked, dumbfounded.
“It’s my first day,” Avril said slowly. “As your administrative assistant?”
“Oh, right, yeah of course,” Declan replied, trying to recover from the sight of her in his office. “I just wasn’t sure how you got in here.”
“Oh!” Avril laughed. “I asked Gabriel if I could borrow his key so I could get a jump start on things. I hope that’s okay?”
“Of course, of course,” Declan said, trading places with Avril and taking a seat behind his desk. “I guess we will have to work on getting you your own space, huh?”
“Whatever you think will work.” Avril smiled at him.
Declan looked at her and he recognized a glimmer in her eyes. He coughed to cover up the silence that was stretching between them.
“So, let’s get started, I guess.”
Declan spent the next few hours teaching Avril everything about the computer system that the apartment used. She made a few suggestions to him which would help with efficiency, and for the first time, Declan was really starting to appreciate Avril and what she had to offer to him.
They walked through all the paperwork together, and both of them agreed that in order to help offset some of the past due bills, they would need to start accepting new applications for residents. Declan always hesitated to do that because he didn’t want too many prying eyes around his pack. He also didn’t want to put any humans in danger just in case any of his wolves decided to go rogue.
Before he knew it, it was mid-afternoon and he needed to head out to meet with Edmund to discuss the logistics of setting up the lab in the basement.
“Okay, so I have to head out for a meeting now,” Declan explained to Avril. “Do you think you have everything covered here?”
Avril nodded enthusiastically and Declan began to wonder if that glimmer she had in her eye was for him, or if it was just because she had a purpose again.
As he drove to meet with Edmund he thought about the different types of members he had in his pack. Most of them could be gathered into one of two groups —those able to rejoin society and those who preferred to stay within the pack.
For the wolves who could rejoin the world, the transition was actually easier because the lifestyle switch was not as severe. They could still go out and enjoy friends and maintain jobs, and have just as much freedom as before. Whereas for those who found rejoining society impossible, the transition could take a dark turn.
Declan remembered Gabriel talking to him about Avril, once before. She had just recently graduated college and she was working at a law firm as a paralegal. She had stayed late one night to help on one of the bigger cases and as she was walking back to her car, she’d been attacked by a wolf and left to die.
Avril woke up alone and she wandered the streets for a long while before she found herself at an old diner. She went inside and ordered the entire menu, but she soon found out that she hadn’t been craving human food —she’d been craving humans.
She ran from the diner and it took Gabriel about three days before he found her hiding out in the woods. Once he convinced her to go back to the apartments with him, Avril never again left. Her biggest fear was that once she was out in the public eye, she would lose all of her self-control and go in for the kill.
Declan shook his head. It had been way too long since he’d been involved in his new pack members and Gabriel had stopped filling him in on everyone’s story —to Declan, everyone’s story sounded the same and he’d lost touch with his sense of compassion.
The way they were changed not only defined them as the wolves they would become, but it also defined them as the type of pack member they would be. As a wolf, Avril was timid and shy and always ran at the rear of the back, afraid of herself and her power. As a pack member, she was always eager to help —maybe to make up for her shyness as a wolf, or maybe because that was the one way she could feel human again.
Either way, Declan was certainly glad to have her on his side now. He turned his car into the parking lot of the hospital and parked it near the rear exit. When he got out of the car, he saw Edmund standing there waiting for him in his white coat. Declan had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from letting his anger get control of him. He could not understand how Noelle could choose Edmund over him.
Declan stepped out of his car and walked slowly toward Edmund. “Hello,” Edmund said casually.
“We should probably get things out right now before this becomes any more complicated,” Declan said by way of greeting. “I have no interest in pursuing Noelle any longer. As a matter of fact, I will be taking on my newest alpha mate soon. So, we are a team no matter what because I am helping you out and you are helping me out. Nothing else stands in our way from this point forward. Sound good?”
Edmund nodded and pulled open the door for Declan. They walked up the stairs quietly and entered Edmund’s office through the back entrance.
“Just so we are clear,” Edmund said, “I am doing this for myself in order to further my research. I am not guaranteeing anything. Understood?” This time Declan nodded.
They sat down together at Edmund’s desk and walked through the steps of every instrument and device that they would need. Edmund said that he would be able to take a few of the key things from the hospital, but everything else they would need to buy.
“So, does this sound feasible for Monday?” Edmund asked.
“We will have to make this work, feasible or not,” Declan said.
“Alright, well thanks for meeting with me today.” Edmund stretched out his hand expectantly.
Declan looked down and part of him wanted to smack it away, but instead he took Edmund’s hand in his own and they shook. As he pulled away, Declan felt a scratch along his wrist.
“What the hell?” Declan said, rubbing at his wrist.
“Sorry,” Edmund replied, “I keep forgetting to cut my nails.”
Declan looked at Edmund’s hands and sure enough his nails were razor sharp —almost as if they were claws. He stood up from his chair and left Edmund’s office through the back. He walked to his car and drove home, wondering why exactly he needed to go to the office to have the conversation at all. Especially since they could have just as easily had it on the phone.
Declan parked at the apartments and climbed up the steps two at a time until he reached his office. He pulled open the door to find Avril on the phone. She wore a worried expression when she glanced up at Declan.
“Alright, Sir. I understand,” she spoke into the phone. “Yes, I’ll deliver the message as soon as I see him.” Avril hung up the phone and stared down at the receiver.
“Who was that?” Declan asked.
“That was the city inspector’s office,” Avril explained, “apparently, the community has been complaining about the run-down state of our apartments and they have requested that it be torn down in order to build a newer condominium.”
Declan looked at Avril, his mind not fully registering what she was saying. He was in another world.
She kept talking. She said, “The man I spoke with said that he will be coming to inspect the state of the building in order to deliver his report back to the city. That, along with his recommendations on whether or not it should be demolished,” she said quietly.
“When is he coming?” Declan asked.
“Monday,” Avril replied.
Monday. Monday was the day the inspector was coming to judge their home. Monday was also the day they were planning on building a full-on laboratory in the basement.
“Fuck Mondays!” Declan sighed.
“Judging things isn’t for everyone all the time.”
Chapter 13
Home
“Finding home once again is good for the heart.”
Edmund stared at the chair in which Declan had just been sitting. He though back to the first time he had met Declan at the restaurant when Declan had accosted him and told him of Aria’s untimely death. Declan had seemed so powerful and intimidating at that time.
But now, Edmund knew more about him. Most importantly, he knew Declan’s biggest weakness —Noelle. Although Edmund had started developing feelings toward her, he didn’t know if he would ever be able to move past the fact that she had voluntarily given herself to a wolf. The very thought that he had made love to her made him feel dirty.
He recalled Declan’s face when he told Edmund that Noelle would not stand in the way of their mission. It took everything in Edmund not to laugh at him. He had already let something stand in the way of his mission and he would be damned if he allowed anything else to slow him down or try to stop him. Declan seemed so weak and powerless —Edmund almost felt bad for him. Almost.
Edmund looked down at his hand where he held the piece of skin he had scratched off Declan’s arm. He placed it into a test tube and tucked it away into his desk. Edmund stood up from his desk and left his office, making sure to lock the door securely behind him.
Noelle went for a run for the first time since before her accident. She could tell that she had gotten slower, but that only pushed her to run even harder. She needed to get herself back in shape both physically and mentally. She had been so distracted by unimportant things that she had let her grip slip on what mattered most —fulfilling her destiny.
She pushed herself harder, faster. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face and she could taste the saltiness of it on her lips, but she wouldn’t stop. She ran from everything that had happened and she ran toward everything that could happen.
She could have her family back.
She could have Edmund back.
She could have herself back.
Noelle finally slowed when she entered the bridge. She looked out into the sparkling water remembering how much she loved it —how the rippling movements of the water would calm her down and help her to think. She knew why her body brought her here. She sat down on the side, letting her legs dangle off the ledge. This would always give her such a rush —one wrong move and she could plummet down into the water. But she knew she would never let go.
After a few minutes, she stood up from her spot and started jogging back to her house. She welcomed the cool breeze as it washed over her face. She knew what she would have to do now to get everything she wanted. Noelle was literally finding her way home, once again.
When she got back to her house, she went straight into the shower and the chilly water felt nice as it cooled her down. She got out and threw on a simple sundress and sat down on the couch. Her nana came out and sat next to her, holding a photo book. They flipped through it together, recounting shared memories.
“Look!” Her nana laughed. “This is your cousin Steven after his first hunt. He was so uninspiring!” They laughed together as they looked at the pictures of Steven who was clearly less than thrilled by his family’s tradition.
They went through baby pictures of Noelle and Steven together, playing outside in the park. There was a picture of Steven crying in the sandbox because he wanted to use the shovel to dig through the sand. Noelle had insisted on using it as a sword and hitting him with it over and over.
Noelle paused as she noticed something. “Nana, we don’t have any pictures of Megan as a baby? Why is that?”
“Ah,” her nana said as she smiled sadly, “Aunt Marjorie never wanted you to know this, but I guess it does not matter, now. She was never able to have a baby of her own, so when Megan was two years old, she was adopted by your aunt and uncle.”
Noelle’s eyes grew large. How could she have not known this?
“You all were still young enough that once Megan started coming around, you just accepted her. But even still, she always knew that there was some piece missing. Her mother and father went back and forth as to whether or not she should be a hunter, but they decided that since she was adopted into our family, then she should be included in everything.”
Noelle felt a little sad for her cousin. Not because she was any less her cousin at that point, but because now she understood just a little bit more about why Megan was always trying to prove herself. There was something inside of her —subconsciously, that pushed her to work even harder than the rest of them, as if she felt that she needed to earn her place. But Noelle knew the truth, adopted or not, family was family.
“Does she know, Nana?” Noelle asked. “Did Marjorie ever tell her?”
“No.” Her nana shook her head sadly. “We all wanted to just tell her when she was older. It would be a shock, I’m sure, but it would also change a lot for her. I don’t know if she would want to try to find her real parents or if she may have chosen a life away from hunting, but Marjorie has been stubborn. She kept insisting that this was her daughter and no one else’s and that no one would step in and take her away. You know how Marjorie can be sometimes.” Her nana smiled weakly and patted Noelle’s leg.
“She was two years old and she doesn’t remember anything from that time? What happened to her parents?”
“No one really knows,” her nana explained. “Your aunt was working the late shift in the ER and she saw this little gir
l walk in there with a big cut on her head. She was dazed and Marjorie tried to find out about her parents, but she couldn’t talk yet. They spent a long time trying to track down her parents, but nothing came out of the search. Child Services took her, and within a week, your aunt had managed to adopt her.”
“Maybe something terrible happened to them,” Noelle whispered.
“Maybe,” her nana said and agreed. “But I’m afraid we will never know.”
Declan knocked on Gabriel’s door hoping that he was still inside. When Gabriel pulled open the door, Declan realized that he was wearing the exact same thing from the morning.
“Jesus!” Declan laughed. “Do you two ever leave this apartment?” Gabriel gave him a sly smile.
“Do you want to come in?” Gabriel asked.
“Is it safe?” Declan joked. He walked inside of the apartment and found Megan sitting on Gabriel’s couch, a bag of potato chips in her lap. “You’re still eating human food?”
“Old habits.” Megan shrugged, stuffing a few chips in her mouth at once. Declan smiled at her, happy that she seemed to be fitting into her new lifestyle without a problem.
“So,” Gabriel said, “what can I do you for?” He laughed at his words.
“We have a problem,” Declan said.
“Ah, I knew today was too good to be true.” Gabriel sighed taking a seat next to Megan. “What’s up now?”
“Well, I went to meet with Edmund this afternoon and we went over everything that he needs in order to set up the lab. You and I will be in charge of buying the bigger stuff, seeing as how you have the money.”
“Okay.” Gabriel nodded. “All the money has been wired into my account already, so we should be all set.”
“Great. That leads us to our problem, then.” Declan ran a hand through his hair as he sat down in a chair across from Gabriel and Megan. “The city inspector is scheduled to come out here on Monday to take a look at the apartment buildings. Apparently, there have been some complaints regarding the aesthetics of the property and so forth, so, they are reviewing whether or not it needs to be demolished.”
