by Mia Rose
“Don’t worry, child,” Mr. Sanders spoke lightly. “They are in the other room sitting down for dinner. Are you hungry?” Noelle nodded and followed him into the other room. She looked to the side and noticed Edmund walking closely beside her.
As they entered the dining room, Noelle’s stomach instantly started grumbling as she breathed in the powerful aromas of the food. In the center of the room, there was a large dining room table which stretched at least ten feet in length. There were two elaborately embellished chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which cast a soft glow on the room, creating an almost romantic atmosphere. Noelle nearly forgot that they were in the same old warehouse that she entered earlier in the day.
“Sit, sit.” Mr. Sanders smiled at her and Noelle took her place across from her parents and Edmund sat next to her.
People appeared from behind them, and placed down plates filled with fresh salad. Noelle picked up her fork and slowly started eating in the midst of the silence. She looked over at Mr. Sanders and found that he had not touched his food —his hands were folded underneath his chin and he watched Noelle carefully.
“So, Noelle.” Mr. Sanders began with a clap of his hands, “I hear you need a cure for silver, is that correct?”
Noelle shot a harsh glance at Edmund, but she could tell that he was just as surprised by his knowledge of their conversation.
He laughed quietly and said, “Don’t be upset with Edmund, dear. These walls are old and they have ears!”
Noelle wasn’t sure where this conversation would lead, so she remained silent, forgetting about her delicious salad.
“Well, I’ll just assume that I am right. So, let’s make a deal then. We will give you the cure, if you promise your loyalty to our cause and help us in any way you can.” Noelle looked across the table at her parents and they both stared at Mr. Sanders, but neither of them said anything. “Come now, Noelle. You saw the files yourself. You know the monstrosities that these creatures are capable of. You lived for years believing in the necessity of their deaths. Frankly, this is an honorable offer and you would be wise to accept it.”
“Noelle,” Edmund whispered, “you should take this deal. We can do remarkable things together.”
“Edmund.” Noelle sighed.
She didn’t know what to think or say at this point —Mr. Sanders was right. Werewolves were certainly capable of monstrous deeds, but she had seen with her own eyes, the hundreds of werewolves who chose a different path. Should they all be condemned for the fault of a few? Why was this a decision that she had become responsible for?
“Noelle?” her father spoke from across the table. “I don’t understand why you are hesitating on this. This is what you wanted for us, and now you are getting it. This isn’t death, it’s a chance at a new life.”
“I just —I need a moment,” Noelle said.
She stood from the table and excused herself, walking from the same door they had entered. She walked over to the large window and pushed aside the curtain. There, she could see the world as she knew it. In these rooms, it seemed too easy to be overcome by a reality painted by others. Noelle wanted to leave, but she needed to know where the cure was for Maria.
She heard the door open and as she looked to the side, she saw Megan walking toward her, wearing a small smile. Her cousin approached her at the window, and together they looked outside in silence.
“It’s Declan, isn’t it?” Megan asked quietly. Noelle looked over at her cousin and peered at her closely. There had been a dramatic shift in Megan, and Noelle needed to know what had happened to her.
“Meg, what did they do to you here?” Noelle asked, ignoring her cousin’s question.
Megan looked at Noelle and she smiled softly. “They found them, Noelle. They found my parents.”
“Oh my god,” Noelle said as she gasped. “How? Have you met them? Where are they?”
Megan’s smile twitched and her face grew grave. “Do you remember that little girl’s photo you looked at earlier?”
Noelle nodded wordlessly. Megan gazed out of the window again and closed her eyes.
“That was my sister.” Noelle stood frozen —she had no words that she could offer her cousin. “They told me that my parents had taken us out on a camping trip. We were attacked by werewolves at night, and they killed everyone except for me. Somehow, I managed to walk all the way to the hospital where Marjorie found me. But, that was why no one was ever looking for me —there was no one left to search.”
“My god, Megan. I am so sorry,” Noelle finally managed to whisper. She took her cousin into a tight hug and they stood there for some time, just holding each other.
Megan finally pulled back. “I understand your hesitation, Noelle. But the truth is right in front of us. And if you do really love him, then you should want to do this. If it were up to me, I would change Gabriel in a heartbeat. Then maybe, he would turn back into the man I fell in love with in the first place.”
Noelle’s heart felt pulled in so many directions. Her family was choosing humanity. Megan’s real family was torn apart by werewolves. Noelle knew that if Declan had a choice between being a human or a werewolf, he would choose being a werewolf. But would he choose it over her as well? Had she made her choice?
“I’m going to go back in,” Megan said softly. “Take your time.”
Noelle nodded and turned back to the window. The sky had grown darker and clouds had pulled together building their strength for the pending storm. She heard the door open again, but this time, she did not turn to see who had come into the room.
“Noelle?” Edmund said softly.
Without looking at him she said, “Edmund, what would you do if you were in my position?”
“Noelle, I am in your position. And you already know my choice.”
She nodded as she considered his words —he too, was forced to give up something in order to fight for this cause. He would never be able to rejoin his family. Just as, Noelle feared, she would never be able to rejoin Declan.
“I need that cure, Edmund. This could be the last good deed I do,” Noelle whispered, feeling the weight of her words as they fell from her mouth.
“Look at me, Noelle.” Edmund gently touched her shoulder and turned her so that she was now facing him, with her back to the window. “This will be the first step to a very long list of good deeds. I know that you may not see the big picture now, but we are saving thousands of lives. Not only human lives, but werewolves as well.”
Noelle closed her eyes briefly. What role did time play anymore? She wondered how this man had gone from a lover, to a traitor, to a confidant, in so little time. Her own family had been so quick to forgive him once they recognized the goodness of the cause. Could she not do the same?
“Can I just ask one question, Noelle?”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Your hesitations on this —is this because you still care for Declan, or because you truly believe that werewolves should exist?”
This was it —the moment she would have to choose. If she admitted her feelings for Declan to Edmund, her ability to attain the cure would surely be compromised. Noelle knew that this question had multiple implications. Was she making the choice based on the right reasons? Was she making the choice based on a relationship, which never fully existed?
“I care for Declan only as a friend.” Noelle sighed. She hoped that Edmund would not catch the dishonesty in her voice. “But I cannot let that friendship interfere with my duties. I hesitate, and only because of the blood that courses through my veins —you forget that I am a werewolf, too. And this will essentially strip me of part of myself.”
Edmund nodded and Noelle could easily recognize the relief in his eyes. He had bought her lie —he truly believed that she and Declan had no other connection with one another, other than a volatile friendship.
“I understand,” Edmund said, but he was unable to keep the smile from his eyes. “So, have you made your decision yet?”
&n
bsp; Noelle nodded and said, “I have.” The sky opened up behind her and the first crack of thunder rumbled loudly as the rain began to wash the earth below.
They made their way back into the dining room where it was clear that everyone had just finished their meals. Mr. Sanders thanked them for joining him and he dismissed everyone, except for Noelle. Edmund hesitated briefly at the door, but nodded in her direction as though reaffirming her decision.
“I take it you have come to a final conclusion,” Mr. Sanders said as he leaned back in his chair. “I must admit that I am surprised it took so long for you to decide.”
“There were many factors to take into consideration,” Noelle said sternly. He raised his eyebrows at her tone, but did not reply. Noelle continued, “I will help you with this cause, but I need one thing from you in addition to the cure for silver.”
Mr. Sanders narrowed his eyes at Noelle and then he leaned forward toward her as he spoke. “I am not in the business of negotiating, my dear.”
Noelle nodded as though she had expected him to say something like this. “I suppose that’s it, then. I will have to find another way to get the cure.”
“Noelle, you are growing tiresome.” Mr. Sanders sneered at her. “Speak now. What else do you require?”
Noelle narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re going to tell me who you really are.”
Declan sat in Noelle’s parents’ empty apartment, in silence. He had searched the entire place for any clue as to where she might have gone. It had been almost twenty-four hours since he’d heard from her, and he could only fear the worse.
He stood up from the couch and walked toward the door, glancing back, one more time. Declan noticed a small white envelope underneath the napkin holder on the dining room table. How had he missed this before?
He walked over to the table and removed a note from the envelope. It was addressed to Noelle and requested a meeting with her. It was signed by a Mr. Sanders, and beneath his name, Declan found an address.
He raced up the stairs and found Maria laying on the couch watching television. “I think I know where she is,” Declan said, panting from his sprint.
Maria quickly sat up and reached for the note that Declan had in his hands. She read it over and looked up at him with the same question that he had on his own mind.
“Who the hell is Mr. Sanders?” she asked.
“I’m not positive,” Declan said. “But I think that he may have something to do with this council that Noelle was telling me about before. They have this mission to turn all werewolves back into humans.”
Maria stared at Declan as he spoke, and a shiver went down her spine at the final word. “And what if we don’t want to be human?” she asked.
Declan shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m not sure they are really giving us much of a choice.”
“Okay,” Maria said, standing up from her seat. She started pacing back and forth as she was processing all this additional information. “Okay, so let me get this straight, your girlfriend was a hunter. Turns out she is actually a hybrid —a hybrid whose blood this council needs, to help create these cures. She becomes the alpha of your pack and then shows up at our meeting. A few days later, my entire pack is eviscerated as we are trying to escape —an escape she knew about.”
“What are you suggesting, Maria?”
Maria looked up at Declan and a dark shadow passed over her features. “I think your girlfriend is the reason my pack is gone.”
“What?”
“You’re going to tell me who you really are.”
Chapter 17
The Real Mr. Sanders
“Theories spawning everywhere, are not necessarily truth.”
Declan sat on the couch and stared at Maria. He didn’t want to believe her theory, but it did fold together quite nicely. And he couldn’t deny that it would not be the first time Noelle had done something like this to him.
“Maria,” Declan said finally. “We need to find out more information before we jump to any conclusions here. And I need your help with something.” Maria grimaced, not thrilled by the idea of offering him any favors, but she eventually gave in.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Gabriel,” Declan said softly. “He was my beta, and the night of the ritual when I couldn’t turn, I deemed him the alpha of the pack. It seems that he cracked under the pressure, and I really need someone to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t completely destroy my pack while I figure everything else out.”
Maria nodded, her own alpha rearing its head at the request. “What do you think I should do?”
“Get close to him, if you can. See if you can push him into letting you be the alpha female of our pack, since you have already been in that position.”
“And if he pushes the ritual?”
Declan considered this, and he recalled Megan’s horrific admission that Gabriel would require it to be to the death. “Give him any reason he needs to choose you. Any means necessary.”
Maria nodded understanding exactly what Declan meant. She left the apartment and headed to Gabriel’s apartment, knocking on the door softly.
Gabriel opened the door and his eyes grew wide at Maria standing in the doorway. The last time he had seen her, she was laying on the couch, in and out of consciousness, and covered in blood. He had to admit —she cleaned up rather nicely.
“Hey,” Gabriel said, a small smile on his lips.
Maria turned on her full-watt smile and she could tell that it already had an effect on Gabriel. “Hi,” she said. “Do you mind if I come in for a little while?”
Gabriel nodded without hesitation and opened the door for her. Maria stepped inside the apartment and grimaced at the unseemly sight —clothes were lying on the ground, everywhere. There were small spots of blood throughout the place. It seemed as though Gabriel was getting sloppy, but she couldn’t allow herself to show disgust.
“What brings you here?” Gabriel asked.
Maria turned around and looked at him shyly. She spoke conspiratorially and said, “To be honest, I just really needed to be with another Alpha. Declan just doesn’t cut it anymore, you know?” Gabriel’s smile reached from ear to ear and Maria knew she had said exactly the right thing —she was in.
Mr. Sanders had told Noelle that if she required this information for the cure, they would need to go someplace else to discuss it. She had obliged and soon found herself in the back seat of a car, and traveling down a dark road. The driver was separated from them by a privacy window, although Noelle had the feeling that even if the driver did hear them, if he ever spoke of the conversation, he would probably meet some untimely demise.
“So, you wish to know my real name,” Mr. Sanders said in a matter-of-fact voice, although Noelle could tell that this conversation was making him uncomfortable.
“Yes.” Noelle nodded slowly. “And the real purpose behind what you are doing. Why would you defect from the council? What made you suddenly… so humanitarian?”
Mr. Sanders smiled sadly as he looked out at the rain from the car window. “You remind me so much of her,” he said softly.
Noelle pulled together her eyebrows in confusion. She was about to ask him who he was talking about, but she stopped as he opened his mouth to continue.
“My real name,” he said quietly, “is Edmund. I imagine that you would most recognize me as ‘E’ from the letters you read by Noelise.”
Noelle’s heart started racing abruptly, but her mind was slow to understand what he meant. “E” from the letters? Those letters were written such a long time ago —there was no way that this could be the same man.
“How is that possible?” Noelle asked, careful to hide the nervousness from her voice.
He nodded as though he agreed with her question. “How indeed, how indeed.” Noelle waited patiently for him to continue. “I was in love with her, you know? I would have done anything for her.”
“For Noelise?”
“Yes,” he said s
imply. “When she —when she took her own life…” he trailed off. “I could feel my own soul escape my body. She died and a part of me died with her. And then, of course, there was Annabelle. How could I have known what she truly was? I never could have killed her —she was like my own daughter. When she transformed that night of the ritual, every ounce of love that I had, left. It shriveled away and died. Not killing her was my final act of love.”
Noelle shook her head, still not understanding how he could be there, alive.
“Of course, I stayed on my path. I trained warriors and instilled in them their mission, but I could not bring myself to kill another werewolf again, for fear that I would be killing her.”
Realization dawned on Noelle in that moment. “So, this is why you wanted to create the cure? You want to save them because you couldn’t save Annabelle?”
“Oh, dear girl. I still can save her.”
Noelle’s mind started spinning but she fought against it, refusing to give into the blackness of now. Once she regained her senses, she looked at the man —he looked tired and fragile, exactly as he had when she’d first met him. His pupil-less eyes were staring out the window, they seemed softer somehow, although nothing had changed.
“What do you mean you can still save her?”
“Noelle, use the brain you have been blessed with. Children do not appear from nowhere —you have Noelise’s blood. You have Annabelle’s blood. This must mean that at one point, Annabelle mothered her own children. Generations came and went, and then there was you. Finally, a girl born of her blood.”
“Is she —is she still alive?” Noelle could barely choke out the question.
Edmund closed his eyes and sat back in his seat. He nodded slowly, exhausted, from the conversation. Noelle could not believe what was happening —how had Annabelle survived all this time? How had he survived all this time?
“Remember,” Edmund spoke out suddenly, “the only thing that can kill a werewolf is silver. No death comes for werewolves wearing a black robe, carrying a reaper.”
