I shrugged as I sat against the wall opposite him. "Not well," I answered. "He asked me last night if he could refuse to mate. He says he doesn't ever want to find himself in a position where he has to leave his child an orphan because either he or Sophia was killed."
"And Margaret's boy?" Richard asked. "Has he heard?"
I sighed. "Kenneth's at the clinic," I said. "His group was the one that didn't make it when we raided the Witches. He was the only survivor. I do not believe he knows yet."
Richard sighed. "That is unfortunate," he whispered. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "We're hurt pretty bad, kid," he said. "Don't know how we're going to come back from this one."
"We'll figure it out," I said. "If our pack can be boiled down to one word, it's resilient."
Richard laughed. "That's the God's honest truth," he agreed. "So, what brings you down here?"
"Dad wants Anica up in the library to sign some paperwork about her baby," I replied. "After that, we should probably take her to the clinic so we can see how far along she is and get that baby born as soon as possible. Dad doesn't want the pack to have to wait too long."
Richard nodded and stood up. He opened Anica's cell and stepped in. When he returned, she was cuffed, and he had a hand on her arm. He followed me to the library. When we entered, I saw Dad walking to the couch from his desk, using his cane for support. Ceres looked on and I could tell that she wanted to help him. It was such a vast improvement compared to his condition after the attack. One day, I could see his bones. The next, he could walk. Our ability to regenerate muscle and flesh was astounding. We healed faster than most humans could imagine. Of course, for some, that was bad. There were times when we healed an injury so fast that there was more damage done as the muscles and tissues became one giant painful knot. My dad was lucky that he wasn't one of them.
Dad sat down on the sofa. Ceres took one side of him and I sat down on the other. Richard guided Anica to the opposite sofa and forced her to sit down. He stood behind her like a sentry with his hand on her shoulder. We waited for Madison to arrive before we began.
When she walked through the door, Dad instructed her to sit in the chair between the two sofas. She did as he told her, though I saw her hesitance because she wanted to bow to my father first. He recognized her desire and held up a hand to tell her no. She sat with the obedience that came from living in the pack her whole life. Now that everyone was here, my father looked at my ex.
"I am not going to ask you why," he said. "You already gave that information to Wolfgang and he relayed it to me. I know why. I know how. When the time comes, the rest of the pack will also know.
"I want you to grasp the gravity of the situation," he continued. "Because of you, more than four hundred Lycans and one hundred Witches lost their lives. Few can claim such numbers. While I have lost no love for the Witches, you need to hear that number as well. You and your actions alone are responsible for more than five hundred deaths. A quarter of this town's population. Do you understand what that means?"
Anica didn't say a word. She stared at my father and kept her mouth shut tight. I could see the muscles in her jaw working to keep herself from giving too much information.
"Answer me," he demanded with power in his voice.
Anica struggled. "You… are not… my Enkidu," she managed to say.
Richard squeezed his hand, causing Anica to whimper with the pain. "I get it!" she snapped. Richard loosened his hold.
"You get what?" Dad asked.
She growled at him. "I understand that more than five hundred people are dead because of the information I supplied the Witches," she sneered.
Dad nodded. "Because of your decision, your life is now forfeit. I will give your child to parents fit to care for it." Ceres put the paperwork on the table between them. "You will sign these documents. I will decide who raises the baby. Your child will never know your name. It will never know what you did to this pack. It will never know that you did not consider its life when you made these decisions. Sign—"
"Every decision I made was for my child!" Anica snapped. "I don't want to hear that shit! I needed to get away from this shithole and they gave me a way out! I'm not signing shit!"
True to character, my father stayed calm during Anica's rant. "Did you drink their blood?" he asked.
Anica stared at him. "No…."
"Then you are still my wolf and you will do as I say," he informed her. "Until you drink the blood of another who is stronger than me, you will always be under my law."
I saw the understanding in Anica's eyes. She knew she was trapped. My father pulled on his power again. "Sign the papers," he ordered.
Richard let Anica go long enough for her to reach for the pen. She growled as she scribbled her signature on the required lines. When she put the pen down, Richard put his hand back on her shoulder. Dad spun the contract around and signed on the lines left blank for him. He double checked to make sure Anica didn't skip something. Once he was sure everything was signed, he passed the documents to Ceres to confirm. When Ceres nodded, Dad passed the papers to Madison. She now understood why we called on her.
Madison flipped to the last page and put her stamp on it. She signed and dated everything before she nodded to my father. Ceres gathered up the paperwork so she could file it.
Dad looked at Richard. "Take her to the clinic," he said. "Inform Dr. Cyrus that Anica will not be allowed to see the baby, including any necessary ultrasounds. Instruct her to induce labor when it is safe for the baby. We want it as soon as possible so we may move forward with our healing."
Richard nodded. He pulled Anica up from the sofa and slapped the cuffs back on her wrists before leading her out of the room. Once the door shut, Ceres clipped the papers together. She stood up. "I'll get this filed," she said.
I held her hand as she walked away and didn't let go until I couldn't hold on anymore. Once the door closed behind her, my father looked at Madison. "Thank you for your service," he said.
Madison bowed her head. "You are most welcome, Enkidu," she said. "May I ask how the other adoptions are coming? I have one of the children and would like to make sure everything is legal."
That was why I remembered seeing her in the basement. "Ceres has the paperwork ready, we're just getting this one squared away first before we move on to the others," I assured her.
"I will call on the volunteers when we are ready," Dad promised. "Thank you for taking in one of the children."
Madison nodded. "It's the least I can do," she said. "August's parents were good friends of mine. I could not let him believe that no one cared."
She stood up and bowed before leaving the two of us alone. My father shifted in his seat so that he faced me. "You did well," he said. "You exceeded my hopes and dreams."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"What I said," he replied with a smile. "You'll understand someday. A father has hopes and aspirations for his children. He has dreams that he prays they can rise to. My dream for you has always been that you will be a better man and leader than I have been. You acted without hesitation. You accepted help when you needed. You agreed to the demands of your people, your leaders, and your governors. You handled the mountain of trouble piled on top of you without losing your head. You defeated the enemy. You ensured safety for your pack. You succeeded where many would have failed.
"When the time comes for me to surrender my life to you, I will be a proud father, knowing that you are ready to take my place."
I shook my head. "I'm not ready," I said. "I'll never be ready. The entire time you were in the hospital, I kept thinking that I wished you were here because you'd be able to tell me what to do. I kept thinking that you would have done things different—better. I kept wishing that I could go to you for advice, but I couldn't…."
"You did what we all do," Dad replied. "You worked through it. You took all the lessons I've given you through the years and you utilized them. You were successful. No matter how many times you
wished for my guidance, or how many times I've wished for my own father's guidance, if you succeed, as fathers, we are proud."
I nodded. "Thanks, Dad," I whispered.
Chapter 23 ~Ceres~
Once I finished filing the paperwork, I called Sophia.
"Hey," she said by way of greeting.
"How long after conception can a test detect pregnancy?" I asked.
"For humans, it's a week for a blood test. Ten days for urine."
"And for Lycans?"
"Dr. Cyrus would know better than me," she confessed.
I sighed. I didn't want to see or speak to Dr. Cyrus. I still had a tough time looking at her after she delivered the news of my baby's fate. "Do pregnant Lycans really smell different?" I asked.
"Yes," Sophia answered. "Any pregnant female does. The hormones that come with pregnancy change our body chemistry and thus our scent."
"So, in theory, Wolfgang could smell that I'm pregnant before a test would be able to confirm it?" I asked.
"It's probable," Sophia replied. "Hormones change as soon as the egg implants, which is usually six or so days after fertilization. I'm certain that with Lycans it's different, especially if a couple has mated recently as you guys did. I take it Wolfgang thinks you're pregnant?"
"Yeah," I sighed. "We aren't sure if it was us mating or one of the other times we've had sex in the last few days, but this morning he could smell it. Based on what you said, it would have to be us mating because it hasn't been six days since we started having sex again. I guess he didn't notice the change in my scent last time, but he knows it now. He's sure I'm pregnant again."
"Are you ready for that?"
"No, but it's my duty to the pack, isn't it?" I asked. "I mean, if he's going to be the Enkidu, I have to be able to give him a Volsunga."
"Well, it's not required," she said. "Just strongly recommended."
I chuckled. "In this pack, it's required," I said. "The Rider line must continue."
"True," she agreed. "I'll ask Dr. Cyrus what she knows and get back to you," she said. "The sooner you know, the better."
"Thanks," I said before we bid each other farewell. I sighed before I got into Ravyn's car and sat in the driver's seat for a moment. I looked at the passenger seat. It felt like ages since Selena confessed that she and Riley mated.
My guilt at being angry with her reared its ugly head. It really wasn't her fault. I remembered when Wolfgang and I first got together. We could barely keep our hands off each other. I knew now that he had more trouble with it than I had because he was awakened. Still, I'd never jumped into bed with someone the first day I knew them until I met him. I'd only been with Todd before and that was after we'd been dating for years.
I couldn't hold a grudge against my best friend for long. I looked through the contacts on my phone and stared at Selena's number before I called Wolfgang instead.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Are we still staying at your parents' house or are we going home?" I asked.
He sighed and stayed silent for a moment. "Home," he said. "I'm dying to get out of here."
I chuckled. "Me too," I replied. "I'll bring your mom's car back to the house and then we can head to the apartment?"
"Absolutely," he agreed.
It was the first time in weeks that we'd been back at the apartment. It felt eerie to return. Since Riley had been at Wolfgang's parents' house for as long as we had, nothing here had changed. The air was stale and smelled of old cigarettes. The dishes I'd washed before we left still sat in the drainer on the counter. I felt like we turned the TV on and found our movie still paused, except this was our life.
As we walked back to our room, we saw a light from under the door to Riley's room. Wolfgang let me keep walking as he knocked on his cousin's door. I stopped and waited because I wanted to make sure that everything was okay.
Riley answered the door with only a cigarette in his mouth and no clothes. For a moment, he looked at Wolfgang in surprise. "I didn't expect you guys to come back here yet," he said.
Wolfgang nodded. "Needed to get away from the house, you know?" he asked. Riley nodded. "Where's Selena?"
"Shower," Riley replied just before the water turned on.
"She still pissed?" Wolfgang asked.
Riley chuckled as he lit his cigarette. "Doubt it," he replied. He took in a deep breath before exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I'm heading down soon to get Caleb."
"You might have to wait on that," Wolfgang informed him.
Riley's jaw clenched. "Why?" he asked, forcing the anger out of his voice.
"My father and yours agreed that when you get Caleb, they get Anica's daughter."
"Seriously? Why?"
"So that neither pack is losing a wolf and Anica's child isn't treated like garbage just for being hers," Wolfgang explained.
"Wow," Riley sighed. "Okay. Have your dad tell me when I can go get my kid then," he said. "You guys want us to move out?" he asked. "I mean, I'm basically bringing three people into the apartment between Selena, Caleb, and our baby… when it gets here."
"Hold off on that," I said before either of them could say more. They both looked at me. "You're probably going to need help with Caleb, right?" I asked. Riley nodded. "And I'm sure Selena will want some support while she's pregnant. I mean, hell, we can convert the dining room into a bedroom for your son. We just need to take out the table and put up some sort of divider. Just… hang on. Don't jump ship yet."
Riley nodded. "Thanks," he said. He looked at Wolfgang. "What do you think?"
Wolfgang smiled. "You're my brother," he said. "You know I'm not pushing you out."
Riley chuckled. "True story," he said. "I'll let you guys head to bed. You look beat."
Wolfgang nodded before he took my hand and we walked to our room. Riley closed the door to his bedroom, and we closed ours.
Wolfgang turned on the light. Looking at the room reminded me of the first time he'd brought me here. Everything was still green, although there were some subtle changes with the addition of my things. Most of my stuff was still in New York, but that didn't mean that I wasn't able to make a difference with what I had.
Wolfgang walked over to the bed and sat down. I watched him for a moment, noticing the changes in him over the last few weeks. He hadn't shaved in a few days, so he had a thick layer of scruff over his cheeks. It looked like he had decided at some point to let some of it start to grow out, but it was such a gradual thing that I hadn't really noticed until now. His hair was longer now as well. He tied it back less and less these days.
He looked older now than he did before. These last few days, more than anything else, had aged him. He didn't fit here anymore. This was a room for a more innocent time.
"It feels strange to be here," I confessed.
He nodded his agreement. "It's pretty surreal."
I walked over to the bed and laid down. I stared up at the popcorn ceiling. "She's really dead?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"So then… aside from Anica's execution and the funeral… it's all over?"
"Seems to be."
I sighed.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't know," I replied. "Just… that feeling…."
"Tell me," he said as he lay down next to me on his side. He ran his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes and let him pet me for a moment.
"I don't know what there is to tell," I whispered. "I just feel like that I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop again, you know?" I asked. "It's like this can't really be over, even though it feels over, because something hasn't happened yet."
"You don't have anything more specific?"
I opened my eyes and met his. "Do I ever?" I asked.
He chuckled. "I suppose not," he agreed.
I closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.
I stood in the middle of the forest. Somehow, I recognized this as the same place where Abigail and I had our final standoff. She stood in front of me with a
grin on her face. Her skin was white, and her brown hair hung in greasy ropes around her face. She pointed to her left. I turned and saw us.
I was on my knees, clutching my side because she'd just stabbed me. Abigail stood before me with an insane grin on her face. The wind blew her scent toward me and I remembered that something about it had been different. She hadn't smelled like Abigail, but I was too wrapped up in the moment to pay attention to it. I wanted her dead.
I watched as I killed her. As her body fell to the forest floor, the Abigail in front of me laughed. I looked at her. "You believed it," she whispered.
I looked back and watched Wolfgang carry me away. The scene continued to play out and I understood that there was more here for me to see.
Once we were gone, the woman on the ground looked up. She stood and looked down at the wound in her stomach, then looked at me as if she could see me. Her eyes were blue. Abigail's eyes were green.
I felt like I'd been stabbed in the gut all over again. I gasped as I dropped to my knees and she fell back down. The real Abigail approached the corpse and picked up a charm. The body I killed disintegrated as Abigail pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"Brenda?" she asked. "It's Abby. Alan's daughter. Listen, I need a favor…."
As Abigail walked away, my blood turned to ice. How had she done it? How had she made me believe I killed her?
I shook my head. "No," I whispered.
"Yes."
"No!" I cried, looking at the vision that brought me here.
She smiled a cold and callous grin. "I told you that I would enjoy watching you die," she whispered.
My eyes snapped open. The room was dark, but I smelled her here. I sat up and looked around, my Lycan eyes able to see so much more than my human eyes ever could.
She stood in the darkest corner of the room. I rose to my feet and faced her. "What do you want?" I demanded.
"The same thing I've always wanted," she replied. "You. Dead."
I shook my head. "You're dead," I whispered.
She laughed. "Do you really believe that?" she asked before she disappeared. At that moment, I knew for a fact that I hadn't killed Abigail in the forest that day.
Vanilla Moon: Acrimony Page 22
