Wolfgang stood. He walked up to me, held my face between his hands, and kissed me. There was desperation in his kiss. He was searching for something he knew he could find in me. He clutched me tightly to him and I rode the chaotic waves of his emotions.
When he pulled away, I felt the tremor in his body.
"What's going on?" I whispered. "What was all that?"
"The faith that comes with being Lycan," he sighed. "We have beliefs about what happens after death and gods who govern our lives. The Traitor's final words were a curse on me, on our family. Since they were directed at me, it is now my responsibility to carry her back to the pack. Her hair was the representation of her body since she won't be cremated and returned to the pack like everyone else. The blood was her spirit and connection to the pack. Since her death won't be celebrated, I have to leave the knife here until after the next full moon, then put it somewhere safe. It keeps her anchored here so that she cannot move on. She cannot have peace. She will wonder the afterlife, lost, forever."
"What a horrible existence."
"Execution is a punishment for a reason," Wolfgang whispered.
He took my hand in his and we walked back to his truck. When we got back to the apartment, we found Riley and Selena cuddling on the couch with some gory zombie movie playing on the television. They had the lights off. Of course, we didn't need a whole lot of light to see by.
The four of us sounded off a chorus of greetings before Wolfgang and I walked back to our bedroom. They didn't question us. I think they both understood that we craved the isolation for the remainder of the evening. The morning would bring about a new day and we would have to face the music. For now, there was a bed calling our names.
Chapter 27 ~Wolfgang~
Early the next morning, my father summoned most of the high-ranking men in town to the library. Ceres was asleep when his call came in, and I didn't bother to wake her. She looked peaceful for the first time in far too long. I sat on our bed and watched her as each steady breath told me that she was alive. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead before I stood. She rolled over, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders as she moved.
I dressed in the dark and looked at the time. My father was getting an early start on business, but I knew why. He was gone for too long. Too much had happened with his pack and now it was time for him to regain control.
I sat back down to lace up my boots. Ceres rolled over once again, and I knew that she was almost awake. I felt her hand on my back a moment later and a shiver went up my spine. My breath hitched like it did every time she touched me. I closed my eyes and stayed still while her fingers played with my skin, making me feel alive in every sense of the word.
I wanted to disregard my father's request and stay in bed with her. I turned and kissed her because I couldn't stand not touching her any longer. She was eager as my mouth came down on hers. I felt her essence fill me up and crash over me. I wanted to take her right here and now, but duty called me away from her.
I was reluctant to pull away from her but managed to do it all the same. She looked up at me with disappointment in her eyes. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"Dad called on me," I told her. "I have to go meet with him and a few others."
She turned and looked at the clock on my bedside table. "It's not even six," she said. "Why is he doing this so early?"
I shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find out," I said. "I have a theory, but I don't know for certain."
"How long will you be gone?" I could hear the pout in her voice.
I chuckled. "I don't know that either," I confessed. "I'll be home as soon as I can."
She sighed. "Okay," she said.
"You and the twins should go do something today," I said. "I mean, we have Caleb coming and we need furniture for him. You guys should go shopping. You love shopping."
"Yeah, I'll see what Lena says," she agreed. "You should go. Your dad is waiting."
We kissed again before I tore myself away from her arms and our warm, inviting bed. Riley was waiting for me with coffee as I came out of my room. He handed me one cup and we drank as much down as we could before I grabbed my keys from the hook, and we left the apartment.
It was still dark. The moon still hung in the sky. There was a hint of a pink glow higher up in the sky and I could smell the world waking up. There were a couple of birds chirping here and there. The morning was on its way, but it wasn't quite here yet.
We were quiet as I drove to my parents' house. I saw Richard's truck in the driveway, along with a few others. It looked like we were the last to arrive—which was alright because we lived the farthest away. I sighed because I knew my father might lecture me in front of everyone. It was really the only way he could show them that he was still dominant over me, even though at this point he was only dominant because I wanted him to be. A lesser wolf would have already killed him, but I wasn't ready to lose him yet.
As we reached the front door a familiar scent reached me. I froze and looked around. I associated the smell of jasmine with one person in this world and I had watched Ceres rip her heart out. There was no way that Abigail was alive. None. Like her parents, she was dead and buried. She had to be.
Then again… Ceres's dream indicated that she wasn't.
And there was the same scent in our bedroom after she'd had her dream.
"What is it?" Riley asked.
"You smell that?" I asked.
He sniffed the air. "Jasmine?" he aside.
I nodded. "Odd, isn't it?" I asked.
He nodded. "Very," he agreed.
I opened the makeshift door to the house, and we walked in. I'd explain more to him later.
The doors to the library were open, so we made a quick entrance. There was coffee set out on the table by the couches. Riley and I reached for that first, then sat down. It wasn't until I had that first sip of coffee that I noticed Dad put food out too. Or Mom did. Probably Mom.
Among the gathered men, I saw Richard, Rodney, Declan, and Luke. My father stood in front of the fireplace. I wondered why Dad hadn't wanted the women here. Maybe it was for space. Maybe it was something else. The only thing I could see that we all had in common was that we all had a female counterpart, either in the form of a mate or a girlfriend.
I wasn't sure what Dad waited for, but the look on his face when I met his eye said that Riley and I had made it just in time.
The sound of someone in the foyer made me look to the doors. The Neuri walked into the room and closed the door behind them. Chindi was the only woman in the room, further emphasizing that he hadn't asked other women here for a reason.
The Neuri moved to the front of the fireplace and Dad took the chair opposite them. I'm sure his leg hurt. His actions, however motivated, proved that this meeting wasn't his idea. It was theirs.
"What's going on?" I asked my father.
Dad leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees. "We're here to discuss who will stay here and who will leave," he said. He looked at Rodney and Declan. "How many from Moab?" he asked.
Rodney shrugged. "I've spoken to some people," he said. "Declan and Daphne were the first to volunteer to stay here. I have maybe a dozen or so others who would be willing to make the move, provided they have the right incentive."
"What sort of compensation are they looking for?"
"Places to live are their highest concerns," Rodney explained. "They don't want to move out here and not be able to find work. They don't want to risk losing their homes. In the same regard, they want to ensure that they'll have enough food to survive if they can't find work."
"With the number of deaths, there are many more job openings than there used to be," Dad replied. He was right. We were a town of two thousand people. Losing four hundred of them was a severe blow to our local economy. There would be plenty of job openings. "If, however, for some reason they cannot find work, they will find that no one in this pack goes without."
Rodney nodded. "Then I don't see why they would
n't make the move," he said. "Some of them have mates at home. Two have children. They would be good numbers to add to your pack."
"Have everyone who wishes to migrate to this pack come meet me as the day goes on," Dad instructed. "I want to speak to these people before anyone commits to a move."
Rodney nodded. Dad looked at Declan. "What can you and your mate offer us?" he asked. It was the same question he asked Ceres when she approached him to join the pack. Dad didn't like to allow just anyone into our family. He wanted everyone to be productive. He hated leaches.
"I'm great at construction work," Declan said with a shrug. "Back home, my adoptive father ran a construction business. I helped him out on weekends and summers before everything changed. I know how to build, wire, and install plumbing in a house. If you don't have anyone else, I can be the guy who does repairs."
Dad nodded. "That is a valuable skill," he said. "And your mate?" he asked. "What can she offer us?"
"Other than being the mother of our three children?" Declan asked with a chuckle. "For starters, she's a talented artist. She's good at making people feel comfortable and open up to her. She was about to go to school to be a child therapist, specializing in trauma. She could help people here with grief counseling, or something."
Dad nodded again. "I am certain that skill will come in handy in the coming years," he said. "I imagine that a lot of people around here would love to speak to someone about their grief."
He looked at each of us. "In that regard," he turned to Riley and me, "I want a list of everyone we have who is still alive. Knowing who is still alive will make it easier to know who has died. I want you two to put that list together for me. I also want to get the diner ready to open again. The people of Adamsville have been too long without their favorite meals."
"Enkidu, if I may?" Riley asked. Dad nodded at him. "I would like to know when I might be able to have leave to go get my son," he said. "His mother was among the volunteers who came here to help us fight and died defending my mate in the attack on the house."
"The more wolves we have, the better off we are," Dad replied. "When your brother returns to Moab, go with him. I will trust you to take the Traitor's baby to Moab with you and make the exchange for your own son."
Riley nodded. "Thank you, Enkidu," he said.
Dad nodded at him and patted Riley's knee. I remembered the gesture as one that he would do to us whenever he was proud of what we did. I wondered if it was his initiative or willingness to step up as a father that made him proud of Riley. Dad was right. Caleb belonged here. He had always belonged here, but his mother wouldn't let him go, as was her right as a mother. It was a difficult situation all around.
"To the rest of you," Dad began, "I say only this: We need more wolves. You all have women who are not pregnant. Most of you do not yet have children. I understand that I am asking a lot from all of you. I understand that I am asking you all to make life-long commitments you may not be ready to make. That does not change the fact that our pack was severely wounded. We must replenish our numbers. Children must be priorities. We are hemorrhaging with our losses."
They nodded. I found myself nodding with them, even though my mate was already pregnant. I watched Richard for a moment. It was hard for me to see him in the role of a father. He was always the uncle all the kids loved. When we moved here, I looked up to him. He and my father were best friends in high school, along with Hunter. Dad and Cynthia had grown up together because she was his sister's best friend. I heard once that Dad and Cynthia dated for a little while but never gave that rumor much thought because just couldn't see either of them with anyone else. Looking at my past, I was sure that my kids would eventually think the same thing about me. The deaths of Hunter, Cynthia, and Margaret hit my parents hard, but looking at Richard told me he was just as devastated.
I realized that this was also the reason Luke was in the library. Dad had just asked everyone to step up and help recover our pack. He had just asked my best friend to allow himself to become a father on the cusp of losing both of his parents. The loyal wolf, Luke nodded with the rest of them. He met my eyes and I saw the pain in his. His words haunted me. He didn't want to be part of this. He wasn't ready for this. He would put it off for as long as he respectably could, but he would have to give in and make Sophia a mother.
His Enkidu ordered him to.
Richard and Luke helped us divide the number of houses we needed to look at so that Riley and I didn't have as large a list to go through. I looked at my quarter and crossed off a few names that I knew right away were gone. I had over a hundred people on my list. The more names I crossed off, the more I began to realize that one or more of us could have a list with every name crossed off. My stomach tightened at the thought. This was reality. This was the aftermath of Anica's betrayal.
We worked through the morning to find out who was still with us. I kept an eye on the clock and was relieved when we were done just before noon. It saddened me to have a visual representation of how many of us had died. Knowing that the number was monstrous was different from seeing it. I shuddered at the weight of it as I gathered the papers and returned to my father in the library.
Dad sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He looked exhausted and frail. His injuries had taken their toll on him. Gray strands streaked his hair. His eye didn't heal. He'd lost weight.
The wolf inside of me saw him now as too weak to lead us. It wanted to end him here and now. The sudden rage I felt toward my own father stunned me, even as his attention snapped to me with his eye flashing amber. I understood, for the first time, how the children in our world could grow up to kill their parents. There was fear in my father's eye.
I cleared my throat and pushed my wolf back down. I stepped forward and held the papers out to him. "Just wanted to drop these off," I said.
"Wolfie…."
I shook my head. "Don't," I said with a rough voice. I cleared my throat again. "Please. I don't want to do this. I want to go home and spend time with my mate."
"If it's time…."
"Dad, please," I begged, meeting his gaze. "Drop it. I thought I lost you a few days ago. I'm not ready for that to be real."
"Listen to me," he said, reaching out and grabbing my wrist so that I couldn't look away from him. "This is not about you and me. You are my son. I love you, no matter what happens. However, if it is time for us to fight for control, you need to allow that to happen. I accepted that this day would come a long time ago. I know that you will eventually take my life. I want it to be you." I started to shake my head. "Listen to me, Wolfgang," he urged. I stopped shaking my head and met his eye as mine welled up with tears. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to. You need to understand that this is going to happen sooner or later. Today was the first time I have felt that from you. You looked at me and saw weakness. Your wolf recognized that weakness. If it does not happen today, it will happen soon. You cannot deny it forever."
"Yes, I can," I whispered.
Dad shook his head. "You know for a fact that that isn't true," he said. "Wolfgang, I don't want anyone else in this world to end my life. I want it to be you. I have always wanted it to be you. Denying me that would break my heart."
I shook my head again. "I'm not ready," I whispered.
He nodded. "I know," he said. "But once this happens, we have a year, at most, unless I can convince your wolf that I am still the strongest. Now that it has sensed my weakness, we are running out of time."
I put the papers down on his desk. "I can't do this right now," I said. "You just got home."
He nodded. "Okay," he said. "Go be with your mate. I will see you at the funeral tonight."
I nodded and fled the library as if fire nipped at my heels.
Chapter 28 ~Ceres~
That night, at the funeral, I didn't know what to expect. The book Wolfgang had given me didn't discuss it in detail. I knew that the bodies had been cremated, or at least as much of them as we could find, but what was the
plan for the ashes?
When we arrived at the Resting Grounds, my stomach churned. It was still unsettling to be here. This place would never be the same, but the pack was so set in their ways that we would not be likely to move to new hunting areas.
The knife from the execution was still in the ground. Wolfgang said that it had to stay there until the next full moon, which wouldn't be for another three weeks or so. A crate sat next to the knife. Several people carried in drums. I hadn't noticed them for the execution, but I noticed them now. I saw one woman with an oboe. Another carried a violin.
Leon walked into the middle of the circle. We were all barefoot. He no longer used his cane. He was getting his strength back. I knew that it was important for Wolfgang to recognize that. He'd confided in me about what happened with his father earlier. I knew that he was struggling with it. We would have to face that sooner or later.
When Leon stood next to the crate, he looked out at the survivors. "We used to arrive at this place with full bellies and tired limbs," he said. "This place used to be sacred to us. It was safe. It has been violated.
"Most of you do not understand why. Most of you did not know the woman you witnessed executed yesterday. If you did, it was likely because of the relationship she once had with your Volsunga.
"Before we begin to heal, you must understand.
"The traitor came to Adamsville eight years ago," he explained. "She was a senior in high school. She and her parents moved here for a new beginning after the sudden and tragic death of her brother.
"She felt alienated and alone. She found comfort here when Wolfgang discovered her Lycan heritage. He brought her to the pack where she found strength, security, and safety. Her love of this pack turned to bitterness when she and Wolfgang parted ways. She, once again, felt alone. Her vendetta started as a personal one against Wolfgang himself. Then she found herself pregnant and the Witches used that as a bargaining chip for her freedom. She could continue to feed them information, or she could lose the baby she wanted to save.
Vanilla Moon: Acrimony Page 26
