by Celeste Raye
“I told you I would be there in a couple of days. Why can't you wait? Has anybody attacked?”
Dominic disagreed and said nothing like that happened yet. He tried to say more, but John just cut him off. The last thing that he wanted to do was argue with his father about it. He wanted to know about the leverage because he was sure that now was the time they were going to need it. John didn't have the heart to tell him that he had lost it. If he didn't have Laura, he didn't have leverage.
“So, what are you going to do about this, son?”
“What do you want me to do? You are the Alpha of the pack, Father. I suggest that you come up with something, a plan perhaps. There are a lot of people that are counting on you, but I won’t be one of them. I know better than to do something as silly as that.”
“This is to be your pack. It is your pack now. Are you really going to turn your back on them in their time of need?”
“I am not turning my back on them, Dominic, but this is your problem. I will follow your lead, but you have to actually lead first. I don’t want to make this any more complicated than it needs to be. You figure out what is actually happening and not just your paranoid assumptions, and I will back you up.”
“What about your leverage?”
“It’s not time for that. It’s a worst-case scenario sort of thing. You need to find a way without having to use it.”
“Then what’s the point of it?”
“To stop them from killing you and your brother, if it comes down to it. I will only use it if I have to. So, you need to find another way, because I don’t want to do this.”
“What is it that you’re not telling me, John?”
John was silent for a time. It was hard for him to hold it in, but he knew that he had to. His position had changed, but if it came down to Laura or his pack, what would he choose?
“Nothing that you need to know, Dominic. It’s your pack; figure it out.”
He cut off the old man and hung up. He was so pissed off, and it wasn’t anyone else’s fault but his own. He should have told her. John wanted to, he really did, but something had held him back. He’d been so sure that something bad was going to happen that it had. Now he was never going to get to explain himself.
That got John thinking. Why did he have to give up? He was just going to have to find her, especially knowing what her family was planning. She might be used by them as well. John was mad at the situation, but he was also pissed off at himself. He should have known better, done better, something.
John wasn't sure how long she had been gone, but he knew he needed to get to her before she got to her family.
He shifted into his bear form and took off. He was sure he picked up her scent once he got into the woods. She didn't even try to hide her trail or anything. He could tell from the trail, though, that it wasn’t a new one. This must have been how she had gotten to her family’s place before.
She was running away from him, and he hated the idea of it, that she would have a reason to do such a thing. But that, of course, was what was happening. She was afraid of him and getting as far away from him as she possibly could.
For one reason or another, that killed him inside. The last thing John wanted was for her to be afraid of him.
John was worried as he got closer to The Baxter house. That meant that Laura was going home, and he couldn't let that happen. She knew too much. She had read everything in her folder, and that meant that she could go back to her family and give them a heads-up about what they had planned. It was all defensive, but John did not want the witches to know that they knew about it. Ruining their surprise was the only way to take them down. Having Laura had been the extra bit that he needed, but now he wasn't so sure.
The scent led right to the Baxter’s house, and he didn't have to guess anymore. He knew that Laura was back with her family, and most likely, telling all of his secrets. He cursed out loud. A part of him wanted to go to her. But deep down, he knew better.
John felt defeated as he made his way back home. As much as he wanted to believe that what had happened between him and Laura was real, he was starting to question everything, even those moments. Maybe it had been real, but he had messed it all up. John couldn’t have pictured it ending any differently than it had. He had set himself up for failure.
The problem was that he hadn't realized that Laura would mean so much to him. He had thought that she would be just another witch. But she was so much more.
Chapter Eighteen
As much as Laura liked to believe that she would be greeted with open arms, she knew she would be met with even more suspicion than before. The rest of her family wanted to know where she was, and again, Laura gave them the excuse that she had gotten a job babysitting.
“And what about this apartment that you got?”
“I was staying with them, and I didn't want you to know that. I wanted you to think that I was doing okay by myself. I guess I wasn't doing as well as I thought I was.”
“So now you are back?”
Laura turned to her mother and told her that she was.
“That is, if you'll have me.”
“If you are going to stay, then you need to be a part of this. I know that you don't believe in using powers for bad, but this is revenge. It’s different. If you're going to be part of the Baxter family, then you're going to have to fight with us.”
Laura paused too long because Caroline’s eyes lowered to slits, and she looked at her funny. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, not at all. Why would it be? They’re just shifters, right? You say that they deserve it, so of course, I will help my family. I have learned that family is all we have in this world.”
That put a smile on her mother's face. Caroline was ecstatic, and she was smiling far too much for Laura’s liking. It was the first time that her mother had looked proud of her in a very long time, and Laura hated to think about it given of what that pride was about. She was happy that she would take part in the murder of many souls. That wasn't something to be proud of.
Laura thought about a normal family and what it was supposed to look like. She thought about Dana and her father. They loved each other, and he would have never put his daughter in that sort of position. Laura had always known that Caroline wasn't that way. She wasn't self-sacrificing. She never put herself after their children. It was always her sisters and what she wanted that ruled the day.
“Well, now that you have made your decision, the right decision, Laura, why don't you come into the living room and you can hear the plan? It's a lot to take in, but just remember that this is all being done because it has to be done. Our family has been attacked, and the only way that we will stay safe is to make sure that we make an example out of these shifters. The pack must go.”
“The whole pack?” Laura had not figured that it would be so many. She was figuring one or two, the ones that were involved, but not all of them.
“Yes. We have to make a point so that nobody will ever think to mess with a Baxter, or any witch, again. This will help you too.”
Laura didn't even want to think about it. It didn't matter how bad a crime it was; it wasn't like the rest of them had anything to do with it.
“You're talking about just the men though, right? I mean, you can't mean to kill all of the women and children as well.”
“Why wouldn’t we? They are just going to grow up and want revenge. If we don’t take them all out, it won’t end. There will be no need to look over our shoulder because they will all be dead.”
Laura didn’t know what to say, and her mother kept talking, trying to justify the action.
“If we kill all the fathers off, then the sons will grow up and come at us. The best way to get rid of an enemy is to actually get rid of them. Getting rid of only a small portion of them will not suit our needs. We need to feel safe, and with those kinds of animals, the only thing that they understand his strength. So, we're going to show our strength and wipe them out. You
can see why we have to, right? It’s the best plan for a good long-term outcome.”
“Of course.”
Laura knew that this was the wrong time for her to say anything against the plan. Her mother was rather proud of it. How could her family be so different? How could they be so evil? They were talking about killing hundreds of people like it was no problem. Like there was going to be no remorse for killing children. If that was what she needed to do to be in the family, Laura was starting to realize that maybe it was best that she was on her own. She could find a job, find an apartment, do it the right way, and it had to be better than this. Laura was never going to understand magic, and she was certainly never going to use her own to do something so horrible.
She went into the living room listening to eleven women cackle and smile when they thought about how they were going to kill a bunch of bear shifters. Laura knew that one of them was going to be John, and it made her cold inside. The idea that something would happen to him, because of her family, was too much to bear. Even though he had lied to her and used her, there was no way that she could be a part of something so heinous.
Laura couldn’t show any of that at the moment. She had a lot of eagle eyes on her, and the only thing she was grateful for was the fact that they couldn't read her mind. Then they would know that she was disgusted with them all. But instead, she had to sit there and smile and nod.
At the end of it, everyone was in a better mood because the full thirteen in the coven would be together for the first time. Laura was practically running out of there, going outside to breathe in some fresh air. How could she look at any of them, knowing what they were capable of?
She went back to her room that night and cried as softly as she could. She didn't want anyone to hear her because she didn't want judgment from it, but it hurt her soul to even think about something happening to John. She knew that he had met her and seduced her under false pretense, but she couldn't hate him. He didn't care about her, but she cared about him.
The worst part about it all was she might very well have to go through with it. As much as she liked to believe that her family was just off their rocker and they would decide against all of it at the end, Laura was starting to think that maybe they wouldn't. Would they even listen to her if she tried to reason with them?
No, they wouldn't listen to her. It would just expose her for the fraud that she was. Laura was in a delicate position.
There was knock on her door later in the evening, and she knew that it was Caroline. The problem was that she didn't want to talk to Caroline about anything. There was nothing that she could say that would make her understand. They had no problem killing random people for no reason, but Laura did. That made her weak in their eyes, and right now, she didn't want the extra negativity and drama in her life. There was no way that she was going to sleep as it was.
“Laura, I know you're in there. We need to talk.”
“I don't want to talk tonight.”
“I don't care what you want, Laura. You need to open the door right now.”
Laura didn't know why her mom so upset, but she could hear in her tone. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. Caroline never came with any good news. Then she heard her sister's voice and went to the door. She hadn't seen Madeline in months.
“What's up?” She hugged her sister.
Caroline pushed through the door. “We need to talk right now.”
“So talk. What's going on?”
She waited for her sister to come in, but instead, her sister shut the door with her on the other side of it.
“Is Madeline not coming in?”
“No, she didn't want to be party to this conversation.”
The sinking feeling in the pit of Laura’s stomach was back, and she wondered if they could, in fact, read her mind. Did they know that she was planning on leaving as soon as she could? Whatever the reason that her mother was looking at her that way, Laura knew that it wouldn't be for anything good.
“Okay, out with it. You don't have to drag it out any longer. What's up?”
“We need to talk about where you have really been all this time, Laura. We both know that your story isn’t the whole truth.”
Chapter Nineteen
Dominic had called several times, and he seemed to get more and more paranoid each time that he talked to him. At one point, he threatened to recall him and punish him for not being by the pack’s side, but about an hour later, he called back to apologize for the irrational nature of his conversations.
John still refused to let himself be baited. He knew that his father was trying to rope him into doing all the work, but he wasn't going to let it happen. He wasn't going to be the Alpha without the title.
So after hanging up on him several times, it seemed like his father had finally gotten the point. He didn't call back, and John was thankful for that. Their relationship had become more and more strained since he’d moved to the city. His life had not been enough with the pack. He wanted more, and even though that meant it would be better for all, there were several people, his father especially, that took exception to what John was trying to do.
They wanted to stick to old traditions, but the current problem that the pack was in was just another reason why they should modernize. The old ways, especially in the supernatural world, just didn't work anymore. They were living in a new world, and they had to adapt, or they were going to be left behind.
The next problem that seemed to drop in his lap was trying to explain to Dana where the nanny had gone. She had really taken to Laura, something she had not done with any other nanny before, and it killed him to tell her that she was gone.
Of course, the first thing that his daughter wanted to know was when she was coming back. She had not even considered the idea that Laura wouldn’t be back. As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he didn't know what the truth was. He also was not willing to pretend like there wasn't some chance of her coming back. He kept clinging to the idea of that because he didn't want to imagine not seeing her again. It seemed such a waste to finally find someone that made him feel something more and then to lose her just as quickly as he’d gotten her.
So, after lying to his daughter more times than he wanted to admit, John realized that he had to get some real answers. He just didn't know how he was going to talk to her without her family knowing it. The last place he wanted to be caught was anywhere near the Baxter house. They were out for blood. He knew that.
Something was drawing him in, and instead of going to work and taking care of the life that he had cultivated in the human world, John spent most of his day as a bear in the woods around the Baxter house. He remembered that Laura had talked of nature walks when she was at home. He knew that she was most likely getting ingredients for potions, but he had not mentioned that to Dana when she was listening so intently. Now he was hoping that he would catch Laura on one of those walks and he could somehow make things right with her.
It was almost dark before he caught Laura’s scent. He had all these plans to stop her and to have this big heart to heart with her, but by the time he caught up with her, he found her in a position that he didn't quite know how to deal with.
Instead of rushing forward and trying to make his case, he stood behind a tree and watched her cry. While he didn't know the exact reason, John had a feeling that it was because of him. One of the worst feelings was watching her cry and knowing that he was the reason for it. It made him sick to his stomach.
Laura hadn't been in his life too long, but she didn’t seem like a woman that cried easy. Was she crying because of what he had done to her, his betrayal? John didn’t want to think it was true, that he had hurt her so deeply, but he knew that he had. He hated to be the cause of that pain for her.
John was about to go to her when he heard rustling in the woods and then another witch came out of the darkness. He didn't know who she was, and he did not want to be seen, so he moved back a little further in the shadows and waited unti
l the other girl left.
The more he stood there and watched the two women he could see the resemblance quite clear. It was obvious that whoever the woman was, it was someone that was related to Laura. Maybe it was a sister or cousin. All he knew for certain was that she was a witch, a strong one, and not someone he wanted to battle with.
“What are you doing out here so sad?”
Laura immediately dried her eyes and smiled. “I'm not sad; I don't know. I guess it's just a little much.”
“I have known you your whole life, Laura, and I've never known you to be that way. Something is obviously on your mind. Is it about the plan?”
“No, it has nothing to do with the plan. I don't know if it's the best idea, but I have to go with the family, right? Do you think that it's a good idea?”
Madeline shrugged her shoulders and sat down next to her sister. “I don't know if it's a good plan or not, but it's what they're doing, so we're family, and we're going to help them. It's as simple as that. The more you try to think about it and complicate things, the worse it's going to be. You're not going to talk them out of it, so the best thing you can do is help make it quick. I don't know, maybe kill them before they get burned alive. That has to be better than the latter, right?”
“I guess you're right; it’s just...”
John leaned a little bit closer because he wanted to hear what Laura was going to say in response. Was she really going to go through with such a thing? He hated even to think that it was an option, but he was starting to realize that a scorned woman could go further than anyone would have thought. Did they really plan to burn them alive?
“Well, it doesn't matter. When is it going to happen?”
“We're waiting on one more ingredient for the spell. It won't be long now.”
“So, they still don't have the spell together?”
“No, we need the black lotus, and we need the thirteenth in the coven for it to really work how they want it to. They need you, Laura. This would go a long way towards helping them forgive you for your betrayal to the family.”