by T. S. Ryder
The door opened, interrupting him. Andre turned, expecting Ibeth once again.
Instead, it was Mary.
His heart jumped to his throat and his Bear snarled. If anybody tried to hurt her, he'd rip them apart! But even as he strode forward to take her into his protection, her eyes lit up. She flew to him, wrapping her arms around him.
Their lips met in an instant. It wasn't the passionate kiss that he had known from her in the past. This one was fiercer, more… triumphant. He held her close, closing his eyes. He wanted this moment to last forever.
The sense of Mary being torn from his arms made his eyes snap open in time to see a fist fly at his face. He reeled back, staggering from the blow. Philip Locke's furious face loomed in his vision. Andre found Mary and pushed her behind him protectively then swung out. His knuckles met soft flesh that gave way, beneath his blow.
Philip stumbled to the floor, grunting with pain. He pushed himself back to his feet, glowering. Peter leaped between his brother and the Bear, holding Philip back from attacking again. Amy ran to Peter's side.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"She's pregnant!" Philip spat, trying to get past his brother. "Mary's pregnant! He stole her chance to find another soulmate!"
Andre's brows rose, but Mary pushed past him and put her hands on her hips. "I knew he was my soulmate before we slept together, Philip. That's the reason we slept together! And even if I hadn't, I made my own choices. Andre didn't steal anything from me. Everything between us is what I have willingly given him."
Philip shook off his brother. He still glared at Andre, but at least he wasn't trying to attack him anymore. The Bear was glad. He wasn't sure that he could contain himself if it came to him having to defend himself. It would be far too easy for defense to become offense and break Philip's head open.
And then, what Mary said clicked.
His breath caught in his chest and his heart seemed to dance in circles. He tried to make himself stay calm. With a trembling hand, he touched her shoulder. She turned. Her eyes were sparkling, dancing.
"You remember?" he whispered.
A smile spread over her face. "I remember. I remember everything."
"How?"
"There's a ritual that Wolves go through when they're pregnant, to make sure their babies are born with Wolves. I did it and I was able to rejoin with my Wolf. She's back." Mary touched her chest, her smile widening even further. "She's back and I'm back."
Andre wrapped his arms around her, his heart as light as a feather. The two Locke brothers watched, Philip's anger draining, Peter with a cautious smile. Amy leaned against him and their hands were joined together over her belly.
"I'm back," Mary whispered again, and they were kissing again.
***
When the Bears returned for their prisoners, the Wolves and Andre were lead out of the small cell. Mary clung to Andre's hand as they exited the room, her heart thumping in her chest.
A dozen Bears with weapons, led by a tall, strongly-muscled woman, took them down the stark hallway and into a much larger room. It was carpeted in pale brown, the walls dark green. Huge windows lined one side of the room. Five chairs were arranged in a semi-circle facing the windows.
"What's this about, Ibeth?" Andre asked the woman, glowering at the Bear who stood behind Mary.
"Grandmother Chani wishes to speak with you. Please sit."
Mary glanced at Andre. She could see he was about to argue and so tugged him to one of the chairs. It was best to cooperate and keep things as civil as possible. He was reluctant to follow her, but once he did, the others sat as well.
It wasn't long before a woman in a wheelchair entered the room. Her brown skin was weathered, deep wrinkles lining her face. Stark white hair cropped short around her skull gave her the appearance of a crown upon her head. Her shoulders were hunched. Her eyes were as black as Andre's and were sharp and focused in her ancient face.
She positioned her chair at the front of the room and was silent, taking in each of the Wolves before her gaze briefly flickered over Andre. Finally, her eyes settled on Peter.
"Your father and his brothers killed two of my children," she said.
Peter flinched and Mary reached for Andre's hand. The memory of the gun in her hands as it went off, driving a bullet into Paul Locke's chest, made her shiver. It was one thing she wished she didn't remember.
He was going to kill Andre and me both, she reminded herself. And how many others had he killed? How many more would he kill if I hadn't stopped him?
"I'm not my father," Peter said. "And as for my uncles, they're all dead. At least that was what we were told. Neither I nor my brothers inherited their desire for bloodshed. You can't punish us for his sins."
Chani waved her hand, silencing him. "The Locke family has dealt so much pain to many of us. There are many who wish for all the Wolves of your community to pay the price for that pain. After all, was your father not one of the great leaders your community knew? How many more killers did he train in your ranks?"
Mary hardly dared to breathe. She had a sense that whatever this old woman decided would seal not only their fate but also the fate of all the Wolves she had grown up with. If she thought they posed a risk, they would all be hunted down. How many would be killed?
Mary shivered, trying not to imagine her brothers, or Conrad Milton, Julia's beau, or David Monroe, who was always so kind to her, being killed.
"We are not killers," Peter said, but his voice trembled.
A single look from Chani silenced him. The old woman turned in her chair, focusing on Andre. "There are rumors of an all-out Wolf attack on the world. Tell me, do you believe that Paul Locke was capable of such a thing?"
Chapter Fourty Four
Andre frowned, pondering Chani's question. He was aware all the Wolves were waiting anxiously, but he took his time to make sure he knew what to say. Finally, he met the old woman's eyes again.
"I observed the community for some time before… everything happened. While I fully believe that Paul Locke was capable of wanting to wage war on other Shifters, I saw no evidence in the community that there was such a thing planned. There was no hand-to-hand training, no weapons practice, nothing to indicate they were preparing for a war."
Chani nodded at him once to continue.
"I assume you know my past with the Lockes." He inclined his head towards Philip and Peter, who both stiffened and looked away.
"I do."
"It has taken a great deal of… self-control isn't exactly the right word, though that is a part of it…" Andre lapsed into silence, trying to think exactly what he was trying to say. Mary squeezed his hand and he sighed. "It has taken a lot of effort and self-reflection in order to come to the point where I am. I can't speak for all the Wolves in that community, but I can say with reasonable surety that the Locke children are not threats to the world's Shifters. In fact," he continued, his voice lowering, "I think it took a great deal of strength for them not to become like their father."
He glanced out the corner of his eye at Peter and Philip. The older Wolf looked grateful, the younger shocked. I'm only telling the truth, Andre thought resentfully.
Chani cleared her throat, calling attention back to herself. She moved a little closer. "It was only a few days ago that there was a Wolf attack in a city. At a Denny's restaurant."
Andre felt Mary shiver and shifted his chair closer to hers to put an arm around her. He quickly explained what had happened. He explained to Chani that he and Mary were going to her siblings after Easton attacked them, and that neither of them expected her Wolf to be called forwards by the moon though that was exactly what had happened. As he spoke, Peter's face blanched.
"It wasn't her fault," he cried. "If you're going to punish anybody, punish me. I could have done more to—"
"Peter," Mary whispered. "No. Nobody was hurt, and I have my Wolf back now. Don't tear yourself up over this."
"It was an isolated incident," Andre p
ut in, noticing the sharp glance Chani shared with Ibeth. "It wasn't part of any attack on the world and it won't happen again."
"As we expected," Chani said. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Despite her tiny size, power exuded from her form. "I have to say, you caused us quite a bit of trouble. The government was not pleased with your public transformation."
"Government?" Mary's brows knit. "What government?"
"The government of the United States of America. We have a relationship of sorts with them. But we had quite the time convincing them that it was, in fact, an isolated incident."
Andre's jaw dropped. He had always assumed that all Shifters kept themselves hidden from humans, the way he and the Wolves did. But this Bear organization worked with the government? For how long?
No wonder Zoe could find out all she did and get us passports to leave the country.
"As for you," Chani focused on Peter. "We have you on record stating that there was going to be a Wolf invasion—"
"Easton told me he would kill Amy if I didn't."
Andre nodded–that made sense. Amy made a whimpering noise.
Chani's shoulders slumped. "I wish I could say that was against his character, but we have unfortunately received many such allegations of late. There will be a thorough investigation. And we will require you to facilitate communication between us and other Wolf families—"
"When we heard that the Bears were coming, we went to ghost town," Peter interrupted. "Families all go their separate ways and there is no communication between them."
"Then you will find them," Chani said firmly. "There is much yet to be discussed and decided, but we may be able to convince the government to set aside some land for a secondary Wolf community, for those of you that wish to build a new society."
Andre's lips twitched into a smile. He knew they had been watched in that prison cell.
"We will require many things from you, including your fertility secrets. Once we know how all your children are born with Wolves, we can bolster the fading Shifter communities around the world. We will expect you to prove yourselves in your new community, but the rewards will be well worth it."
Peter frowned a moment, then nodded. "I can't speak for all the Wolves in my community. But as for myself, I would gladly take part in this, for a chance to make up for my past sins and to give the next generation a chance to be better than we are."
His hand rested on his wife's belly.
Andre looked away. His Bear grunted, but in sadness, not anger. He didn't know if he'd ever forgive Peter for what he did, but he agreed with the sentiments the Wolf just stated. He wanted his and Mary's baby to be a better person than he was. The darkness inside him should not be passed to the next generation.
He smiled at Mary, taking her hand in his. He wanted the baby to be more like her.
"Well," Chani said. "Let's get started then, shall we?"
***
Five months later, Mary lay in bed in the house she and Andre had moved into some time ago. So much had happened in the last few months that if she thought about it all, her head spun.
They were now living near the new Wolf community, although there were just as many humans in the area as there were Wolves. There were quite a few Bears as well. Things were tense at times, but it was more the awkwardness of clashing cultures than the fear and potential violence that Mary had expected. Several families, including the Miltons, Monroes, Fennings and Amy's family, the McGintys, had all settled down in this new community. And new Wolves arrived every day.
Most older Wolves refused to stay, but there were many young adults and older teens that broke away from their families for this chance at a new life. The fact that all children were enrolled full time in schools, with grants being organized to send the older ones to college and university was certainly a big draw for the Wolves of that age.
Those that were not interested in further schooling were provided jobs and places to live with human roommates in the town. All the humans knew who they shared their lives with.
After some discussion, Mary and Andre had chosen to live on a farm ten minutes from the town. It was fairly small, and both knew it was going to take a lot of hard work to get to the point where they could be independent, but they were also excited about the prospect.
Mary had already decided she wanted a half dozen goats, so she could make goat milk soap to sell. Andre agreed, at her insistence, that they would be her goats and her responsibility. He was researching what crops grew best in their climate and in the meantime had taken a translation job online.
Someday they planned to move to Quebec, where he grew up. In the meantime, things were good.
The baby kicked, and Mary watched as her belly rolled with its movements. Everything felt squished up inside, as she eagerly awaited her due date.
She smiled as Andre slipped into the room. "They're all in bed?"
Andre nodded, laying down beside her. His hand rested on her belly and the baby kicked at him at once. "Five children under the age of eight. Soon six. How are we going to do it?"
Mary sighed. With her parents dead, she was concerned for her brothers and sisters welfare. Peter and Amy got their own place in town, where Peter worked as a mechanic. Her other three adult brothers were all studying for college. That had left eight minors who did not want to be split up. Eventually, it was decided that Andre and Mary would take the younger five while Julia, Matthew, and Lydia lived with Peter and Amy and their daughter.
"We'll manage," Mary promised. "It's not the life I wanted, but I've basically been raising them already."
"And it overwhelmed you so much that you ran away," Andre whispered. "Do you really want to take on this much responsibility again?"
"I have you now. And you're great with them." Mary propped herself onto her elbow and kissed him deeply. "I just don't want too much to be put on Amy and Julia, you know? I want them to have time to continue their studies, especially since Peter's decided to go to university."
"And what about you? I know that you want to finish high school. Can you really do that when we're taking care of six little children?" Andre's expression was worried. "And then farm work is never done—"
"We'll make it work," Mary said forcefully. "There's free daycare in town if we need it."
Andre nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we're going to make this work. I'm just worried about you is all."
"I'll tell you if it gets to be too much," she promised. She paused a moment, the feeling of his heat against her body stirring up the desire that her pregnancy had made somehow more powerful. A sly grin crossed her face. "You're sure they're asleep?"
Andre caught her meeting and nodded. "Let me lock the door so they don't walk in on us."
Mary giggled, slipping her underwear off and propping a pillow under her lower back while Andre rushed to the door. They hadn't had much time for lovemaking since they moved to their new farm. Mary's Wolf barked playfully, and as Andre returned, she felt his Bear reply in like.
It didn't take long for their souls to merge. As Mary gazed up at her soulmate, grasping at his body while his hands roamed hers, she knew–this was all she wanted.
Life, for now, was perfect.
Chapter Fourty Five
The full moon hung low in the sky. The green leaves of the poplar trees glowed silver and a light breeze blew the scent of the forest to the farmhouse. The sky was cloudless and the stars were almost as bright as the moon.
Andre wiggled his fingers, growling playfully as he chased the children around a red wagon. They all shrieked with laughter though Lydia had recently decided she was too old to be caught up in such “baby” games. She bounced on her toes, clearly torn between her newfound maturity and her desire to join in. Andre caught little James and tossed him in the air, eliciting cries of “me too” and “again”.
The door to the house opened and Mary danced out. Her sparkling green eyes twinkled as she lightly clapped her hands, calling attention to herself. James ignor
ed her, tugging at Andre's hair and demanding to be thrown into the air again.
"It's time to get going," she called, and instantly James was kicking to be set down. Andre laughed.
Lydia ran to Mary and whispered in her ear. Mary smiled and nodded, and the girl disappeared into the house. The rest of them scattered to the bushes, where they would quickly strip down and embrace their Wolves.
Andre stepped over to Mary, panting. "Wolves!"
"They've worn you out already, have they?" She laughed.
Andre shrugged with an embarrassed smile. "They're always hyper on the night of the full moon."
"Well, we only have half an hour to midnight and Neal won't embrace his Bear." Mary shook her head. "I'll get the rest of the children in the wagon if you'll go help him."
Andre nodded, pressing a kiss to Mary's temple as he passed her. He took the stairs to the nursery two steps at a time, anxious to get his little son to embrace his Bear before midnight and the involuntary shift to Wolf happened. He was a rarity, Neal, having a soul that was both Wolf and Bear. But he was a happy, healthy little fellow, with Andre's black eyes, Mary's black hair, and a laugh that was twice his size.
Neal sat in his room, having made a blanket nest on the floor. Unlike the rest of their brood, his energy spike didn't happen until after the full moon, and it lasted for a good three days before he got back to his calm self.
Andre crept over to his son and knelt beside him. Neal smiled sleepily at his father and Andre smiled back.
The pain of Isadore and Eve's death had not gone away, but in the eighteen months since Neal was born, Andre had felt it shift. When he thought of them, images of their dead bodies no longer haunted him. Instead, he remembered the good times and the happiness they shared together. He was as happy now with his odd little family as he had been then.