The Alpha's Niece (Barton Pack Book 1)

by Jane B. Night

  Cyrus hoped she wouldn't use it.

  "Stop this at once!" a voice shouted.

  Cyrus looked up to see Edgar standing in the doorway with Aaron.

  Jeremiah was at his side.

  Cyrus moved away at once lowering his head in a show of submission.

  Noah took the opportunity to launch himself at Martha now that Cyrus wasn't an impediment.

  She'd anticipated the move and the end of her wand sparked hitting Noah in the chest.

  He fell to the floor. Edgar and Jeremiah, now in wolf form tackled him as he attempted to rise.

  "Stay down!" Edgar shouted at his brother-in-law.

  "They killed her! They killed my Abby!" Noah howled.

  Cyrus felt his wolf withdrawing. Edgar and Jeremiah would handle Noah. He wasn't needed any longer.

  Martha brought him a blanket as his fur turned back to skin.

  Aaron brought him his leg which had come off and been knocked under the counter when he'd turned.

  "I'll go get some spare clothes," Aaron whispered. Cyrus nodded.

  Noah stopped fighting Edgar and Jeremiah. Slowly, Noah began to return to human form. He was completely in the flesh before Edgar and Jeremiah pushed down their wolves as well.

  Martha handed blankets to the naked men lying on the floor of her husband's store.

  "We will get my father. He will sort everything out," Edgar said.

  "They should be punished," Noah whimpered.

  He buried his head in his hands. Cyrus's heart ached with grief for him.

  "Cyrus, you will join us. Tell us what happened. Martha, will you come as well?" Edgar asked.

  "Of course I will," Martha said softly. Cyrus watched her slip her wand back into the pocket of her dress.

  Aaron came from the back room with shirts and pants.

  "You can change in the back room," Aaron offered.

  Soon, everyone was dressed and more or less composed.

  "Jeremiah, fetch father," Edgar ordered.

  "I'll accompany you," Aaron offered. Jeremiah gave a nod.

  ***

  "You should sit," Tabitha said softly.

  "I can't," Remember replied. There was too much nervous energy flowing through her. Aunt Sally had sent word of what happened. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

  "They say death always comes in threes. Let us hope this is the last," Tabitha said.

  "I can't believe Noah would attack Martha and Aaron," Remember whispered.

  "People do strange things when they are caught up in grief," Tabitha said.

  "I can't believe that Martha or Aaron would hurt Abigail," Remember said.

  "They wouldn't. Not on purpose anyways. We'll know more once Cyrus returns," Tabitha said.

  It seemed to take forever before the front door finally creaked open and Cyrus walked in. His hair was disheveled. The clothes he was wearing weren't his and were not well fitted. The shirt was too loose and the pants too tight.

  Remember wanted to throw her arms around him but she held back.

  "Do you want coffee? Something to eat?" she asked instead.

  "Coffee," Cyrus said lowering himself into one of the kitchen chairs. She noticed his arm was bruised and there were a few nearly healed scratches on his face and neck.

  "What happened?" Tabitha asked.

  "Abigail took her own life. Her letter said she couldn't endure the pain of losing her children. She used hemlock. There is a patch of it down by Bear Creek. Martha always warns the new mothers so they know to keep the children away from it. I gave Noah something to sedate him. Jeremiah is going to stay with him for awhile to make sure he isn't a danger to himself or anyone else. Everyone is all right, which is the important thing. Aaron and Martha told Isaac they are willing to forgive the attack. They understand Noah's deep grief. No need to get their coven leader involved and make things more complicated," Cyrus said.

  "We've never had any incidence of a wolf attacking a witch, outside of the full moon, to my memory," Tabitha said.

  "Things could have been bad. Very bad," Cyrus agreed with a sigh.

  "They were lucky that you were there to help," Tabitha said.

  "A lot of good I did," Cyrus said shaking his head. "I'm useless against a wolf with four paws."

  "Never useless," Tabitha said.

  "Damn near it," Cyrus said. He stood up and pushed himself away from the table.

  "Your coffee?" Remember asked.

  "I've changed my mind about that," Cyrus said. He headed to his office and shut the door tightly behind him.

  "We should probably go out to the front porch and do some sewing. When he gets like this I find some space helps," Tabitha whispered.

  Remember nodded. She went to the sitting room and grabbed her sewing basket. She’d been busy over the past month sewing clothes for her child. She also had been working on a shirt for Cyrus though she never worked on it while he was home.

  She sat in the rocking chair on the porch beside Tabitha.

  "Does he get like this often?" Remember asked.

  "He did when he first got home from the war. Losing his leg really bothered him, then. Most days he accepts it now. I hoped having a wife would change things. It has a bit. When he first came back he said he never wanted to marry. What she-wolf could ever want a man like him? I told him a good woman would see past a missing leg. He isn't the first wolf to suffer an injury and he won't be the last. I think it is hard for him because he deserted the pack to join the war and then sustained his injury. He would feel differently if it was a battle scar from a fight sanctioned by his alpha."

  "I think I can understand," Remember said though to her it hadn't mattered how he was injured. She wouldn't have thought any more of him if his leg had been lost in a pack war.

  "The truth of the matter is he is harder on himself than anyone else is. Isaac was quick to forgive him but Cyrus has always carried around the burden in his heart. The pack knows he is an asset. He has saved the lives of pack members time and time again. No one questions whether a doctor with a missing leg is worthy to treat them. He may not be able to fight as well as some of the other wolves but that doesn't mean he isn't contributing to the pack. He just can't see it. He only sees a weak wolf. A wolf who is unworthy. A wolf who is damaged. He will snap out of it soon. He always does."

  "I understand about feeling damaged," Remember said softly.

  "The trouble with the both of you is that you don't see your own strengths. My boy went to school and became a doctor after losing his leg. That is no small feat. You left the only life you have ever known to marry a stranger in hopes of keeping your child from being raised by a monster."

  "Yet all Cyrus sees is his missing leg," Remember whispered.

  And all I see is that I couldn't stop the attack, Remember thought but she left the words unspoken.

  "That he does," Tabitha agreed.

  It took time for Cyrus to open his office door but when he did Remember put away her sewing supplies, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, and sat down at the table with her husband.

  "I'm sorry about your cousin," Cyrus said.

  "So am I," Remember said. It hadn't fully hit her that her cousin was dead. The recent losses were just too great.

  "Martha will be worried about you," he said.

  "You can tell Martha I'm fine," Remember said.

  "Still, you might want to talk to her. All this sadness can't be good for you or the baby," Cyrus said.

  "I'll talk to her at Thanksgiving," Remember said. The holiday was only a week away and Tabitha had told her Martha and Aaron usually joined them for Thanksgiving as they didn't have children or family in the area. They had their coven, of course, but the truth was that there were no witches they were as close to as they were the Callisters. It'd been that way with Cyrus’s father as much as it was with Cyrus.

  "I thought you would want to go to your aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving," Cyrus said.

  "I don't want to burden my aunt with preparing a bi
g meal after just having lost her child. Their family needs time to gather and grieve together. Plus, I was looking forward to my first Thanksgiving as a wife. I've never had my own home before for such a holiday," Remember said.

  "My mother won't be quick to give up control of the kitchen," Cyrus said.

  "I'm sure she and I can find a way to manage together," Remember said.

  "Despite the tragedies, there is plenty to be grateful for this year," Cyrus said.

  "Yes, there is," Remember agreed.

  Chapter 15

  Cyrus sat before the hearth basking in the warmth of the crackling fire. Aaron was sitting across from him. The women were in the kitchen so they had been exiled to the sitting room.

  "It still seems so strange to me," Aaron said.

  "What does?" Cyrus asked.

  "Celebrating Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Were you there when Lincoln made the announcement?" Aaron asked.

  "I wasn't there for the announcement but I was at Gettysburg. They say he declared it a holiday in gratitude to God for our win there," Cyrus said.

  "That was what I heard too. Isn't it strange how things can seem so long ago and like yesterday all at the same time?" Aaron asked.

  "Yes," Cyrus agreed.

  "It has been a year with plenty to be thankful for," Aaron said.

  "Every year is a year to be thankful for," Cyrus said. He had learned that as a soldier but the recent losses to their pack drove the fact home. Abigail had been buried quietly in the churchyard beside her children. The families, including Remember, were the only ones in attendance.

  "How is Noah doing?" Aaron asked as if reading Cyrus's thoughts. It always surprised Cyrus how close he and Aaron were despite the difference in their ages.

  "They have been keeping a close eye on him to be sure he doesn't join his wife and daughters in his grief," Cyrus said.

  "He apologized to Martha," Aaron said. "She understood of course. He isn't the first person to lose their mind to grief for a moment."

  "Nor will he be the last," Cyrus said. Before his marriage to Remember he doubted if he could have really comprehended Noah's grief. Since his marriage, he thought he was close to understanding. Remember brought something special to his life. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing her. He loved her.

  The realization took his breath away. He wasn't sure when the love happened, but he knew this was the emotion he was feeling.

  He loved his wife. It was a strange thing to realize. The love wasn't physical. He desired her, of course, but that was nothing compared to the deep caring he felt for her. He loved the warmth of her body as she lay beside him in bed at night. He loved how she helped his mother turn his house into a home. He loved how she knew just what to say to him to give him comfort when he felt like a failure. She hadn't blamed him for the death of her cousins even though he'd been powerless to stop them. She'd never made him feel like less of a man or less of a wolf despite his missing leg.

  She was a good woman. She was a woman too good for him if the truth was told. Of course, Jordan and his pack mates had taken her options from her. He hated what she'd been through but he was glad that she was his despite it all. He looked up as footsteps approached.

  "Everything is ready," Remember said giving him one of those smiles that made his heart race.

  ***

  "Once these dishes are through may I speak with you?" Remember asked Martha.

  The meal they'd spent all day preparing had been a huge success. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the Thanksgiving feasts her family had hosted in Philadelphia but this one had been prepared with love for her family. She couldn't believe so little time had passed since she left Philadelphia. It felt as if Barton had been her home forever and Cyrus her husband. She felt a deep sense of belonging to this place, her pack, and especially to her mate. It wasn't something she had ever expected when she stepped on the train that had brought her so far from home. She had been running away when she left Philadelphia. Now, in her heart, she'd found home.

  "Is something wrong?" Martha asked, her gaze dropping to Remember's belly where her baby was resting contentedly after such a large meal.

  "I just had a few questions for you," Remember said.

  "Of course," Martha said.

  "I can finish up here," Tabitha said.

  "Oh, that isn't necessary," Remember said feeling her cheeks flush.

  "Nonsense, we are almost done already," Tabitha said.

  Remember saw that she was right. With the three of them washing dishes they had made quick work of it.

  "Should we go upstairs to talk?" Martha asked. Remember nodded.

  She'd made the decision. Now, she just had to push past her fears. That was the hardest part. Even thinking about it made her heart race and the anxiety begin to quell in the pit of her stomach.

  "I've been concerned for you. It isn't easy when you lose family," Martha said.

  "No, it isn't," Remember agreed.

  "Has it been affecting your health?"

  "I don't think so. I grieve for my cousins, of course, but I didn't know them well," Remember said.

  "I'm glad to hear that. Is there something else bothering you?"

  "Bothering might be the wrong word. I just wanted to ask you something. Something very...personal." Remember felt her cheeks heat. She was sure she was blushing red as a strawberry.

  "Are you having concerns about the birth?" Martha asked.

  "Not really. I'm sure I will have more questions once my time is here but honestly I haven't thought much about the actual birth," Remember said. It was true. She had thought a great deal about the child within her but very little about the actual process of his arrival into the world.

  "You have another question?" Martha asked.

  Remember nodded. She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves.

  "I needed to know if it would be dangerous for the baby if I..." she closed her eyes, willing herself to speak. If she couldn't say it how could she ever do it?

  "If you?" Martha prompted.

  "If I...with Cyrus," was all she could manage to say.

  "If you coupled with him?" Martha asked.

  Remember nodded and then forced her eyes open to look at Martha.

  "If the mother and baby are healthy, as you two are, I would normally tell a mother to continue to enjoy her husband's companionship until the baby is born. God knows there will be little time afterwards for such things," Martha said.

  "Thank you," Remember said.

  "Remember, has Cyrus asked you for this?" Martha asked. The lines of her face were deep with concern.

  "No, of course not. He wouldn't," Remember said.

  "So, this is something you want to do?" Martha asked.

  "Yes," Remember said though her voice shook. Martha reached out and took her hand.

  "Cyrus can wait a bit longer if you need him to. I don't want you forcing yourself to do this and upsetting yourself and the baby," Martha said.

  "I know," Remember said. It was so easy during the full moons when her wolf acknowledged her mate. She had even thought of inviting him to sneak off during a moon but she couldn't bring herself to do that either. It wasn't that she was afraid to mate with him in wolf form. Even though she had been in that form when she was attacked it was a form that was clouded and more animalistic. It wouldn't be the same as a woman giving herself to her husband. She wanted to do that. She wanted to do it before her child was born so Cyrus wouldn't think she was in his bed to do a duty to her pack. If she waited to lay with him when her womb was empty he might think she was in his bed for the sake of a pup. Not for love. Not for healing.

  She did hope someday they could bring a child into the world together. He deserved a child of his own blood but that wasn't the reason she wanted to mate with her husband and she didn't want him to think it was.

  He was her husband and she cared for him. She trusted him. Cyrus made her feel safe. If anyone could start to undo the damage that had been done to her it was Cy
rus.

  "And I won't mention this conversation to him in case you decide to wait," Martha assured her. Remember nodded gratefully. She wasn't sure when she would be ready to proposition her husband but she knew it would not be that night. Talking to Martha about it had made her breath hard to catch and her heart pound. She would need more time though, with the birth of her child likely in the new year, she knew she couldn't put it off too much longer.

  Chapter 16

  Cyrus sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee with his mother. He couldn't recall being so excited about Christmas since his childhood. The very selfish part of him wanted to wake Remember up and hurry her downstairs into the parlor but she was sleeping so soundly he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Every day she became heavier with child.

  "Are you sure you are all right with the expansion?" he asked his mother for the third time.

  "I think it is a wonderful idea. You know I will hardly be able to walk down those stairs in another few years," she said.

  He didn't believe it for a moment but he didn't say so.

  "Besides, you will need room for all the children you are going to give her after this one comes," his mother said with a smile. He smiled back but he didn't believe this lie either.

  He turned his head as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Her steps were slow and heavy but she came around the corner and lit up the room with her smile.

  "You should have woken me up," she said.

  "You need your sleep," his mother said.

  Remember poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with them. Cyrus could barely sit still as she sipped the coffee.

  "We best go check under the tree and see what Saint Nicholas has left us before we enjoy our breakfast," his mother said with a wink.

  "We should," Remember agreed though he heard her stomach rumble as they walked into the parlor.

  They had brought the tree in several days before and his mother and Remember had spent the day decorating it with strung popcorn and berries.