by Leeda Vada
She turned to Calli. “Another time perhaps.”
“Yes, another time.”
After the couple’s exit, Calli walked over to her mother and grasped her hands. “Mom, you have to let go of the hate. It’s destroying all of us.”
“When I stop seeing the images of those animals raking their claws down your back, I will forgive, Calli, but not until then,” she responded bitterly. She pulled her hands free and stalked out.
Odin walked over, rested his hands on Calli’s shoulders, then touched his forehead to hers.
“Give her some time, sweetheart,” he consoled her. “She’s carrying a lot of guilt. I guess we both are. We were not able to protect our little girl. That’s hard for a parent to accept.”
“I know, dad, but none of what happened is her fault.”
“In her head, she knows that, but her heart can’t accept it yet.” Then he left to catch up with his mate.
“Canaan, I’m so sorry,” she said, turning into his embrace.
“There’s no reason for you to be sorry,” he said. Tightening his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head. “This break with my father has been a long time coming. I’m just sorry it happened here.”
“But none of you are listening,” she said, pushing his chest. “Your mother and I weren’t fighting. We were declaring a truce, agreeing to present a united front, for everyone’s sake.”
“That reconciliation will have to wait, sweetheart.” Rubbing her head, he said, “I’m afraid that Apollo is not ready to hear anything else from us right now. He is in ‘protect-my-mate’ mode—and take it from me—this is not the time to approach a Canid male, especially a Canid Alpha male. Come, let’s go home. Everything will be all right.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Calli admitted to small pangs of regret as she helped Canaan tie his cravat that accessorized his cream tuxedo jacket, black slacks, and the rose shirt that he had scoffed at when his sister, Adonna, insisted the grooms wear them.
Though Adonna had been sincere in her plea that Calli accompany Canaan to her wedding, Calli had declined the invitation. Her argument was that this was Adonna’s day. She wanted the limelight to be on the blushing bride, not on the bride’s notorious sister-in-law.
Even six months later, the scandal of Calli’s trial was still fresh in the minds of the Canid community. This fact and the still-strong public perception of the estrangement between Calli and her mother-in-law precluded Calli from playing an active role in the wedding itself. She had not set foot near Bakari since the day of her acquittal when she had stopped at the cabin to reassure her parents that she was okay.
“Calli? Did you hear what I said?”
She became aware of her husband’s voice.
“That is a perfect knot,” Canaan chuckled, sliding the back of his right hand over her cheek, his gaze commandeering hers.
Calli covered his hand with hers. “Do you think me a coward for hiding out here? I know I said I’m not going because I don’t want to embarrass Adonna and your family, but I think my motivation may have been a more selfish one,” she continued, rubbing his open palm along her cheek.
She walked over to the wall mirror on the door of Canaan’s closet. “Maybe I just want to protect myself against the stares and sarcastic comments.”
Sliding his arms around her middle, Canaan pulled her against him, nuzzling her neck. He made eye contact with her in the mirror. “You are the bravest woman I know. Don’t ever doubt that. Give yourself a break. You’re recuperating from a horrendous ordeal. Don’t take on the sins of those who get pleasure from hurting you,” he said angrily. “You are part of my sister’s family. She would not have invited you to her wedding if she had not wanted you there,” he asserted. “I still think you should go. Your place is by my side.”
#
“You make a beautiful mother of the bride, Lupa Powhatan,” her husband complimented her.
His mate returned the compliment, “And you’re a mighty handsome father of the bride, Alpha Apollo.”
“We still have a few minutes,” Apollo pointed out. “What about we ‘ole folks’ see if we are as physically fit as we look,” he suggested, walking Belen backwards to their bed.
“Stop it, Apollo,” she protested. “I have to go check on Adonna, see to the caterers, and make sure all the flower arrangements are in place,” she informed him between soft moans.
Apollo reached below her gown and slid his right hand up her leg while caressing her left thigh with his other. Reaching her panties, he pushed the flimsy fabric to the left, and began tangling his fingers in the thatch of her moist curls.
Her head fell back, and he began sucking and nipping at her neck.
“Apollo, please,” was her half-hearted response. Her nails dug into his coat.
“Well, if we’re in such a hurry, you might help, you know. I only have two hands,” he chided.
Groaning her assent, Belen moved her hands to the flap of his trousers and slid open the zipper. Apollo gasped as she slid her cold hand into the flap of his silk boxers and firmly circled his erect penis. “Oh, you are in a hurry, I see,” she chuckled.
“Hell yeah, woman,” Apollo moaned as the mother of the bride showed how physically fit her hand was.
Bending slightly, he pulled his hand from her wet heat and used it on her thigh to lift her, turn, and balance her on his lap as he seated himself on the stool in front of her dressing table. He slid her down onto him.
“Yes?” he questioned, sighing in pleasure.
“Hell, yes,” she answered, releasing the air that she had sucked in as she sheathed him.
“Mom, are you in there? I can’t find the broach Aunt Vesta loaned Adonna,” Eshe called through the door.
Struggling to control her voice, Belen whispered, “Check the left drawer in her room.”
“What? I didn’t hear what you said,” her voice stronger as she tried to turn the doorknob. “Did you say to check the left drawer to the dresser?”
“Yes,” her mother croaked.
Concerned at the breathlessness in her mother’s voice, Eshe asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, she is,” her father answered loudly. “Go away.”
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing?” the young woman asked, warily.
“None of your business,” her father answered. “Now, scoot,” he ordered.
“I don’t believe you two,” Eshe replied, exasperation clear in her voice. The low growl coming from the other side of the door had her almost stumbling in her flight to escape the sounds. Her parents had forgotten to activate the sound barrier in their bedroom. Again.
#
It was hard for Rand to attend this wedding. Family gatherings reminded him of the way his family used to be, before death took up residence in their lives.
He dreaded coming home now. His parents’ estrangement was almost tangible.
Rand and his siblings had often complained loudly about their parents’ public displays of affection. They had embarrassed them to no end when they were growing up. But he would give anything for even a glimmer of that kind of affection between them now.
He knew they still had sex. They were a mated pair after all, so they had no choice. Yet, outside the bedroom, they were no overt signs of affection or intimacy between them. Each seemed encased in his or her own cube of pain formed by Nathan’s death and Calli’s alienation.
His mother had not forgiven his father for choosing loyalty to Apollo over loyalty to Calli. His father had not forgiven his mother for seeking help from the Scythians. Rand had not forgiven either of them for forgetting that they had a third child still present in their lives.
Still, the Lakota’s would go to this wedding, put on a united front, and play their parts.
#
This union would connect two prominent Canid clans. Apollo’s daughter, Adonna, was marrying Khalid, the son of Ibrahim Chokwe, Alpha of the Meherrin pack.
Since the brutality of the attack on C
alli had been exposed during the trial, a pall had fallen over the Canid community. It was good to have something joyous to celebrate, and the fact that Brong Niger, the Alpha of the Mandingo Buffalo Mountain pack, would officiate at the ceremony only strengthened the alliance between the three powerful clans.
The conflict between Apollo and Niger was public knowledge, but none of that dissension was evident at the wedding. Canaan joined his brother, Tau, and two Meherrin warriors just as the procession began.
Belen had let it be known via the Canid grapevine that Calli would not be attending, so Canaan’s appearance without her did not cause a stir.
#
Returning to her bedroom with her new husband to change for her honeymoon, Adonna’s face was all smiles when she opened the door. Khalid plowed into her as she came to an abrupt halt. Sitting at her dressing table was Calli.
“I hope this is okay,” Calli said, glancing nervously at both of them. Walking to Adonna and taking both her hands, she said, “I wanted to be here for your big day,” she said. “You deserve so much happiness.”
“Oh, thank you, Calli!” Adonna exclaimed, tears filling her eyes. “I so wanted you to come, but I didn’t want you to have to face anymore unpleasantness.”
Calli was also in tears. “And I didn’t want my notoriety to take away from your day.”
“Okay, both of you, you’re here, so no more tears,” said Khalid, enclosing both weeping women in a bear hug.
“Come see everyone,” Adonna invited, as the two women pulled apart.
“No, I’ll wait in Canaan’s bedroom until after your sendoff. We’re going to leave after speaking with our parents,” she said, giving Adonna a final hug. She slipped out through the common bathroom the twins shared.
Khalid gathered his bride into his arms. “Only tears of joy allowed on our wedding day, Mrs. Chokwe,” he said gently, lifting her chin for a soft kiss.
He laid her head on his chest. “Do you think my family will ever heal?” Adonna asked her new husband.
“Your ... I mean our family has a strong foundation. Adversity only makes us stronger. We will heal and increase our ranks tenfold. Our wedding is a step in that direction.”
Mr. Chokwe, her new husband, kissed the curls on the top of her head. “Now, if we hurry and get out of these clothes, we can take another step in that direction before we have to go back downstairs.”
Adonna couldn’t help but laugh as Khalid worked to set a new Guinness record for undoing the largest number of small pearl buttons on the back of any wedding gown ever made.
#
Calli loved the small rose garden that Belen nurtured outside the family’s private den. It was a welcome respite from the undercurrent of tension that permeated the Alpha residence the morning after Adonna’s wedding.
At breakfast earlier, Bena was unable to hide her animosity toward her sister-in-law. She did not hold back, accusing Calli of keeping Canaan away from his family.
Calli had to agree that Canaan probably did not visit Bakari as often as he would have if there was no estrangement between herself and Belen.
It was clear to everyone that Belen had not forgiven Calli for repudiating Apollo as her
Alpha. Just as much as Calli loved Canaan, her mate, Belen loved Apollo, hers.
Calli understood Belen’s feelings, but she, likewise, was unable to put the past behind her, which is why she was hiding out in the garden. The roses reminded her of Canaan’s grandmother Sarah’s rose garden at the family’s ranch. Sarah was the one the family members went to for comfort. Maybe Calli was seeking similar comfort here.
Turning at the sound of the patio doors opening, she was surprised by the appearance of one of Tamby’s young trainees.
“Good morning,” she said. “Are you looking for Tamby?”
“No,” the young girl replied. After a long pause, she continued, “I was wondering if I could talk to you?”
“Of course,” Calli replied. “You’re Kelida, aren’t you? I remember you from your participation in the games at the Alpha convention. Come sit beside me.”
Kelida walked to the bench opposite Calli’s instead.
“You were very good, by the way,” Calli commented. Folding her hands in her lap, she hoped to put her visitor at ease. “Now, how can I help you?”
“When people tell you things, do you share them with Canaan?”
“Canaan is my mate. I don’t keep secrets from him,” Calli stated firmly. “It would damage our relationship if I did.”
Kelida began to rise.
Calli raised her hand to stop her. “Canaan will respect any confidences I ask him to, Kelida. So if there is something you want to tell me in confidence, it will remain so.”
“I must have your word,” Kelida insisted.
“You have it,” Calli assured her.
Kelida rose and joined Calli on the bench. “I need to move from where I’m staying.”
“Where are you staying? Not with your parents?”
“No, my parents died in a fire two years ago. My guardianship was awarded to my grandmother, and I live with her.”
“Why do you want to leave? Does your grandmother treat you poorly?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
“I’m just unhappy there. My grandmother is very old and she doesn’t really understand teenagers. I mean she’s a nice lady and all, but she is not that well, and it’s hard for her to deal with children.”
“Children? Do you have siblings?”
“Yes, Zola. She’s only two. She lives with my mother’s friends in the Niger clan, until she gets older.”
“Why didn’t you go with her?”
“They have two young children of their own.” She paused, “And my uncle thought I could be of help caring for my grandmother.”
“What does your uncle have to do with this?” Calli asked.
“He lives with my grandmother. She is too sick to handle a lot of things, so he has taken over handling all the issues associated with our care.”
“I see.”
Calli remained silent for a few minutes, her eyes intent on the petals of a purple hydrangea, giving Kelida a few minutes to collect her thoughts as Calli sorted her own.
“Why do you think I could help you secure a move? There are so many other people who could advise you. Why not go to them?”
“They are so old. They wouldn’t understand. They would think I was being selfish, just wanting to escape my responsibility for my grandmother.”
“And why do you believe I would be different?”
“Because you understand how it is to feel trapped. You had the courage to escape. I need to escape, so I though you would help me.”
“Kelida, don’t you understand that I have no authority where any Canid child is concerned? I am no longer a member of the Cumberland pack, so I have even less say than you.”
“But you have resources,” Kelida countered. “When you left, you found a place where people helped you. Can’t I go to the same place?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible for reasons I can’t share,” Calli replied.
More silence.
“Kelida, why do I feel you’re not telling me everything?”
The young girl rose, wringing her hands, frustration and despair emanating from her. “Please! I just need to be able to live somewhere else,” she implored, her body strung so tight she seemed ready to shatter. “You can do anything.”
“Sweetheart, no one can do anything.”
“But you did. You stood up to the Alpha, and he is the most powerful being in our species. You escaped Bakari. You became a Warrior. You killed the men who raped you.”
“Yes, I did do all those things, Kelida. But I thought at the time that I had no other options. I discovered, in hindsight unfortunately, that I did. I let my pride lead me to make some poor choices—choices that precipitated a series of tragic consequences that hurt a lot of people—people I loved and who love
d me.”
“But you did what you felt you had to do,” Kelida insisted. “Don’t I have that same right?”
“Of course, you do.” Calli walked over and clasped the young girl’s hands. “But I also have the obligation to counsel you against actions that I feel will harm you.”
Pulling her hands free, Kelida took several steps back, unable to hide the tears that spilled over. “You don’t understand. I have to get out. I have to. Why won’t you help me?” she pleaded.
Before Calli could stop her, she turned and ran from the patio.
#
Several hours later, Calli was still unable to forget her encounter with the young girl. She knew there was more to the story than young Kelida had told her. A strong sense of foreboding had her stopping at Snow headquarters where she had been told her sister-in-law Tamby would be.
Calli found Tamby in the apartment she kept above her office. Tamby looked up, surprised. “I thought you and Canaan were leaving this afternoon.”
“We are, but I needed to talk to you first.”
“Have a seat, then. Now, what is this all about?”
“I had a visitor earlier this morning. It was Kelida, one of the older girls in your Ember Squad. She is in trouble, deep trouble, I fear.”
“What kind of trouble?” Tamby asked, alarmed.
“I can’t go into details. I promised her that I would keep secret the information she shared with me,” Calli replied. Leaning forward, she held Tamby’s gaze. “But I can tell you that she came for help to get away from Bakari. She reasoned that since I managed to escape, she came to me, hoping I would help her. It seems I have a reputation of not being afraid to defy authority figures, no matter how powerful they are.”
“That’s not surprising, Calli. The Alpha is about as powerful as you get,” Tamby added, with a smirk.
“Touché.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to discover what is going on and help her. I’m afraid for her. She’s on the edge, just holding on. She’s also displaying signs of abuse of some kind. I don’t know if it’s emotional or physical, but something is wrong, very wrong. Her coming to me was an act of desperation. For her to come to a stranger—especially one with my reputation as an outcast—is an act of someone who feels at the end of her rope. And I’m afraid I made things worse by not offering to help her.”