by Mia Rose
Edmund stopped for a moment and looked at his father, and to his surprise, it appeared that his father was actually listening to him intently. He was leaning forward toward Edmund, and his brows were furrowed as he processed everything Edmund had to say.
“So,” Edmund continued, “I researched even more and I came across a second book that no one in our family ever knew existed. In this book, I learned of a missing ingredient —one which would make the elixir permanent.”
“So, in other words,” his father said slowly, “you will not have werewolf blood in you anymore.”
“Exactly.” Edmund smiled.
“What is the missing ingredient?” asked his father. Edmund held up his phone and showed his father the picture of Noelle.
“Oh my.” His father breathed. “She looks exactly like…”
“She is her true descendent,” Edmund said softly, as though he had found the holy grail.
“How can you be sure?”
“I’m sure,” Edmund said, looking at his parents grimly. “She is the first-born female from that side —the only woman who did not marry into the hunting line. She is the only one who carries Noelise’s blood.”
Edmund’s father looked at him, and they both realized what this meant. A smile slowly widened on his face as he gripped his phone even harder. He had everything he needed, now.
“Finding home once again is good for the heart.”
Chapter 15
Keeping up with Lies
“It was almost as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.”
Monday came before anyone was ready, as it usually does. Declan did not know what time to expect the city inspector, so he woke up two hours earlier than usual and walked through the apartment complex.
He had to admit, for a rush job and for people who were not exactly hired help, they did magnificent work on improving the overall look and feel of the apartments. They painted the outside of the building a nice soft beige color, which was neutral enough to offset the white trim. The plants all around the building added color and life that had been missing for far too many years.
Declan hadn’t been able to get inside every apartment just yet, but he trusted that his pack had done an exceptional job of cleaning up and making it seem livable. He himself was up until three in the morning, painting his place and fixing any broken cabinets.
He went to his office and to his pleasant surprise, Avril was already there waiting. “I couldn’t sleep any longer,” she admitted. “I’m so nervous about today.”
“You don’t need to be nervous. We will be just fine!”
The phone rang at Declan’s desk and Avril answered it. “This is Avril speaking,” she said, trying to keep the nerves from her voice. “Oh, yes, we do have available apartments. We are in the middle of doing some renovations, would you like to make an appointment for later this week?”
Declan exhaled, he had thought it might have been the city inspector. He had hoped that he was going to cancel his tour for today.
Declan left the office and walked down into the basement. He wasn’t sure what time Edmund was coming today, either. Or Noelle, for that matter. He hated when there were so many uncontrollable variables.
He looked around and made sure that all the equipment was covered by a tarp. He had come up with a story that it was all the older cabinets from the apartments and that they would be donating them later this week. Everyone liked charity work, right?
His cell phone rang and when he looked down at the number, he saw it was Avril. “Hello?” Declan answered.
“She’s here,” Avril said.
“She? I thought that it was…” but Avril had already hung up the phone.
Declan took a deep breath and straightened out his shirt. He walked up the steps to his office and pulled open the door. His mouth nearly fell to the floor when he saw who was standing there before him.
“Well, what do you know.” The city inspector smiled humorlessly at Declan.
“Amanda?” Declan asked.
“Wow, he remembers my name. I should feel honored.”
“Do you two know each other?” Avril asked, clearly confused by this exchange.
“You could say that,” Amanda said.
Declan looked her over —she was wearing the same blazer that she had been wearing the day he met her on the bridge. The same blazer that he had popped a button off when he ripped it from her body.
“So, I guess you tell me what happens now,” Declan said slowly.
“Yes, it seems I’m in control today.” Amanda smiled.
Declan followed her out of the office, all optimism slowly leaking from his body. He couldn’t believe his luck. Why did he have to be so heartless toward her? It was just sex, yes, but maybe he could have tried to give her a call or something.
Amanda and he walked around the apartment buildings for over an hour. She only spoke to him when she needed him to open a door. She wrote down notes furiously on her notepad and every so often she would give Declan a look that said, “Oh, will you just look at that.”
“Okay,” Amanda said, “last place we need to go is the basement and then I can head out.”
“How are we doing so far?” Declan asked.
She gave him a sarcastic smile. “Basement, please.”
Declan walked her toward the basement; pulled open the door and turned on the lights. Everything was covered by a tarp, just as he had left it. She walked around, checking out the walls and the ceiling.
She looked at the pile of stuff and said, “What is all of that?”
“Oh, that? It’s the old cabinets we had removed from the apartments. We are going to try to donate them.”
“How nice,” Amanda said. “Do you mind if I take a look?” She walked over to the pile before her and reached for the edge of the tarp.
Declan stared on in horror, not sure what to do. “Amanda,” he said, right before she lifted the tarp.
“What?” she answered, turning to face him.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day we met,” Declan whispered, praying that his charm would work some magic.
“Oh, really? That must be why you’ve called so many times.”
“I couldn’t find the nerve to call you,” Declan said, struggling to find the words. “You —you intimidate me. I mean, look at you? You’re gorgeous and you can have any man in the world. So, why would you choose me?”
Amanda looked at him, uncertainly, but he could tell that he was having an effect on her which is all he needed, for right now. Declan took a few steps forward toward her and closed the space between them. He took her clipboard from her hands and put it on the floor.
While kneeling in front of her, he glided his hand up her leg and he saw her entire body stiffen, but she did not stop him. Declan’s hand made its way up her inner thigh, beneath her skirt, and found its way to the silky fabric which covered her. He massaged his fingers across her panties and he could feel the wetness already, which made him smile.
Declan stood up and ran his hand through her hair and whispered into her ear, “Amanda, I want you.”
“Right here?” She breathed desperately.
“Yes,” Declan said slowly. “Right here. Right now.” He pulled back to see her biting down on her lower lip. She gave him a small nod and that was all he needed.
He reached for the bottom of her skirt and hiked it up along her waistline. He dragged her panties down her legs and pushed his fingers inside of her, feeling the wetness that was there. He rubbed his thumb across her clit and she pulled him closer to her body, moaning into him.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked her.
She nodded and he unzipped his pants and unleashed himself. He picked her up and pushed her against the wall, her legs wrapped around him as he pushed himself inside of her.
He felt his hard cock throbbing as it filled her tightness. He breathed heavily. Declan moved his hips back and forth, slowly. Amanda ran her nails al
ong his arms and he could feel the goosebumps on his skin.
“Declan,” Amanda said between moans, “I think someone is here.” Declan turned them around just as the door closed.
“It’s nothing,” Declan said as he lowered Amanda to the floor.
He picked up his hips and slammed himself against her until she cried out. He could feel her body clenching against his. Declan moved back and forth inside of her until he felt his own arousal stiffen. He came in a moan, deep inside of her. He laid down on top of her for a moment, and Amanda was the first to try and sit up.
“Umm, do you know where my panties are?” she asked. Declan grabbed them from the floor and handed them to her. She slid them on slowly and then stood up and pulled down her skirt. She started walking toward the door.
“Hey,” Declan called out, “do you need this?” He was holding up her clipboard.
“No,” Amanda said. “I think we are all good here.” She smiled at Declan and then added, “Don’t be scared to call me.” She winked at him and left through the door, closing it behind her.
Declan exhaled a huge sigh of relief. He had made it through the inspection and based on how much she enjoyed herself, he felt pretty confident that they would get complimentary reviews. He put himself back together and walked toward the door.
“Was that fun?” a voice called out from the shadows.
“Seriously?” Declan asked, not at all amused as Noelle came out into the light of the room.
“I told you I was coming today.” She sneered. “I guess I wasn’t the only one.”
Declan tried hard to keep his anger in check —after everything she had done and said to him recently, she had the audacity to sit there and be jealous.
“Noelle, you’ve made yourself perfectly clear. You have no interest in pursuing things with me. And that, that meant nothing. I did what needed to be done to protect my family. That is no different than what you did to me.”
Noelle looked down embarrassed by Declan’s words. He was right, of course. She had slept with him as a trap in order to get revenge for her own family. Since when had sex become such a useful tool for manipulation?
“Well,” Noelle said, trying to move past the discussion, “have you heard from Edmund at all?”
“No,” Declan admitted, “I take it that you haven’t either.”
Noelle shook her head. The door to the basement was pulled open again and there in the doorway stood Edmund.
“No worries, folks.” Edmund smiled. “The doctor is in.”
Edmund looked at Noelle. “Noelle, I understand what you are saying. I am just telling you that I don’t think it is a good idea to tell your family, right now.”
“Why? What’s the point in waiting any longer?” Noelle argued. “The longer we wait, the more risk there is that one of them will transform. We are so lucky that none of them have already!”
“She’s right,” Declan said slowly, “you should probably talk with them sooner rather than later. You may realize that what you want and what they want, doesn’t quite match up anymore.”
“What does that mean?” Noelle spat at him.
“It means, Noelle,” Declan said, “that not everyone thinks being a werewolf is a terrible thing. Including your family. I’ll tell them to come down here to meet you.” Declan left the basement where the three of them had been talking since Edmund’s arrival.
Noelle was angry with Edmund for ignoring her, but he calmed her down and told her that he just needed time to gather his research for today. She was hesitant at first, still unsure about how he felt about her being with Declan. Once they’d started discussing the cures, she’d become furious when she found out that Edmund had wanted to start on the cure for silver first.
“Okay,” Edmund said to Noelle, “let’s get started then, shall we?”
Noelle nodded quietly, still upset that he didn’t agree with her about telling her family about the cure. She worked silently, setting up the tables and putting together microscopes and trays of test tubes of varied sizes. She did not even hear the door to the room open until she saw her father standing in front of her.
Noelle felt her knees get weak as she remembered the last time she had seen him —covered in dirt and laying on the floor with no color in his face. She had thought for sure that he had died —but there he was standing in front of her, looking just like he always did. It was almost as if nothing had changed. But that wasn’t true. Everything had changed.
“Hey, baby girl,” her father whispered, with tears in his eyes. Noelle rushed toward him and jumped into his arms, clutching him tightly.
“I miss you so much, Daddy,” Noelle whispered.
“I’m right here,” he cooed, “I’ll always be right here.”
Noelle took a step back and noticed the rest of her family standing there. She ran over to give her a mother a hug, and then her aunts, an uncle, and even her cousin, Megan.
“I think you all should sit down,” Noelle said, wiping the tears from her eyes. The whole family grabbed some chairs and they sat in a circle. “This is Edmund,” Noelle explained. “He is the doctor that you all know will be working on the silver cure.” The family went around and waved and they all introduced themselves to Edmund.
“Nice to meet you,” said Garrett.
“He has something else that he would like to share with you all,” Noelle said. She looked at Edmund pointedly and he coughed uncomfortably that he had been put in the spotlight.
“Right,” Edmund said, “well, as Noelle said, I am the person who will be working on the silver cure for the werewolves. However, I do have another cure as well. I believe I can help all of you.”
“Help us?” Noelle’s father said. “With what?”
“We have an elixir that I created that could potentially help all of you return to your human state,” Edmund explained. He could see the confused looks across everyone’s faces, so he added, “Basically, this elixir will make you entirely human again.”
The family gasped and started talking amongst themselves. Noelle looked at them excitedly because she could tell that was exactly what they wanted. The only one who was not happy was Megan.
“Now, I wanted to wait to tell you the news when I had finished creating the cure, but Noelle insisted that we inform you right away.”
“Why is that?” Garett asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, we are thrilled that you have told us!”
“Well, there is one caveat to this potion working and it’s this —you must not transform into your wolf forms.”
“Why?” Abigail asked. “What happens if we transform?”
“Well,” Edmund said, “at that point, the change is permanent and this elixir will not work for you.”
“So, what you’re saying is that if any of us have wolfed out, we won’t be able to be human again?” Megan asked.
“Yes, that’s correct.” Edmund nodded.
“Well,” Garett spoke slowly, “that may be a problem.”
“It was almost as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.”
Chapter 16
Expectations and Disappointments
“Smiling is good for the soul.”
“What do you mean by that?” Noelle asked. The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees and she could feel the hair standing on the back of her neck. She had been holding on to this idea of the cure since Edmund told her about it —never once had it occurred to her that it might already be too late.
“Noelle,” Garett said. “Honey, my first night here, I was just so angry about everything that happened, but even more than that, I was infuriated by the idea that I might never be able to see you again. I couldn’t control what happened to me —it just happened and I changed into my wolf form right there and then.”
“This has to be some kind of dream,” Noelle said to no one. “We are right here, we have the cure in front of us, and now you’re telling me that it won’t work?”
They all looked at Edmund
for the answer. “I’m so sorry,” he said softly.
“And the rest of you?” Noelle asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“None of us have changed yet,” Abigail answered, “but I cannot take that cure and separate myself from your father.”
“Abigail, sweetheart, don’t be silly. Take the cure. Be home with our daughter,” Garett said half-heartedly.
“No,” Abigail’s voice broke. “She is a grown woman, now. She doesn’t need me, anymore. But me, I need you. And we swore —we stood up in front of all our family and friends and made a vow to each other that for better or for worse, we would stand by each other through it all. Now, I don’t know if this counts as for better or for worse, but I know that forever has just gotten a hell of a lot longer. I refuse to let you do that by yourself.”
Garett took Abigail in his arms and they held each other tightly, as if by letting go in that moment would mean letting go forever. Noelle looked over at the rest of her family.
To her surprise, Megan spoke up first. “I’m not taking it,” Megan said softly.
“Megan!” Her mother gasped, shocked by her daughter’s admission.
“I won’t take it,” Megan said with more confidence. “For the first time, I feel like I actually fit in somewhere. I feel like when people look at me, they see the actual me and they aren’t constantly comparing me to someone else, expecting me to be better. I know that you all think this is the worst thing that has ever happened to you —but I don’t. I know that this is the best thing that could have ever happened to me and I will never change it back.”
Noelle was silent. Her dreams of being reunited with her family were crumbling to pieces right before her very eyes. She would not be getting her mother or father back. Her cousin was choosing this life over being a hunter. No doubt her aunts and uncles would choose the same thing.