Return to Kadenburg

by T. E. Ridener

  “You can’t kill him!” Mrs. Bamey cried. Lorcan watched as his father wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. “He’s all we’ve got left! I’ve already lost one boy…please don’t take the only one I have left.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Davey whispered.

  “That’s bullshit!” Kyle Frey voiced as he slammed his fist down against the kitchen table. “You can’t just kill him! We don’t live in the olden days, you know. There has to be another form of punishment.”

  “There isn’t!” Colin growled. “These are the laws of Urseth and we must follow them. Rules are rules.”

  “That is incredibly unfair,” Dimitri stated softly as Lorcan met his gaze. “If you kill Lorcan you are no better than Breslin Connor. There are so few of you as it is. Would you really rip a son away from his grieving mother? Would you really take a father away from his unborn child?”

  Dimitri did have a point, but Lorcan knew there was no way around this. The laws of Urseth existed for a reason. They protected both humans and ursithropes, and he’d broken the biggest law of them all by shifting in front of Rutley Holter. He was guilty.

  Lorcan felt the warmth of Presley’s hand against his arm, and he turned his head to stare down at her. The tears rolling down her cheeks caused his heart to shatter. He never wanted to see her cry. He never wanted to be the reason behind her tears. All he’d ever wanted in life was to make her happy…..and now he wouldn’t get to be in her life at all.

  “He can’t get away with this, right?” Presley asked in a small voice. “There’s got to be something we can do to stop it….they can’t just kill you, can they?”

  Her eyes held so much hope, and as much as he wanted to tell her there was a Plan B; he couldn’t lie to her. He would never lie to her.

  “Pretz,” He whispered, lifting his hand to brush away her tears. “I know this is hard to accept but-”

  “No!” She took a step away from him. She acted as if his touched burned her, and that killed him on the inside. She shook her head furiously and the anger in her green eyes became the only thing Lorcan could focus on. “You promised we would be together forever, no matter what! You can’t do this to me. You can’t do this to us,” She sobbed. Her voice broke as the tears fell harder.

  All he wanted to do was hold her. He wanted to step back in time and prevent any of this from happening. He wanted to make her tears stop. He wanted to take the pain radiating from her body and pull it into his own, to shield her from the heartache of the inevitable.

  Presley turned her tearful eyes towards Colin, her anger only growing stronger as she jabbed a finger in his direction.

  “This is your fault! You selfish, self-centered, egotistical bastard! We’re having a baby and you’re taking away my mate! I hate you!”

  No one uttered a word as Presley’s heart wrenching sobs echoed around the room. Even Colin, the pompous jerk-wad he was, seemed to feel guilty for his actions as she disappeared down the hall and slammed the door. Lorcan didn’t make any move to follow after her. What was he supposed to say? She was too upset as it was, and then a chilling thought hit him.

  What if she loses our cub because of this?

  A low growl sounded in his throat as he turned his eyes back to Colin. His skull felt like it was about to explode as his head began to swell. His heated flesh ignited to dangerous temperatures as he balled his hands into tight fists and took another step towards him.

  “You can’t touch me,” Colin snapped, taking a step away from him. “You can’t do that, Lorcan. Rules are rul-”

  He was cut off by a large fist colliding with his jaw. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall before falling to the floor.

  Lorcan turned his head to see Dimitri standing there, gazing at his knuckles. The shocked ursithrope blinked.

  “He had that coming,” Dimitri replied as he licked his lower lip. “And I won’t allow you to die, Lorcan. It’s my fault that you even shifted that night. You’d just escaped from a horrible situation and you picked up on the scent of a lycanthrope. I should be the one to take the blame.”

  “I can’t let you do that,” Lorcan argued with a shake of his head. “I’m the one that shifted.”

  “But you can’t die,” Dimitri frowned. The wolf turned around to gaze at the other ursithropes, a pleading expression on his face. “Will you really take a father away from his child? Will you allow that cub to enter this world without a daddy to look after him or her?”

  Lorcan’s eyes scanned the room, taking note of the sympathetic look everyone seemed to share. Beau was even frowning over the thought.

  “What kind of law can possibly exist that would allow this to happen?” Dimitri continued. “Does your god not value the meaning of family? Isn’t that what you stand for? Togetherness. Family. Unity?”

  “I’m sorry,” Davey frowned. “I wish I didn’t have to do it, but it is the law of Urseth. We’re never supposed to reveal our true nature to humans. It puts both species in danger. I’m afraid Lorcan and Rutley must be punished.”

  “Lorcan and Rutley?” Dimitri asked. “What the hell does Rutley have to do with this?”

  Oh. Dimitri definitely didn’t know about that small detail.

  Lorcan’s jawline tightened again as he stared at his brother’s mate, frowning.

  “It is said….in our law…that both the ursithrope responsible for breaking the code and the human who witnessed it must die.”

  Dimitri’s eyes widened.

  “What? No,” He shook his head. “Hell no. Rutley’s innocent. He didn’t do a damn thing wrong.”

  Rutley groaned, seemingly coming around again as he lifted his head from the recliner and glanced about.

  “What did I do?” He asked drunkenly. “Besides wrecking my damn car….It was almost paid off,” He whined, wincing as he touched his fingertips to his temple. “Is that blood? Am I bleeding?”

  ––––––––-

  He wasn’t sure how he always ended up making things worse than they already were. Maybe he just had a knack for it, but Rutley was seriously tired of stirring the pot no matter where he went.

  No one was really talking to him as the sun slowly crept into the morning sky. The awkward tension surrounding him made him uncomfortable, and not even the pulsating ache in his head could distract him from the growing worries in the very back of his mind.

  I’ve done something bad, He thought as he licked his dry lips. His entire body was throbbing; and for good reason. What dumbass decided driving his brand new car was a good idea while intoxicated? Only him, apparently. He would have to wait to mourn over his prized possession at a later time. Right now, he needed to figure out what the hell was going on and what he could do to help.

  Pushing himself up from the recliner, he limped into the kitchen and rested a hand against the corner of the table.

  “Are you gonna try to bite my head off?” He asked quietly, his eyes landing on the side of Dimitri’s face.

  “I’m not going to bite anything off,” Dimitri mumbled, his eyes rolling upwards before he met Rutley’s gaze. He seemed so sad. Why?

  Rutley eased down into the chair beside of the wolf, wincing from the sharp pain shooting through his shoulder.

  “Are you going to tell me what I did?” He asked quietly. “Is Mrs. B. upset with me for running over her flowers? Or is it Mr. B.? I’d totally understand if he’s pissed at me for destroying his toolshed…..”

  “It has nothing to do with that,” Dimitri snapped suddenly.

  Rutley fell silent, dropping his gaze to the floor. His jawline tensed and relaxed before a frown graced his lips.

  “Then what is it?” Rutley asked in a small voice. “What did I do to make everybody act like somebody died?”

  Dimitri exhaled heavily as he leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows against the table top as the muscles beneath his skin danced and rippled. He turned his head to stare at Rutley again, the corner of his mouth twitching.

  “It’s c
omplicated,” He replied.

  “Yeah, well, I can deal with complicated,” Rutley said in an annoyed tone. “I’m a frickin’ werewolf hunter, you know? I’m pretty sure I’ve experienced ‘complicated’ in the past. Now can you please tell me what’s going on?”

  Dimitri shook his head slowly, lifting a hand to the back of his head as his fingers raked through tangled, messy auburn locks. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

  Rutley wasn’t sure if he was going to answer him at all, and it only agitated him further. If he did something bad; he needed to know. If he could fix it; he wanted to do just that. Keeping it from him wasn’t going to help a damn thing. Mrs. Bamey had been crying non-stop in her bedroom for the last three hours, and Presley only emerged from Lorcan’s bedroom to use the restroom. She looked equally upset, and Rutley just didn’t like it at all.

  “There are laws,” Dimitri finally said. “Laws that are put in place to protect people; to protect you, Rutley. Lorcan broke one of them the other night.”

  “What?” Rutley blinked, squinting his eyes in confusion. “What laws are you talking about?”

  Dimitri’s nostrils flared as he lowered his voice again.

  “I’m talking about the other night when you and I went into the woods. You were pretty damn out of it. I didn’t even think you would remember…but you did. And you told everybody about what happened.”

  “I did?” Rutley shook his head, rubbing at the back of his neck as he licked his lips once more. “I don’t remember too much from that night at all. I know I screwed up by drinking your coffee and then Lorcan suddenly turned into a-oh,” His shoulders slumped. “Oh. I guess people aren’t supposed to know he can do that, huh?”

  “No, they’re not,” Dimitri growled. Anger flashed in his eyes as he pressed a palm flat against the table top. “No human is ever supposed to know about their existence. But Lorcan shifted in front of you and now he has to die.”

  “What the fuck?!” Rutley exclaimed, his voice raising an octave higher than usual. “But why? I’m not going to tell anybody!”

  “Yeah, that’s the point of it,” Dimitri barked as he glared at him. “Lorcan’s not the only one in trouble here, Rutley. You need to understand what I’m saying. Their law states that the human that witnessed the transformation has to die, too.”

  And that was it. It felt like someone punched him right in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs. His thoughts came to a screeching halt as the blood drained from his face.

  “What?”

  “Yeah,” Dimitri whispered, hanging his head as his eyes closed. “They’re going to kill both of you, Rutley, unless we find a way to stop it.”

  “What the fuck? Can they do that?” Rutley stood from the table, his hands resting against the back of his head as he paced back and forth. “I mean, really, can they? That’s murder! They can’t do that.”

  “But they can,” Dimitri was suddenly right behind him, and when Rutley turned around he almost bumped into him. “Those are the laws of their god, Rut. They have to obey them.”

  “Or what?” Rutley frowned. “What god gives his followers the right to kill innocent people over an accidental peepshow? That’s basically what it adds up to. Lorcan didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t do anything wrong. This is bullshit.”

  “I know, I know,” Dimitri insisted, resting his hands against Rutley’s shoulders. “We’ll figure something out. We have to. I’m not going to let Liam’s parents go through this again. I’m not going to let Lorcan’s baby come into the world without a dad.”

  “Wait, what?” Rutley’s jaw hit the floor. “You mean Presley’s pregnant? How do I not know these things? Jesus H. Christ….”

  “Yes, I’m pregnant.”

  Rutley whirled around to see Presley standing in the hallway. Her arms were hugged tightly around her slender frame as she stared at them. Her usually sparkling green eyes were dull and bloodshot. Her nose was red from crying, and there was no denying the epitome of sadness weighing down on her shoulders.

  She sniffled softly, lifting a hand to wipe at her eyes before clearing her throat.

  “Presley, I’m so sorry….” Rutley frowned. “I didn’t mean to cause any of this, I swear it. I’m an idiot when I’m drunk. I say shit I don’t mean.”

  “It’s okay,” Presley whispered in a broken voice. “I understand.”

  It’s not okay, He frowned.

  “I think I might have a loophole,” She added after a moment. “But I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

  Dimitri and Rutley exchanged questioning glances before focusing their attention on the petite blonde again. She eased down into a chair, her eyes on the tabletop as she chewed her lower lip.

  Rutley returned to his seat and Dimitri did the same. They waited patiently for her to speak again. It seemed like a lifetime had passed by before Presley finally spoke.

  “I know that I’m just now familiarizing myself with the laws of Urseth,” She started softly.

  “Urseth? The fuck is that?”

  Dimitri and Presley stared at Rutley in a way that told him he needed to be quiet. So he muttered a small ‘sorry’ before sinking into his seat.

  “But I’ve been thinking about the laws, especially the one that Colin says Lorcan broke.”

  “Colin was just looking for any damn way to get Lorcan out of the picture,” Dimitri huffed. “What about what he did to you, Presley? Isn’t there a law against that, too? Males aren’t allowed to force themselves upon the female. Mrs. Bamey told me that once.”

  “You’re right,” Presley nodded. She wiped at her eyes again, clasping her fingers together against the tabletop. “Colin is just as guilty.”

  “How is that going to solve anything?” Rutley asked. “Even if this dude did something wrong, Lorcan is the one that’s going to die. That’s pretty fucked up to me. And the fact I have to die, too? Who wrote this shit?”

  “Rutley,” Presley stated in a pleading tone. “Just let me finish. Please?”

  “Sorry,” He repeated again, frowning. He honestly had no idea who this Urseth guy was, or what laws Lorcan followed. All he really knew at the moment was that they had the capability of turning into big ass bears and he wasn’t supposed to know that, at all. And he was going to die because of it.

  “I’ve been racking my brain for hours, trying to figure out how to keep Lorcan alive-to keep both of you alive,” She confessed. Her lower lip quivered again as she blinked back tears. “I can’t….imagine losing him. I can’t live my life without Lorcan. And it isn’t fair to you either, Rutley. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Rutley opted to remain silent, but he nodded his head in agreement. He felt bad for Presley, to be honest. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anybody so heartbroken before in his life. Was this how Dimitri reacted to the news of Liam’s death? He had to push the thought away quickly before it had a chance to manifest. He couldn’t think about Dimitri or Liam right now. He couldn’t think about any of that.

  “The law states that an ursithrope will not endanger his brethren or children by exposing the existence of our….my kind to humans,” She blinked.

  Seconds ticked by and Dimitri tilted his head to the side.

  Rutley quirked a brow, waiting for her to continue.

  “Don’t you see?” She asked. “Lorcan can only be punished if he risked exposing us to humans.”

  “Which I am,” Rutley murmured softly. “What’s your loophole, Presley?”

  “That is my loophole!” She exclaimed in an excited whisper. A small sparkle made itself known in her gloomy eyes as she gazed back and forth between them. “He can only die if he exposed our kind to a human.”

  Rutley was still confused, but Dimitri seemed to know exactly what she was implying.

  “You can’t be serious,” Dimitri said softly with a frown.

  “It’s our only hope,” Presley reached across the table, gripping the wolf’s hand gently. “Please, Dimitri. This is o
ur only shot at saving Lorcan and Rutley. We have to try.”

  “Try what?” Rutley asked as he cocked his head to the opposite side. “I’m all for saving my own ass here. What do I have to do?”

  “She wants me to turn you,” Dimitri replied as he met his gaze. “I’d have to bite you…..and turn you into a werewolf.”

  For the second time in five minutes, Rutley had to pick his jaw up off the floor. His wide blue eyes moved back and forth from Presley to Dimitri, over and over again.

  Presley looked so hopeful, and he could appreciate that. She didn’t want to lose Lorcan. Hell, he didn’t want Lorcan to die. Mr. and Mrs. Bamey had already lost one son-there was no way in hell Rutley could have that blood on his hands.

  And I don’t want to die either, He reminded himself as he ran his palm down the length of his face. He let out a low breath. If I turn into a werewolf, my dad will try to kill me…..

  “Please,” Presley whispered, another tear sliding down her cheek. “Please, Rutley.”

  “We can’t force him to become something he doesn’t want to be,” Dimitri said in a gentle tone. “Though if he says no, the only thing he’ll be is dead in a few hours.”

  “That’s a good point,” Rutley gulped.

  “I promise it won’t be horrible,” Presley continued in a desperate tone. “You’ll be faster, stronger, and-”

  “And alcohol won’t make you do stupid things all the time,” Dimitri quipped with a small smile. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know to survive, Rutley. We can make our own pack.”

  “A pack?”

  Dimitri nodded, “Yes. We won’t be anything like Breslin. I swear that to you. Greg is going to need a pack anyway, and I’ve never had a real one myself.”

  Rutley chewed his lower lip. Of course there wasn’t much to think about. Either he accepted the bite or him and Lorcan would die. There wasn’t really a choice to be made.

  Rutley exhaled softly, nodding his head.

  “Okay,” He stated firmly, glancing at Presley again. He watched the smile as it appeared on her face, and for the first time in a long damn time, he knew he was doing the right thing.