His cell phone rang and Wiatt answered the call immediately. “We’ve got a hold of Gabby Colton. She’s saying she’s got nothing to do with it all. Which isn’t anything given that Gabby’s a lying piece of shit who would say anything to save her own skin.” Paris said down the line to Wiatt.
“She might actually be telling the truth.” Wiatt said looking up at the two storey D’arenberg family home.
“What do you mean? Have you found Tatum?” Paris asked him.
“I got some information that lead me to believe that uh, maybe, our mother has something to do with it.” Wiatt said awkwardly. There was an extended silence down the line. “Paris, you still there?”
“Yeah.” He replied not elaborating further.
“Did you hear me? I’m at the house now.” Wiatt replied wanting to add that he was shitting himself about speaking to his mother in this manner. As a pack enforcer, not as her son. Because that was the only way he could confront his mother about Tatum.
“I want to tell you that she wouldn’t have anything to do with Tatum’s disappearance. But I can’t.” Paris replied softly. “I remember how well she didn’t take to Bg when she found out about us two together.”
“Yeah.” Wiatt sighed heavily. “That was where my thinking was going too.”
“On the upside, Bg and her now have a civilised relationship. So there’s hope yet. It’s just the initial bump of getting Mom to accept you’ve chosen your mate.”
“Yeah, no biggie what so ever.” Wiatt replied sarcastically knowing it was not that simple. “Only took Bg almost taking two packs to war and nearly dying, over what the space of a year to win her over right?”
“Piece of cake.” Paris said back at him.
“All those awkward family dinners.” Wiatt muttered back at him.
“We’ll hold Gabby regardless, until you know for sure. Time in a cage would do her well for her past sins alone. But do you want me to back you up with Mom? I could bring Bg if that would help.” Paris chuckled down the line. “She knows how to handle our mother just fine.”
Wiatt smiled for the first time since he’d started running around after Tatum. “Yeah, Bg does, doesn’t she? A bit of a weapon that werewolf. Handy to have.” Wiatt commented taking a step towards the house. “But I think I got this, I have to do this right, if Tatum’s my wolf?”
“Not if Wiatt. Because. Because Tatum’s your wolf.” Paris replied back at his brother warmly. “Remind yourself you wouldn’t go to this much trouble if she didn’t mean something to you.”
“But I would.” Wiatt replied. “For anyone.”
Paris laughed lightly down the line. “I know. Because I know you. But you get what I mean. Don’t doubt yourself or you’ll doubt her love and then you’ll make the biggest mistake possible and you’ll loose her for good and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.” Wiatt found himself silently nodding his head back at his brother’s words of wisdom. “Look, Bg is safe, and Gabby is caged, I might just suddenly find myself in the neighbourhood in about twenty minutes time and swing by.”
“Right.” Wiatt replied taking another two steps forward. “And it’d be polite of you to say hi to our parents, if you were around.” Wiatt said letting out a breath and walking towards the front door.
“Good luck.” Paris said back at him.
“Yeah, here’s hoping I still have my balls when I get out of there.” Wiatt muttered signing off and ending the call. He walked up the steps to the front door and used his personal key to unlock the front door and walk in to the lobby.
The condo was a split level modern property and it’s interior was clear and clean without anything out of place. Cream coloured stone on the outside, polished floor boards on the inside. There was a lot of space and lots of designer, expensive furniture. Wiatt walked towards the back, past their made Esmerelda waving at her as he passed. Large glass windows displayed the outdoor setting and pool in the rooftop backyard. He could see his mother outside sunning herself beside the pool with martini in hand and his father, sitting under the shade of an umbrella, in board shorts, reading The New Yorker.
Wiatt opened the sliding glass door, which caused both of his parents to look up and over at him.
“Darling!” His mother called out. “What a fantastic unexpected surprise. I was just saying to your father how we haven’t had a party here in forever and we should get you boys to have your friends over so you can use the pool, we don’t use it nearly enough anymore, right Aaron?” Marion said greeting Wiatt happily.
“Right.” Aaron D’arenberg agreed standing up to greet Wiatt and clasping hands with him before pulling hime forward into a hearty hug. “Son.” He said as they parted again.
“Can I get one of those?” Wiatt asked his father pointing to his mother’s martini glass. Aaron D’arenberg looked at Wiatt and held his gaze for a moment before looking back at his pack mate and wife. “Coming right up.” He replied leaving them both to walk back into the house. Wiatt walked over to his mother and sat down sideways on the sun-lounge opposite her.
“Do you want to use the pool darling? We still get it cleaned all the time, more than we use it. Which is crazy.” Marion chatted from under a large white oversized sun hat. “You should give Paris and Bg a call, we could do lunch down here, I’ll order from Pieta’s – they’ll deliver to us cause they know me.”
“I thought you didn’t like Bg.” Wiatt said seeing his opening he needed to his conversation.
“What? Don’t be silly darling, I adore Bg.”
“But wasn’t always like that was it mom? I mean the first time you met her, you weren’t exactly nice.” Wiatt pushed remembering how Paris had brought Bg to their family dinner as an introduction to their parents, Wiatt had already met her prior to the dinner.
“First impressions are often hard to ascertain, and it can take time to get to know someone.” Marion offered back.
“Even if it’s one of you’re sons chosen pack mate?” Wiatt said back at her. His mother remained silent. “I don’t know how you found out about Tatum, but you need to tell me right now, what you did with her.” Wiatt said staring at his mother. “Because I’m responsible for her.”
“Tatum?” Marion snipped back picking up her martini again.
“Don’t play coy mother, I know you visited her apartment and I know she’s disappeared.”
“Darling, how can you possibly,”
“She was under my protection!” Wiatt yelled at his mother.
“She was a lycan, why would you waste your time protecting a lycan?” Marion retorted back sipping more of her martini.
“Because I said I would. Because I was there to help her deal with being a lycan. Because its not her fault she’s a lycan! Because I’m in love with her! Now, tell me what you’ve done with her.” Wiatt felt his anger rise quickly and he gripped the edge of the sun lounge tightly, his knuckles going white from holding on so tightly.
“It was for your own good darling. I only had you’re best interests at heart.” His mother said looking back at him through her oversized round sunglasses.
“Where is she?” Wiatt said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know.”
“Where?”
“Honestly I don’t know.” Marion replied her hand shaking somewhat as she put her martini glass back down beside her. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Tell me what you do know. What happened when you visited her.” Wiatt replied trying to relax and keep his anger and annoyance at his mother under control.
“I paid her a visit at her apartment and we spoke about how it wasn’t right for her to hang around you.”
“You did what?” Wiatt seethed pushing up off the sun lounge. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Marion D’arenberg sat upright and looked at her youngest. “Darling, do you know how much harder your life is going to be if you chose this women as your mate? It won’t just be the Manhattan Maen who you have to overcome their biases with,
it’s the whole werewolf community. Across the entire country. I don’t want that for you.”
Wiatt started pacing beside her lounge chair. “I don’t care. You don’t get to dictate my life mother, you don’t get to choose who I fall in love with! Where is she, you need to tell me or so help me.” He replied anger obvious.
“I convinced her that she had to leave Manhattan, that’s all I know.”
Wiatt stilled, his heart beating like crazy. He couldn’t bear the thought of Tatum not being in New York. “And that’s it, she left, just like that?”
“I may have threatened her bodily damage with some unstable werewolves if she didn’t leave.” Wiatt growled at his mother, loudly. “And I dropped her off at Canal Street, made sure she left, that was it. That’s all I know. I promise.” Marion replied softly. Wiatt turned around and stalked away from her.
“Where are you going?” She called out to him.
“To find my pack mate.” Wiatt replied back at her.
“Darling, please, make sure she’s worth it, you’re in for a world of hurt with this one.” Marion said watching her son stalk off back into the house. “Like Paris was with Bg, hey Mom?”
“Bg is different, she’s a werewolf.” Marion D’arenberg replied clipped. Aaron D’arenberg stood in the doorway to the back yard, arms crossed over his chest as his youngest son approached. “Dad.” Wiatt replied nodding his head.
Aaron D’arenberg had a body that would put most thirty year old males to shame. Not bad, considering his age. And it wasn’t all werewolf genetics having a part, it was because he kept in shape. He straightened up and stood directly in his sons way. “There isn’t much I wouldn’t deny you boys, you know that.” Wiatt nodded his head silently. “But if you ever come here in my house again and yell at my pack mate, your mother again, I don’t care the reason, you and I will have more than words. Do we understand each other?”
Wiatt nodded his head “Yes sir.”
“Good.” Aaron D’arenberg said stepping aside so Wiatt could walk past him. Wiatt strode through quickly and pulled out his cell phone. By the time he’d gotten down stairs and opened the front door he came face to face with his big brother, Paris.
“Everything alright?” Paris asked him.
“No, far from it. Mom threatened Tatum with pack rape if she didn’t leave town.” Paris’s mouth dropped open in shock. “So now I know why she left, but I still don’t know where she is. And I just realised, I don’t have her number, so I can’t call her. Last mom saw her was Canal Street Station.” They walked down the steps together.
“She could be anywhere in the damn country.” Paris replied as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.
“I know.” Wiatt replied feeling hopelessness creep in. “And tonight’s full moon and Tatum doesn’t know how to handle shape shifting or her wolf abilities at all. She’s a danger to herself as much as others.”
“We got to find her.” Paris said slapping a hand on his brothers shoulder.
33
It’d been a mistake walking into Van Cortlandt Park. It’d been an even bigger mistake to run. After the lycan had started chasing her, she’d run for the park’s gateway entrance, several hundred metres before her, but as she’d gotten close, another male, had casually turned around the brick gateway entrance before her and grinned. Tatum had diverted quickly and ran up the hill, she’d had no choice. She didn’t even stop to wonder if he was a lycan, she had two males chasing her, a female through a parkland for their own entertainment and it was scaring the bejesus out of her. Her heart was pounding through her chest like it wanted to explode out of her.
Tatum ran into the thickened forest area of the park and looked around for a hiding place. She couldn’t keep running, her legs were begging to get slower and she was breathing far to heavily. She needed to think of a way out of her predicament.
Tatum ducked down behind a fallen tree on the ground and rummaged around on her person for her cell phone and looked at it, and swiped the screen open to scroll through her phone book list and clicked on Wiatt’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Wiatt its Tatum,”
“Tatum! Where the hell are you? I’ve been looking all over for you, all day long.”
“Help. Help me Wiatt.” She said cutting him off quickly.
“What? Where are you, tell me where you are?” Wiatt demanded loudly.
Tatum looked around at the trees and shrubbery around her. She couldn’t see the other two lycans, and couldn’t hear them. “I’m at Van Cortlandt Park. Two male lycans are chasing me, they said I was fair game, Wiatt I’m in big trouble here, there is no one around here and I think there’s more than two of them. I think they’ve got friends.”
“Van Cortlandt Park?” Wiatt repeated back at her.
Paris looked at his brother who was asking him where Van Cortlandt park was. “It’s in The Bronx, we can’t cross territory lines during lunar week. Not without starting a damn turf war.” Paris said back at him quickly. “But I can make a call to the Breukelen, see if they can help us out. They’re closer to Bronx than us.” Paris said back at his brother quickly.
“Yeah, I was near the entrance but they cut me off and now I have no idea where in the park I am.”
“Stay put. I’m going to send someone to you, to help you until I can get there. Just stay safe.” Wiatt said back at her before the call cut out on him. “Tatum? Tatum?” He said into his phone before looking at Paris hang up his cell phone.
“Booker Parish from the Breukelen’s got a brother who lives in the Bronx. He’s dispatching him to Van Cortlandt Park now, until he and we, can get there.” Paris said heading to his Porsche. Wiatt followed his brother over and walked around to the passenger side door.
“I thought you just said we couldn’t cross pack territory lines during lunar week, without expecting to start a damn war.” Wiatt said to his brother opening the door.
“I did.” Paris stated sliding into the driver side of the Porsche. “Unlike you, I have access to Brooklyn during lunar week because of Bg. We are both under each other’s pack’s protection whilst we’re together, that was an agreement I came to with her pack alpha when we first started dating. It means we can travel between Manhattan and Brooklyn at any time during lunar week, as either of us like. And well, the Bronx is a free zone. There are some werewolves there, but nobody runs it, nobody has claimed it or wants it. So the way I see it, I’ve got a god damn hall pass to those two territories during lunar week and so do any guests under my guidance. Especially if we get in and out before anyone knows we were there.” Paris said starting his car up.
34
The sky was darkening as the day was turning to evening in The Bronx. Tatum could hear the lycans after her, they kept yelling nasty, vile things out into the woodland, letting her know in no uncertain terms what they were going to do with her, when they finally found her. Tatum, had no idea where abouts in the park she was, she so turned about. So unfamiliar with its landscape.
She started climbing a range of rock faces. Having the higher ground over those lycans would be a smart move. But her duffel bag was proving to be bulky and cumbersome. If she ditched it now though, there was too big a clearing for it to go un noticed. And that would give away her position to the lycans tracking her.
She looked up at the rockface and back at the woods behind her. She had no idea where they were, just that there seemed to be more than two of them now. She knew what her options were and they weren’t good. Gripping the large grey rock she pulled herself up and started figuring out her foot hold as she started climbing. She was almost at the top of the rock face when another figure appeared at the top. Her eyes went wide and her hand slipped off the rock face and she gasped in fear, as the male looked down at her. Her nostrils flared. Another lycan. He dropped to the ground and stuck his hand out towards her.
“My name is Hooper Parish. Wiatt D’arenberg sent me to help you.” Hooper replied reaching down the rockface edge for her. “Come
on, give me your hand.” Tatum reached up to him again and stretched her arm as much as she could. Hooper gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her up, grabbing her by the shoulder strap of her bag as he pulled her back over to the top landing of the rockface.
Tatum wriggled along her stomach and pushed herself up to a standing position as Hooper dusted himself down. He was young, younger than her. Looked like he was in his twenties and ready to go kaporing in his quarter length shorts and grey –T-shirt. He was bare foot and of a solidly medium build.
“How do I know I can trust you? You’re a lycan too, I can smell it.” Tatum said between heavy breaths. Hooper put his hands on his hips. Which just emphasised his biceps Tatum thought. They were rather impressive.
“Let me see, because I just raced here to get to you. I mentioned your boyfriends name, I tracked you and your companions through the park, came around the hard way to intercept you and oh yeah, because you’re not my type. I like my sex with men, only men.” He said flicking the rainbow coloured rubber bracelet around his wrist. “Good enough?” Hooper said at her unappreciatively. “Can we go now? I do have other things to do on full moon night than babysit an ungrateful lycan female.”
Tatum stiffened with shame and uneasiness. “Sorry, yes and thanks.”
Hooper pointed the way he’d come. “Come on, we’re not that far to the edge of the park.” He said as they started walking off together. The undergrowth of leaves crunched under their feet and Tatum was reminded of her first lesson with Wiatt and how he wanted her to walk lightly upon the stairs in her apartment. Hooper didn’t seem to mind though, what noise he made as he pushed shrubs out of his way as they made their way back through the dense forest. Maybe he didn’t know how to be quiet, wasn’t as skilled as Wiatt, Tatum thought following close behind him.
She was too busy in her thoughts to notice Hooper had stopped walking and she bumped into the back of him. “Ow.” She muttered rubbing her nose quickly. Hooper tensed and he held up a hand. “What is it?” She whispered close to him again. When she really listened to the sounds of Van Cortland park she could hear the wind through the trees, bark dropping off trees, leaves rustling and twigs snapping under the weight of an animals touch.
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