"What about the mother I deserved?" I snapped. "You were a great friend, Mom, but you dropped the ball when I needed you."
"I'm sorry, Ceres," she whispered. "I can be there in a few days. I know that it's late, but I want to meet Wolfgang and the pack you've become a part of."
"Don't bother," I muttered. "I'll call you when you're a grandmother."
"I'm coming out there, Ceres," she insisted. "Tell your Enkidu."
I sighed. "Fine," I muttered. I pulled the phone away from my ear and hung up just in time for it to warn me that my battery was low. I walked inside and passed Wolfgang. When I entered the bedroom, I shut the door behind me and plugged my phone onto the charger. As I sat down on the bed, he came into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Tell your father that we're going to have company," I said. "A Skaapie, another Enkidu, and their newborn, if they're all coming out."
"Your parents are an Enkidu and Skaapie?" Wolfgang asked.
I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "Big surprise to me too," I muttered. I flopped back and stared up at the ceiling.
"What's wrong?" Wolfgang asked. "I would have thought that you would be happy to have your mother visit."
"Why would I be happy that that piece of shit mother of mine is barging in on my life?" I asked. I felt the bed move as Wolfgang sat down. A moment later, I was looking at his face instead of the ceiling. I felt tears fall from my eyes. "I pray to God that she's a better mother to my brother than she ever was to me," I whispered.
Wolfgang reached up and brushed my tears away. "Tell me," he said.
I cleared my throat. "When she answered the phone, she said that she'd been out of town on vacation with Derek. No email and no phone service. When I finished telling her everything, she told me that she had Derek had sent out of the territory due to a dispute with another pack."
"Territorial disputes are no small thing, Baby," Wolfgang said. "They're often more deadly than the battles against the other races. During our last territory dispute, my father didn't have the time to talk to anyone except the other Enkidu and the Guardians."
"That's not what I'm upset about," I said.
"Then what is it?"
I sighed. "She's still lying to me," I said. "She's lying to me now the way she's always been lying to me. I know she's lying to me. She clips her words. I don't know what she's not telling me, but she doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. She's refusing to tell me something, and it pisses me off because I just laid everything out there for her. I told her that I left the firm, that I moved out here, and that I've discovered the secret she kept from me. She's still keeping secrets from me. She's been a great friend for most of my life, but I don't need a friend. I have plenty of friends. I need her to be my mom. And now, instead of letting me cool off, she's coming to town and I don't want to see her."
"Did she say why?"
"Because she missed it all," I muttered. "She says she feels guilty about not being here when I needed her, so she's going to come out here and do the whole meet-the-family thing."
Wolfgang kissed my forehead. "Well, on the bright side, we've united two packs on opposite sides of the world," he said with a smile. "Not many people can say they pulled that off."
I chuckled before my mood turned sour again. "I hope that she's better to Killian," I reiterated. "He deserves that much."
"Killian?" Wolfgang asked.
I smiled. "According to Derek, it was my grandfather's name," I said. "They named my first brother after my mom's dad, so this brother gets Derek's father's name." I sighed. "You know, there's a large part of me that is jealous of this kid because he gets to know our real father," I said. "He gets to understand our heritage...."
Wolfgang kissed my lips. "While I can't do anything about your Scottish heritage, I can make you a part of mine," he offered. His hand rubbed across my stomach and I felt my body begin to respond at his touch. He put his mouth up to my ear. "Vous êtes mon coeur," he whispered. You are my heart.
I smiled at him before I kissed him. "Vous êtes mon âme," I replied. You are my soul.
Chapter 23 ~Wolfgang~
I called my father shortly after Ceres fell asleep in my arms. He answered the phone by saying, "I swear to our gods, Wolfie, if you are calling to tell me that either of you is in trouble, I will kill you both." I had to laugh because the alternative was almost painful.
Laughing kept the image of Ceres tied up to a chair away.
Laughing kept the memory of us in the basement away.
"No," I said, shaking those phantoms off. "We're safe at the apartment with no threat of death or destruction. I'm calling to tell you that we have visitors coming."
"What kind of visitors?" Dad asked. "And why?"
"Ceres finally got in touch with her mother," I informed him. "Since she missed all of the Awakening, she's decided to come out to meet us and introduce Ceres to her new brother."
"Very well," my father replied. I knew it wasn't because...
"Dad, there's one more thing," I revealed.
"What?" he growled.
I sighed. "Ceres's father... is an Enkidu."
My father growled again. "Wolfgang..." he said. I heard the warning in his voice.
"Ceres told her not to come," I said. "They got into an argument. She's mad at Lynn right now, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. She insisted. This was not my doing. This wasn't even Ceres's doing. This is the desire of one Skaapie to come into town and see her only daughter." I waited a moment before I added, "Dad, this could help us. They mean more wolves if they become the allies I think they will be. Yes, they're on the other side of the globe, but our union has merged two packs."
My father sighed. "Oui," he said. I could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. "Inform them that they will be staying here at the house while in town. Wolfgang, while they are here, you and Ceres will be at the house as well."
"Oui, mon père," I replied. "I'll let you know if there are any other developments."
"Je t'aime, mon fils," he said.
"Je t'aime aussi, mon père," I replied.
"If I do not see you beforehand, I will see you when they arrive," he said. I heard my cellphone beep in my ear and knew the conversation was over. My father tended to end a call without a farewell. I knew that it stemmed from when his parents died. The last time he had spoken with my grandfather was a few days before his death. We didn't know about the threat to the pack. When they hung up, Dad said 'Goodbye' without knowing that it was their final goodbye. Since then, he refuses to say the word. It's too final for him. It makes him think of that last conversation with my grandpa. He says that the next time he'll say that word to someone will be the day he dances in their ashes.
Aside from that, I knew why he wanted Lynn and Derek at the house. The primary reason was because it's insult if a Lycan enters a territory in peace and isn't offered hospitality. It didn't matter how small or large the pack or home was; if the only room the Enkidu had to offer was his own bedroom, he slept on the couch. Luckily, when my great-whatever grandfather built the house, he prepared for just that situation. He designed the house to hold more than just our family with ease.
The house, if needed could hold at least thirty families. The actual house only had ten bedrooms, but the basement opened into something much larger than expected. Under the house was a system of caves. The basement led to a room with a door. That door opened into a cavern capable of holding the entire pack. Beyond that cavern were bunkers. There were enough bunkers down there to house whoever couldn't fit in the house. There was enough food stored down there to hold the pack for at least a year. To say that we had prepared for anything was a bit of an understatement.
I put my phone back in my pocket. The call had gone better than I had planned, but I couldn’t help but feel like this was going to end up biting me in the ass later. We weren't done with Alan yet; I knew that much. I just didn't know how the next confrontation would
go down.
I went back to Ceres and sat down on our bed. She was awake, so I gave her the rundown on what my father had said. She sighed and it was obvious that she was unhappy with the thought of having to stay with my parents for as long as hers were in town. The question I'd just asked myself hung in the air until she voiced it.
"When do you think we're going to come to blows again?" she asked. "I know my mother would love to get her hands on Alan and make him pay for every night of tears he caused. She wants him dead more than we do. They haven't even been in the same state since the divorce finalized."
I shrugged. "I don't know," I replied. It was the only honest thing I could say.
A few days later, I came up with an idea that I knew would lift Ceres's spirits. She'd been down and depressed since the full moon and I needed something to help bring her back up. She always spoke about the twins and how much she loved and missed them. They were her sisters. She wanted them nearby.
I waited for her to go to sleep one night shortly after the conversation with my dad. I pulled Lynn's number from her contacts list before I put her phone back and hoped she wouldn't be any wiser to what I had done.
I stepped out of the bedroom and out onto the balcony. I dialed Lynn's phone number and brought my phone up to my ear. It surprised me that she answered.
"This is Lynn School," she said with a hesitant note to her voice.
"This is Wolfgang Rider," I replied. "Your daughter's mate."
"Oh!" she said, surprised to be hearing from me. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
I sighed. "Well, I know that you two had a bit of a rocky conversation the other day and I've thought of something that might make it a little better."
"I'm all ears," Lynn said. "I'll take whatever idea I can get at this point."
"Are the twins Lycan?" I asked.
"Yeah," Lynn replied. "Their uncle leads the pack I was a part of in New York, which is why they were as close to Ceres as they were. I figured that they could protect her if anything happened. They've always known, and they've always been aware that they aren't supposed to tell Ceres. Why?"
"Well, if you want to make her happy, bring them to Adamsville with you," I said. "Ceres misses them like crazy and needs someone she can talk to, just vent about everything that's happened. She's been saying that she just wants someone to talk to who doesn't know so that she can get it all straight in her head. I can guarantee you that nothing will make her happier than being able to see them."
"Sounds like a good plan," Lynn replied. "I'll give Soph a call and then let you know what I find. Is this the best number for you?" she asked.
"It's the only number for me," I replied.
"Great," Lynn said with a smile. "I'll talk to you soon then," she promised.
I hung up my phone, satisfied that I was doing the right thing for her. The only thing that mattered was making her happy. If the twins did that, perfect. If they didn't, I would look for the next thing on the list.
I walked back inside and made my way to the bedroom. I undressed before I slipped between the covers next to her. I spooned her from behind and wrapped my arm around her.
She groaned. "You're cold," she mumbled.
"Sorry," I whispered in her ear. "I had to step outside for a minute. You're warm though," I said with a smile. She chuckled before she turned her head toward me and gave me a kiss. She snuggled down, pulling the comforter closer to her chin. I closed my eyes and buried my face in her hair, praying that this surprise would be worth it.
Lynn called me the next day. Luckily, I was at work, so I didn't have to worry about Ceres overhearing anything. I answered my phone as I rang up a customer. "Hello," I said. I smiled at the person on the other side of the register and took their twenty.
"Hey, I talked to Soph. They're in. We're going to fly into New York and stay there for a day so that they can meet up with us and then we're going to catch a flight out to Utah. As soon as I have more information, I'll call Ceres with the arrival time."
"Sounds like a plan," I said as I passed the customer's change back. "We'll see you soon."
"I'm looking forward to it," Lynn promised. I ended the call and put my phone in my pocket. When I looked up again, Anica was standing in front of me.
She put her hands out on the counter. "Hey, Stranger," she said with a wink and a grin. "Rumor mill says you're off the market for good. That true?"
I sighed. "Really?" I asked.
She gave me a large nod. "Yep," she said. "I'm askin'."
I looked her over. At one time, she was the only girl I wanted to think about. Her family was one of the only Latino families in Adamsville, which gave her an exotic beauty in our small corner of the world. Her dark brown hair cascaded in soft curls around her shoulders and her natural amber eyes that never changed colors. Her full lips pouted at me.
I had done things to this girl that should have made her hate me. Now she meant nothing to me.
I pulled the collar of my shirt to the side, exposing the Mating Scar. "I promise you that I am completely unavailable."
She bit her lip, trying to be alluring. My pulse didn't even kick up. "Completely off the market," she said as she shook her head. She sighed. "So, is it true that you can't get off on other women?" she asked. She folded her arms on the counter and pressed her chest out, giving me a view down her low-cut top that I found too easy to refuse.
"It's not that I can't, it's that I won't," I said. "I told you, Anica, she's my mate. Nothing is going to change that."
"You know," she said as she straightened back up, "it wasn't about being your mate," she said. "It was about being Skaapie someday. Just because you're the Volsunga doesn't mean you're going to be the Enkidu. It just means that you're the most likely to be the next Enkidu. I can fix that," she said, giving me a wink. She turned to walk away, and I jumped over the counter to grab her by the arm. I dragged her outside and around to the back of the diner before I threw her into the side of the storage shed out back.
She stumbled into the door and hit it hard enough to rattle the lock. She stared at me with wide eyes. "Did you just threaten my mate?" I asked her in a cold voice.
"No, you mother fucker; I threatened your sorry ass," she spat. She shoved herself away from the shed. "Perra estúpida," she muttered.
My fist flew without a thought. I hit the side of her face with a punch that sent her straight to the ground. "Your first shot at me was free," I said in a low and dangerous voice. "I gave you the first punch. From here on out, you are my bitch," I said. "You are weaker than me. You will never be a fucking Skaapie because you don't have the heart for that position. You had a shot. You lost it. You come at me or Ceres one more fucking time, and I will ban you from this town and this pack. You will have to figure out how the fuck you're supposed to survive without a home."
I turned to walk away from her. This was her test. This was the moment that would decide whether she stayed in her place in the pack or if she tried to move outside of it. To be fair, she had a shot at Ceres. She could, by Lycan law, challenge her for pack placement. It wouldn't be a fight for Skaapie, but it would be for strength. I couldn't deny her that right.
"Reto a tu zorra," she growled. "You hear me?" she yelled.
I turned around and met her eyes. "I heard you," I replied. "But she hasn't."
She screamed at the asphalt beneath her hands. I turned and walked away, leaving her to her misery.
I went home after that, leaving the diner in the care of my assistant manager. I walked into the apartment and faced confused looks from Ceres and Riley. "What are you doing home?" Riley asked.
"Eventful day at work” I said. I looked at Ceres. "We need to prepare you for a challenge," I said.
"What?" Ceres cried. "Why?"
"Anica has declared that she wants to be Skaapie. She won't challenge me because she knows I'll kick her ass. She doesn't know anything about you, so she's decided that she's going to challenge you. I doubt you'll have anything to worry abo
ut. Anica's bark is bigger than her bite. As soon as she thinks you're going to win, she'll concede the fight."
Ceres sighed. "Great," she muttered. "So, when do I have this to look forward to?"
"Anica has to challenge you to your face first. Until then, she can't fight you."
Of course, that was when she knocked on the door.
"Can I hit her now and get it over with?" Ceres demanded.
I gestured to the door. "Do what you want," I said.
She growled and stood up. She marched to the door and swung it open. She and Anica met face to face for the first time. "What the fuck do you want?" she asked.
"I want to challenge you," Anica said.
I saw Ceres grin. "You can't," she said. "I'm pregnant. But if you insist..." she shrugged before she moved in close to Anica and slammed her fist into Anica's stomach. "You can rot in hell," she said before she pushed Anica back and into the door of the apartment across the patio. I grinned. She remembered.
Ceres slammed the door shut before she looked at me. "Is she stupid?" she asked. "Does she not understand that mating makes a baby? Does she not understand that pregnancy makes an easy-to-piss-off bitch?"
I shrugged. "I taught her the same as I taught you. What she chose to retain is all on her."
Ceres shook her head. "Keep her the fuck away from me, or I will kill her," she vowed.
I nodded. "It's a promise," I said before she walked back to the bedroom and slammed the door. Riley and I exchanged a look.
"Do not make her mad," he said.
I nodded. "Yeah, I caught that," I said. I looked down the hallway to the closed bedroom door. I sighed before I opened the front door and saw Anica still struggling to breathe on the other side. "Do you still want to challenge her?" I asked.
Anica shook her head. She held her hand up, palm facing me. "Give," she whispered. "I give."
"She says that she doesn't want to see you come near her again," I informed her. "She's promised to kill you if you try to play dominant to her. She's stronger, she's faster, and she's a pissed off pregnant Lycan. You want to heed her warning."
Vanilla Moon: Awakening Page 22