Vanilla Moon: Acrimony

by Airiel Hawkins

  "Being aligned with Alan and Brenda, the traitor was given little choice in what she did. She hid her pregnancy from the pack. She refused to name the father. What started as a simple grudge became something she could no longer control.

  "Her execution was delayed until after the birth of her child. That child will be sent to another pack, where it may live out its days without the stigma of its mother hanging over it. That child will never know that it was born of a traitor.

  "The traitor's name has been stricken from this pack. Any mention of it will not be tolerated. Saying the name gives her spirit power and we do not want that. We need to move on from the damage she did to us. We need to heal. We need to mourn and honor our fallen."

  Leon bowed his head and the rest of the pack followed his lead. I joined them and we stood in silence for a few minutes.

  A single, sustained note from the violin broke our silence. The music she played was somber and slow. The oboe joined the violin, harmonizing with it and giving the tune a haunting and beautiful sound. When the drums began, the notes picked up and the tune became more upbeat.

  Around me, the wolves began to clap and stomp their feet in time with the music. It took me a moment to realize it was the dance.

  Stomp, stomp, clap!

  I watched Wolfgang and mimicked his movements. As everyone joined in, they started to spin. The stomps became steps to the right, and we started moving counterclockwise.

  Step, step, clap, spin, clap

  The tempo sped up. We moved faster.

  Leon moved to the crate and broke it open. The ashes of the dead spilled out into the ground. He picked up a handful of ashes and threw them up in the air before returning to the circle.

  Ravyn moved to the ashes next. She picked up a handful and returned. One by one, everyone stepped forward and took some ashes. Wolfgang and I were the last. I picked up my handful, then he took his. Leon moved back to the ashes and danced in them.

  Stomp, step, clap, spin, clap

  Stomp, step, clap, spin, clap

  As he moved, he kicked up the rest of the ashes. With one of our hands full, our claps became one-handed slaps to our thighs.

  The dance and the music intensified until it all stopped. We spun one last time, releasing the ashes, and ended with a clap over our heads. For me, and others like me who had never done this before, it was all instinct.

  We panted. Energy hummed through the pack and made my skin vibrate. Everyone had amber eyes.

  Leon turned in a slow circle, chest heaving with his breaths. "May the souls of our lost brothers and sisters find their way to the Great Hunt," he said. "May they guide us. May they look in on us from time to time. May they come to our aid when we have need of them. To those of us who still stand, know that we walk with our ancestors. May we carry our dead with us always. Live free. Die well."

  They cheered. Why wouldn't they? We needed to find the good to cope with all of this. We needed hope.

  The next morning, the people from Moab returned home. Riley and Selena went with them to deliver the baby and pick up Caleb. At first, Riley wanted Selena to stay behind, but because they mated, they realized that she had to go with him, otherwise it would have been too difficult for Riley. Declan and Daphne also returned to Moab, but that was to pack their belongings, get their two children they'd left there, and return.

  Meanwhile, Wolfgang helped get the diner back up and running. For the first time in a decade, the Vanilla Moon Diner was hiring. Sophia and I helped as much as we could, and I noticed that there was some tension between Luke and Sophia. When she almost burst into tears, I pulled her outside, away from everyone, and asked her what was wrong.

  She glared at me. "The Enkidu, that's what," she spat.

  I blinked at her. "What?" I asked.

  She rubbed the tears away from her eyes. "He's asked all of the men in the pack who have lovers that aren't pregnant to knock up their women," she explained. "Right now, the last thing Luke wants is to be a father. He just lost both of his parents and he doesn't want his own children to go what he's going through—and they probably will because you know that he and I are going to be among the first to step up to be your Guardians when the time comes." She took in a deep, shaking breath and let it out slowly. "I just…" she shook her head, "I don't know," she whispered.

  "Is Luke taking it out on you?" I asked. I wished that Selena had stayed behind after all. This wasn't a conversation for me alone.

  Sophia nodded. "In a way, I guess," she confessed. "He's not happy that we've been put in this position. He wants to ignore the order, but it's impossible for us to ignore a direct order from the Enkidu." She looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. "You're pregnant now, right?" she asked. "I couldn't live with myself if I got pregnant before you."

  I nodded. "I am," I told her. My eyes burned with tears as I hugged her. "I am. You don't have to worry about me."

  She broke down in sobs and clutched at me. It broke my heart to see her this upset.

  I let her go when I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to look and saw a man in a suit. He had seen us and started walking in our direction. Sophia and I glanced at each other before she stepped in front of me protectively. I was pregnant. She wasn't. She was in a better position to protect me than I was. A breeze blew toward us and the only thing I could tell from the scent was that this man was human.

  He looked official, like a cop or something. As he reached us, he pulled something out of his pocket. He held it up. A badge. "Hi, I'm Agent Goldman, FBI," he said.

  My blood turned to ice in my veins. "How can I help you?" I asked.

  "Well, I'm here to investigate a series of strange deaths and disappearances," he replied. "I understand that quite a few people have gone missing around here."

  I shook my head. "No one has gone missing as far as I know," I said as the back door of the diner opened. I didn't have to look to know that it was Wolfgang.

  The agent pulled out a notepad and started writing. "Who's in charge around here?" he asked.

  "Leon Rider," I answered immediately. "He's our mayor. He also owns this diner. If any one person is in charge in this town, it's him."

  "Sheriff?"

  I shook my head. "He recently died in a tragic car accident," I replied. "He hasn't been replaced yet."

  Agent Goldman "hmmed" as he wrote that down. "And what is your name?"

  "Ceres Ri—Ainsworth," I replied. It felt odd to use that name again. Since mating with Wolfgang, everyone associated me with the Rider family. In fact, in anything official with the pack, I was Ceres Rider.

  Agent Goldman gave me a stern look. "Did you forget your own name or something?" he asked.

  I smiled. "I'm engaged," I said. "I've spent so much time getting used to what my name is going to be that I sometimes forget that it's not mine yet."

  "What about you?" he asked Sophia. She gave him her name. The agent then looked at Wolfgang. "And yours?"

  "Can I have your name first?" Wolfgang asked.

  He nodded. "Certainly," he replied. "I'm Agent Goldman, FBI," he said again as he produced his badge once more.

  Wolfgang looked at it closely for a minute before he nodded. "Wolfgang Rider," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

  "Rider?" the agent asked. "Any relation to the mayor?"

  "I'm his son," Wolfgang replied. "What is it that you're here to investigate?" he asked.

  The agent smiled. "As I already told your fiancé here, I'm here to investigate a series of strange deaths and disappearances."

  Wolfgang schooled his face into a look of confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I haven't heard of anyone mysteriously missing or dead. Our sheriff died in a car accident recently, with his wife, but that's the only death I'm aware of."

  Agent Goldman studied the three of us. "I hate small towns," he whispered under his breath. "Can you tell me how to get into contact with your father?" he asked.

  Wolfgang nodded before he gave the agent Leon's contact informat
ion. Agent Goldman walked away from us and Wolfgang waited until he was out of sight before he pulled out his phone. He called his father and it didn't take long before Leon answered.

  "The FBI is here," Wolfgang said. "They know."

  "We'll stall them," Leon replied. "Act normal. Don't do anything suspicious. We'll get rid of them as soon as we can."

  "Right," Wolfgang replied. "He says he's investigating recent deaths and disappearances. The only one we mentioned was that Hunter and Cynthia died in a car accident. We haven't discussed anything else."

  "Good," Leon said. "Spread the word to everyone at the diner. Tell them not to volunteer any information."

  "I will," Wolfgang promised before he ended the call.

  "What's going on?" I asked as Wolfgang guided us back inside the diner.

  "They come sniffing around any time there's been a lot of death," Wolfgang explained. "Usually, they're gone in a few days, but I have the feeling that this one isn't going to be that easy…." He sighed. "Pray they leave soon," he whispered before he opened the door for Sophia and me. As we walked inside, I wondered who was spying on us from the shadows.

  The thought that federal agents were in town to investigate us made my stomach churn. I passed through the kitchen and sat down at the bar near the cash register. I held my head in my hands and let out a slow breath.

  Wolfgang joined me. He chuckled as he sat down, causing me to look at him. "This is where you sat when we first met," he explained. I looked up and realized that he was right. I chuckled, thankful for the slight distraction.

  "So, why are they here?" I asked.

  Wolfgang shrugged. "I'd have to go back over all the police reports," he said. "Generally, we can sweep all the deaths under the rug. We haven't had time for any of the paperwork on what's been going on out here, so, maybe, if they stay unreported, we'll get out of it easy."

  "Weren't some already reported?"

  Wolfgang nodded. "Some, but not all. We've been trying to stagger things and we only just got everyone's names."

  "It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" I asked. "I mean, first the coven, then their backup, now the FBI. What's next? The other Vernal pack is going to attack us? I'm not sure how much more I can take."

  Wolfgang wrapped an arm around me. "It'll be okay," he promised. He kissed my temple. "I promise."

  I smiled. "I'm holding you to that," I warned him.

  That was when his phone rang. He sighed before he answered it. I could hear his father's voice on the other end. "Bring Luke. Come to the library."

  "Yes, Enkidu," Wolfgang replied. He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. "Duty calls," he sighed before he kissed me.

  I frowned. "Should I stay here or come with you?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "Just go home if you don't want to stay here," he said. "I'm sure it's nothing that you need to worry about."

  "Keys?" I asked. "If I'm going home, I need transportation."

  "We really need to get you a car," he chuckled.

  "We've been talking about it for months," I said.

  He handed me his keys. "I love you," he said. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

  I kissed him. "I love you too," I replied before we returned to the kitchen. Wolfgang walked up to Luke and spoke to him before they walked out. Sophia watched them leave before she turned to me. "I'll explain on the way to my place if you want to come," I said.

  "Let's go," Sophia said, gesturing to the door. We were the last two here, so I made sure to lock up before we left.

  Chapter 29 ~Wolfgang~

  Luke and I made it back to my parents' house in time to see the FBI agent leave. He watched us as we walked up to the house and I wondered if he was going to try to corner us for more questioning. I also wondered where his partner was. Every time I'd seen them in the past, they always moved in pairs.

  He let us pass without asking questions, but he pulled out his phone and started taking pictures of the front of the house. Since we hadn't had time for repairs, I bet he had questions about what had happened.

  Luke and I rushed into the library. Dad sat at his desk with Richard. The two of them hovered over a stack of papers. They looked up at us as the door closed. Richard stood and bowed his head.

  "What's going on?" I asked.

  Dad cleared his throat. "Luke, I need all of the information you have about deaths in Adamsville since Ceres's arrival," he said. Luke nodded. "Give me hard copies," Dad instructed. "I don't want them to trace anything electronic."

  Luke bowed his head. "Right away, Enkidu."

  "What can I do?" I asked.

  "Right now, I just need you to do what you do best," Dad replied. "I need you to keep people calm. Spread the word that he's here and remind them not to panic. They'll go away a lot faster if we aren't suspicious."

  "You think they'll leave soon?" I asked.

  "I hope so," Dad replied. "Go on," he said, nodding toward the door.

  I had to see where he and I stood, so I didn't move. Luke was compelled to leave the library. I stayed rooted to the spot. As his Volsunga and the second strongest in the pack, it was always harder for him to force me to do anything. It wasn't impossible, but it took more effort on his part.

  Dad understood what I was doing. After the other day when my wolf recognized him as the weaker of the two of us, he knew that I had to prove to myself that he wasn't. He stood up straighter. His gaze narrowed on me and turned amber. "I said 'go'," he reiterated.

  I waited to feel compelled to leave. I waited for my feet to start moving. It never came.

  I shook my head. "There's no compulsion," I informed him.

  I saw the worry in his face. He cleared his throat. "None at all?" he asked.

  I shook my head again. "Nothing," I replied. "Not even a twitch."

  He sighed and hung his head. He glanced at Richard and then looked back at me. "What do you want to do?" he asked.

  "Ignore it for as long as I can," I replied.

  There was a hint of relief in his eye, but he shook his head. "Wolfie, at this point, you no longer follow your alpha's lead. You are essentially Vargulf. How can we make this work if you do not follow me?"

  "I choose to follow you," I said. "Just because the compulsion isn't there anymore doesn't mean that I don't still respect you. You are my father. I'm not ready to claim your life yet and I don't believe I should have to. Not yet."

  "You want to ignore this until the urge to take my life consumes you?" he asked. "That can be disastrous."

  "I won't let it get that far," I promised him. "I can fight it right now. When it becomes a problem on my end, I'll let you know."

  "I'll appreciate the warning," Dad replied.

  I wanted to stay and discuss more with him, but I knew that it was time for me to go. I followed Luke's path out of the library and saw my mother standing on the stairs. Her gaze on me let me know she wanted to talk, so I walked over to her. "Hey, Mom," I said.

  "I didn't realize you were here," she said. "What did he need?"

  "The FBI is snooping around again," I told her.

  Her eyes widened. "I wonder how long they'll be around this time," she said.

  "They came around after I went to Moab, right?" I asked. "When the coven attacked me?"

  She nodded. "They did," she confirmed. "It took months to get them to go away."

  "Here's hoping it doesn't take that long this time," I said.

  She nodded. "Agreed," she said. She studied me for a moment. "When the time comes, you'll take care of Mira, won't you?" she asked.

  "You feel it too?" I asked.

  "Since the moment you saw him in the hospital," Mom replied. "I'm not an idiot, Wolfgang. I've known this would come from the moment you were born. I've made peace with it, but I need to know that Mira will be fine. That you'll take care of her. She isn't going to understand for a long time."

  I nodded. "I know," I said. "She's one of the reasons I'm holding out as long as possible. I don't want her to h
ate me. I want her to know you guys. I want her to have good memories to look back on when she gets older. I want you both to meet your grandchild. I want my child to have fond memories of you guys. I don't want you to have to be stories people tell them. I'm going to wait until I can't any longer."

  Mom nodded. "Just give us a head's up, okay?" she asked.

  I nodded. "I planned on it," I promised.

  Luke and I went to my apartment after leaving my parents' house. We both assumed Sophia would be there with Ceres and we weren't wrong. They sat in the living room, on the sofa, mugs of hot cocoa in their hands. I could instantly see that Sophia was still crying. She'd been crying before the agent showed up. She was crying again.

  Luke walked up to her and kissed the top of her head. She gave him a watery smile. "What's wrong?" he asked.

  She cleared her throat. "You know the answer to that," she replied.

  Luke sighed and sat down on the coffee table. I walked up to Ceres and gave her a kiss. "You guys want us to leave you alone?" I asked.

  They shook their heads. "No, you guys are fine," Luke said. I sat down behind Ceres. Luke looked at Sophia again. "I'm working on it," he said. "I know I've been taking a lot out on you. You don't deserve it. You didn't do anything wrong."

  She reached out and took his hand. "Thank you," she said, accepting his unvoiced apology. "I know you just lost your parents. I can't imagine what I would do if I lost mine. I know that you don't want our children to risk losing us as suddenly as you did. The only way we're going to avoid that is if neither of us offers ourselves as Guardian when Wolfgang and Ceres ascend the pack. That's not something either of us is willing to give up."

  Luke nodded. "I know," he agreed. "From the moment my parents stepped up, I've known that it could happen. I've known that I could lose them. I'm doing them a greater disservice by being stuck in this funk I've been in since they died. I know they wouldn't want me to be like this. I know they'd want me to put it aside and move on. So, let's do it. Let's move on."

  "You mean it?" Sophia asked. "You're ready?"

  Luke nodded. "Yeah," he said.

  Sophia grinned before she kissed him. "Okay," she said.