Four
HENRY…
Dad sat in the back with Aden while Liam and I took up the middle seat. Paul sat in front with Jim, who drove in a tense silence, likely communicating with the other Elders about where we needed to go next. Wherever they wanted us to go, I hoped getting there wouldn’t take too long.
Grief still clawed at my insides, threatening to rip apart my composure. I couldn’t let that happen. Not with Liam sitting next to me. The way Paul bounced his knee told me he was barely holding it together, too.
How could they just kill Mom like that? A female, no matter what age, mattered. Females were supposed to be protected at all costs. All werewolves knew that. Yet, the males who’d killed her weren’t werewolves. My hatred for the Urbat boiled just beneath the surface of my skin, where I felt the change ripple. I swallowed hard, struggling to maintain my hold on the shift.
Liam reached out, his little hand closing around my fingers. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against me, seeking comfort. The change receded, and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.
I wanted to tell him everything would be okay, that the Urbat wouldn’t find us again, but I didn’t think it would be true. Not anymore. The fact that Jim hadn’t tried to reassure us meant he felt the same uncertainty. What hope did we have when the Elders didn’t even believe we’d pull through this? I thought of Gabby and hoped the others were doing better than we were. That everything they’d done had served its purpose. Otherwise, what was the point of telling the humans about our existence?
I’m so sorry, Henry. Mom’s voice echoed in my mind.Find a mate and be happy.
I didn’t see how either of those things would be possible now. And, not just because of Mom’s death. In the days since the revelation of the existence of werewolves and Urbat, the world had changed drastically. Any smart, unmated female would hide deep in the woods, away from all men. What future could any male offer a female at this point? A life of running and hiding? A life that would end in a tragic death under the branches of an old tree?
Facing the window, I tried to stop thinking about Mom and all the times she’d kissed me or hugged me. The times she’d yelled at me for doing something stupid. The way she’d watched me when she thought I wasn’t looking.
Be happy.
The harder I tried not to think about her, the more the memories pushed their way to the surface. Even at her angriest with him, no one could have ever doubted Mom’s love for Dad. Or his love for her. Every male craved a mate. The need seemed embedded in our very bones. And, that need warred with fear. Against everything I was raised to think and believe, I hoped I wouldn’t find a mate like Mom had told me to.
“I hear you,” Jim said, startling me. Had I accidently sent him my thoughts? I still wasn’t used to the idea of Jim being an Elder.
“When did you last eat, little man?” he asked, using the mirror to glance not at me but Aden.
“I dunno,” the cub said in a subdued tone. His stomach growled loudly, and I realized that was what Jim had heard.
“We’d missed lunch,” I said.
“We need to drive a little longer, but I’ll stop and get you something as soon as we can. What about you, Liam? Ready for a burger?”
“No, thank you.” Liam’s sad voice stirred my clawing grief again.
“I know you’re sad, buddy, but your Aunt Mary wouldn’t want you to be. She loved you, all of you, very much. Seeing you sad would have made her sad.”
Jim’s words, meant to help, only made me hurt more.
Liam nodded against me, acknowledging Jim but remaining silent. His response, however, reminded me that his and Aden’s young lives had a lot more grief in them than mine. Even now. Paul and I both knew their history. Abused and alone, with only Michelle for company, they’d escaped and found Emmitt. They’d only had a few months of peace before everything went to hell for them again.
Mom, Dad, and the rest had tried shielding the cubs from what was happening. But those boys were smart. Their fear told me they understood more than the adults wanted them to.
I tightened my hold on Liam, hugging him close.
“Don’t fear what might happen. Fear stops us from living,” I said softly. “And Mom wants us all to live.”
I put aside my fear of finding a mate and focused on the drive. We’d passed several towns since Jim “acquired” the rusted minivan. Traffic picked up as the sun hovered just over the tree line. If the mutts weren’t already tailing us, I doubted they’d be able to pick up our trail anymore.
Jim drove straight through town and turned into the drive-through of a fast food place.
“Listen close, Aden,” he said, rolling down his window.
“Hello. My name is Ashley. Can I take your order?”
“Hi, Ashley. I’d like twenty-three cheeseburgers.”
A moment of silence greeted his order.
