“You can’t actually be on his side? Carlos, you know what’s at stake here! The future of the Lorenzo pack.”
Dad sighed and looked at me. “I think it’s time you tell your mother everything.”
“Everything what? Oh my God, is she pregnant? Is that what’s happened?”
“Julia,” Dad hissed, “I love you with all my heart, but will you please—and I say this from a place of utmost love—please shut up for one second?”
Mom gasped and put a hand to her mouth, but she stopped talking.
Dad patted me on the back. “She’ll understand once she hears.”
I took a breath and nodded. Calming myself, I unfurled my fists. “Mom? Do you remember all the old stories about Edemas?”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “The Werewolf King? Yes, why?”
“The stories said that when he and his family were slaughtered by the other side of the royal family and his subjects, the entire bloodline was wiped out, correct?”
“Nico, these are scary stories we tell little shifters at Halloween. What does this have to do with that girl in there?”
“A secondary legend tells that he was able to spirit away two of his descendants. Two babies who were full werewolves like he was. They were alphas, too. Two strong blood links to the Hollander line.”
Mom sighed and shook her head. “I’d heard that once or twice, you still aren’t?—”
“The stories are all true, Mom. Edemas did get two children out before the assassinations. They passed their genes down through the years. The new royal family has been searching forand killing any child that came from those descendants. That is who Maddy is,” I said, pointing back toward the house.
Mom froze, glancing from me to Dad and back again. “What are you saying?”
Dad took a step toward her, putting his hands out in a pleading gesture. “What he’s saying is true, Julia. Maddy is a descendant of Edemas. Sheisa shifter, but the blood became so diluted over the centuries that her wolf is dormant. It’s locked inside her, unable to come out.”
“What about Javi? How does he factor into this?” she asked, still looking like she didn’t completely believe us.
“Javi’s family came to America when Dad was a kid. They came from Europe. We think Javi and his entire pack are under the royals’ direct control. They are here, in this country, to hunt down and kill anyone who might be a descendant of Edemas.
“Javi’s crew was seconds from killing her. Her father died saving her mother, and then her mom had to give her away the day she was born to try and keep her safe. She died not long afterward. There’s a bullseye painted on Maddy’s forehead, and she has enough to deal with without the mother of the man she loves talking to her like she’s a piece of shit.” I was breathing heavily by the time I finished talking.
My mother looked at my father. “Is this all true?”
Dad nodded. “It is. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll know it too. You’ve surely caught some of her scent. She’s not human, not completely. The stories are true, and that means the danger is as well.”
Mom put a hand to her mouth and looked at the house, tears welling in her eyes. “Nico, I didn’t know. I thought?—”
“You thought I was thinking with my crotch and not my head?” I was still pissed at her and wasn’t ready to be forgiving just yet.
“No, it’s just…I’m sorry.”
“Nope. Don’t apologize to me. You’ll need to apologize to Maddy. And it better be some real groveling-type shit. Kiss her toes, do her laundry, whatever the hell she needs.”
“Yes, yes, I promise. I’m sorry, I have to ask, how do we plan on keeping her safe? You can intimidate Javi all you want, but if this royal family is real and they are after her, nothing will stop them. Even if Javi ends up dead, they won’t stop.”
“We know,” I said. “Maddy’s uncle is still alive, and he told us about another legend. Apparently, Edemas left behind a vial of his blood. If Maddy or any descendant was to drink that blood, the werewolf line would return. That’s what terrifies the royals—the kings of old would be back. He’s going to help us find this secret vault. Once that vial of blood is destroyed, we think the royals will back off. Kenneth is going to contact us again within the month.”
Mom’s look of shame and humiliation had given way to worry. “I don’t feel good about you all going on some manhunt for some vial that may or may not actually exist. Especially when you don’t know where it is. How are you even going to go about finding it?”
Dad raised an eyebrow. “She has a point, Nico. Do you have any leads on this blood?”
I nodded. “Kenneth has been researching it for decades. Basically ever since his dad, Maddy’s grandpa, died. He and Luis have been in contact through secure emails and texts on burner phones. He’s got some info. We aren’t certain, but all the old legends say Edemas had his seat of power somewhere in Norway. The odds of the vault and the blood being in that country are pretty high. Luis is making connections. He and Kenneth are both trying to make inroads over there. We won’t make any type of move until we’re at least ninety percent certain.”
Mom nodded and glanced back up at the house, then laughed humorlessly. “Nico, I’m sorry. I don’t…I never should have been that way with Maddy. Whether she was a shifter or not, human or not, that’s not the way I want to be. I don’t know what came over me.”
