Chapter 6
Chapter 6
I've just finished unpacking when Claire shows that she's starting to get hungry. It's a bit early, but it actually works out well. This way, she can go to bed early, and so can I.
As I walk down the stairs with Claire, voices come from the kitchen. Two of them belong to Beth and Bruce, but there is another female voice. She sounds serious. When I walk in with Claire, it falls silent. Beth, Bruce, and the unknown woman stare at me. “Um, hello,” I say a little uncertainly. "Can I use the microwave? It's time for her bottle." I ask, no idea why, but I get an uneasy feeling. A smile appears on Beth's face. "But of course, darling. Just sit back, and I'll make it for you. How much should be in it?" She asked. The unknown woman is still staring at me. "Lucy, this is Lilly. The new guest I told you about." Beth says as I sit down. "This is my sister Lucy." Bruce introduces her, and she smiles briefly at me. She looks from Claire to me, and her look makes me feel even more uncomfortable.
"I'll go sit in another room for a while. It will make it easier for her to drink." I say when the bottle is ready. A white lie to get out of there.
While Claire quietly drinks her bottle, I keep wondering why Lucy looked at me so strangely. Or maybe there's something Bruce could have said that made it so awkward. I can't think of anything and decide not to pay any further attention to it.
When Claire has finished drinking, I sit down a little more with her on top of me. I spread the cloth well and gently pat her back so she can burp.
I chuckle when she burps loudly; they must have heard that in the kitchen. She snuggles against me, and I gently rub her back. I rest my head and close my eyes. I try to enjoy the moment.
It's only when I hear arguing voices that I realize I've fallen asleep with Claire in my ars, still sleeping.
It sounds like they are in another room, and I slowly open my eyes. I strain my ears, and although I can't hear every word clearly, it quickly becomes clear to me that they are talking about me. It sounds like Bruce is sticking up for me, and my first thoughts are that he may have let slip that he likes me or something along those lines, but his mom and sister don't agree because I'm human and have a child. "How can you be so sure she's the real mother?" My heart skips a beat when I hear Lucy's question. "She's right, Bruce, we have to be careful." Bruce remains silent. "Isn't it weird that she doesn't have a cell phone? In this day and age. Maybe she doesn't have one, so the baby's real parents can't track her." Lucy suggests, and my eyes widen in shock. I look in disbelief at the sweet little girl, who is the spitting image of Brent.
Why do they think I'm not her mother? What have I done to make them think that? I think back to my meeting with Bruce and everything that happened afterward, but I can't think of anything that could have given them that idea.
“I tell you, it is not true.” Bruce tries to reason with them. "You're only saying that because you're thinking with your dick instead of your head." If it weren't for the safety of Claire and me, I would laugh at Lucy's comment.
I carefully get up and tiptoe around the room. I have to get out of here; I can't risk them taking Claire from me. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I freeze in place when I hear Beth say something about hunters. She sounds scared. Brent never said anything about that. "That's not possible, Alpha Dex has gotten rid of that entire organization." Bruce reassures her. I tiptoe around the room, hoping Claire won't wake up so we can sneak away before they notice.
Luck is not on my side, as soon as I walk up the stairs, there is a creak. I walk upstairs as quickly as I can and lock my door. Although I don't think the chain lock will do anything if they really want to get in.
As expected, there is soon a knock on the door. “Lilly, can you please let me in?” Bruce asks, I don't answer and continue packing my suitcase. "Lilly, I don't know what you heard, but let me explain." He tries again.
"No, I've heard enough." I try to keep my voice firm so as not to show that I'm scared. I know if they want, they can come in. And that I can't do anything against them as a human. "Lilly, please. Let me in. I know you're scared; I can smell it, but I promise I just want to talk." He opens the door, which is held back by the chain lock. There is a sound of sliding. "Lilly! Open the fucking door! I'm not letting you take the baby!" It's Lucy, and she starts fiddling with the door.
"It's MY baby! You don't know anything about us!" I shout back. Meanwhile, tears are rolling down my cheeks. "You're lying! That's not possible!" Her voice sounds more like a growl now, and the door swings back and forth harder and harder. It won't be long until she breaks the door open. I lift Claire out of her bed, who is still sleeping, and lock myself in the bathroom. I sit on the floor against the door. I'm hugging Claire close to me when I hear the door break open.
"Lucy! This isn't right!" I hear Bruce say to his sister. "There's no point in hiding! I will return that child to her real parents!"
I'm shaking all over, I've never been so scared. The commotion wakes Clare up. She pouts, and I pull her close to me protectively. "It's going to be okay. Mommy won't let anyone hurt you." I whisper soothingly.
"Oh please, do you think we believe this play of yours?" Lucy's voice sounds dangerously close. She's probably right behind the door. When she also starts pulling roughly on the bathroom door, I crawl to the other side. Clare starts crying hard and clings to me. Before Lucy can walk into the bathroom, Bruce grabs her arm. "Look what you're doing to the child!" He sounds angry and looks at me with pity. Lucy's expression softens slightly when she sees how upset Claire is. Bruce pulls her away, and Beth enters the bathroom. "I'm sorry, dear. Some things need to be cleared up." Beth's face is friendly, but her voice sounds strict and tolerates no contradiction.
I don't say anything and press Claire protectively against me. She looks from me to Claire, who is still clinging to me in fear. I can imagine it, but I think I see doubt in her eyes. Her gaze softens the longer she looks at us.
"Lilly, Claire is obviously a werewolf. And you're not. Did you kidnap her?" Beth's face is serious, and she looks intently at me. "Yeah, right. Like she's just going to admit that." Lucy says, irritated. “Be quiet.” Bruce shuts her up.
"No! Claire is mine! I'm her mother!" I respond.
"Impossible! Werewolves don't bear children with humans. Only with their mates." Lucy shouts angrily. "Lucy, just shut up!" Beth hissed. Beth turns her attention back to me and Claire.
"Lilly, what Lucy said is true. To protect our species," she says. "Only wolves are mated with each other or another supernatural being, but that doesn't happen often." Bruce agrees.
"That's not true. I was mated to a wolf, and he is Claire's father." I defend myself.
"Do you really think we believe that? The last time that happened was centuries ago. And it turned into a big war between humans and werewolves." Lucy says as she angrily storms into the bathroom. "But it is not impossible. I am proof of that." The desperation sounds in my voice. I don't know what I can say to make them believe me. I know why they are suspicious; Brent told me about it because I thought it was strange that he didn't want to introduce me to his family at first.
"Why would the Moon Goddess risk and mate one of her own with a human?" Lucy asks, and my heart sinks. "Lucy! Leave!" Bruce growls at her. "What! You know it's true. It doesn't make sense, and you know it." She returned, clearly not planning to leave. "Lucy, do as he says. You're not helping." Beth says and looks at her sternly. I ignore the spark of hope that flares up inside me, afraid I'm wrong. "I only ask the questions you don't want to ask!" Lucy growls before turning and stomping her feet out of my sight.
"Are you that blind? You can see how the child is holding on to her. Do you think she would do that if she didn't feel safe with her? If she wasn't her mother?" Bruce sounds irritated, and I allow myself to cling to his conviction. Then, at least there is someone who believes me.
“You said was,” Beth remarks, and I look at her uncomprehendingly. “You said you were the mate of a wolf; the mate bond is for life, so what changed?” Beth asks, her voice already sounding slightly softer than before. My face falls, and I avoid her gaze, trying to swallow the rising lump in my throat. It's quiet for a moment, the only thing that can be heard is the occasional sob from Claire, who has her face buried in my neck. Bruce takes a cautious step closer, and when I don't respond, he kneels next to me.
"What happened, Lilly?" He asks worriedly and puts a hand on my knee. I stare at his hand on my knee. I'm looking at it. When he sees my suspicious look, he removes his hand. "He's..." I start, but then I'm unsure of what to say. Will they be happy if I say he's dead? What if I just tell the truth? What will they do if I say my father killed him? Will they take revenge? And what if that is the case, can I live with that? I mean, I said I would get revenge, but taking their lives wasn't what I had in mind. And let's face it, if they take revenge, my family will pay for it with their own lives.
Beth has now sat down on the toilet and looks at me with a friendly but also concerned look. “You can tell us, you don't have to worry.” She says and gives me an encouraging smile. I look at Claire out of the corner of my eye, I would do anything to protect her, even if it means probably sentencing my own family to death.
"He's dead..." I answer. “My father killed him when he found out what he was.” I can't hold back the tears any longer, and I feel a big tear rolling down my cheek. Bruce and Beth don't say anything, and I give Claire a big hug. "Brent and I we, deliberately kept it a secret because we were afraid of my family's reaction. But we had an argument, and then my parents came in unexpectedly." I manage to say it in a reasonably steady voice. "I can kick myself that it happened. If I had just accepted his decision..." My voice breaks. This is the first time I've expressed this, and I blame myself for it happening. If I hadn't kept insisting on changing things, my father would never have known, and Brent would still be alive today.
Bruce awkwardly puts an arm around my shoulder. “Don't blame yourself for your father's actions.” He says soothingly. “What were you arguing about?” Beth asks softly. "I wanted him to change me. But he didn't want to because he was an omega and thought it was too much of a risk." I answer the sadness and guilt are evident in my voice.
“Then why did you keep insisting when he had already said no?” Lucy asks, standing in the doorway, and the disapproval is not only audible in her voice but also visible on her face.
“Because I was selfish,” I respond and look away in shame. "Brent made the feeling of the mate bond sound so magical; I wanted to feel that, too. Of course, I felt that our bond was special, but not quite like him." I tell them.
"Yeah, I get it. I haven't experienced it myself yet, but I know what it feels like for our kind." Bruce says comfortingly. "It wasn't just about the mate bond." I continue, Lucy still has that disapproving look in her eyes. "I had, or actually have, the feeling that I can't be fully there for Claire. Because she's a wolf, and I'm not. How can I help her when she gets her wolf if I don't know what it's like, How should I assist her when she goes through her first shift if I haven't experienced it myself? And on top of that, your hearing, smell, and vision are much better than those of humans." Lucy's gaze softens, and instead of disapproval, I think I see a hint of understanding and pity.
"As a mother, I understand your motives, and you should not feel guilty about what happened." Beth says. "But he was right. Being turned into one of us as a human is not without risks. It probably would have cost you your life if he had done it." She says seriously. "Even higher-ranked wolves, such as Alphas and Betas, where the chance of survival is slightly higher, prefer not to take the risk." Bruce adds. I sigh, defeated.