“I SENT A message to the boys.” Lydia said. She sat in front of the gas fireplace.
“A message? How?” Claude asked. He picked up a small remote and pressed a button. There was a low BOOM! sound as fire erupted in the small enclosed space. “HOW I’ve always loved that sound.” He laughed.
“Harry! Stop that! Now!” Lydia snapped at the small wolf pup chewing at the rug. The wolf bounded up the stairs and leapt from the hallway upstairs to the ground floor.
“We should have commanded him to shift back to human.” Lydia said.
“No, darling. Let’s give the wolf a little freedom, don’t you think?”
“Yes, love.” She rubbed her temples and sighed. “Now as I was saying…” She paused as the sound of a low THUD! reverberated the whole house. “HARRY! GO OUT NOW! PLAY ON THE STREET!…” They both heard the wolf give a small yelp and leap out the roof window and onto the street below.
“You were saying” Claude said. “Here.” He handed her a glass of water.
“Thanks, love.” She collected the glass and sipped a little. “I sent a message to the boys. Jason and Jake. Warning them to stay hidden and safe.”
“How did you find them?”
“I wasn’t sure I would. This was before we found out that they were in Brazil.”
Claude looked at her with his mouth agape. “How did you do that?”
“I have special powers…” She said, laughing.
“Really?” Claude said with a touch of sarcasm.
“I’m serious. It comes with my Alpha blood.”
“I didn’t know of that…”
“Because you don’t have alpha blood running in your veins.” She said, tracing the veins on Claude’s hands.
“I have special blood too.”
“Really?” She said with a touch of sarcasm. She was drawing closer leaning on his side.
“Yes. And it gives me superpowers too…” Claude said, nuzzling his wife on the nose.
“Come on. Let’s go upstairs.” She got up and pulled her husband with his arm.
“Are you sure you’re not drunk?” Claude asked, laughing as he got up and followed her.
“It was you who served me my drink. What did you give me?”
“Water, my dear.” Claude laughed. “Just water.”
“THE BOYS ARE fine, Jamie.” Charlotte said.
“I know. Rosetta is a damn bitch!” Jamie said. He had been pacing the whole length of the room since they returned from the howl.
“She’s an Elder.”
“I know. But it still doesn’t change the fact that she’s a damn bitch.” Jamie said. He gulped the cold water that sat on the table stand.
“Listen to yourself. Cursing like a little boy that had his sweet taken from him.” Charlotte chided.
“What would you have me do?”
“Rosetta wants war, Jamie. Give her one. Talk to Jaja about it. He’ll give you the same advice I’m giving you.”
Jamie sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. “People will die, Charlie.” He said, referring to the pet name he used to call her since when they started dating. “Our people will die.”
“We didn’t pronounce the war. She did. And she has resorted to kidnapping young boys.”
“I’ll sleep on it. Things will look better in the morning.” He said.
With that, he lowered himself into the bed and yanked the blanket over his head and held his wife close.
I AWOKE WITH a start. I had been having a bad dream but now I was awake I could not remember any of it. I turned over in my bed and looked at where Jake was laid. Sleeping soundly. Snoring.
I glanced at a digital small clock on the wall. 6:37 am. I got up with a stretch and yawned. I waddled to the bathroom, half sleeping.
I turned on the cold shower to wake me up fully and then slowly changed it to warm and then hot water.
It was refreshing.
And just as Jake had told me yesterday, the bathroom was awesome. There were liquid soaps and different jars of liquid body soaps that I had never seen before. There were flavours that I had never perceived in my short life.
I couldn’t help but mix five different jars in my palm and soap it all over my body.
When I was done, I felt really clean. Cleaner than I had ever been in my entire life.
I brushed my teeth and walked out, towelling my hair and drying my body. I looked at the change of clothes Elsa had brought in yesterday. They included a nice pair of sweatpants, with a hoodie sweater and a black baseball cap. And underwear.
Who picked this thing?
The person totally knows my size.
The outfit was totally ripping.
I put them all on and walked into the room just as the clock made a light hour mark sound. 7. 00am.
Jake yawned loudly and turned over. I went to side and shook him awake. That was a lot of work. Finally, he grunted and his eyes slowly opened.
“You sleep like the dead.” I said.
“Jason?” He half sat up and looked at me. “Is it tomorrow yet?”
“No, fool. Tomorrow is still tomorrow.” I laughed. “Get up. Go and wash up. We should be ready when they get here.”
“You sound just like my mother.” He groaned and got up. “You smell….” He sniffed the air and waited. “… different… but a nice sort of different.”
“I know.”
He got up and stretched. “What will I put on after my bath?”
“Go on. I’ll look for Elsa. She’ll get you new clothes.”
“Elsa. Oh sweet Elsa. You new love.” He said as he made his way to the bathroom.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I defended myself.
“Did you know you muttered her name in your sleep?” He turned and looked at me.
“I did no such thing.” I shrieked.
“You did not… or maybe you did. How should I know? I was asleep too. But with the colour of your face. I’m sure you did call her in your sleep.” He stopped and turned to me. “Maybe you even dreamt of her.”
I started to lunge at him. “Why you son of a – ”
A sharp knock cut me short. I glanced at the door.
“You’d better go check who’s there? Might be Elsa.”
I wanted to hit him. But he might be right.
I knew it was Elsa. I hoped it was.
I opened the door and opened it and there she was. Staring at me with large brown eyes.
In front of her, she held another change of clothes pressing against her breasts. I collected the clothes and turned to return to the bathroom. I felt her gaze bore into me and she said, “I picked your sizes, you know.”
I turned red and fled. Stumbling at the stupid little table again. I thought I had removed that thing from there yesterday. I ran to the bathroom where Jake was whistling a tune I had never heard before. I placed the clothes on the basin just outside the shower stall.
Jake poked his head out. “New clothes huh?”
I nodded.
“These people are extremely nice.” He disappeared behind the curtain again and turned on the shower.
I sighed and went out and wasn’t surprised to see Elsa sitting on a couch.
“I have to bring you to breakfast.”
I nodded and sat down opposite her. “You all eat breakfast together?”
“Of course. We are not a very big pack, you see. Besides, Mother says as we eat together, the closer we’ll grow to be. We’re more like a family.”
“Your mother…”
“… is the Luna. I often call her Luna instead of mother. I’m Elsa Salvatore.”
I just realized that this was our introduction even though this was the second time we are speaking.
I stared at the dainty hand she extended to me. Then I shook it. “Jason Beckham.”
“London boy.” She smiled, showing deep dimples on each of her cheeks.
“Yeah…” I smiled shyly.
“How did you get here?”
Just as I was about to answer, Jake came in. Water dripping from his hair. He was dressed in the new set of clothes just brought in.
“Follow me. Let’s go.”
We walked with her out of the room and into the hallway and into the elevator which went downstairs, to the bottom floor.