***
“Del-the-fucking-Spell.” Mary muttered as she stared at Deloris with recognition. Almost every upper-level warlock knew about the warlock whose expertise, when it came to spells, was legendary. Over a century ago, she’d fallen in love with a wolf and caused a massive uproar between her clan and the werewolves. There had been a fierce battle that had resulted in the death of the wolf that Del-the-Spell was in love with. Del had disappeared, never to be heard of again. “I see you’re still running with fleabags.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get that.” Deloris shrugged. “I don’t speak bullshit. Your arse must be pretty jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth. You’re trespassing, woman.”
“I thought you said the warlock was pregnant.” Mary addressed Sally.
“The warlock who came to take the boy was pregnant.” Sally insisted. “If Mario wasn’t a…toad, he would have…”
“About that…” Mary sighed. She waved a hand in the direction of the high priestess, instantly sweeping the elderly woman off her feet and catapulting her towards the side of the closest building.
“Mary…” Troy’s horrified gasp mirrored that of the others.
“Are these the people you call family now?” Mary shouted angrily at Troy as she let fly a fireball in the direction of the moving high priestess, for good measure. “People who turn others into toads?” She looked furious.
An almost bored-looking Ryan raised a hand to halt the high priestess’ movement and freeze the fireball, waylaying the elderly woman’s possible crashing and certain death to everyone’s relief. As he lowered the stunned priestess to the ground, a furious Gloria turned on Mary.
“You foolish woman.” Gloria rasped. “Everyone is entitled to act stupid once in a while but you really abuse the privilege. You and your murderous clan killed my husband and kidnapped my son. And you have the audacity to ask my son such a stupid question? You monsters.”
“Are you seriously calling us monsters?” Mary gave an evil laugh. “After what you did to my clan, you call us monsters? I’d slap you but that’d be animal abuse…literally.” She gave Gloria a scathing look.
“You can’t talk to her like that,” Troy growled, his fists clenching in anger.
“Come on, Troy.” Mary snapped. “You can’t possibly like these people. I raised you better than that. Look at what they did to their own species…” She pointed at the dead rogues.
“You mean the rogues that you cast a spell on to do your dirty work for you?” Gloria sneered. ‘Philip really…’ She growled with frustration on the mind-link, at Philip. But the alpha shook his head at Gloria.
“A plan which I regret thoroughly.” Mary retorted. “What can I say, one can’t expect an animal to do anything right. I mean, all that this fool,” she pointed at the rogue that Troy had killed, “was supposed to do was kill you. And he failed.”
“Well, what can I say?” Gloria spread her hands, “My fighter of a son clearly hates for his mama to be attacked.” She sneered. “Now, I believe he asked you a question. Why did you kidnap him?”
“That’s her…him…” Sally gasped, staring at Ryan in shocked confusion. “He looks so much like the Lord Command.” She breathed, drawing Mary’s attention to Ryan. “But how come he’s pregnant.”
“And what business is it of yours bitch?” Paige growled and then turned to look at a confused-looking Deloris. “How come she was able to do that, Deloris?” She gestured towards the shaken high priestess. “I thought…”
“I was stupid enough not to have a backup plan?” Mary gave a humourless laugh. Then she turned to face Gloria. “Not that I actually care what you think but for my son’s sake, I will explain. You see, I wasn’t the one who did the kidnapping. Neither did I know anything about it. He was only given to me to look after. And that’s when he became mine.”
“He’s not yours,” Gloria growled, her eyes turning amber.
“Well, since you are hell-bent on being called his mother, we can simply call you his…surrogate mother.” Mary shrugged with a patronizing smile. “How about that?”
That was all it took for Gloria to lose it. “You…” Gloria’s fingers turned into claws but just as she was about to have a full-body shift, Ryan’s hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her with a blast of calming energy.
‘Calm down, mum.’ Ryan murmured on his mind-link with Gloria. ‘We would have ended this a long time ago but Troy needs to know what happened. Not only does he need to really know the people he thinks love him, but he also needs closure.’ Mary had started speaking but Ryan didn’t stop talking to Gloria. ‘I know it’s difficult but know that your son needs this.’
‘Ryan…’ Gloria was shaking with the effort it took to rein in her fury. ‘It’s so difficult.’
‘I know but try. Besides, she’s harnessed to some energy outside the pack-house, which she’s channeling this very moment. I’m reeling it in gradually. Soon, that energy will be no more. Then we can better deal with her. So please work with me here. It’s very important.’
“…doesn’t make him yours. The kind of bond I have with Troy is like nothing you’ve ever imagined.” Mary was saying. “I feel his pain. Anytime he cried because he was in pain,
I wanted to destroy something.” The crazed look in Mary’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed. “Even small things like him falling and bumping his head or getting his finger caught in a drawer… I would have given anything just to go through that pain instead of him. And I protected him like a good, responsible mother would do. What did you do to that crook who tried to kill him?”
Mary tilted her head to the side with a finger on a cheek as if she was trying to recall what the pack did to Blaze.
“Oh yes, hand him over to the police.” She sneered. “Really? Hell, I once killed one of our own simply because I saw him hitting Troy upside the head.” She threw Sally a withering look when she gasped. “And that is why I killed that fool you idiots sent to prison, for attempting to kill my Troy. And I enjoyed doing it too. Can you compete with that bond?” She asked Mary oh so sweetly.
“Some bond.” Gloria snorted, disdain written all over her face. “You think that’s what makes you a mother? What mother would rob her child of their very being? You think suppressing what he is by dousing him with your stupid concoctions every month makes you a mother? The sheer deceit…”
“Did you know what you were doing to me?” Troy whispered, his intent gaze fixed on Mary. It was as if he was willing her to admit that she hadn’t known what her concoctions were doing to him.
“I was trying to prevent you from becoming an animal like these savages, Troy.” Mary gestured at the people gathered. “I was trying to help you.”
“Why was I kidnapped?” Troy asked. He really needed to know.
“That was for Reynard.” Mary shrugged. “The plan was to take both you and your freak of a brother.”
“Hey, lady,” Jeremy drawled with an amused look on his face, “You better watch it. My mate hates that word.”
“Shut up, Jeremy.” Ryan chuckled.