The tears didn’t stop until I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up the next morning in my bed, with the winter sun shining bright into my eyes. It had snowed overnight, a few inches of fluffy powder covering everything. I went into my bathroom and got ready for the day.
Looking around my room, it seemed like years since I had been here. I was a completely different person than the happy teen who had been looking for a college. All those plans were gone. I tore the band posters and girly decorations off the wall and put them in my trash. That girl didn’t exist, a woman was here now.
The smell of bacon filled the kitchen as I walked in. Remi was at the table, eating and checking the news on her laptop. Mabel was cooking, and Marge had already eaten and was starting to clean the living room. “Good morning,” I said to them all.
“What’s your plan for today, Ella?” Remi looked up at me, I could see the relief in her eyes that I seemed to be doing better.
“I want to go through the master bedroom with you and Marge,” I said. “We can box up Dad’s clothes and stuff, and anything you don’t want of my Mom’s closet we can box up as well. We’ll make a spot in the garage for things we are donating to charity. I also want to go through Mom’s jewelry. When we are done, we’ll start on their offices. I want Mark and Tom to help with that, so it will wait until next week.”
Marge looked over at me. “Are you going to be all right with this? You don’t have to do anything right away.”
“I need to do this, I don’t feel comfortable in my own room any more, it feels like it belongs to someone else. My parents are gone, and I need to move on too. I want to move into the master bedroom and turn their study back into a nursery.” The smaller room had a door to the hallway, but Mom had put in a door to the master so she could check on me easily. “Besides, Aunt Remi is only here so long and we have a lot of stuff to go through.”
“What about the furniture and bed,” Mabel asked.
“I’ll keep them for now, at some point I might change things out but I’m not in a hurry for that. I still have finals to get through for school, and I plan to visit the other packs in a few weeks. I think if we can go through their stuff and I can decide what to keep and what to give, that will be enough for now.” Mabel placed a plate full of toast, eggs and bacon in front of me with a glass of orange juice, I smiled my thanks.
She handed me a note. “Tom Harris left a message, he can meet with you at 9 am on Monday. He said he cleared the whole day for you.” That was nice, I wonder if he hadn’t planned to work that day. “I wrote down all the people who called here,” she handed me a list. “Most were offering condolences or asking about arrangements. I’ve also got the guest book here from the funeral service.”
I frowned, there was SO much work to be done just to deal with my parent’s estate. “It will have to wait, I guess.” I looked through the list and circled the people I would need to call back, I could do that tonight. “Anything that might be relevant to the estate, we need to keep in the office so I can bring it to Tom on Monday. Did he say anything else?”
“Just that the will reading would be ready, and that he had already filed paperwork with the state as he was named executor in the will. He doesn’t think it will be overly complicated, but he needs to work with you. He said the tax implications alone need my input.” I hadn’t paid taxes in the past, but I had helped my Mom. I knew that estate taxes would eat up a healthy chunk of my inheritance, and I also knew I couldn’t manage a business empire like my Mom had. “Meanwhile, he said he has invested the liquid assets and the proceeds from the Pack liquidation into index funds until you can direct how you want them invested.”
Index funds were something my Mom recommended, they had low fees and she didn’t trust the ‘money managers’ to beat the market enough to make it worth their added costs. I finished my breakfast and walked it over to the sink. “What is your plan, Mabel?”
“I plan to give this place a good cleaning while you guys are working, since it’s been sitting idle for weeks. Don’t worry about me, I have plenty to do before I make lunch.” I gave her a hug, then Remi joined me in heading to the master bedroom. Marge went to the basement to get storage bins and boxes.
Opening my parent’s bedroom as a human may have been easier, because their scents weren’t as strong to me as they would have been. It smelled like them, but also a little stale; no one had been in this room in almost six weeks. I cracked the window open to let in some fresh air, then walked to their large closet. I flicked on the light and leaned against the door, getting myself ready for the memories to come. When I was ready, Remi and I removed my father’s clothing and shoes and set them on the bed. By the time we were done, Marge was already bringing up boxes.
She started putting together the garment boxes, which were tall and square with a hanging bar near the top. We used four of these to pack up his suits, dress shirts and ties. The rest of his clothing and his shoes went into normal moving boxes, Remi would be taking it with her. Their Pack had a clothing bin, since werewolves occasionally shifted without changing, we went through a lot. The T-shirts, sweats, shorts and socks went in there too. The shoes and fancy clothes would be taken to the local Goodwill. Marge got a hand truck and started moving them to the garage while took a minute before moving on to my Mom’s stuff.
There were a few dresses that Remi set aside, but most of it we boxed up so she could take it back. There were always Pack women who could use some new clothes for when they went out into the human world. We had the same size feet, so I left a few dozen in there and we boxed up the rest, and her casual clothing and lingerie got packed too. Wearing Mom’s negligee just seemed wrong.
We moved all the boxes out then broke for lunch, then started on the jewelry and photos. There were only a few things Remi wanted, mostly pictures of them as children and jewelry their Mom had given to Emma. I let her take as much as she wanted. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out the bedside table (remind me NEVER to do that again, I didn’t NEED to know what kind of ummm toys they used in their bed), closet and dressers. By bedtime, we had the place cleaned out. I insisted on a new mattress and box spring, and ordered an adjustable air one over the Internet. Marge said she would take over cleaning.
I collapsed into my bed at the end of the day, physically and emotionally exhausted. The work had helped with closure, but there were still many times I would see something and just break down for a few minutes. I was glad I did this with help and not on my own.
I woke up at sunrise, and pulled on some exercise gear. I used to go for a run every morning before school, either in human or wolf form, and I needed to get back to that. Now that I was human, I knew I would have to work to achieve and maintain strength and stamina that I used to take for granted.
I walked down to the patio door and laced up my running shoes; leaving a note for where I was on the table, I set out on the trail around our property.
By mile two I was sucking wind. I was so out of shape I didn’t recognize how stupid I was to take this trail, with all the hills and the eight mile loop. I gave up, turning around and walking for a while as I breathed hard.
When I got back, Remi was waiting for me in the kitchen, and I could tell there was something wrong by her face. “What is it, Aunt Remi?”
“There was a phone call while you were gone. It’s Alpha Tanner. He wants to see you.”
I almost fell, my legs were wobbly from the run and this was not expected. “WHY? Why would he think I would agree to see the man who killed my parents?”
She looked at me, pulling me to sit down next to her. “He wants to talk to you about his grandson.” I had to remember to close my mouth before I drooled on myself. “He has no male heirs now, if your child is male, he would be the next Alpha. He wants to ensure his future.”
I put my head on my hands, trying to figure this out. I didn’t want to be anywhere near him until I was watching him bleed out at my feet. Remi stroked her hand through my hair. “He said he would meet in a public place or with a neutral Alpha of your choice. He just wants to talk, he said.”
“What do you and Doug think?”
She let out a breath. “It’s dangerous. He’s not sure the baby is really his grandson; as you know, werewolves can only impregnate their mate and the mating bite didn’t take for you.”
“Yeah, but my wolf fought it off, and then I was human. Your Doctor couldn’t rule it out.” I thought for a minute. “You think there is something more?”
“We’re sure of it. He’s reeling from the losses, the other Packs probably blame him for what happened in the attack on us. He’s also bordered by several Packs who he now is not on good terms with. If he were to be attacked now, his line ends. I think he wants to make it clear that he accepts your baby as his eventual heir, and that stabilizes his Pack. It’s also possible he still wants to kill you, taking the chance that the baby isn’t related to him or he just doesn’t care. He’s number one on your enemies list, Ella, and right now that child of yours and our support are the only protection you have.”
I looked up at her. “Doug is still sending a few warriors up here to escort you back home, right?” She nodded. “Call him for me, tell him I won’t talk to him or meet him, but you and I will meet with Luna Kayla, mom to mom, if she comes alone. We can meet for lunch tomorrow at noon in Fargo, at the Longhorn Steakhouse. She can bring a driver but he sits elsewhere in the restaurant. If your warriors leave today, they can be our security for the meet.”
Remi nodded. “It would be best to find out what he wants. You’re not going in without your knives and a gun, though.”
I smiled back at her. “Wouldn’t leave home without it. I’ll make a call, I’m sure there is a human private security firm we can hire for extra help. We don’t need to tell them much, but it gives us an edge if they try anything because they won’t be able to scent more wolves in there.”
“Fine, I’ll call my mate and the Tanners. Now, what is the plan for today?”