Chapter 49 Wise Words of May
1928 Words
Chapter 49
The Wise Words of May
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Jada
Duane stood at the packhouse front door with a formal smile. He had been initiated into the Mist clan through a blood link ceremony performed by Alpha George, with blessings from Luna Ruth. It had been quick—a promise to serve the pack and a blood link. The initiation chilled me. I had to turn away when Alpha George cut Duane’s palm, then his own, and the two shook hands. Now he could hear their thoughts and was on the same mind link.
“Who would have thought?” Agatha snorted. “You saved the Alpha’s son from your father, and they welcome you with open arms.”
Duane’s smile faltered. The guilt and pain of having to fight his blood were still strong in his heart.
“Agatha!” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Really?”
She shrugged. “I say it how I see it…”
“Congratulations, Duane,” Anna said, throwing her arms around him in a big hug.
“Ouch,” he hisses, grabbing his arms. “Watch the fracture…”
“Sorry,” she chuckled, standing back.
“So, what happens now?” I asked the group. “Duane is a Mist clan warrior… We’ve been given sanctuary until Alpha George organises a meeting with the Celestial Resistance…”
“We focus on Agatha’s date with Kingston.” Anna teased with a wink.
“I only accepted his date to shut him up.” Agatha defended, crossing her arms. “The pup was relentless.”
“That’s a mate bond for you,” Duane added. His eyes scanned all the curious faces that passed us by. “I just wish I could find mine… I know she’s here, but I can’t feel her anymore…”
“I thought you felt her before we came?” I asked as she stepped up beside me, squinting against the sun.
Nodding, he continued to search. “I thought so. But since we got here, I don’t know. It’s so odd.”
“We should head back to the house,” Agatha suggested.
“Why?” I turned to her. Something troubling was flashing in her eyes. “It’s a nice day...”
“We’ve found the Alpha’s daughter!” she practically shouted. “We should focus on removing her curse before we settle in!”
“She’s in good hands.” Anna chuffed. “Her and Tyrone have something good going on…”
“She needs that.” I agreed. “May told me that Louise is so sick…”
“Cursed!” Agatha exclaimed. “And if we don’t find a way to remove it, it could be dangerous!”
The packhouse doors opened. We turned as May stepped out, shielding her face from the sun. She smiled at me, and I wanted to run into her comforting arms.
“So…” she began as she joined our group. “Alpha George has spoken to the former Beta—Jackson Little.”
Anna nodded. “That’s my dad. “He was in bad shape when we left. The Celestial Moon clan beat him to a pulp.”
May nodded understandingly. “Well, they’re hosting a meeting with the Resistance on Thursday.”
“Excellent!” Duane and Anna cheered.
Unfazed, Agatha stood there with her arms crossed. I could understand why. She wasn’t a wolf, and this union would not affect her.
“What does that mean for us?” I asked curiously.
“Well,” May reached over and rubbed my arm. Her motherly touch relaxed my body. “You will all stay with me until then. And we’ll go from there.”
“Will you be at the meeting?”
She shook her head. “I can’t–”
“It’s Louise’s birthday and bonding Ceremony,” Agatha stated matter-of-factly. “It’s a busy day in the Carpenter household.”
“Yes,” May squinted at the witch with discontent, then turned to me. “My family and Tyrone’s family will be busy with that… And we’ll have Joanna and Lorraine there too…”
“But Jada is your family.” Agatha protested, gesturing at me.
I scowled at her. “This is not the–”
May held up a hand and silenced us. “Yes, by all accounts, after everything we have learnt, Jada is my biological daughter. I plan on spending time with her and getting to know her.” She flashed me a kind smile before turning to Agatha and the others. “But Louise is the daughter I raised. She may not be blood, but she is mine. This is her big day, and I will fight tooth and nail to perfect it!”
Agatha would have denied it, but I noticed a smile. It was quick, but it was there.
“May…” Duane said with a respectful bow. “I’m sorry to ask, but can we organise food? I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving.” Agatha teased.
“Actually, I am, too.” My stomach grumbled in agreement.
“Well, I need to order food for Thursday…” She gestured her hand at the road before us. “There are some nice little shops down the main street of Mist. It’s only a five-minute walk. I would like to visit Lee’s Wholesalers. He has the freshest produce you could ever find.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Anna and I said in unison.
“Great!” Duane agreed as he adjusted his sling.
“Fine,” Agatha dropped her arms. “I need to find where Silver’s Restaurant is anyway.”
“For her date tonight.” I chuckled. “With Beta-to-be Kingston.”
May waved her hand towards the packhouse gates. “Then we should get a move on.”
“You know it’s not a proper date,” Agatha groaned. She turned on her heels and followed behind us. “It’s just a dinner,” she said.
“With your mate!’ Anna winked at her over her shoulder.
“I don’t believe in that.” She shook her head.
May stopped walking and turned to Agatha. The discontent had changed to complete annoyance. “Look, I don’t know much about witches … except they can be a nuisance at the best of times … and they have caused many werewolf deaths in the past.”
“I’m hurt,” Agatha gaped mockingly. She held her hand to her chest. “That hurts, Mrs Carpenter.”
May’s eyes flashed a wolf-black. She shook it away and stepped towards the witch. “I don’t know what kind of mother raises such a selfish, conceded, arrogant daughter like you, but I know she was not a good one. She was obviously a bad person. And no daughter deserves a mother like that.” She closed the gap between them. “But before you mock, you should know … Unlike witches, vampires, and humans, wolves mate for life. That means there is a bond stronger than anything known to the universe … That means you will always have one person to lift you up when life gets hard, wipe your tears, heal your wounds, protect you against the world, and give you the kind of joy your kind can only dream about.”
I swallowed nervously as Agatha seemed to shrink against May. Out of my peripheral, I saw Duane ginning and Anna watching with wide-eyed interest.
“A werewolf’s bond is like giving half of your soul to another person. They become your every breath, your everything.” Her shoulders relaxed. May had seen something in Agatha. She placed her hands on Agatha’s shoulders. “Agatha, I know you had the worst life … you’ve been hurt by more than your mother. But now you have that one person … a werewolf that has offered his soul to you.” May dropped her hands and stepped back. “If you shake off the hurt from your past, you might be able to feel it. It’s a feeling so pleasant that it can’t be described. Enjoy it! Bask in it. Love it.”
The tension between the two relaxed. I stared at Agatha. Was there a tear in her eyes? Did May reach the broken witch on the inside?
Agatha wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, attempting to hide the tears. She shook off her shoulders and then gestured towards the main street. “We should keep moving. My date is in three hours, and I don’t want to miss it.”
Duane winked at me knowingly. May had somehow reached the witch’s heart.
“Then let’s go…” May continued walking down the road.
“I like her…” I whispered to Anna.
Anna took my hand and held it. “So do I…”
“So do I…” Agatha sighed under her breath.
“Then it’s unanimous.” Duane chuckled. “Mrs Carpenter is amazing.
I could see the grin on May’s face as we neared the shops.
At the front of Lee’s Wholesalers, we waited for May to do her shopping. The shop was an open food vendor, with vegetable stalls out the front, under a brightly coloured brown and green striped awning. It was busy. Many locals walked about the stalls.
“This place is so beautiful,” I admitted honestly. “And homely.”
“I agree,” Anna said as she peered at the fresh fruit in front of us. “There’s no sense of overhanging doom, unlike at the Celestial Moon clan.”
“I’m happy to call this place home.” Duane smiled. After everything he had been through with his dad, it was good to see him this way. “I can’t wait to bring Kristoph and Mama here.”
“Your brother and mother?” I blinked back at Duane. “Is that wise?”
A fear brewed in his eyes. The thought of his family unsettled his wolf. “When I kill Julius, I will rescue my family …”
After a moment, I realised that Agatha hadn’t spoken. I had only known her briefly, but I knew that was unusual. She expressed her mind no matter what the consequences. That must be one of the effects of living a long life. I turned, and she was gone. “Where’s Agatha?”
Now Anna and Duane turned.
“She was just here!” Anna scratched her head. “Where did she go.”
We searched around Lee’s and still couldn’t find her.
“Where in the –”
“Over there!” Duane interrupted, pointing to a tiny light-blue building across the road.
I squinted through the bright sun to see Agatha standing amongst a display of dresses in the shop window—Flora’s Formals. Her dark figure stood out amongst the florals and patterns.
“Is she looking for a dress?” Duane gaped, rubbing his eyes.
“Yes,” Anna and I laughed in unison.
“May got through to her.” I giggled.
In the window, Agatha picked out a grey dress and held it against her. She twirled around, and I could swear I saw a smile again.
“May, broke her.” Anna laughed. “She’s turned her into a lady.”
“Not quiet…” I pointed back at the shop. Now, Agatha held up another pair of biker boots. She held the two together. “But she definitely did something.”
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