Somber Song

Chapter 3 - Home, sweet home

        By the time I got out of the car, the front door of the house was already opening and a small group of familiar faces filled the porch. I took a deep breath in a poor attempt to calm my nerves and braced myself to meet them. I felt a cold thrill run down my spine and I looked towards the second floor as the curtains moved and fell down as if somebody had just been there. And he was, I realized as I inhaled the familiar scents around me.

        Before I could even say a word, I was pulled into a bone-crushing hug that I was almost certain cracked one of my rubs. When Ian, Julian's younger son, released me, I swayed back, taking in his appearance. He had been only fifteen when I left, and now that he was entering his twenties, he had almost grown to his brother's six foot three. He had the same black hair and piercing dark eyes, but unlike Caleb, Ian’s smile rarely left his lips.

        Ava, Ian’s first cousin, was the second to enter my vision with her coppery hair pulled into a ponytail and her small hands squeezing me like she was making sure I was real. We had been the only girls in the family, and I realized all too late what my departure might have done to her. Now that I was staring at her big green eyes full of joy, I sighed in relief.

        Clarissa was one of the last ones to greet me, but despite her judgy eyes and disapproving expression, her embrace was just as warm, almost desperate. We rarely saw eye to eye even before I had left, but she had always made sure both Ethan and I felt like we were part of the family. 

        Last were her brothers, Brian and Clive, who waved hello from the steps.

        As I was trying to answer the questions that flew from all around me, I felt the cold shivers of somebody’s eyes on me again. I found him almost immediately. He had made his way to the porch and was standing by the door with his arm crossed, and a cold, distant expression on his face. His dark hair had grown longer, almost reaching his listless eyes that watched the scene as if it had nothing to do with him.

        As our eyes met, I barely stopped myself from running to him and throwing my hands around him. He didn’t react as if looking right through me. I knew I deserved that; I deserved much, much worse, but it still hurt like hell to be regarded with such indifference.

        I took a deep breath and looked away from him. Everybody had stopped talking and were now looking between us two, so I cleared my throat, turning towards the others.

        "Where is Julian?"

        Nobody responded at first, and the looks they exchanged made me nervous.

        "I'll take you," Ethan said in a minute, placing a hand on my shoulder.

        “I'll finish making breakfast so come to the kitchen when you’re done,” Clarissa nodded, “Ava, find some clothes for Mia.” I didn't miss the look she gave me again but silently let my brother lead me to the back of the house. He didn't notice my confused expression, as I expected to find Julian on a deathbed, fighting for his life. It had sounded that bad when they presented it. And if they had lied, then they were in for a lot of screaming and probably a good beating.

        Then I realized where we were going - Julian's workshop that was just by the barn. The door was slightly ajar and when we reached it, Ethan turned to look at me. He gave me a weird look, which I failed to understand, then walked away without a word. I hesitated for a second, taking a deep breath before pushing the door and stepping into the long, gloomy room. Julian's works hung on the walls - everything from pipes to intarsias, goblets, plates, and figurines covered the few polished tables better suited for a fancy home than his small workshop. 

        Julian was sitting in one of the chairs in the back, bent over his current project. I hesitated whether I should make a noise to make my presence known, but it came to my mind that he could probably tell I had arrived even before I got off the truck.

        I made my way to him, stopping behind him. He kept on carving his wooden piece as if my presence was absolutely irrelevant. Impatient, I took a deep breath.

        "Julian," I said finally, waiting for his response. He raised a finger asking me to wait, then finished what he was doing and placed the wood piece and the knife on the table. He turned to look at me, his serious, focused expression slowly easing into a fatherly smile.

        "Amelia," he said, struggling to get to his feet. I could tell he was weak by the way he leaned on the table and the way his knees almost buckled, but I couldn't tell what was wrong with him. He seemed fine at first glance, but there was this smell, apart from his usual strong scent, something vile and rotting. "It's good to see you. It has been way too long."

        He opened his hands invitingly, and I stepped to embrace him. I closed my eyes for a moment, recalling the time when this was the safest place in the world, the second-best place I could find myself in. Only Caleb’s gentle touch could beat this feeling.

        I pulled back and looked up at his pale face. This close I could tell he was not well - there were dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were colorless and hollow; he seemed thinner than I remembered him. He didn't seem to be dying, though.

        "I know you didn't want to come back, Amelia, so believe me when I say that I appreciate your presence here," he said in a mild, quiet voice. "Considering everything that happened and how things unfolded, I would have not been surprised if your brother dragged you here against your will." 

        I didn't say anything. If it wasn't for the circumstances, which now seemed greatly exaggerated, I wouldn't have been there. But I couldn't bring myself to ask. I didn't have to. As usual, he could tell what was on my mind. He was my Alpha, after all.

        "Your brother told you I'm dying," he said with a smile, which made me more uncomfortable than if he had seemed devastated by it. "But you don't believe him."

        Silence, that was all I had for him.

        Julian leaned on the table, pulling his shirt up with one hand. My eyes locked on the bandage on his chest, covering most of his left side. He used his other hand to pull it away, revealing the raw, purple skin underneath. It was not the bruising that got me to hold my breath, not even the stitches that were plenty visible - it was the black, gangrenous muscle tissue that wasn't healing. 

        I had seen broken bones, cuts, and serious wounds before, and I had seen them heal quicker than any human body would allow. But Julian's wound looked old, at least a few weeks old, and it looked bad. I was no doctor, but I could tell it wasn't going to just go away.

        "What the hell?" I exclaimed in horror. I extended my hand to touch it, but then pulled back. The smell was stronger now, more repulsive and gagging. I had never seen anything like it before. "How is this possible? Why isn't it healing?"

        "I wish I knew the answer to that," Julian laughed sourly. "We've tried anything we could think of, but it only made things worse."

        "Did you try an actual hospital?" I almost shouted as he was putting the bandage back on and covering his stomach. The sight of the horrendous wound stayed in front of my eyes even after he let his shirt down. 

        Julian shot me a glance that said it all. A no, as expected.

        "And expose us all? I'd rather die," he mumbled and took a seat back in the chair. He muffled a gasp, his hand instinctively flying towards his abdomen. I had never seen him show pain or any discomfort before, so to see him unable to control his emotions scared me even more than the strange wound itself.

        "Be careful what you wish for," I retorted, crossing my arms. "They may actually have a cure for whatever this is. You can’t afford to be so stubborn!"

        "They don't," Julian said confidently.

        "How the hell do you know that, Julian? You haven't even been there!" I snapped.

        "Watch your language," his disapproving glance pierced me and I felt like a little girl again, getting scolded for the nth time after doing something foolish with the boys. "And as a matter of fact, I do know. Because I know what caused it and it was not something the humans are familiar with."

        "What was it?" I asked, my curiosity overcoming my anger.

        "A werewolf," he replied, holding my gaze and waiting for my response. I frowned, wondering if I had heard him correctly. He stared back patiently, as if waiting for his words to settle down.

        "What do you mean, a werewolf?" I asked. "You are a werewolf. A werewolf's bite can’t do this to you." It made no sense, but he sounded so convinced that I started questioning my own logic.

        "Well, this one can," he replied thoughtfully, running a hand through his dark hair. For his forty-nine years of age and all the things we had been through, I was surprised it wasn't already gray. "We were just patrolling the land, as there were a few trespassers in the past few weeks, when I ran into him. He was strong and extremely fast. And he was alone. The entire pack came to help at my call, but by the time they got to the rescue he had gifted me with this," Julian gestured at his chest nonchalantly, then looked at me. "There was something in his eyes, he wasn't like us."

        "What happened to him? Did you find him again?" I asked fearfully.

        "I forbid them from going after him. Or engaging him if he comes this way again." He said, giving me a pointed look, as if saying that also included me. "I am not letting anyone else from my pack die by the teeth of that monster."

        "And what if he comes back, and he is not alone? You're going to leave and let them settle here?" I asked, frowning. Julian let out a deep sigh as if that was weighing on his mind too. But instead, he just shrugged. 

        “I doubt that is his intention.” Julian sighed. “Mia, there are some things you need to know, but we’ll leave those for later, after you’ve settled in and gotten proper rest.” His words made me frown with unease, but he just smiled. “Now, to more important matters. Tell me, how was college?"