Lessons in Love

Chapter 43: A Peak Behind the Curtain

POV: Delta Rick Wallis

I went into the high school to find Sam, Ben, and Henry in the elementary classroom. I walked in and closed the door. One look at Henry, and I felt my blood boiling. I growled at him viciously. “Who’s the bad wolf?” I demanded.

Henry looked nervous at the question. He glanced at Ben but didn’t answer. I moved quickly, closing the distance between Henry and I, grabbing the front of his shirt and getting right in his face.

“Who is he?” I yelled an inch from his face.

“Rick,” Ben grabbed my arm. I growled at him, too. I wanted answers. “Rick,” Ben’s voice was low and gentle. “You need to calm down and hear what he has to say.” I let go of Henry with a shove and a growl.

“Henry,” Ben put himself between the two of us. “Tell him what you told us.”

Henry took a steadying breath. “During the final battle, George came to my door and demanded to know where it was.”

“Where what was?” I growled, trying to step in on him, but Ben held my arm firmly.

“He doesn’t know.” Ben said calmly.

“I’ll bet,” I pulled my arm free of Ben’s grasp and turned my back on them.

“I swear to you,” Henry said sternly. “He said my family would die in this war if I didn’t tell him what he wanted to know, but he never clarified what he was looking for. I kept asking for more information, trying to help him. I knew better than to take his threat lightly.” There was a strain to Henry’s voice.

“He hit me in the side of the head with a candlestick that was on my mantle when he didn’t get what he wanted. I woke up in the hospital late that night to find John and Crista were dead, and Emma was missing. I went home to find my house had been torn apart. I smelled George everywhere. George and Rogues.”

“And you said nothing.” I growled.

“What would you have me do?” Henry snarled back. “Leave him to do something to that child?” He yelled at me. “He showed up weeks after the war ended and said there was no safe place for me or anyone I cared about. I have Emma, but I also have five daughters of my own – grandchildren all over the country. He’d proven what he could do.” Henry’s growl broadened. “John was like a son to me. The only one I ever had.” His voice shook.

“I know you think I didn’t want to take Emma in. It was clear every time you showed up at my doorstep. I had to clean and repair three quarters of that house before I could bring her into it and do it quietly so none of you would question it. He said everyone would be safe in exchange for some information. And when I went to get Emma’s belongings, I found everything destroyed in their house too. You wouldn’t know that, though, would you?” He growled at me.

“You didn’t think of anyone’s grief but your own. You never went over there for her things. You just dropped her in an orphanage with nothing but the clothes on her back.” He growled viciously at me. “Some godfather you are!” I turned on him with an equally vicious growl.

“Enough,” Ben said calmly, standing between us. “What information did he want?” Henry glared at me a moment more. “Hey,” Ben snapped. “What did he want?” He demanded.

Henry sighed. “For me to keep an eye on the two of you. Let him know when you were visiting your mother,” he looked at Ben. “Or if you two were chummy with anyone.”

“That’s why he doesn’t like Riley.” Ben growled at him.

“No, she did that all on her own the morning of the harvest festival. He specifically asked for information about her that day.” Henry said. He paused a moment before continuing delicately. “He doesn’t know, at least not from me, that she’s your mate.” He said to Ben.

Sam grabbed Ben before Ben had a chance to grab Henry. The growl Ben leveled was like nothing I’d heard from him before, and I was certain that Ben would kill the man if provoked further. “What did you say?”

“Ben,” Henry chided. “Everyone who saw the two of you at Rusty’s that day was suggesting you’d found your mate. Many of them think you’re just fooling around with the girl now. They don’t respect it.”

“I don’t give a s**t if they respect me.” Ben snarled, pushing against Sam.

“Well, you should.” Henry snapped at him. “You know what happens if you can’t beat him at this game you’re playing, don’t you? The whole pack ends up under a Rogue paw while our lands are ravished, and our people tortured. You need them to respect you, so make your matehood known or stay the hell away from her.” Henry growled. Ben pushed against Sam with a terrifying growl.

“Ben!” Sam snapped. “Don’t.” He said firmly.

Ben stepped back and raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “f**k!” He yelled.

“What does George know?” Sam asked. “We need details. Everything you can think of, even if it doesn’t seem important.”

Henry sat on one of the desks running his hands over his face and hair. “You have to promise me you’ll protect Emma. That you’ll find a way to protect my girls.” He looked at the three of us. No one said anything. No one was willing to make a deal with him, especially not Ben who had started pacing the room.

“I like Riley, she a good person.” Henry said. Ben stopped pacing and let out a low growl warning him off the subject. “I know what George has done to you and your mother. I know what he’s done to me. I would never knowingly or willingly put anyone is his path. You have to believe me on that.”

“Emma will be safe.” Ben said firmly. “Your daughters live all over the country. We’ll do what we can, but I can’t promise to keep them safe. I have no idea what my father’s reach is.”

“That you’ll try is enough.” Henry said with a sigh.

“Tell us,” Ben said, sitting on desk as well.

There really wasn’t much, according to Henry, that he’d told George. Everything he’d passed along had been true, even if it hadn’t been the whole story. “When it came to Riley and your mother, I treaded a lot more cautiously.” He admitted. “I mentioned Riley going for tea, and Riley had told me flat out that she was going to get advice for her curriculum or learn needlepoint. She even showed me her efforts the one day. Riley plays the game perfectly.” Henry smiled.

“That is what they did,” Ben’s growl resurfaced.

“Ben, your mother and I have been friends since we were teenagers. We came here at eighteen together looking for our mates. She and I have very few secrets. She knows the situation I’m in and I know what went on at tea.” Henry glared at Ben. Ben stood up, turning his back to Henry, letting only me see how gutted he was that his mother might be our undoing.

“Did you tell him about Wilder?” I asked.

“Dr. Wilder? He’s been in your father’s pocket for years. I didn’t bother looking into him.” Henry said with a shrug. Sam and I kept asking questions but Henry either didn’t know or didn’t say. I was angry. I’d always had a good sense of people, and to think that I encouraged Ben to ask for his help with the old guard.

“Tonight, when he gets home, you’ll say school was fine, the gardening went extremely well, and you’ll tell him that Rick and I spent the entire day out in the woods. We were filthy when you saw us come back. Like we’d been rolling around in the dirt and seemed well pleased with ourselves.” Ben said. “Just to the two of us. Got it!” Ben growled the last part.

“Yes, sir.” Henry sneered.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m him Henry. You did this to yourself. You could have come to us at any point in the last four months and you didn’t. Now you’re playing his game, but you’re playing it for us. It’s that or you can go play Rogue with him.” Ben said sternly. Henry gave a nod as Ben stormed toward the door.

“And stay the hell away from my mother until this over.” Ben growled, before pulling the door open and storming out.