Alliance of Shadows: NEIL

A Tense Meeting With Molly

Dragging myself out of bed, I got dressed as she slipped from the room as quietly as she’d entered. Still, there was something about her, something… unnatural about the way she seemed more at ease in the garden. The reasoning was there, poking me in the head, but I couldn’t clearly make out what it was that was so damn familiar.

Minutes later, I made my way to the kitchen, but not before making sure Izaria was still in her room. Once there, I helped myself to the usual breakfast Laura already cooked up. The older she-wolf was staring out the door leading to the herb garden while her pups played in the mud left by the rain we had the day before.

“Alpha Prince,” she commented, the slight tilt of her head the only indication she had noticed my arrival. There was a sadness in her voice, and I knew her mother had probably passed during the night.

“Laura, how’s your mother?” I asked. It was my duty to show concern, empathy for my fellow packmates. Their station didn’t matter, not when everyone played a role in the cohesive workings of the pack as a whole.

The coffee cup in her hand froze, the salty scent of tears filling the space between us as she slowly shook her head. “She was called to the Goddess’s side just after midnight, Alpha.”

I winced, my heart breaking for her. “Take the kids home, Laura. I’m relieving you of duties for the day so you can properly mourn her. I’m… I’m not staying home anyway, so don’t worry about me.”

“What about Luna Clara’s niece?” She asked, the question hanging heavy in the air between us.

“That’s actually what I’m going to be doing. It occurred to me that she hasn’t been to a doctor since her arrival, so I was going to take her to town for a bit.” I explained, filling her in on my plans for the day.

“I see,” she turned, her face streaked red from irritation caused by her crying. “Well, if there’s no need for my presence, I’ll take the kids home. Michael was preparing the funeral pyre, but you’re right. I should be there.”

As she passed me, I grabbed her wrist. Pulling her into a hug, I sighed. “I may be an asshole by times, but I do have a heart, Laura. Gracia was an Omega Elder, so pass the word that there will be no work today for any Omega’s. Walk with the Goddess.”

She sobbed, breaking down as my words resonated in her mind. Her cries filled the kitchen, and the few wolves who heard were watching with the same mixture of grief and pain. I glanced at the door to the hall, where Izaria now stood watching me with keen eyes. Nothing about her stance said she was jealous of the other woman in my arms.

As the worst of her breakdown was finally over, Laura’s Mate arrived at the outer door. The way he was trying to catch his breath while grabbing the frame told me he’d run all the way from their hose to the packhouse. I looked him over, nodding. “Mike, explain to my father that I allowed a day of rest for all the servants. Take your wife and children home to mourn Gracia the right way.”

I didn’t need to say anything more than that. Only someone who actively disregarded the Goddess’s rules of engagement would attempted to take another man’s Mate. It was a scared unity; pure and untainted, as even wild wolves only took one Mate unless that special person died. Besides, all of us knew my father’s Alpha order to keep up appearances of normalcy was unbreakable.

Once they were gone, I shooed the others out as well. My father would have a fit if I gave them no reprieve to grieve the loss of an Elder. Explaining things to Izaria, I wasn’t surprised to see the glisten of tears on her own face.

“Is there anything I can do?” She asked, washing the plate she’d used.

I shook my head, “No, sweet. We just need to leave them all alone for the next three days. It’s customary here for families to burn and bury their own dead, so let’s leave them to it, okay?”

“Three days?” Her question and raised brow gave her a homey, librarian look.

Nodding, I explained, “Ya-huh. Three days for everyone except the family of the deceased. They get a week to work through all the planning, prep, and the aftermath of the funeral.”

Hours later, after I helped her put the mansion in somewhat tidy order, we were ready to leave the and head into town for a much-needed day out. When we arrived, I took her to talk to the local public health nurse.

Unfortunately for me, she was one of the many people who hated me for no reason at all. Well, not “no reason” but the fault was hers alone for the situation she created a long time ago. When the woman walked out, she flipped her short brown hair over her shoulder and frowned at me.

“How have you been?” I asked with a fake smile plastered to my face.

Molly Sinclair looked me over with a sneer before her eyes fell on the girl beside me. I could see the accusation in the other woman’s chocolate-coloured eyes as she looked from me to Izzy. The dark, brooding hate she held for me bled out of every pore of her body. “You can go.”

It was clear that she was trying to get Izaria alone to tell her things about me. She knew what to say to make my life hell in the worst sort of way possible. The problem was, I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted Izzy to learn about my past from me, not everyone else. I needed her on my level, listening to my truths before she heard the warped, twisted version anyone connected with Molly could cook up.

“No,” Izaria exclaimed. Her hands gripped my coat sleeve, clinging to me. Damn, her nails were sharp!

“Clara asked me to bring her niece to town so she could get some information on birth control,” I said. It was a lie. My stepmother asked nothing of me except to keep Izaria safe.

Rather than talk to both of us, Molly aggressively made an effort to ignore my presence completely. She turned to Izzy, drawing her brows together in faux concern. Molly pressed on, her fake concern bleeding contempt with every word. “Sweetie, are you okay? Do you need help? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

I wanted to growl at how demeaning she was being. The b***h was purposefully trying to make me look like a monster. I wanted to know if she got off on making people’s lives a nightmare. Did she enjoy sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust or was that just her personality?

Izzy was sitting beside me in shock, her mouth partially opened and her face echoing the question of Molly’s moral compass. Then, without any warning, her entire demeanour changed. It was as if Molly had opened the floodgates of her temper as I watched her. “Can you give it a rest and stop being such a b***h?”

Molly sat back in her chair, taken aback by the sudden blaze of displeasure.

Surprise, surprise, I thought with a smirk. Izaria wasn’t a mouse, but a kitten relearning where her claws were. This was new; an unfiltered version of herself she was only now letting me see. I reflected over the last seven months of her stay, silently wondering where she’d been hiding her temper. I hadn't noticed it until now, and I hoped I never became a target for it.

“I was only trying to make sure that you are here of your own volition,” Molly replied, regaining her self-asserted control before sending another glare my way. “This… boy… He doesn’t have the most favourable reputation, you see.”

Izaria leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table. Her shoulders were squared, and her jaw was set in anger. There was a fierceness in her eyes that I had never seen before. Then again, I can’t say anyone at the packhouse had ever triggered such a reaction from her.

“Like he said, I’m just wanting to get informational help regarding methods of birth control,” Izzy snarled. Hell, she even had my wolf baring his neck in submission, and that took power. It took controlled balance of calm and ticked off to make my wolf spirit submit, and she’d reached it without trying.

Oh, she was going to be a wonderful Luna.

Molly’s face lost all semblance of colour. Again, she tried to taint Izaria's view of me. “He’s not to be trusted," she said. "He's the Devil incarnate, and you would do well to stay away from him.”

Izzy let out a shriek of frustration as she realized that talking sense into the senseless was about as useful as t**s on a bull. Nothing she said would get the woman to leave me alone, and we both knew it. Grasping her hand under the table, I quietly urged her to calm herself down.

“Is there another clinic we can go to, Neil," she asked suddenly. "I just want to get this over with so we can go for that ice cream you promised me.”

Frowning, I couldn't recall that promise and realized that she'd lied. I wanted to be mad about it, but then she'd gone along with my fib, so why not.