CHAPTER 16

CATRIONA

Jayden’s breath caught.

He didn’t speak. Just stared at me, like the words hadn’t fully registered.

“I don’t mean permanently,” I rushed to say. “I mean—temporarily. I need to cross the boundary between this world and theirs. I have to force my spirit to where they are. The realm where they hide. That’s the only way they’ll talk to me. It’s how they always reached me before—in my dreams, when I was between life and death.”

He looked at me for a long moment without blinking.

“Catriona…” He finally said, his voice was hoarse. “No.”

I leaned in. “Jayden, they won’t come to me otherwise. They’re avoiding me. But if I go there—if I die just long enough—I can confront them. Ask them why they’re haunting our son. Make them stop.”

His jaw clenched. “And what if you can’t come back?”

“I will. Because they'll not let me die.”

He stood up, running a hand through his hair, pacing now like a storm barely held back. “Do you hear yourself? This is madness, Catriona. There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t,” I said firmly. “This is the only door they left open.”

He turned to face me again, fury and fear tangled in his eyes. “You’re asking me to risk losing the woman I love. The mother of my child. So you can chase ghosts.”

“I’m doing this because I’m his mother,” I whispered. “Because if we don’t stop this now, we’re going to lose Abriel anyway. Little by little, piece by piece. I can't go through that trauma again.”

Jayden stared at me like I’d shattered something sacred between us.

Then, slow and stiff, he rose to his feet.

“I’m not having this conversation right now,” he said, voice flat and low. He turned away. “I’m going to wash up.”

I stepped forward, heart tight. “Jayden, please—”

He stopped, shoulders rigid, and spun around halfway.

“I said no, Catriona.” His voice cracked like a whip. “Erase that thought from your head.”

I froze.

His eyes burned, but not with rage—something deeper. Wounded. Desperate.

Before I could say another word, he turned again and walked into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stood there, motionless, my heart thudding in my chest like it was trying to break free.

The silence swelled around me.

I could hear the water running a moment later—steady, loud, trying to drown out the weight of what had just passed between us.

~~~

Morning came heavy. A weight in the sky, a weight in my chest.

I did my usual routine—fed Abriel, bathed him, dressed him—but my movements were slower, distracted. My mind was elsewhere.

And Jayden… hadn’t said a word.

He barely looked at me.

Every time we crossed paths, it was like I was a ghost passing through him. I didn’t push it. I knew he was still mad. Scared. And he had every right to be.

But I had to go through with this.

I sat on the edge of the bed, helping Abriel into a fresh pair of clothes. A navy hoodie with the little wolf ears on the hood. He looked so soft and innocent it hurt.

“Hey,” I said, tying his tiny shoelaces. “Mummy has to go somewhere today, okay? You’re going to stay with Godmother for a few hours.”

He blinked up at me, eyes calm.

I softened. “You’re going to be a good boy for her, right?”

He nodded.

I smiled, but it cracked a little at the corners. “Mummy will be back before sunset. Promise.”

He reached for his bear and hugged it tight.

I leaned in, kissed his forehead, then hugged him—longer than usual. My arms wrapped around his small body, holding him close as I buried my face into his shoulder.

“I’m gonna miss you, my boy,” I whispered, breathing him in. “So much.”

When I finally let go, he ran off toward the playroom like he always did, tugging his bear behind him.

I stood there for a second longer before turning and making my way to find Godmother. I explained everything quickly—just that I needed to run an urgent errand and that I needed her to watch Abriel until I returned. She looked hesitant, but she agreed.

I thanked her, nodded once, then turned and headed outside.

Lauren was already waiting in the car, looking down at her hands like they were guilty too.

I climbed into the passenger seat, pulled the door shut, and buckled in.

“Let’s go,” I said quietly.

She nodded and started the engine.

We drove off into the forest road, leaving the safety of the pack walls behind.

Today, I was going to face my aunt once again.

And clean up Lauren’s mess… before it spilled over everything I loved.

After hours of silent, winding roads and the rhythmic hum of the engine, we finally pulled into the yard. The same house I hadn’t seen since that day… the day everything spiraled.

I cut the engine and sat frozen for a second. “Should I go talk to Mom first?” she asked, eyes darting toward the house like it was a battlefield.

I turned slowly to face her, voice calm but razor-edged. “No. I came here to talk to her. Why would I wait for you to talk to her first?”

She flinched. “Because… you two aren’t exactly on good terms.”

“I know,” I said as I unbuckled. “But I don’t give a damn anymore. Not about good terms, bad terms—none of it. Anyone who looks like a threat to my family right now?” I looked her dead in the eye. “I’ll burn through them. So get out.”

She swallowed, nodded, and opened her door.

I was already marching toward the house.

The last time I’d been here, it ended in a disaster. Jayden had to pull me out of this place before I lost it completely. But today was different.

Today, I was the storm.

I didn’t knock.

I pushed the door open and walked straight in, like I owned the place.

I sat down on the couch then I looked at Lauren. “Go get your mother. And your grandmother if she’s here. Because there’s no way you only told one of them.”

Lauren hesitated for a second, then nodded and disappeared into the hallway.

Moments later, she returned—with her mother close behind. The woman stopped cold the second her eyes landed on me.

“You little bitch,” she snapped. “What the hell are you doing in my house?”

I stood.

Not rushed. Not angry. Solid.

“Sit down,” I said, my voice a command now, not a request. “We’re going to talk about what your daughter told you. And what you plan to do with that information.”

Her lips curled like she’d bitten a lemon. “Excuse me?”

“No. You listen,” I said, stepping forward, holding her eyes. “I am not that girl you used to throw out like garbage. I’m not scared of you, and I sure as hell won’t let you jeopardize my family’s safety because your daughter couldn’t keep her damn mouth shut.”

Her face paled, but she masked it with rage.

“Is it me you’re talking to like that?” she hissed. “You nobody—”

“Don’t.” I cut in, ice in my voice. “Don’t test me today.”

The room fell silent. Even Lauren stood stiff by the wall, like a child who just watched lightning hit the ground.

I stepped closer to her mother.

“I’ve killed to protect my own. I’ve buried pieces of myself just to keep standing. And if I have to shut this whole damn bloodline down to keep my son safe, I will. So sit. Down.”

She stared at me, stunned, like she’d been slapped across the face with history and hadn’t expected me to be standing on the other side of it.

But her knees bent. Slowly. She sat.

And I stayed standing—because I was done lowering myself for anyone.

Lauren shifted from foot to foot near the door, her eyes flicking between me and her mother, clearly wishing she could melt into the wall. But I didn’t take my eyes off the woman sitting across from me. Her back was stiff, arms crossed like she still thought she held any power here.

"So," I said, voice low and even, "let's hear it. What exactly did your daughter tell you?"

She raised her chin, stubborn, defiant. "She told me the truth. About what you people are. About what she became. About your so-called 'pack.'"

I nodded once. "And who else did you tell?"

Her mouth twitched, but she didn’t answer.

"Don’t play games with me," I snapped. "I’m not here to plead. I’m here to fix this mess before it becomes a disaster. So talk. Now."

Lauren stepped forward hesitantly. "She told our neighbor, Ms. Corrin. She didn’t believe it, Mom said. Thought she was drunk."

I turned back to the aunt. "Anyone else?"

She scoffed. "You think I’d go shouting this around town? You think I want people thinking my daughter’s a damn werewolf? I raised her better than this."

"Then maybe you should've raised her to keep secrets when lives are on the line," I said, cutting her down with a glare. "Because this isn't about embarrassment or gossip. It's about her life too."

Her face twisted in resentment. "I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t want her dragged into your madness."

"And yet here we are."

She looked at me like she wanted to spit. "What do you want from me? An apology? A promise to stay quiet?"

"No," I said. "I want your word. On your daughter's life. That you won't say a word about us to anyone. Not friends, not neighbors, not some damn priest at Sunday mass. Not even your own reflection."

"And if I don't?"

I stepped forward, leaning in just enough that she could feel the weight of what I carried inside. "If you don't, I promise you—Jayden won't come here to talk. He won't come here to reason. He'll come to make sure there's nothing left to talk about. And he'll begin with your daughter."

She went quiet.

Lauren whispered, "Mom... please. Just promise her."

There was a long pause. Then, finally, she exhaled through her nose. "Fine. You have my word. I won’t say anything."

I straightened. "Good."

She looked up at me, eyes bitter. "You're just like him, you know. That wolf."

"No," I said. "I'm worse. Because I was raised human, and I chose this."

I had just shifted the gear into reverse, eyes locked on the rearview mirror, when I heard it—

“Lauren! Is it true you became a werewolf?!”

My foot slammed the brakes, jerking the car to a stop.

My heart dropped.

I turned sharply, window halfway down, and stared at the man hurrying toward us from across the street. I didn’t recognize him—not that it mattered. His face said everything. He looked like someone who’d just heard a ghost story... and believed it.

I rolled the window lower. “What did you just say?”

He leaned in, out of breath, eyes darting between me and Lauren.

“My wife said Lauren’s mom—told her this morning. That Lauren’s not human anymore. Said she’s… a werewolf. And now the whole town knows.”