CHAPTER 17: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

LOUISA

“Thirteen years,” Tammy says as she walks over to the couch with two cups of coffee and hands me one. “I haven't seen you in thirteen years. I thought I would never see you again,” she says as she sits down beside me.

We are in one of the guest cottages, private and closed to outside eyes and the kids have thankfully been put to bed, leaving her and me to catch up.

“I know. I thought the same too,” I whisper. “If anything, I am glad I get to see you again.”

“I want to know everything,” she demands as she stares into my eyes. “Can you imagine my fear and panic when I didn't hear from you for weeks. I tried sneaking into the Blood Moon Pack several times, but when I almost got caught the last time I stopped. I thought they had done something to you. Maybe they had found out that you had snuck out. It was only after like 3 months when by pure coincidence I caught sight of some of Gaines' wolves, searching for you, that I found out that you had run away. Why did you run?”

“Oh, where do I even begin from?”

“Was it because you snuck out?”

“No. No, they didn't find out about that.”

“Then why?”

“Well, that morning. My parents were having a fight. Or to be more correct, my father was being his usual man-child, throwing a tantrum and abusing my mother. Physically. Again.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yeah. I went down to try and… I don't know, calm him down… but things got out of hand and I well… I might have thrown him out of the window.”

“No way,” she says with a gleeful smile.

“Oh, yes way. I was stunned. He was stunned. My mother was stunned. Everyone was stunned. And before I knew it, the guards arrived. Apparently, the news gathered attention.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. A lot of things were happening all at once and eventually, I was locked up awaiting trial with the Alpha.”

“Oh no. Were you exiled? Is that why you went missing?! Why didn't you come to us?! To me! I could have helped!”

“No. I wasn't exiled and would you let me finish?”

“Fine. Fine. Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” I say before taking a sip and then continuing. “While in the cell, I got a visit from yours truly.”

“Let me guess, Gaines.”

“Bingo. He talked a big game. Told me he would save me. Make me the luckiest woman on earth. All I had to do was accept to be his mate. And his future Luna.”

“Eeew,” she says with a grimace

“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too,” I say with a scoff.

“Did she have a mate already? One that he killed?”

“Oh, yeah. He did. Apparently, she wasn't good enough. And I was.”

“Damn. But then how did you escape?”

“His mother. She is or was… friends with mine. She snuck in that night, gave me a bag with essentials and money, and told me to vanish. To save myself. And I ran.”

“Why didn't you come to me? I could have helped.”

“Everyone knew you and I were friends. I figured that would be the first place they would look and I didn't want to give you or your pack any trouble. By the time I realized I was pregnant for Travis, I was already too far away. It was too late to come back.”

“Wait… what?!”

“What?” I ask, confused at her shocked look.

“Pregnant for Travis? Lou… are those kids Travis's?

Ah… shit

This is not how it should have been revealed

“Lou? Louisa? Is Travis their father?!”

“No! And keep your voice down. I don't want any confusion.”

“You mean you don't want anyone to know!” She snaps. “Lou! Don't you see? This solves all your problems. Once Travis knows the kids are his, he will protect them. The whole pack will protect them. There would be no one to call for their execution because of their rogue status. They will be safe. And so will you. Especially from Gaines. I don't understand why you are hesitating.”

“I… uh… maybe I am just not willing… to trust anyone… with my kids' safety. Maybe I don't trust him that well.”

“I call bullshit. You don't know him well enough to say you don't trust him or not. So, I call bullshit on that. There is something else going on, isn't there? What is it?”

“There is nothing else going on. Maybe I just don't trust packs anymore.”

“Really? Packs? You have only lived in one pack. And that is the misogynistic, archaic, and backwards thinking Blood Moon Pack. Why the hell are you using them as the standard?”

“Well, maybe it has skipped your notice, Tammy. But I have been a rogue for the past thirteen years and I have a side to packs that are not usually from and center. I don't trust packs because they are not to be trusted. I will rather live on my own terms, with mine and my children's freedom intact than be locked up in a pack.”

“Locked up!” She snaps. “A pack offers safety, Lou.”

“In exchange for their lives. The only people my children and I have to worry about are ourselves. In a pack, we are obligated to fight in wars and battles that we have no hand in creating. For people we don't even trust. I don't want that for my kids.”

“So… you prefer to live hunted, looked down upon, as second class citizens than belonging to a people with shared goals and loyalty. For your own comfort and feeling, you are going to deny a man the knowledge of his children and the warmth of a father for said children. When did you get so selfish, Lou?”

“You have no right to call me that. You have no idea, the hell I have been through.”

“No, I don't,” she says as she gets to her feet. What I do know is that you are the reason those children are fatherless. Even as Travis, is doing everything he can to protect and save their lives. What I do know, is that you are not the friend I grew up loving. I will leave you to your rest,” she says as she drops her cup and heads for the door.

“Oh, come on, Tammy,” I call out. “Dint leave like this. Tammy!”

But the only response I get, is the door closing with a click.

“Great,” I mutter. “Just bloody great.”

AUTHOR NOTES: Hello, my wonderful readers. A huge and gigantic thank you for selecting my book to read. It really warms my werewolf heart. I would love to hear from you all, your thoughts, opinions, feelings. Who pisses you off? Who do you absolutely love? Where do you think this story is going? I want to hear it all. So, please do comment and support my book. Your dear Author, Adeline Valois