21. Mysteries

It takes a while, but eventually our pack doctor manages to stop the bleeding. He decides to keep Charlie there for a night and run a few tests. Austen also has to spend the night in the infirmary due to the assault he and Charlie faced, so instantly Charlie's mood gets better.

She is a true fighter and adapts to new situations fast. Gisela drops by, and the three of them begin to watch movies.

"Are you okay on your own?" I ask. "I can stay the night with you."

Charlie grins. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"We will make sure to have the breakfast of your dreams ready for you tomorrow," Dante promises. "Anything you want in particular?"

"Yes." She beams. "Pancakes. Oh, and bacon with eggs."

Dante nods. "We got you."

Charlie smiles contently. "Thank you," she says. It seems like everything that happened today, starting from her encounter with Rob to Dante coming back despite being severely depressed, helped her truly accept him.

My heart makes a little leap of joy. I feel like this is a significant step towards becoming a real family. Dante and I take Charlie by her word and decide it's okay to leave her with her friends—we would probably just disturb their privacy anyway.

Gisela is a little firecracker, so I wouldn't put it past her managing to stay the night in the infirmary too.

On our way back to the packhouse, Dante takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. "How are you holding up?" I ask him.

"Okay," he says. "Seeing you and Charlie put everything into perspective again."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offer.

"I'm not sure. I didn't expect to hear from her ever again," he says. "Let alone for her to just call randomly. Did Liam say anything?"

"Do you really want to know?" I ask.

He nods.

"He said he called Prince Eric. She is with one of the packs around Paris. And it seems like she… well…" I swallow down my annoyance. It's not my call to make, after all. "Wants to reconnect."

"With me?" he asks.

"Yes."

His reaction comes as a huge surprise because he just laughs. It's not a hysterical laugh, but something between feeling truly amused and annoyed. "The nerve," he mutters.

I can feel the anger through our bond. That's new. Normally when his past trauma hits him, he feels sad, devastated, guilty, but it's the first time I've encountered him feeling angry. I call this progress, and I'm so glad he is starting to move away from feeling like everything that happened is his fault.

When we enter the packhouse, Liam is expecting us, and we give him a swift update on what happened. "I would like to discuss something else with you, Alpha," I tell him. "With the both of you."

"Let's go to my office," he says.

Once there, I fill him and Dante in on what I saw, the way Charlie's eyes flashed. None of them shoots me down, fortunately. "It could be her gift." Liam voices what I initially thought too. "But it could be something else as well."

"But what?" Dante asks.

"I'm not sure yet," Liam says. "I will keep an eye on her and have some tests done. Is that okay for you?"

He is the alpha, and technically, he could just order these tests to be done, but Liam has always liked to include parents in decisions concerning their kids. Dante and I are definitely on board, though. "Please do so," I say. "I think we really should find out what's happening with her to be able to help her properly." I pause and then proceed to tell Dante and Liam the true reason I asked for a meeting. "I also want us to track her dad," I say.

"You think he is still alive?" Liam wants to know.

"I think we need to make sure," I say. "I admit, I completely forgot about it due to everything that happened the last couple of weeks."

"Why did you think of him now?" Dante asks.

"It's… it's just a feeling, an instinct," I admit. "Candy did everything to keep Charlie safe. She didn't talk to anyone aside from that Italian pack. I think my dad helped her with it. Why is there nothing about Charlie's dad? Not even one clue? Candy left us clues and breadcrumbs but nothing about him."

"Wait a moment…" Dante says. "You think he is the one searching for Charlie? He is the one who hired those hitmen?"

"It's a possibility we didn't consider up to now," Liam agrees. "I think you and Dante should go through with the plan you had. Go on a date—make sure our witches spread the news somehow so everyone knows you are out—and then don't be subtle."

"This sounds awesome," I say with a grin. "Not being subtle is something we can definitely do. But we need someone to pose as Charlie."

Liam nods. "We will have one of the female warriors do that job. I will tell Aryanna and her mate Jazz to help dress her up to look like Charlie. Maybe she could even borrow some of her clothes?"

"Good idea," I say. "I will talk to Charlie about it tomorrow. I really want to do this as fast as possible."

"Ella is right," Dante says. "I think we wasted too much time already."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Liam says. "You had a lot on your plate. Your priority was finding Charlie and ensuring she returned home with you."

"I still think we should have acted earlier," Dante says.

"There is no use in getting hung up on that," Liam says. "It's in the past and we can't change that. But we can do everything now."

"Then let's proceed with the plan," I agree. "I will help Aryanna and Jazz pick out a warrior who can pose as Charlie and help them dress her. I still want to tackle this fast. Preferably on the weekend."

"How about we make it a Friday night date?" Dante offers. "Like a family thing. It would make sense that I invite you and Charlie out for a fancy dinner."

"Good idea." Liam nods. "I will talk to Stella and Portia and have Portia spread the news everywhere."

I smile. If it's Portia on the case, then it's definitely a done deal. She is like Dave… just more eccentric and a tad bit more crazy. She owns a BDSM club, and together with one of Dave's friends she co-owns a popular bar. "Wait a moment," I say. "We could make this even easier for everyone involved, including the bad guys. Portia co-owns a fancy bar with Dave's friend Ye-Joon. Why not go there? Ye-Joon is quarter-wolf and knows about us anyway; we can fill him in to an extent."

Liam nods at me approvingly. "I think this might be our best shot." Before he can say anything else, there is a knock at the door. I don't even need to wait for the person to step inside to know who it is. Liam's expression changes the second he takes in her scent, and his eyes get this gentle touch.

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting," Annie says while entering the room.

"You are not interrupting anything," Liam says.

I feel guilty instantly. Annie is my best friend, and I completely forgot to tell her what has happened today. I was just so stressed that I had a one-track mind. But Annie doesn't seem to be hurt or angry at all. "Livia filled me in on everything," she says. "Well, in most parts."

"I will tell you everything later," I promise.

"That's not what I came here for, though," she says. "I was in my office and got a call there. I felt it was weird that they would call me instead of the alpha of the pack."

"Who was it?" Liam asks, instantly concerned.

"I'm not sure," Annie says. "A certain Sonya. She called from France." Liam's eyes darken in anger while my mouth drops open at the audacity. Annie catches on fast. "You know her?"

"She is my mother," Dante explains.

Now it's Annie's turn to look shocked. She just shakes her head. "That's why she called me and not Liam. She probably took a wild guess that I didn't know who she was."

"What did she want, Luna?" Dante asks.

"She kept asking about you and your mate," Annie explains. "I didn't tell her anything and instead pushed for more details about who she was. When she didn't want to answer, I told her to call the alpha. Eventually she hung up on me."

Silence stretches around us. "I can't believe it," Dante says, sounding angry. "The audacity. It's been almost ten years." He pauses. "It's not like I didn't try to reach out to her at the beginning, but she rebuffed all my efforts and kept insulting me every time."

Annie shakes her head. "I don't understand it either." She pauses. "Do you want me to dig a bit deeper, Dante? I could do that. I have friends in Paris."

Dante stays quiet for a few minutes, then he nods. "Thank you for the offer, Luna. I would like to take you up on it. Something feels fishy."

Annie nods. "Leave it to me."

"We are finished here anyway," I say. "I will go and look for Aryanna. Meanwhile, I can fill you in on everything, Annie."

"Right," Liam says. "Dante, stay here so we can go through a few details of the plan and then contact Portia."

We all agree, going our separate ways. I fill Annie in on everything that happened today. "Nose bleed…" she mutters.

"Hm?"

"It's just… something rings a bell, but I'm not sure where I heard about it."

"Charlie is a teen, so it doesn't necessarily mean something unusual, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, maybe, but the excessiveness of it." Annie frowns. "She is going to turn sixteen soon; am I correct?"

"Yes, in two months," I say. "I want to throw her a huge party."

"I'm so glad you are still planning on doing this party for her," Annie says. "Not that I had any doubts that you would."

"When I was a child," I say. "My pack wasn't nice to me. I wouldn't even do anything, yet they took any excuse to take something from me. I know how it feels to watch other children opening their presents while I have nothing. I know how it feels to look forward to an event just to have it taken from me. No matter how much she messes up, I will never do that to Charlie. I don't need such a power trip to parent her."

Annie links our arms. "Let's make sure to show her how much she is loved here and that she belongs in this place." She pauses. "But back to the topic. I've heard a story about a similar issue once."

"You mean a girl whose nose bled before turning sixteen?" I ask, amused. This sounds like a shitty period joke gone wrong.

Annie just furrows her brows. "Yes," she says. "And her eyes were purple?"

I nod, dumbfounded.

"Let me research a bit on it," Annie says. "Oh, and do you mind if I visit her in the infirmary? I want to take Jazz along to meet her. She and Livia are friends."

"I didn't know that," I exclaim. "That's an awesome idea." Jazz is a wonderful young woman. She is half a witch and is a genuinely kind person with a lot of healthy confidence.

"I know you said you need Jazz's help later, but I think if I pick her up now and we visit Charlie, she can do both."

"I will have to get together with Aryanna first anyway and pick a suitable warrior," I say.

Before Annie and I say our goodbyes to head to do our work, I notice the twins aren't with her. "Where are the girls?" I ask.

"Oh, they are with their uncles Dave and Raffy," she says with a laugh.

"Dave's really turning into a kid person," I say.

"I think they might be considering an adoption," Annie tells me. "They haven't said anything yet, but I think it might be an option they are contemplating."

I'm immediately on board with Dave adopting. "Dave and Raffy would be great dads. I think a child growing up with them as their parents would be so lucky."

"Asteria and Aurora love him too," Annie says. "Aurora in particular. She doesn't like staying with strangers. Aside from her nanny, Liam and me. But Dave is a huge exception."

I love that Dave is living the best of his life here. For many years, he probably felt excluded by the fact that Annie and I were werewolves and lived in a different world, but now our worlds finally become one. I'm so happy to be able to live here with my two best friends, with my mate and my niece.

At the front door of the packhouse, Aryanna and Jazz are already waiting. Ari carries a bottle in her hands. "Hair dye," she says. "I brought one of mine. It's purple and very similar to the hair color Charlie chose."

Jazz meanwhile greets us with a bright smile. She is a beautiful woman with auburn skin. She has gone from wearing her hair in braids to carrying it in a natural afro. I sincerely hope that Charlie and her will get along. Jazz is one of the most incredible young women I know, and she is only a few years older than Charlie. I would love for her to have a role model like Jazz.

"How is college going?" I ask her.

"Great, actually," Jazz says. "It's a bit stressful sometimes because I'm also having lessons with Stella here, but Dave is a great help."

"Right, he tutors at your college," Annie says.

"He is great." She beams. "It's a pity he can't do it full-time. But due to his work with the Council, part-time is the best he can do. Everyone loves him when he teaches."

"I'm not surprised," I say. "He is probably a natural."

"Alright, I hate to cut the chat short," Annie says. "But my schedule is packed."

"Same," I say, gesturing towards Aryanna that I'm ready to get down to business.

"Let's go, Jazz," Annie says to the young woman.

Jazz smiles brightly. "Thank you for taking me along, Luna." I watch the both of them walk off before leaving with Aryanna to choose one of our female warriors. It's a pretty prestigious task to do such a job, so I'm not surprised by the huge number of warriors volunteering.