39. They’d Be Happy

39

They'd Be Happy

" C armen, were you able to finish that puff piece about Danny's Groceries?" I ask, my laptop bag over my shoulder as I peek into her cubicle.

"Just finishing it now, boss. It will be on your desk by the end of the day."

I tap her wall. "Great, thank you! I'm having lunch with Granny, but I'll be back later."

Her words catch me before I turn to walk away. "Oh, next time you see my brother, tell him I need him to stop by the police station."

"Why?"

"I've been trying to get a statement from the police about the attacks, but Sergeant Brick is being a dick, but I guess what's new." She huffs.

"He won't comment at all?"

"Nope. It's like he's back to pretending that nothing happened."

I twist my lips. "That's weird."

"Yeah, I don't think we should have trusted him to go to the banquet. I have a bad feeling about him."

My stomach twists. Our plan for opening the Dayton Daily was to report on the real news happening in Dayton. We didn't plan to publicly release everything about werewolves and all their identities at once but bring to light the atrocities of the Hunters. We figured more werewolf identities would be revealed over time, but we couldn't keep hiding; it wasn't saving anyone. But if Sergeant Brick was double-crossing us now—that could be a problem.

"I'll tell him to head there and see what's going on when I get home tonight."

"Thanks," Carmen says, already turned to her computer and clicking through windows on her screen.

I push through the glass doors, turning and walking backward to see the new sign above my small office. "The Dayton Daily." I smile, letting the accomplishment wash over me. In only three months, I've rented this office space, secured printing and distribution, hired Carmen, and have a full-fledged local paper in operation. I've been so busy opening this thing and moving my life from New York to Cameron's cabin that I've barely stopped for a moment to appreciate it.

I resigned from my job at the Times. I thought I'd be sad once I sent my letter of resignation. My job was my life, but the second I hit that send button, I felt nothing but happiness. Now, here I am in front of my own paper. I take one last inhale of victory before jumping in my car and heading to Granny's.

***

"Is that you, Red?" Granny calls as I shut the front door behind me.

"Yes, and you're lucky. You need to keep your door locked. A monster could barge in."

"Funny you should mention me," Cameron calls as I enter the kitchen. He lies on the kitchen floor, his head underneath the sink.

Granny sits at the kitchen table, sorting through an old box filled with photos and papers.

"Granny, are you stealing my man?" I ask as I make my way to Cameron and stand over him. He rolls out from the shadows, grinning at me with a grease-stained face. "Are you here to gobble up my little ol' Granny?" I ask, falling to my knees and leaning over to kiss him.

Cameron wraps his arms around me, his lips grazing my ear as he whispers, "No, but I had hoped that helping fix your Granny's sink would win me some brownie points so I could gobble you up later." He nips my bottom lip.

My cheeks flush, and I push my body against him.

"Red, come over here. I want to show you something," Granny calls, her back turned to us.

I pop up, repressing the rosiness to my cheeks. "Yes, Granny." I pull out the seat beside her, leaning over to examine the papers in her hands. "What do you have there?"

"After you and I talked yesterday, you got me thinking. There are a lot of gaps in my memory of your parents. I remembered I had this box in the attic full of memories over the years. I thought it might help put together some of the pieces."

"Oh yeah?" I look to Cameron, now standing and wiping off his hands.

Over the past three months—between moving and building the local paper—I've been focusing on improving my powers. Fortunately for me, training involves a lot of sex with Cameron—each time, my powers heightened. Claws, super strength, mini-earthquakes, mind reading, and mind control are the extent of my powers, but they grow stronger daily. I couldn't only test them in the bedroom or when I was in life-threatening situations, so I decided to start practicing on Granny. I wasn't interested in reading her mind, but I hoped I could help restore the missing pieces and repair the damage the Hunters did to her.

After three months of no progress, I was about to call it quits, but last night something changed. She remembered her Hunter heritage. She remembered my father being part werewolf. It wasn't much, just the seed of the idea. I'd hoped I could build on it and uncover more. It seems like my hopes have come to fruition. Now, she's examining her missing memories all on her own.

I can't erase the smile on my face. My powers are growing, and I'm using them to help one of the people I love most. "What did you find?" I ask.

She hands me a picture of my parents on their wedding day. My mom wears a beautiful white gown, not a wedding dress, just a flowy white dress that looks like she found it last minute. My dad holds her in his arms, gazing at her with so much love behind his eyes.

I take the picture. "They look so happy."

"They were. I wasn't happy about them coming together at first. He was a werewolf, for Pete's sake—the enemy."

Anxiety shoots through my veins at her words. I hadn't thought that she might only remember my parents before she accepted my father. Could I have done more damage to her than good?

Her words slice through my panic. "Your mother invited me to their courthouse wedding two hours before it started." She shakes her head. "I could have strangled her, but I decided to go. She was my only daughter, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I missed her special day. When I saw your parents up there at the front of the courtroom—the love in their eyes—I knew I had been wrong. They were mates. How could I hold onto my hatred when I witnessed something so opposite to what I grew up believing?"

"Did you believe they were mates when she told you?"

Granny nods. "Yes, it was obvious to everyone. Your father became more powerful. That's what threw the Hunters through a loop. They started speculating that she had some werewolf DNA, but I knew she didn't. Their love was so powerful that it created their own rules. That's when I realized all the lies I had been taught. We weren't so different than werewolves. And then you came along and showed me how even more powerful your parents love could be." She pulls out an old picture of me swaddled in my mother's arms.

"My eyes!" I gasp, holding the picture closer, staring at my bright, glowing eyes .

Granny nods. "You showed your powers early on. Your parents tried everything to keep it a secret, but it got out. The Hunters wanted you for themselves, but when your parents refused… well, you know what happened from there." Tears fill her eyes.

I reach out to grab Granny's hand, my eyes welling with tears. Cameron stands behind me, placing a steady hand on my shoulder. I've never seen Granny so emotional before. Maybe bringing her memories back wasn't the best idea. Maybe I should have let her live the rest of her days in her ignorant bliss. But then I watch as she picks up another picture of me and my mother, her face lighting up.

"Here's when you first started walking." She hands it to me.

I can't help but smile as well, seeing my young mother look at me with such love. Maybe these memories are painful, but with the pain comes so much joy because love existed here. How sweet is it to experience such love that hurts so much when it's gone?

I flip the card over, surprised to find my mother's handwriting on the back.

Red taking her first steps–the strongest crimson wolf to live. Soon she'll be running all through Dayton, causing all sorts of havoc.

I laugh and hold it up to show my mate. He smiles and squeezes my shoulder.

I wish she could see me now. She'd be so happy watching me taking down Hunters, starting a paper to bring light to the corruption that has haunted this town for years, and being fucked into oblivion every night by my mate. Okay, maybe she wouldn't love to see that last one, but she'd be happy to know I'm happy.

Something in my heart swells, and I know that wherever they are, they're smiling down on me.