Chapter 27 Cathy

Chapter 27 Cathy

Two days had passed, and Elliot had gotten used to the mansion. He was already walking alone in the corridors, and he already knew every corner of it, something that I had a hard time achieving.

"Are you ready?" Eric asked, coming out and finishing putting on his black tux.

"Yes, I was waiting for you," I replied.

Lydia kept to herself the details of the wedding until everything was settled, and finally would be telling us what she had planned.

To be honest, I was very excited because Eric spoke so highly of the parties his mom was throwing, but what I was most excited about was the full moon ritual.

"Good morning," I greeted Lydia, who had Elliot sitting on her legs eating some marshmallows. "Hello, son. I see you’re having fun."

"Hi dear, have a seat," she made a space for me next to her on the couch.

Elliot smiled, and his mouth was so full of marshmallows it would be impossible to talk.

Eric then sat down next to me, and I leaned back against him.

In front of us and separated by an ornament table, Patric was sitting on a small couch with his hands on his chin. The Alpha of the Night Pack was wearing a serene expression, but I could see in his eyes pride at the sight of his son and grandson.

"Well, in a month and two days, there will be a blue moon," Lydia said with a smile etched on her cheekbones. "It’s a blessing from the Goddess that it happens so soon, and I decided that day would be ideal for the wedding."

The shapeshifters married under the moonlight to unite their souls with the blessing of the Moon Goddess which was a ritual to be performed by an Alpha and his Luna.

"A month?" Eric said, raising an eyebrow. "I wish it had been sooner."

Patric rested his hands on his knees and cleared his throat. "Son, being patient is a virtue of a leader. Sometimes waiting brings better results. Listen to your mother," he said in his deep voice.

"Your father is right. Besides, not everyone is lucky enough to get married under a blue moon," she said.

I wasn’t nervous, but since I was still taking the medication, I didn’t want to spend my wedding day feeling dizzy and nauseous, so a month would be enough time to recover after I finished my treatment.

"It’s okay," Eric said, lifting the corner of his lip. "Sorry, it’s just that I’m so excited and don’t want to wait so long."

"I know," Lydia said. "I am, too, and I want everything to be perfect."

As Lydia continued to give us details of the type of food that would be served and the venue she had chosen. I felt a familiar scent.

"Elliot, go find Andrew to play," I told my son because I didn’t want anyone from the Sith pack to notice him.

Eric sensed my tension and looked me square in the eyes.

"Excuse me, Alpha, but a member of the Sith pack came to see you. He says he brings a message from his Alpha," Lucas said, entering the lounge.

"Send him in," Patric said, settling himself on the couch.

I felt dizzy, and my blood pressure rose. After so many years, I hadn’t gotten over the fear of my father, and having someone from his pack here brought back all those memories.

Into the room came Lucas escorting Taylor, my former driver in the pack. He had his eyes on me, "Greetings, Cathy and the Night family," he said. "My Alpha sent me personally to discuss the terms of the union between Eric and Cathy Sith."

I looked at Eric, puzzled, and he looked back at me with the same expression.

"How did you find out about the wedding?" Eric asked, rising from the couch with his arm muscles tense.

Patric stood up from the chair and motioned for Lucas to step back. " From me," he said. "Cathy is Nicholas’s daughter and was once part of his pack, and by tradition, the bride’s parents must be invited."

Patric was an Alpha attached to tradition, and neither he nor Lydia knew anything about the poisoning or the mistreatment I lived through in the pack. They still believed I had gone off to chase my dreams only.

"What are your Alpha’s terms?" Lydia said, smiling.

Taylor had a different attitude than I remembered. He was colder, his words were measured, and he made no more expressions than necessary to speak.

"My Alpha asks for the border region and the southern area of your territory, as well as the packs that inhabit those regions and any companies and properties you have there," he said as if it was no big deal.

"No way, it’s too much," I said. "Besides, I’m not part of the pack anymore. I don’t owe the Sith pack anything."

"Easy, dear," Lydia said, putting her hand on my leg. "Let the men negotiate the terms."

"There is nothing to negotiate. I support Cathy’s decision. The answer is no," Eric said without letting his father speak.

"What’s your name?" asked Patric to the messenger.

"It’s Taylor Pons, Sir," he replied.

"Very well, Taylor, could you leave us alone for a moment to discuss your proposal, and then we’ll give you our answer," Patric said formally and led the way to the exit.

He waited for Taylor to come out and gave Eric a hard look. "You can’t just refuse terms like that. Understand this is an excessive request, but we still have to negotiate to have a win-win situation," the Alpha of the Night Pack said. "Wars between our kind have been started over the least of things, and you don’t want to start a war, do you?"

Eric took a deep breath and looked at me. And I knew what he wanted, so I nodded.

"There is something you don’t know yet, and I tried not to involve you, but I think it’s inevitable now," Eric said, having his parents’ full attention.

Eric told them about how our first encounter was six years ago, the way my father tried to force us together. He also told them about the mistreatment I received while I was in the pack, how I fled for fear, they would use my son against the Night Pack, and all about the aconite poisoning to keep me from developing my wolf.

Lydia’s and Patric’s expressions turned somber, and they looked at me, not daring to say a word.

"Taylor," Patric used his Alpha voice, making the scream echo in our heads, and as soon as Taylor entered, Patric stepped in front of him to prevent him from advancing any further. "Tell your Alpha we will not accept his terms, and he will not be welcome at the wedding." He was firm and didn’t wait for Taylor to respond.

The messenger turned and walked away, but I felt that something was wrong. I had one of those hunches that things were about to get worse.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked me.

"Yes, it’s just that seeing him made me remember things from the past," I answered.

"You have nothing to be afraid of, Cathy," Patric said. "None of them will ever hurt you again. You are one of us now."

I felt surrounded by a real pack, one that cared about me and would never turn its back on me.

Cathy, we know about your son, your business, and even the house you live in. We have never taken our eyes off you. I heard Taylor’s voice echoing in my head. I’ll wait for you at the edge of the property, in the pine forest. You will come alone and listen to what I have to say, or else we will search for your son, and you will never see him again.

My whole body shuddered, my breathing stopped, and I had to put my hands in my pockets so they wouldn’t notice I was shaking.

"I don’t feel well. I’ll go lie down for a while," I said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Eric.

"No, please keep listening to the wedding preparations so you can let me know later," I said, controlling my voice.

"Are you sure?" Lydia said. "You look pale."

"Yes, please continue without me."

I got up from the chair, feeling their stares on my back, walked down the hallway, and made sure they couldn’t see me. I walked to the back door and headed toward the property lines knowing it was a bad idea, but I still feared for my son’s life because I knew what my father was capable of.

"This way," Taylor stepped out from behind the trunk of a pine tree. "You’re a very wise woman, after all."

I walked into the woods with him to a clearing. "What do you want?" I asked. "I never thought you’d become a bootlicker for my father."

Taylor tensed his jaw and clenched his fists. "You have no idea what you have caused since you left, do you?" he mumbled. "Morgan was killed because of you, and she was blamed for letting you escape."

I felt as if my heart was being cut out, and I fell to my knees. "It’s not possible, my father is cruel, but he wouldn’t do that."

He sighed with eyes full of tears and resentment. "It wasn’t your father. It was Lissandra," he continued with poison in his voice. "After you left, your father became severely ill and was in a coma overnight."

"That’s not possible. He was fine," I said.

"You are the one to blame for Morgan’s murder, and Lissandra told us that she found aconite in your room. The same poison was used against the Alpha," he said.

I began to tremble and got the feeling that Taylor hadn’t actually summoned me to talk.

"I didn’t do it. I would never hurt my father, even though he made my life a living hell," I replied. "It’s always been Lissandra. She’s the real enemy of the pack..."

"Don’t you dare say another word," Taylor roared with fire in his eyes. "You always pretended to be good, but in reality, you were a treacherous snake, and because of your selfishness, I lost the only person I have ever loved."

"It’s not me you have to blame. It’s Lissandra. She was the one who killed her," I cried through tears. "She was my friend too, my only friend in the world."

"And yet you sent her to the gallows!" he said in a delirious tone.

I heard footsteps and the rustling of dry branches.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked. "I thought you wanted to talk."

"The time for talking is over. Now you must pay for what you have done," he replied, and out of the trees came three huge gray wolves with sharp teeth ready to attack. "You can run if you want, but you won’t escape from us."

Taylor shifted into a gray wolf in front of me.

"You don’t have to do this," I said, but he glared at me with murderous eyes and howled.

The other wolves started running in my direction, and I knew that in the woods, I would have no escape.

Cathy, together we are stronger. Let me help you. I heard my wolf’s voice again.

I didn’t know what to do, so I let myself go and allowed my wolf to take control. I felt my muscles tighten, my bones grow stronger, and my senses sharpen. My body was changing, and for the first time, I felt the power of my wolf in all its splendor.

I dodged the attack of the first wolf, bit one in the back of the neck, tore its flesh, and threw it into the air against a tree. I tasted his blood and felt thirsty. They outnumbered me, but my strength was superior. The Alpha’s blood and the bond with Eric gave me strength they didn’t have.

I heard another howl, and I recognized it; Eric was warning his pack that it was time to fight.

Taylor tried to attack me from behind, but Eric jumped out of the trees and stopped him in mid-air, flipping to the ground and biting Taylor’s throat. In an instant, we were surrounded by more wolves from the Night Pack, all of them with sharp claws, waiting for Eric’s orders.

Did they hurt you? Eric asked.

No, I was able to defend myself, I answered.

The circle of wolves opened, and a black wolf the same size as Eric’s with a scar on his forehead entered and, with his roar, made the attackers return to their human form.

You just broke the truce, Patric’s voice echoed in everyone’s head. And tried to kill one of us. I won’t let this go unnoticed. I’ll allow one of you to leave alive to serve as a warning that if you ever set foot inside my territory again, I will take it as a declaration of war, and we’ll have no mercy.

"The war has already begun," Taylor shouted with difficulty spitting blood. "Our new Alpha Alston and Luna Linda are already preparing to attack. The days of The Night Pack are numbered."

“Then there’s nothing to say,” Patric roared.

Eric pulled me away, and we both returned to our human form. Being in his arms and looking into his eyes, I felt, for the first time, our connection, how his body and mine synchronized, and I could feel his emotions, concern, and fears. It was as if our being had connected through an invisible bond.

Hello Cathy, at last, we meet. Eric’s wolf voice echoed in my head, and I could feel how my wolf reacted to his voice as if all the suffering she endured being locked inside me had disappeared.

"Eric, I can feel you. I can finally recognize our bond," I said, "We are destined mates. I can see it now."

Eric kissed me and carried me in his arms into the house to keep me safe.