Chapter 48: Chapter 47 - Cody

Friday 25 December

~*Cody’s POV*~

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

Mum always had the answers. Not once could I ever remember her not knowing how to proceed. For her to admit that she didn’t know what to do left me feeling decidedly alarmed.

“Are you going to tell Takeshi?” I asked.

“I’m going to have to. It’s Tatum’s wolf that is driving all of this. It affects the pack.” She ran her hand through her hair. “Although it’s going to have to wait until Takeshi is feeling better.”

I nodded in understanding.

We turned our heads towards the sounds of footsteps echoing back from the empty cafeteria’s walls. I half expected to see Dad walking towards us, keys in hand, ready to get us moving to the cemetery.

But it was Tatum.

Mum was out of her seat like someone had fired her from a gun.

“Mum!” I ran after her. “Roux! Shit! What do I do??”

“I don’t think there’s anything you CAN do. You’re going to have to let this play out.”

“Oh, very helpful, Roux. So very fucking helpful.”

“She’s been dealing with your father for years. I think she’s got this.”

Mum never broke her stride as she approached Tatum, instead lifting him by his throat, striding three more steps, then slamming him down on one of the cafeteria tables.

Oh, shit.

She towered over him, her hand grasping his throat as he lay on the tabletop, looking up at her with a startled look, but he didn’t fight her in any way.

“YOU CAME AFTER MY DAUGHTER?!” Mum’s voice was raw and filled with utter fury.

A terrible, evil smile grew over Tatum’s face as he realised what this was about. His eyes flicked to mine, full of glee, and suddenly I knew he had added Mum to his list of conquests.

And she had played right into his hands.

A feeling of dread filled me as I tried to pull her hand away from his neck, but she held him fast. Nothing I could do would make her release him.

“Mum… Please…” I begged her. I let go of her hand and turned to try to talk some sense into her, then recoiled at what was in front of me. “Oh, my Goddess… Mum… Your eyes…”

Tatum had been watching me, but as soon as I mentioned Mum’s eyes, he turned his attention to her. He had been still before, but as soon as he looked into her eyes, he started squirming, trying desperately to get out of her handhold.

Mum’s eyes, normally green just like my own, were now a shimmering dark lilac, her pupils reduced to pinpricks.

When she was bringing Kenzie forward, her eyes glowed the same copper shade that we all did. Only Takeshi, Spence and Kennedy had eyes that glowed differently, each colour denoting their status in the pack. Takeshi’s eyes glowed gold, showing his Alpha position; Spence’s eyes glowed light silver, marking him as Beta; and Kennedy’s eyes glowed dark silver, representing his Gamma role.

Purple was not in the pack hierarchy and pointed out that something was very different about Mum.

Something unnatural.

I had never seen eyes like this before, and if Tatum’s growing struggles were any sign, neither had he.

“That’s right, you little shit.” Mum’s voice was icy, even, almost monotonous. “You better be terrified.” Her hand gripped his neck tighter as he clawed at her fingers, trying desperately to make her let him go. “You stay away from my daughter.” She leaned down to his ear but spoke loudly enough for me to hear. “I know how your tiny, twisted mind works. Go ahead. Tell as many people as you want.” She raised her shimmering eyes to mine but left her head next to his. “No-one will ever believe you.” Her voice held an odd duality, like something electronic had been added to her usual tone.

I stood frozen as I watched his terrified eyes flare, his hands now scrabbling at anything he could find purchase on to get away from Mum, his legs kicking at the chairs next to the table, sending them all flying.

Mum stood up, her hand still grasping Tatum’s throat, forcing him to remain on the table regardless of his struggles. “Take a couple of steps back, Cody.” Her voice had now returned to normal, the shimmering of her eyes fading, but still holding that odd dark-lilac tint.

I followed her instructions and backed up as far as my shaking legs would take me. When she felt I was a suitable distance away from Tatum, she quickly removed her hand from his throat and stepped back.

Tatum was off the table like a shot, stumbling over the fallen chairs he had kicked over. He looked over his shoulder once to make sure we weren’t following, but never slowed as he ran for the exit.

Once he was out of our eyesight, Mum sagged. I rushed forward to get to her before she collapsed entirely. I dragged a chair over to her and lowered her into it, her head slumping forward with exhaustion.

She utterly terrified me, but she was still my Mum.

And right now, she needed me.

I let her sit there to regain her composure while I righted all the chairs that Tatum had kicked over, then I pulled one over in front of her and settled myself in it.

I leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee. “Uh… Mum? Why have your eyes turned purple? You want to clue me in on what just happened?”

She raised a hand to her forehead. “Not particularly, but I don’t think I have a choice anymore, do I?” She lifted her eyes to mine, and I let out a breath I didn’t realise I had been holding until then. Her eyes had returned to their usual green.

“Everyone has a choice, Mum.” I smiled sadly as I remembered the last time I had spoken these words. “Even those that don’t think they do.”

She let out a tired chuckle. “When did you get so smart?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said offhandedly, trying to lighten the mood. “Might be around the time my kick-ass Mum gave birth to me?”

Her smile grew, her green eyes sparkling, but it all faded quickly. It was clear she was absolutely shattered. She sighed, then waved her hand around her eyes. “This is linked to how I keep Dad away from you.”

I took that in and let her words swirl around in my mind before I responded. Mum never talked about her issues with Dad voluntarily. It was always me who raised the subject of how Dad treated her, how I wished she would leave him, how much better off she’d be if she got away from him. Every time, Mum would change the subject or tell me I was worrying over nothing.

Mum starting the conversation was huge.

I stayed quiet, urging her to continue, but at her own pace.

“Do you remember that magpie you saw when we picked up Nat?”

I raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t where I thought this conversation was going to go at all. She wanted to talk about a bird? “Um… vaguely. I mean, it’s a magpie. It’s not like they’re rare.”

She chuckled. “That one is.”

I let my brow furrow. Okay…

Mum sat back in her chair. “Her name is Gidja. She’s owned by someone who helped me after your Daddy died.”

“I thought Takeshi helped you?”

She nodded slowly. “That was what we let you believe. What we let everyone in the pack believe.”

“But it wasn’t?”

“We both needed help, Cody. Nothing we were doing was working. Everyone else was getting through their grief, but we were getting worse. Then she showed up.”

I cast my mind back to the time after Daddy died. It had been an incredibly dark time in our household, probably the darkest we’d ever faced. Daddy was the light of the household, the one that kept everyone smiling and joking. When he died, both Mum and Dad spiralled out of control.

Dad had channelled his grief into becoming ‘better’, ‘stronger’. He spent every spare moment in the gym, trying desperately to become someone that could have saved Daddy. Somehow, they had become separated on Black Saturday, but he’d never told anyone how it had happened. He vowed he would never be weak for his family again.

On the other hand, Mum had basically just given up. She stopped going to work, stopped eating, and only slept when her body gave out on her. She was a shell of her former self.

I watched them both destroy themselves, but I didn’t know how to help. I continued going to school, but at home, television became my babysitter. TV shows and movies helped me grow up. They taught me about how the world worked. Dad was never home, choosing to spend all his time either at work or at the gym, so I learned how to cook meals for myself and Mum from watching YouTube clips on the internet. She ate nothing I cooked for her, but I tried.

There’s only so much you can cook when you’re six, after all.

Takeshi was much the same as Mum, if not worse. He had lost his wife and daughter. He not only felt the loss of his own loved ones, but, as Alpha, he also felt the loss of every pack member that had died, as well as the grief the pack felt about losing their pack Luna.

I always believed that Mum and Takeshi had helped each other get through it all, but now Mum was telling me that wasn’t true. That there had been someone else?

“What do you mean, Mum? Who are you talking about?” I frowned. I had no recollection of anyone else.

“Takeshi’s Bunyip friend.” Her eyes closed as she remembered. “I still don’t know how she knew we were in trouble. Maybe Takeshi does.” She frowned slightly. “Maybe she felt our desperation…”

“Bunyip friend?” Bunyip was a town about two and a half hours’ drive south-west of Matlock. I assumed Mum meant Takeshi’s friend was from there. But in Australia, Bunyip also meant something different. “Like, from the place?”

“As far as I’m aware, she does live in Bunyip.” She opened her eyes and stared unblinkingly at me. “But that’s not why I call her his ‘Bunyip friend’.”

I sat back in shock. This put a whole new spin on things.

Just like werewolves were a thing of fantasy in the human world, so were Bunyips. A Yowie was the Australian equivalent of a Yeti, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. It was said that Bunyips were similar, but were amphibious or aquatic, preferring to live in, or very close to, water.

But they were a myth, a story that we told our children around the campfire. They weren’t real.

“But werewolves aren’t real either, Cody. Right?”

“Okay, fair point, Roux.”

“She’s a Bunyip?” I couldn’t help but sound a little incredulous about the idea. Even though werewolves had kept ourselves secret from the human world for eons, I just couldn’t bring myself to consider that there might be other species out there doing exactly the same.

“Don’t sound so surprised, Cody. We’ve dealt with mystics before.”

“Yeah, but they talk about mystics in school. They’re like witches. Bunyips, however…”

“How do I explain…” Mum pressed her fingers into her temples. “Bunyips are very much like mystics, but they’re more. They’re like mystics on steroids.”

“Okay…”

“And Bunyips have been known to create mystics.” She swallowed nervously. “That’s what happened to me.”

I blinked. Then I blinked some more. “You’re a mystic…? What…?”

Mum sighed. “When Takeshi’s Bunyip friend arrived, she offered us help, but her help came at a cost. A non-monetary cost.” She started rubbing her temples again, like she had the worst headache in the world. “She offered each of us a vision, a glimpse into our future if we stayed on the path we were on. If we wanted to change that future, she offered us a trade.”

My mind boggled. This all sounded remarkably like a deal with the devil. Why would Mum agree to something like this? “What did you see, Mum?” I asked quietly.

She looked at me, a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. “You.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “What?”

“She showed me that if I let my grief consume me, your Dad would end up killing you.”

I felt faint. “Dad would never hurt me…”

“Wouldn’t he?” She leaned forward to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You know what he’s like.”

Even though I was sitting down, I swayed. I leaned forward and tried to take deep breaths to settle my dizziness.

“She led me to believe that it was a onetime deal.” Mum’s voice turned bitter. “She would give me the means to protect you, and I would give her what she wanted. With Takeshi, it was a simple transaction. With me…” she trailed off.

“With you, what? How was your deal different?” It was like I was watching a car-crash. I knew it was coming, but I had to keep watching. I had to know how it ended.

Mum sighed, long and hard. “She took her down-payment, then amended the terms. Apparently, I was ‘special’.”

“Couldn’t you back out? If she changed the terms?”

“It’s not like buying a car or a house, Cody. With Bunyips, once the down-payment is made, you can’t back out of the transaction.”

“But that’s not fair!”

A small, wry grin appeared on her face. “Hasn’t anyone told you, Cody? Life isn’t fair.”

I frowned at her. “This is your life we’re talking about, Mum!”

“No, honey. It was yours.”

“But…”

“I would have done anything to save you, Cody. I did it for you.”

I sat there, stunned. This was all so much to take in. “What do you mean, you were ‘special’?”

“Apparently, when she took the down-payment, she tagged me as someone that had the potential to become a mystic. I need to have regular ‘lessons’ with her to unlock new knowledge; knowledge that, according to her, will help me with things in my future.” Mum shrugged. “In all these years, I haven’t seen any actual change. Other than knowing how to deal with your Dad, that is.” She pursed her lips as she thought about that statement. “Not until today, at least. The eyes are new. So was the voice.”

“Aren’t you worried Tatum will say something?”

She grinned. “Oh, he will. Most definitely. But I think he’ll have trouble finding anyone to believe him.”

I thought back to what she’d said to Tatum, how her voice had changed when she said the words ’no-one will ever believe you.’ Had she put a spell on him? My eyes widened at the idea. “Um… Quick question…”

“Mm…?” Mum was still grinning like the cat who got the cream.

“How do you deal with Dad? Why can’t you just walk away from him? Can’t you just do your mystic spell stuff on him now to get away?”

“Cody, that was three questions, not one.” She rolled her eyes at me. “I have to remain with your Dad until you shift for the first time. It was one of the stipulations she gave me.” Her smile dropped a little, like she wasn’t entirely happy about the idea of getting away from him.

As her smile dropped, mine grew. “That’s next Wednesday! Why aren’t you more excited?”

“A lot can happen in five days, Cody.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Also, don’t forget what it’s like to break a fated mate bond. I’m not even sure if I can break it once it’s been sealed. And it’s been sealed for a very long time.”

“But you’ve got that Bunyip person. If you can’t do it, couldn’t she break the bond for you?”

“No.” Mum’s gaze turned glacial. “I refuse to make another deal with her.”

“But–”

“NO.”

I frowned in furious frustration at Mum. She was so close to getting away from my Dad. So very close. I heard their fights. I felt the walls shake when he threw her against them. Why wouldn’t she do everything in her power to get away from that?

Sighing, I tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject. “You call her ‘Takeshi’s Bunyip friend’ or ‘she’ or ‘her’. You never call her by a name. Why is that?”

Mum tilted her head to the side, obviously considering how best to respond to my question. “Her name is an invocation. If she is not in your presence, you speak it to call for her.”

Well, that was handy information to know. “And I’m guessing you won’t be sharing that knowledge with me anytime soon.” I grinned cheekily to let her know I was being facetious.

“Absolutely not.” Her face remained stony, obviously not seeing that I was trying to make a joke.

I sighed. So much for that idea. Time to get back to the more pressing topic. “Mum… How do you deal with Dad?”

She looked away from me. It was the first time during this truly strange conversation that Mum had struggled to keep her attention on me. “She gave me the ability to absorb his fury with no physical consequences,” she muttered.

“Absorb…?”

She looked down at the ground in front of me. “I take what he gives so others remain untouched.”

“But Mum… At what cost?”

“There is no physical cost to me.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “But what about the mental cost? Surely your mental well-being is just as important as your physical health?!”

Mum looked at me with affection. “You’re young, Cody. Wait until you have a child of your own. Then you’ll understand.” She cupped her palm on my cheek. “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do to make sure your children are safe.”