A Surprise Revelation

EVERETT

She looks so pale lying there in our bed; my little mate. She’s so strong, but right now she looks too vulnerable, and it scares me.

What would I do without her? Aurora is my reason for being, for living.

As I watch her, Aurora looks at me, quickly losing patience. She knows we talked to Andy and wants me to give her the details. I hesitate, though, for a couple of reasons.

I don’t want to put any more stress on her. And we won’t know if she is possessed until the doctor returns with the results of his tests. But that could be hours.

If Nemesis has taken her over, then it could be dangerous to give her any information we know. But how can I refuse her? She is my mate, the pack’s Luna.

“Out with it, Everett.” Aurora has finally lost her patience. “How did the talk with Andy go?”

I sigh, casting a quick glance at Ace, who is also in our bedroom. “Not good,” I finally admit.

Ace nods in agreement, his expression somber.

Aurora winced. “What happened?”

I want to gather her in my arms, but I’m too full of restless energy to sit still. So I begin to pace the room, even though I know it is distracting and might even be making her a bit dizzy.

“He’s still possessed,” I say after a quick stroll around the room. “He kept mumbling Nemesis’s name over and over, and then he said she would soon be whole.”

“We can only assume that means she is close to taking over as many hosts as she needs,” Ace adds.

I pause in my pacing to study Aurora’s expression, looking for any signs that Nemesis might be lurking inside. She grimaces and briefly shuts her eyes.

“We have to get that monster out of Andy,” she says, still with her eyes squeezed shut. After a few seconds, she opens her eyes and sits up in bed.

“Everett, there ~has~ to be something we can do,” Aurora continues, staring at me with pleading eyes. My heart clinches, aching because I can’t figure out how to give her what she wants.

“The only way we know of is to kill the host,” Ace pipes in, drawing a scathing look from me. “Well, it’s true.”

“That would mean killing our pack members too,” I remind him. “I’m not yet ready to start killing off our brothers and sisters.”

For a moment, we all are silent, lost in our thoughts. Then, suddenly, Aurora springs up out of bed.

Anxiously, I search her face, but see nothing but excitement in her expression. No pain or sign of possession.

“I’ve got it,” she exclaims. “I can just heal them.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

She waves a hand in the air, as if trying to tell me to be quiet and just listen. So that’s what I do, although I have a feeling I’m not going to like what she’s going to say.

“If I can heal the body before the soul is able to leave, then I should be able to save the person while also getting rid of Nemesis.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Absolutely not,” I say.

Now Aurora is the one pacing around the room, only out of enthusiasm and not agitation as I had been doing.

“It’s an idea,” Ace chimes in.

“It’s too dangerous,” I argue.

“It’s worth the risk,” Aurora counters.

“Not to me!” I shoot back. “I can’t risk losing you. The pack can’t risk losing you. Don’t you realize how important you are?

“We have to try,” she insists.

I see the stubborn determination in her beautiful green eyes and a chill goes up my spine. I know that no matter what I say, she will do what she thinks is best. Still, I had to try.

“I forbid it.”

As I expected, that doesn’t go over very well. Disapproval radiates throughout her body and across her face.

I decide to try another tactic. “Listen, let’s just not get too hasty. We haven’t exhausted all options yet. This is an extreme measure, Aurora, that we don’t even know will work.”

She looks like she’s about to argue, but then must have changed her mind. She gives me a slow nod, a reluctant agreement. But, I’ll take it. At least for now.

It is a small victory and it’s hard not to smile, but I know if I do, Aurora will dig in her heels even further and make matters worse.

“For now,” she allows. “And speaking of now, I’m tired of laying around waiting for the doctor’s results to come in. I’m going to check on the children at the orphanage.”

“I don’t think—” I start to say, but she interrupts me.

“I have to do this, Everett. Not just because I’m going stir crazy waiting for the results, but because of my duty to the pack, my duty as Luna.”

She pauses to give me a knowing look. “The pack can’t see their Luna as being weak. They already don’t trust me because I’m not a wolf. I can’t add to their concerns.”

I know she’s right, but damn it, I don’t like it. Yet, I’m also filled with pride for my mate. She is intelligent and knows what the pack needs; what I need.

I walk over to her and gently kiss her on the forehead. “Be safe, little mate,” I say softly.

She beams at me and then rushes to the dresser to get a change of clothes, tripping and nearly bashing her head on the furniture in the process.

I shake my head with a slight smile. My ~clumsy~ little mate.

RORY

How embarrassing. I wanted to show a strong front, but then I had to go and nearly slam my head on the dresser. I hate being cursed with such clumsiness, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

I quickly change clothes and head to the orphanage. I need to find a way to take my mind off of whatever is going on with my body. I don’t think I’m possessed. At least, I don’t feel that I am.

I just feel weak and a bit exhausted. What is going on with my health? I’m concerned, but I can’t just lie around and wait for the results. Besides, I need to find out how the children are doing.

I reach the school and my heart plummets. I can feel that something isn’t right. While I can hear children playing, the sounds are kind of muted, not the enthusiasm and fun I usually hear.

Once inside, I go straight to the dining hall where I’m happy to see Orion and Cassidy, looking much better than the last time I saw them.

Orion waves at me, and Cassidy, looking up from a book she’s reading, smiles and waves as well.

I smile and go over to them. “Hey, you two. I’m glad to see you out and about. You both look like you’re feeling better.”

“We are,” they say in unison.

“That’s terrific news. Any more issues with your wolves?”

Cassidy hesitates, but then slowly nods. “It’s not as bad as it was, but I still feel like something bad is going to happen.”

“Me too,” Orion agrees.

I open my mouth to respond, but then Nellie walks in and waves at me to get my attention. At the look of her worried expression, an uneasy flutter begins in my stomach.

I don’t want the children to see my concern, so I smile at them. “I’ll see you guys later, okay? Looks like Nellie wants to have a chat with me.”

The children nod solemnly and I have a feeling they know something about whatever Nellie wants to discuss.

As I follow Nellie to her office, I look around at the other children on the way. Their behavior seems off, and it took a moment to realize why. They weren’t playing with each other.

Instead, the younger children sat or stood alone, yet they were still holding conversations. Only, there was no one around that they could be talking to.

I know that some of the smaller children sometimes had imaginary friends, but this was much different. Could they be talking to their wolves? It’s possible, but I doubt it.

Nellie holds her arm out to allow me to enter the office first. She closes the door behind us and then takes a seat at her desk.

Without a word, I sit across from her and wait, giving her time to get her thoughts together. I can tell she’s extremely troubled and I figure it has to do with how the children are acting.

“It’s the younger children,” Nellie began. “I just don’t know what to think or how to help them.”

“Do you mean how they seem to be talking to people who aren’t there?” I ask and Nellie nods. “Could it be that they’re communicating with their wolves? I know it’s strange, but is it possible?”

“I don’t think so,” Nellie sighs. “Most of the time they mumble to where it’s hard to understand, and other times I think they are talking telepathically.”

“I saw them as we walked here and their behavior does concern me. When did this start, and is it only the youngest children?”

“Just a couple days ago,” Nellie answers. “And yes, for some reason, only the littlest of the kids are acting this way. The older ones, like Orion and Cassidy, have gotten better even as our youngest gets worse.”

Could it be possible that they were being possessed by Nemesis? I shudder at the thought and try to hide my growing fear from Nellie. She has enough to worry about without throwing my concerns at her.

“Do they respond when you talk to them?” I ask carefully.

Nellie nods. “Yes. They act normal in every other way, but it’s as if they can see, hear, and talk to people that aren’t there.”

Another thought races through my mind, freaking me out even more. What if Nemesis is somehow able to manifest herself to the children? Were they even now talking to the evil goddess?

Nellie sees the panic in my expression and asks, “What? What are you thinking?”

I don’t want to tell her. Right now, these are just my thoughts. I don’t have any proof and to scare her unnecessarily would be cruel.

However, since she was in charge of the children, didn’t she have a right to know? I was torn and unsure what to do. I wish Everett was here to help me.

“Listen, if you know something, or even think you know something, then you have to tell me,” Nellie says.

I bite my lip nervously. “Do you think…?” I start, and then pause. How am I supposed to handle this? How do I ask her about Nemesis without terrifying her?

“Do I think what?” Nellie insists.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Do you think there’s any chance the children could be seeing Nemesis’s soul image?”

Nellie’s face instantly pales and I can see the truth dawn on her. A huge ball of fear drops like lead in my stomach and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“No,” she whispers, shaking her head. Not because she doesn’t think it’s true, but because the possibility is too strong to deny. “Please, no.”

“I could be wrong,” I rush to try and calm Nellie’s fears. “It’s just a thought. I don’t have any proof.”

“But it makes sense,” Nellie says. “It explains their behavior better than anything I’ve been able to think of.”

A moment passes as we try to digest such a horrible possibility.

“What can we do?” Nellie asks.

“I don’t know. Yet,” I answer. “But I will figure this out.” Somehow. “I’ve got to get back to the pack house. Please let me know if there are any other changes with the children.”

“I will,” Nellie nods. “Please be careful, Rory. You are in a lot of danger with Nemesis out there.”

“I know, and I will be,” I assure her.

I hurry back to the pack house. My mind is whirling with worry, fear, and uncertainty. There has got to be an answer to fix this craziness.

Briefly, I think about visiting Mariah, but then remember how angry it made Everett when I went there. No, first I will see if there’s anything I can find in the library.

Thankfully, I don’t run into any pack members on the way. I know I won’t be able to hide my fear from them, and right now I just want to be alone and look for a solution.

Once in the library, I start scanning through the books. There has to be something here! But before I can get a good start, the doctor enters the room.

“Hi, Rory,” he addresses me.

Suddenly, fear nearly overwhelms me. I can’t tell from his expression whether the news he’s brought me is good or bad. I start to tremble and feel sick to my stomach.

“Is it bad?” I ask. “Am I possessed?”

The doctor chuckles, relieving me of a little bit of my stress. It can’t be too bad if he can laugh, right?

“No, Rory, I didn’t find any evidence of possession. What I found is that …”

I nearly faint from the news and exclaim, “I’m ~pregnant~?!”