Chapter Thirty Nine
The air was cool and humid. Hills surrounded them, forested by evergreens and the occasional poplar or birch. Nerves jittered in Mary's stomach as she twisted her hands. Andre wasn't even certain that her siblings would be at the lake they were headed towards.
"They had been in an inn out on the prairies," Andre explained. "But when Easton found me, there was a chance he had found them as well. This was our secondary place to go to. Whether they trust me enough to go here is another question."
Mary nodded, not listening. The strobe light was like sunlight peeking through the trees that lined the road. It sent nausea rippling through her stomach.
When Andre pulled out of the trees onto a stony beach, Mary deliberately ignored the people that stopped to stare at them. The lake stretched to the horizon though there were inlets and islands covered in trees that partly broke up the view. The rippling water was a bright aqua-blue. Silver flashes of waves rolled against the beach.
A dozen or so tents were set up along the tree line. Extra tarps stretched between the trees sheltering a propane stove, a few coolers and neatly organized fishing rods and tackle.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mary turned her gaze back to Andre.
"They might be able to help you remember. And even if they can't, I need you to be safe while I go find your brother."
Her brother Peter. He was being held prisoner by Bears. Andre was going to get him back.
Mary's brow furrowed. She didn't want Andre to go, but he had to leave. Peter was the best choice for starting a new Wolf community, one that didn't treat its daughters the way she had been treated, one that didn't keep all their children uneducated, with no knowledge of the outside world.
"But you'll be back before the full moon?" She didn't want to be here. With these strangers, she might attack when the moon drew her Wolf forwards again.
"I don't see why it would take me that long."
By this time, the people who had been milling around the tents were rushing towards them. Mary could make out her name being shouted. She finally focused on them.
They ranged in ages from a few years younger than her to a little boy who had to be barely two years old. All had pale skin and bright eyes. Mary caught glimpses of herself in their cheeks, mouths, ears. But unlike her curvy body, all of these people were lean and wiry.
"I don't want to be here," Mary gasped, but Andre opened the door as she spoke and she didn't know if he heard her.
A girl of about sixteen yanked open her door. Before Mary could move, threw her arms around her.
"I knew he'd find you! I knew it! Peter said he was your soulmate, so I knew he would bring you home!"
Mary let the girl pull her out of the car. Instantly she was swarmed by the siblings she didn't remember. All their faces blurred in front of her as she struggled to remember the names Andre had told her. She eventually just gave up and pushed through the crowd to the Bear, molding herself to his side.
"I think Mary is tired," the oldest girl–Mary remembered her name was Julia–said loudly. She clapped a couple of times and began shooing the rest of them away. The older boys ignored her and the small ones began to whine. A boy of thirteen kicked Julia's shin and Mary's jaw dropped.
No wonder she had run away from this! She glanced at Andre. Will our child be like this?
As Julia started shouting to be heard over the racket, the older boys began laughing. Blood rushed to Mary's face.
"That is enough!" Andre called.
The older ones flinched and they all fell silent
Andre glared at the older boys. "Help your sister. And you," he pointed at the boy kicking Julia, "stop that this instant!"
The three older boys looking perturbed, moved in among the younger children, taking their hands and beginning to pull away. The thirteen-year-old twisted away from them and glared at Mary.
"We're just trying to say hello!"
Andre opened his mouth, but Mary put her hand in his. "I can do this."
He nodded.
"I know you're all excited to see me," Mary began awkwardly. "But you have to remember that I don't remember any of you. So just… behave, okay?"
"But why did you leave at all?" the kicking boy whined.
Maybe because you think it's acceptable to kick your sister, Mary thought, but only said, "I don't remember."
Between Julia and the older boys, the younger children were soon herded back to the camp. A few of them ran towards the lake and Julia chased after them. The older boys, throwing glances over their shoulders, grabbed their fishing gear.
Mary turned to Andre. "I'm not staying here."
"It'll only be for a little while," he promised.
"At least leave me the truck so I can get away if I need to."
"I can't. I rented it with a stolen credit card, and I have to get rid of it before it's tracked down." He wrapped his arms around her. "I can stay for a little while, Mary. And I will be back for you. I promise."
***
That night after the little children had been put to bed, the rest of them sat in a circle with flashlights. Mary sat next to Andre, keeping distance between herself and her siblings. The Bear kept an arm around her, worried that this would all be too overwhelming for her.
So far she had made no indication that any of it sparked any recognition. Hoping it would bring back memories was the main reason to return her to her siblings. At least it had been, until the full moon. Now they had to learn to deal with that, if she never got her memories back.
Maybe this was a bad idea, Andre thought. Maybe we should have just cut our losses and run away, leaving all this behind.
Andre made the mistake of glancing at Peter's wife Amy. She was staring at him, as though waiting for information about her husband. He looked away again.
"Our mother died right after your trial," Julia was saying. "She's always been rather fragile. I guess between Father and you…"
Mary tensed. "So you're saying that I killed both of them?"
"No!" Julia's eyes widened. "That's not—"
"We're not angry," Philip interrupted.
Andre refused to look at him, his hand curling into a fist. Even though he made the decision not to kill the two Locke brothers long ago, being next to one of the men who murdered his wife and child never got easier. And I'm going to rescue one of them, too.
But Andre knew now that the two boys hadn't known that Isadore and Eve had been Bears. They thought they were animals that were a threat to their family. Knowing that the Locke brothers didn't act maliciously didn’t ease the pain. But at least he was able to direct his anger more so to where it belonged–to their father, Paul Locke.
Mary had killed her father when he had tried to kill her and Andre both. It was over.
"Father was not a good man," Philip continued. "We all talked about it, after… you said he was going to kill you. We knew he would have. It's not your fault. As for Mother… given her state, it's surprising she didn't pass years ago."
Mary frowned but didn't answer. Her hands sought Andre's and he sighed. Things were cautiously optimistic between Mary and her siblings and he had delayed too long already. Besides, the sooner he left, the sooner he could return.
Amy continued staring at him, her arms wrapped protectively around her large, pregnant belly. Peter's child. Andre longed to say he didn't deserve to see his wife or child again. Had he deserved to have Mary returned to him, to know that they would have a child together?
He was not guiltless. He had very nearly killed Julia once, simply for being Paul Locke's daughter. That was also a crime he must atone for.
"If I am going to stop Peter from being killed, I have to go," he said abruptly. "Mary…"
She looked a little paler than normal, but she nodded. A stab of panic hit him as he looked into her eyes. How could he do this? This was his love, his soulmate that he was leaving behind. The mother of his unborn child. How could anything be worth walking away from her?
"I understand," she whispered, as though sensing his dilemma. "You have to bring him back."
He kissed her and stood, his gaze flickering over the gathered Wolves. "Watch after her. Especially during the full moon. Her Wolf is buried, but not so deep that it doesn't feel the call of the moon. And if any of you hurt her, believe me, you will regret it."
Julia looked indignant, but Andre turned away before any of them could respond to his threat. He headed for the truck. He'd take it to the nearest town and leave it there, traveling north with his Bear. Peter was being held near the border. With the twists in the roads, it would be just as fast to travel straight through the forest to his destination as it would to drive around it.
"Wait."
Andre tensed. He turned to see Philip following after him. The Wolf's eyes were wide, his steps hesitant. The Bear could almost see his pulse pounding in his throat. Philip stopped several feet away and stood fidgeting.
"What is it?"
"I know that you know. About what I… When all of this is over, are you going to kill me?"
Andre turned away. "No."
"Why?"
"Because you didn't know and Mary loves you."
"Mary doesn't even know me."
Andre shrugged, raising one shoulder and dropping it again. "Someday she'll remember. But even if she never does… There is still a part of me that wants to kill you, Philip Locke." He turned back to the Wolf. "But for the most part… I have let go of my hate. My need for revenge. I don't want to kill you anymore."
Philip's brow furrowed. "But—"
"I said that I don't want to kill you, not that I want to talk to you." Andre slid into the truck and turned it on. His hands trembled and his Bear growled, but it wasn't as angry as he expected. Instead, he felt a sort of peace spread through his limbs and he knew–this was the right choice to make.
He glanced over to where Mary sat and found her staring at him. He smiled once. I'll be back. And then nothing will ever separate us again.