Chapter Fourty Three
"How long do they intend to keep us here?" Andre paced from one end of the cell to the other, scowling at the bare walls.
"I would ask if all Bears are as impatient as you, but judging from the others I've met, I think I have my answer." Peter sat unmoving on the bed.
Andre sent him the blackest glower he could muster. "Maybe if you didn't keep staring at me!"
Peter shrugged and didn't look away. His brow furrowed and he cocked his head to one side. "I just can't figure you out. Why would you come to… rescue me? I thought you would do what you felt morally compelled when taking my younger brothers and sisters away from the Bear attack. I thought that you'd just leave after that, to find Mary. So why come back?"
Dammit, that was not a question he wanted to answer! He tugged the elastic out of his bun, letting it fall, then ran his fingers through his greasy, tangled hair.
They must have been in this room for a couple of days together and he couldn't remember when he last showered. The knee that Paul Locke had shot a few months back ached with his relentless pacing, but what else was there to do in this tiny cell?
"If you are telling the truth, that you want to build a new community of Wolves where you interact and share with the world rather than isolating yourself and attacking it… that's a worthwhile goal that I would like to see it come true. But you bunch have too many problems ingrained into your lifestyle. It's going to take more than a desire to change, to actually change."
"What? You want to help us?" Peter got to his feet, moving for the first time in hours it seemed. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Even after… what we did?"
Andre drew in a deep breath as his Bear growled at the reminder of how Peter had helped his father kill Isadore and Eve. A faint beat of guilt fluttered in his chest. But if Isadore was here, she would approve, wouldn't she? She was kind and forgiving, like Mary. Eve was too young to understand, but she had inherited her mother's compassion.
"I'm doing it for them just as much as I'm doing it for Mary. It's what she wanted. She wanted to save her sisters from the confines of your community. And if there is communication between you and other Shifters, then perhaps you won't kill more Bears."
Peter flinched. "Philip and I didn't know—"
"You told me. And I believe you when you say that." Andre studied the Wolf and sighed. "I'm not going to deny that there is a part of me that still wants to rip you to shreds. But I believe that you thought they were just animals. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse."
"I know nothing I say can—"
"No. There's nothing you can say. But perhaps there is a way to prevent such a thing from happening to others."
Peter sighed heavily. "Perhaps there is."
"And the fact is that Shifters around the world are slowly dying out. Fewer and fewer children are being born with the ability," Andre repeated the words that had been told to him by Zoe. She had been so excited to build relationships with the Wolves before Paul Locke murdered her. "And yet you Wolves are going strong. If—"
The door opened, interrupting him. Andre turned, expecting Ibeth once again.
Instead, it was Mary.
His heart jumped to his throat and his Bear snarled. If anybody tried to hurt her, he'd rip them apart! But even as he strode forward to take her into his protection, her eyes lit up. She flew to him, wrapping her arms around him.
Their lips met in an instant. It wasn't the passionate kiss that he had known from her in the past. This one was fiercer, more… triumphant. He held her close, closing his eyes. He wanted this moment to last forever.
The sense of Mary being torn from his arms made his eyes snap open in time to see a fist fly at his face. He reeled back, staggering from the blow. Philip Locke's furious face loomed in his vision. Andre found Mary and pushed her behind him protectively then swung out. His knuckles met soft flesh that gave way, beneath his blow.
Philip stumbled to the floor, grunting with pain. He pushed himself back to his feet, glowering. Peter leaped between his brother and the Bear, holding Philip back from attacking again. Amy ran to Peter's side.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"She's pregnant!" Philip spat, trying to get past his brother. "Mary's pregnant! He stole her chance to find another soulmate!"
Andre's brows rose, but Mary pushed past him and put her hands on her hips. "I knew he was my soulmate before we slept together, Philip. That's the reason we slept together! And even if I hadn't, I made my own choices. Andre didn't steal anything from me. Everything between us is what I have willingly given him."
Philip shook off his brother. He still glared at Andre, but at least he wasn't trying to attack him anymore. The Bear was glad. He wasn't sure that he could contain himself if it came to him having to defend himself. It would be far too easy for defense to become offense and break Philip's head open.
And then, what Mary said clicked.
His breath caught in his chest and his heart seemed to dance in circles. He tried to make himself stay calm. With a trembling hand, he touched her shoulder. She turned. Her eyes were sparkling, dancing.
"You remember?" he whispered.
A smile spread over her face. "I remember. I remember everything."
"How?"
"There's a ritual that Wolves go through when they're pregnant, to make sure their babies are born with Wolves. I did it and I was able to rejoin with my Wolf. She's back." Mary touched her chest, her smile widening even further. "She's back and I'm back."
Andre wrapped his arms around her, his heart as light as a feather. The two Locke brothers watched, Philip's anger draining, Peter with a cautious smile. Amy leaned against him and their hands were joined together over her belly.
"I'm back," Mary whispered again, and they were kissing again.
***
When the Bears returned for their prisoners, the Wolves and Andre were lead out of the small cell. Mary clung to Andre's hand as they exited the room, her heart thumping in her chest.
A dozen Bears with weapons, led by a tall, strongly-muscled woman, took them down the stark hallway and into a much larger room. It was carpeted in pale brown, the walls dark green. Huge windows lined one side of the room. Five chairs were arranged in a semi-circle facing the windows.
"What's this about, Ibeth?" Andre asked the woman, glowering at the Bear who stood behind Mary.
"Grandmother Chani wishes to speak with you. Please sit."
Mary glanced at Andre. She could see he was about to argue and so tugged him to one of the chairs. It was best to cooperate and keep things as civil as possible. He was reluctant to follow her, but once he did, the others sat as well.
It wasn't long before a woman in a wheelchair entered the room. Her brown skin was weathered, deep wrinkles lining her face. Stark white hair cropped short around her skull gave her the appearance of a crown upon her head. Her shoulders were hunched. Her eyes were as black as Andre's and were sharp and focused in her ancient face.
She positioned her chair at the front of the room and was silent, taking in each of the Wolves before her gaze briefly flickered over Andre. Finally, her eyes settled on Peter.
"Your father and his brothers killed two of my children," she said.
Peter flinched and Mary reached for Andre's hand. The memory of the gun in her hands as it went off, driving a bullet into Paul Locke's chest, made her shiver. It was one thing she wished she didn't remember.
He was going to kill Andre and me both, she reminded herself. And how many others had he killed? How many more would he kill if I hadn't stopped him?
"I'm not my father," Peter said. "And as for my uncles, they're all dead. At least that was what we were told. Neither I nor my brothers inherited their desire for bloodshed. You can't punish us for his sins."
Chani waved her hand, silencing him. "The Locke family has dealt so much pain to many of us. There are many who wish for all the Wolves of your community to pay the price for that pain. After all, was your father not one of the great leaders your community knew? How many more killers did he train in your ranks?"
Mary hardly dared to breathe. She had a sense that whatever this old woman decided would seal not only their fate but also the fate of all the Wolves she had grown up with. If she thought they posed a risk, they would all be hunted down. How many would be killed?
Mary shivered, trying not to imagine her brothers, or Conrad Milton, Julia's beau, or David Monroe, who was always so kind to her, being killed.
"We are not killers," Peter said, but his voice trembled.
A single look from Chani silenced him. The old woman turned in her chair, focusing on Andre. "There are rumors of an all-out Wolf attack on the world. Tell me, do you believe that Paul Locke was capable of such a thing?"