Chapter Seven

The following day, Raul’s cabin was filled with happy sounds, along with hearty laughter. Kate, Julia and Melissa were visiting, all of them in great spirits, and equally eager to hold baby Helena in their arms. His heart rejoiced. This was one of the first real family moments: countless more would come. As much as he enjoyed it though, Raul had other plans for that day. The quest to find Helena had to commence, and it could only be done by instructing the pack. Therefore, he called an emergency meeting at Joe’s diner, on that cold, winter morning. He wouldn’t bother explaining the reason to every single member by himself. Doing so would take too much time; unfortunately, time was a luxury Raul could not afford. Therefore, he notified his brothers to meet with him first, and then went outside.

Once again, the drizzle moistened the skin on his hands and his face, as he patiently waited for them. Looking through his kitchen window, he spotted his sister, cradling his daughter in her arms, as she gazed down into her eyes. The question that popped into his mind intensified his desire to locate the witch.

“Would any of our happiness even be possible had we not had her?”

The negative answer came very fast indeed.

“Good morning. What’s the big emergency?” Dean asked, the soles of his boots splashing drops of water all around him, as he strode towards his older brother.

“Helena,” Raul retorted, averting his gaze from the window. “I’m starting to worry about her.”

“I’m not really,” Ray interjected his opinion, as he followed right behind Dean. “She’s a tough old gal. She can take care of herself.”

“Yeah, but no one’s heard from her in months,” Raul uttered, moving around his truck. “Plus, we need her here.”

“She doesn’t want to be found,” Dean argued in an emphatic tone, as he opened the passenger door. “I respect that.”

“So do I,” Raul said, sitting down in the driver’s seat. “Look, I just want to know where she’s been hiding all this time. If she doesn’t want to come back, well that’s fine by me.”

A snort of derision filled his ears, just when he turned the key in the ignition. Ray had leaned back, covering his mouth, as he closed his eyes.

“Something you want to say, Jr.?” Raul inquired with a touch of annoyance in his tone.

“Oh, man,” he gave a short chuckle, lightly shaking his head. “You’re so full of crap, you know that? I mean, come on, man. Do you really expect us to believe that, if we ever find Helena, you won’t pressure her into coming back?”

“I will,” Raul admitted, running his hand through his hair, as he drove off. “I just won’t insist too much.”

“Let’s find her first,” Dean suggested, his tone calm. “I could understand why she needed to leave. I couldn’t understand the way she left. It felt…”

“…cold,” Raul finished his brother’s sentence, pressing his foot hard down on the accelerator. “Way too cold. We deserved a ‘goodbye’. Helena didn’t give us any. But I’m not mad at her about that. Maybe she thought it’d be too hard. I’m more upset about her disappearance. She could have reached out to us, tell us what she’s been up to. She hasn’t, though. She hasn’t even talked to Kate, and she’s supposed to be Helena’s protégée.”

“I hear you, brother,” Dean sighed, lying back in his seat. “I couldn’t agree more. Can you at least answer me one question, though?”

“Sure.”

“Where the hell are we going to start looking?” Dean wondered aloud, his voice riddled with curiosity, as he turned to his brother.

“Oh, I have a few ideas,” Raul replied, his tone steady, not at all affected by Dean’s ignorance, as he turned right and into the parking lot of the diner. He hadn’t lied. The Alpha did not – and could not – know for sure where Helena had gone, but, he had to appear confident. His brothers’ faith would be shaken at the first sign of uncertainty. He needed both of them in the most vital quest of their lives.

As usual, the pack was being loud. Roaring laughter could be heard from outside. Yet, as soon as Martin Jackson, one of the pack’s scouts noticed his Alpha, he banged his left palm against the glass façade. In an instant, every sound of merriment ceased. A smile of contentment formed on Raul’s face. By no means was he a disciplinarian, but he did demand their respect. He didn’t want to scream at them to get their attention. Pushing the glass door open, he walked into the diner, in the hope that this meeting would be the first step to discovering Helena’s whereabouts.

“Good Morning, boys,” The Alpha addressed the pack in a businesslike tone. “Have you guessed the purpose of this meeting yet, or should I tell you?”

“Good morning, boss.” Jimmy Greer spoke, rising from his seat. “It doesn’t take Einstein to figure it out. It’s got to be the witch.”

“Correct.” Raul gave an appraising nod, stopping in front of the table closest to the entrance. “You don’t need me to remind you what Helena’s done for us in the past. She must be found. Does any one of you have a clue as to where she might be? Don’t give me any rumors. I want facts.” He went on, putting his hands on his waist, as he swept the hall. Still, every pack member kept staring at one another. None of them could even look at him, let alone provide any useful information; no surprises there. He had to ask though he knew a positive answer would be a long shot. “Helena used to live in the forest, but neither I nor my brothers know exactly where she lived. I need you guys to find it. You can tear the woods apart if you have to, but find me the witch’s home. Report back to me when you have discovered her place. You should also know there’s another witch in town. According to her, she’s Helena’s niece, but I’m not sure about that. She’s wearing a red cloak. Be careful out there. Do you have any questions?”

“No, sir,” Jimmy responded, before dragging his gaze away from Raul. “You heard our Alpha. Let’s move.”

“That’s it?” Dean whispered, grabbing his brother by the wrist, as he leaned over him. “Is that all we’ve got? And why didn’t you say anything more about that witch?”

“We also have grandpa’s sanctuary,” Raul murmured, furrowing his brow. “Monica says she’s found a few of her diaries in there. If you have any further suggestions, I’m all ears. And I just told you about the witch.”

“Helena’s left a few of her manuscripts in my cabin,” Dean added with a little more force in his voice, as he released Raul’s wrist. “I can ask Kate to go over them again, just in case she missed anything the first time.”

“Go ahead,” Raul urged. “Have you read those?”

“Her manuscripts are a lot like Marianne’s book: full of riddles,” Dean claimed, as Ray approached his Alpha from behind. “I tried it once. I gave up after five minutes. Why are you asking?”

“Helena’s said a lot about her relationship with grandpa, but she never talked about her own family,” Raul explained, his voice dropping down an octave. “I was wondering if she’d written anything about her relatives: her brother, to be exact.”

“I don’t recall reading anything about him. Come on,” Dean patted his older brother on the shoulder. His words would have amplified Raul’s belief, had he not confessed himself that he had read very little of Helena’s manuscripts. In any case, the Alpha could not bother with his hunch anymore. There would be a time to deal with Donna; it was just not that time. Right now, he had to go up to his grandfather’s hall. Much to his dislike, Raul had to pry into Helena’s personal life. Nevertheless, if he had any hope of locating her, he had to invade her privacy.