The Society | Completed

Part 41

Conrad tries not to laugh, stuck between Carlos' dramatics and her wolf's sudden possessiveness.

Carlos wipes the light lipstick mark from his upper lip while Conrad slides on her coat, aware it's a little chilly at the moment.

There was a storm yesterday, and it left everyone a little uneasy. The Capital was generally mild, with very few weather changes apart from occasional snow.

"I've gotta find my coat, you reply to Derek before you forget," Carlos encourages, vanishing into the office.

'Hey, Derek! I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it because there's supposed to be a snowstorm up here! Put me down on the attendance list, though, and I'll do what I can. Thank you for letting me know, I hope you're well!!'

Conrad hesitantly presses send, putting her phone into her jacket pocket before she can press delete.

She always feels awkward when she's texting people that aren't Charlotte and Marcy, it feels wrong in some sort of way.

Carlos appears back into the room, offering his hand.

"Let's go get really fat," Carlos grins, leading her down the stairs.

He walks much slower than normal, and she knows it's because of her heels. She isn't very steady in them, which is a bit ridiculous. She's a tracker, she's supposed to be good at this balance thing.

"Your tattoos look cool in the dress," Carlos offers, holding the front door open for her.

"Oh Goddess, I forgot about them. Do they look obvious?" Conrad frowns.

Carlos smiles, reaching out and putting his thumb between her eyebrows.

"Stop furrowing. They look fine; you know that nobody minds them here. It's not like your pack," he chuckles, locking up the house.

"I always forget that they're not that bad here," Conrad admits, sliding into the passenger seat.

Carlos starts the engine, turning on the radio quietly.

"Are we still okay for the fairy walk tomorrow?" Carlos asks, and Conrad frowns.

"No, we aren't. I thought we were doing that on Sunday," Conrad groans.

"Oh, that's okay! I'll take Sab shopping instead! I think she's more excited for the fairy gardens than she is for looking at the ridiculously expensive pink glittery t-shirts," Carlos grins, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant.

"Keep an eye out for her. She might run out onto the road when she sees us," Carlos warns Conrad, turning off the car

Conrad keeps her eyes peeled, her fingers drumming on the dashboard of the car.

She's very nervous to see Sabrina - she doesn't want to let Carlos down, and she doesn't want to somehow damage the child. She might earn a lot of money, but she doesn't want to imagine the possible cost of therapy.

"My mother phoned me today," Carlos quietly states, and Conrad turns her head so quickly she almost ends up with whiplash.

"Your mother? The one you haven't spoken to in, like, four years? Really?" Conrad asks, her eyebrows raising by themselves.

"Yeah. She has a new number; I didn't recognise it. That's why I answered," he replies softly, staring ahead.

Conrad gently takes his hand, squeezing it in hers.

"I'm sorry," Conrad mumbles, clenching her jaw.

Carlos' mother is a nightmare. Conrad met her once, and she'd be perfectly content never to have to see her again. She had given Carlos hell all throughout his childhood, and it was due to her selfishness that Carlos had endured all of the problems he had when he was growing up, including a distant father who refused to publicly claim him.

"It's okay. I blocked it when I realised who it was. I'm expecting her to try to turn up soon; she hasn't appeared in two years," Carlos shrugs, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"Well, she's on all of the lists. She's actually sitting just under the mass murderer from the Wrought pack, so she'll be tackled to the ground if any of the guards see her," Conrad reassures him, feeling a sinking in her chest.

She pities Carlos as much as she doesn't want to.

She knows that his experiences shaped him, and it shaped his way of raising Sabrina, but she wishes he hadn't had to endure that witch of a woman.

The fact that Conrad had truly despised her came as a surprise; she knows that children may vilify their parents, but that woman was evil personified.

"I didn't speak to her once I knew who it was. I'm so afraid, Conrad, I'm so afraid she's going to show up," he whispers shakily, turning to look at Conrad.

He has tears in his eyes, and Conrad grits her teeth.

"No. She won't. She isn't going to ruin this night for you; this is what she wants. I'm going to get out of this car, and you're going to ring your therapist. I can take Sabrina shopping tomorrow if you need to see her," Conrad offers, and Carlos runs a hand through his hair.

Conrad immediately leans over to begin fixing his mane.

"I'll ring her. I will, I know I need to see her, I can't let this impact my weekend with Sabrina," Carlos mumbles, closing his eyes and letting Conrad fix him.

She smooths his eyebrows and leans over to kiss his shoulder, the only place her lipstick won't mark.

"Ring her," Conrad murmurs, sliding out of the car.

I swear I'll be more consistent from today.

The problem is, I write the chapters, then am too lazy to edit them.

Hope you enjoyed this one darlings!

- Aoife :) xx