Rowena
It had been surprisingly easy to escape. I let my brother and Lawrence sleep the day in my bed. Apparently, Vampires aren't going to die when exposed to sunlight. They avoid the day because Vampires are nocturnal creatures, and the bright sun hurts their eyes and weakens some of their abilities. I told them I would spend the day in the main house and I would return when dusk fell.
I waited until they were asleep, quickly packed a few items, and went to the main house.
I expected a fight from Alice, but it was the strangest thing. She believed me immediately, and within an hour, we were on the road. I hoped we would get a 10-12 hour head start, although I had no idea where we could go.
Once Charlie was settled in the car playing his iPad and wearing noise-cancelling headphones, I asked Alice, "Why did you believe me? I still don't believe me, and I saw what they could do."
Alice glanced back at Charlie, making sure he couldn't hear, and said, "Because I know Vampires exist."
I nearly drove off the road. It was not the answer I was expecting. "How could you possibly know that?"
"I have met a few in my time." My jaw dropped. Alice continued, "When I moved here, into this territory, I had to ask permission from their King."
"What?" I asked, confused. "Why?"
"Because of Alex," Alice spoke calmly, but the way she was fidgeting told me she was worried.
"What on earth does Alex have to do with this?"
"Alex is a werewolf."
I slammed the breaks on the car. Traffic backed up behind me on the freeway, and we were blasted by a cacophony of horns and squealing tires.
"Fuck, shit, fuck!" I yelled. Could this shit get any fucking weirder?
"Mum!" Charlie cried from the backseat. "Why have we stopped?"
"I missed the fucking exit," I lied.
Both Alice and Charlie protested my language. I grimaced, "Sorry." I started to drive again. I waited until Charlie had settled before I spoke. "Are you a werewolf?" I asked, shaking my head. I can't believe I asked that question earnestly. This was all kinds of fucked up.
"No," Alice said without a hint of a smile. "His father was. I was his mate."
"Does that mean Charlie is too? A wolf, I mean?" I peered back at my little boy. He seemed human to me. But then again, so had Alex.
"We won't know until he reaches adulthood. Wolves don't generally shift until they are between seventeen and twenty or so." Seventeen. The age I was when Charlie was born. Alex was eighteen. Something clicked into place with this new piece of information. Suddenly so much about Alex made sense.
"Is that why Alex left me and wanted me to get an abortion? Did he find out he was a wolf?" I asked despite not wanting to know the answer.
Alice had the good grace to look away as she said, "Yes."
"Did he know he was a wolf when we got together?" I asked. My voice was more sedate than I felt inside, my stomach clenched and spasmed and I felt a wave of heat roll over me like I was about to throw up.
"No." Alice shook her head.
"But he knew by the time I found out I was pregnant, right?"
"Yes," Alice said. "He turned for the first time a few days before you told him"
"So he broke up with me because he knew I wasn't his mate," I asked. I knew in my heart it was true. The sudden and savage difference in Alex between when we had last seen each other and when I told him I was pregnant was obvious now.
"Yes." Alice's voice was small. She knew what she had done.
"So it was your fault this whole time!" I yelled. I was crushed. I had trusted Alice with everything, and she had kept a secret this big from her son and me. Charlie stirred in the backseat, so I lowered my voice and continued, "You didn't take us in because you wanted Charlie, you did it because you felt guilty. We would never have been together in the first place if he knew what he was."
"That's not fair, Row," Alice said, her voice wavering. "I didn't know for sure if Alex would turn. His father was long dead, and he had told me there was no guarantee Alex would be a wolf." Alice turned to me, and I glanced in her direction. She had tears in her eyes.
"What happened to Alex's father?" I asked.
"Conell, his father, was the pack's Alpha. Conell was killed in a fight with a neighbouring pack." Alice replied, her voice was full of sadness. "In the normal course of events, if Alex turned, he would be the next Alpha. But he was just a baby, and because I wasn't a wolf, I didn't have the whole pack's support to act in Alex's stead. Conell's brother Lowe took over the pack. I didn't trust that Lowe would accept Alex or that he wouldn't view the son of the former Alpha as a threat. It turned out to be the right decision as Lowe had worked with the other pack and had orchestrated Conell's death. I went back to my family's property, the house we live in now. Since it is in King Alfred's domain, I knew I needed permission, or we may have been hunted by Vampires in the area."
"Alfred is Henry's father," I told Alice. She looked confused. "Henry is apparently my mate."
Alice gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, my Goddess."
"Do you know the story of what Alfred did to Henry's mother?" I asked Alice.
Alice went white and turned to look at Charlie. "Yes. The story was often told among the wolves as a way to highlight Alfred's brutality."
"What should we do?" I asked her.
Alice thought a while. I had no idea where to run to, I needed to protect Charlie, but I didn't understand the totality of the threat against him. Where would he be safe and could I, a human, even hope to protect him?
Alice eventually sighed. "I'm sorry, Rowena, I think there is only one place we can go."
"Where?" She gave me an apologetic look, and I knew. I held out hope she didn't mean it. I shook my head. "No," I said.
"We have to go to Alex," Alice insisted.
"Alex won't protect him," I said contemptuously. "Alex wanted him dead."
"He will protect him," Alice said. "Alex isn't the same as he was before. He is settled with a mate now. I send him pictures of Charlie. His mate knows about him. He regrets what he did to you and Charlie. It was a rough time in his life."
"Does he have more kids?" I asked. Inextricably, I felt a pang of jealousy knowing that Alex had found his mate. I had loved Alex with my whole being. If I'm honest, I still felt it deep inside. It was probably why I never seriously tried to date again, even before I had dreams about Henry.
"Yes, a daughter," Alice said.
I felt an overwhelming sadness. Charlie had a sister that he never knew about. I wondered how he would be with a sibling. Would they get on well? I know Charlie is often lonely.
"If Charlie turns, will he be Alpha, or would Alex's mate's child be?"
"I don't know," Alice said. "Probably theirs. Although Charlie would still be a powerful wolf."
"So after Alex turned, he went back to the pack? To Lowe's pack?"
"No, Alex is an Alpha, and there are always issues when there are two wolves with strong claims for Alpha. When Alex made himself known, Lowe forced him out, but not before the pack split. Many wolves knew about Lowe's betrayal of Conell and never saw him as the genuine Alpha, so they followed Alex. Ever since he returned, Alex and Lowe have been in a low-level war over control of the territory."
"So how will going there be safe for Charlie? We will be putting him in a warzone."
"What choice do we have, Row?" Alice asked pessimistically.
I thought it through. What were my options? Go back home, give Charlie to Lawrence and David and allow a potential wolf to be raised by Vampires. Or take Charlie to his father, where he may have the chance to build a relationship with him and a chance to know the life he was born into.
I realised as I thought about my options I didn't include myself in them. Had I already decided that I would allow myself to be taken by Henry? Or have I just accepted that I wasn't going to be able to resist.
No, I would resist. I would not allow myself to be turned into a Vampire and live the rest of my days without my son and in constant fear that my supposed mate would kill him. Despite my feelings for Henry when I was near him, I didn't feel that now. Yes, I feel an undeniable attraction to him, he is the best looking man I had ever seen, everything about him drew me to him. But that sense of safety and love I felt was gone.
Looking back, I don't know what possessed me to chose him over my brother. Stunned, I realised what I had just said. When I was with Henry, I picked him over my brother. My God, would I make that choice with Henry and Charlie? Maybe not, I was able to remember Charlie. Perhaps if I consummated the bond, I wouldn't remember him. There is still so much I don't know.
Maybe Charlie is better off with Alex. But fuck, Alex? I hadn't seen him in nearly ten years. What would he think of Charlie and me? Alice was right, though. What choice do I have, really?
"Ok," I said, resigned. "How do we get to Alex?"
It was only a couple of hours to Alex's territory. Alice directed me to a small town on a larger city's outskirts. She guided me to a ranch, and as we pulled up, I saw a large community of buildings, homes and what almost looked like dorms. There was also a large manor house, and Alice told me to pull up there.
"Did Alex reply to your message?" I asked Alice as we approached.
"Yeah, he knows we are coming."
"But what did he say about it?"
"Nothing." Alice looked at me wide-eyed as if trying to maintain an illusion of innocence.
I didn't believe her. "Is Alex ok with me visiting?"
"He didn't say he wasn't ok with it," she said noncommittally.
A thought came to me, so I asked Alice, "What is he like with Charlie?" In the handful of times Alex had seen Charlie, I had made sure the visits took place while I was working and never talked about the visits with Charlie or Alice.
"They usually get on very well together once Charlie's initial shyness wears off." Alice's tone indicated she was hiding something.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Alice looked like she would lie again but seemed to change her mind. "Charlie doesn't think he is 'Uncle Alex'. He knows Alex is his father," Alice admitted.
"Fucking hell Alice," I said, feeling betrayed again. "I can't believe you've lied to me for years. I trusted you."
"He's my son, Row. Did he mistreat you and Charlie? Yes. Does he regret it? Yes. He has grown up and become a man now. He will be thrilled to see you and Charlie. And even happier when we tell him we want him to take Charlie in." Alice spoke with confidence. She appeared sure about Alex's feelings for Charlie.
I didn't believe her entirely, but what could I do about it now? "I never said I was going to leave Charlie," I corrected Alice.
"You don't have to, sweetness," Alice said kindly. "I know the Pull of the mate bond. Fight it if you must, but eventually, you will succumb to it, and you will want to." I didn't know what to make of that. As scary as it was, she was probably right. I didn't want to think about it now, there were other things to consider before I could even think about Henry.
"What about Alex's mate? And child," I asked. "Will they accept Charlie?"
"Delphine seems lovely. And their child Sierra I've only met a few times," Alice said. I could feel the pining in her voice when she mentioned her other grandchild. I realised how hard it must be for Alice. She had another grandchild, which she hardly saw because of me and Charlie.
"I'm sorry, Alice," I said softly. "I've been selfish. It must be hard for you to stay away."
"It is," She admitted.
We were quiet then as we continued towards Alex's house. As we arrived, I put the car in park and said to Alice, "I feel like I'm running out on Charlie. What will I say to him if I leave?"
"Tell him he is going to get to know his father. It's the truth."
"He will think I've abandoned him," I said, feeling close to tears. "I know kids. It doesn't matter what you tell them. They will think what they want to think."
"You're not going to abandon him," Alice tried to reassure me. "Go to Henry, consummate the bond and come back and visit."
"I'm scared I won't be able to. David and Lawrence said seeing Charlie might anger Henry." I paused and admitted quietly, "I'm scared I won't want to leave Henry. Even for Charlie."
Alice nodded. "From my experience, you won't want to leave him for a time after bonding. But after the initial rush, you will be ok. I felt that way about my family, for a few weeks. I forgot about them, then, once the bond had settled, I wanted to see them again."
I doubted her words, but we had no time to discuss it further. The doors opened to the manor, and the man I had once loved walked out.