Author's note: picture of King Viktor.
We left the ICU and went back to the welcome desk to ask after my mother. She was on the fifth floor deliveries which meant she still hadn't had the baby yet. We made our way up there but only one person was allowed in so I went.
She looked all sweaty and terrible like she's been crying. My dad looked anxious.
"Addison, baby girl, what are you doing here?" She asked.
"I came here to visit Tim," I said.
"How is he doing?" She asked, screaming as another contraction hit.
"Terrible mom. Something's wrong with his wolf," I said.
"His wolf?" she said.
"Yeah. They say his wolf is inactive. That's why he's not healing," I said.
"I've only ever heard of one person having their wolf suppressed and that was me by the Moon God," she said.
"Mom, would you get over your obsession with the Moon God?" I asked.
"Addison, don't talk to your mother like that," my dad said.
"Well I'm serious. She blames everything on the Moon God," I said.
"No I don't. All I said was he suppressed my wolf," she said.
"How did you get it back?" I asked.
"Well he put her to sleep. He hurt her so she stayed away until she could heal," she said.
"So you think his wolf is possibly hurt?" I asked. "Can't you try to call his wolf?"
"Of course I could try. As soon as I get this thing out of me," she said.
She grunted hard as another contraction hit her.
"Baby girl, you better go otherwise you'll get stuck in here for the birth.
"Why don't you guys go to the cafeteria or go get something to eat and then come back? She should have the baby by then," my dad said.
"Go get the doctor, Viktor. This baby's coming out of me," she said.
My phone started ringing. I looked and saw it was Nick. I stepped out of the room.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Addison, something happened to my mom. I have to go home for a bit. I probably won't see you before you make your way to New York so have a nice trip and I'll see you when you get back," he said.
"What do you mean you'll see me when I get back? We can call each other, can't we?" I asked.
"No. My phone doesn't really work at my mother's so I'll just see you when you get back, alright? He asked.
"How long do you think you'll be gone?" I asked.
"I don't know. Things are getting crazy. If I get back before you, I'll call. I have to go though. I love you," he said.
"I love you too," I said.
The phone clicked.
"What's going on?" Oscar asked.
"It's Nick. Something happened with his mother so he has to go home. He said his phone doesn't really work out there so he'll just see me when I get back. I have to go all summer without even talking to him. This really sucks," I said. "My dad said we should eat then she'll likely have the baby."
I took a deep, calming breath. We can make it for one summer, right? Couples do it all of the time. I'm strong enough to wait.
"Earth to Addison. Where do you want to eat?" Oscar asked.
I started crying. Oscar put his arms around me and rubbed my back. Kara was saying encouraging words I couldn't focus on. Eventually I calmed down.
"Let's go get some Italian food," I said.
"Okay we'll go to Giuseppe's," Oscar said.
"Delicious," Kara said.
We went back to the parking garage and drove to Giuseppe's. It was the best Italian restaurant around. I was going to go with Nick.
We went in and were seated in a corner booth. Kara sat in the middle. I ordered spaghetti with meatballs, extra sauce and garlic bread. Oscar got penne alla vodka with chicken and Kara got chicken parmesan.
The food was delicious and only made me miss Nick a little. I wondered what he would order. Probably pizza. We finished, paid and then left. I text my Dad to see if my mom had the baby. She did. It was a boy named Elijah.
When I arrived at my mother's room, she was all ready to go to save Timothy. She was sitting in a wheelchair holding Elijah waiting for me.
"Viktor, come take Elijah. I'm going with Addy" she said.
My dad came and took the baby. I went over to him to see the little one. He was so tiny. Long but tiny. I took him from my Dad and gave him a small kiss.
"Let's go Addison. I want to get back to my baby," she said.
I handed Elijah back to my Dad and wheeled my mother to Tim's room. His mother stood and bowed.
"Your Highness, I had no idea you would actually come," she said
"How could I not?" She asked.
She put her hand on Tim's foot and said, "heal Timothy."
His body started to heal itself. We waited while he came to. His eyes started fluttering and his mom inhaled sharply then started praying fervently to the Moon Goddess. He opened his eyes.
"Mom," he said.
"Oh Timmy, I'm here. Mommy's here," she said, clutching his hand.
"Where am I? What's going on? I can't feel my wolf," he said.
"You were in an accident, baby. You're in the hospital. Your wolf has been suppressed but the Queen is here to help," she said.
"What's the name of his wolf?" My mom asked.
"Lorenzo," I said.
"You know my wolf?" Tim asked.
"You're mom told me. Hold on now," I said.
My mom started calling his wolf. At first there was no response. Then we heard a whimpering. She told the wolf to heal. Tim said he could feel it healing slowly.
His mother was in tears, she was so grateful. She kept hugging my mother. I gave Tim a kiss and wheeled my mother back upstairs.
"Thanks Mom. For all you do. I really appreciate what you did for Tim," I said.
"I know, baby girl. Thank you for saying so," she said.
Once I got my mom back up to her room I held Elijah. Oscar and Kara took their turn.
"Don't go thinking about having one of these you two," my mom said.
"Oh they're young. They're not thinking about that yet," my dad said.
You're absolutely right, your Highness," Kara said. "There's no way I'm going to have kids this young."
"That's exactly what I said," my mother said. "Now look at me."
"Well you were nineteen when you had Ezra, right? So that means I still have a year," Kara said.
"Oh he's just so cute. I wouldn't mind having one," I said.
"Forget it Addison. That's not going to happen," my father said.
"What are you talking about? I'm eventually having kids. I didn't say I wanted one now I'm only seventeen," I said.
"You haven't even met your mate yet. Don't have babies on your mind," my father said.
"Oh I bet you'd love that wouldn't you if I met my mate and immediately had kids," I said.
"Actually I would not love that," he said.
"That's what you did to mom," I said.
"I didn't do it to her," he said.
"Didn't she not want kids at one point and she did for you, right Dad?" I asked.
"Well that's a different story for another day. Right now we're celebrating Elijah," he said.
"Okay Dad we'll celebrate Elijah," I said.
*****
With Nick out of the picture, I had been spending a lot of time with Tim. We did everything I wanted to do and then some. We're actually getting pretty close. I almost felt guilty because I knew I'd rather be with Nick. He wasn't there so what can I do?
Tim was Good Old Reliable Tim. Tonight he was taking me out to go dancing. I was very excited. I love to dance. My dad was a big supporter of the arts and had us do everything from dancing to music lessons. I played the piano and Hannah played the clarinet and Ezra played the guitar and I forget what the little ones play.
I took a shower shaving really well then debated what I should wear. This was our last date before I went to New York. I decided to wear my black and white shall we dance dress with my black latin salsa dancing heels. I hoped he could keep up with me.
I straightened my hair then put it in a high ponytail. I did my makeup with beige eyeshadow, winehouse eyeliner in black with bright red lipstick. I added a gold shimmer face highlighter to my cheeks.
With all that done, I was debating curling my hair when the doorbell rang. My ever vigilant father answered. I saw Tim dressed in a black suit. He looked so handsome. I raced down the stairs and grabbed his arm.
"You look very handsome tonight," I said.
"And you look very beautiful this evening," he said.
"Alright you two. Have fun," my dad said, before closing the door.
"Shall we," Timothy said.
He opened the car door for me being extra careful of my dress as he closed it. We drove to the club making small talk. I hate small talk.
"Have you ever been to this club," I asked.
"Once or twice," he said. "You?"
"No. Not this one," I said.
"I'm sure you'll like it. The deejay is pretty good," he said.
We pulled up to the club and the first person I see is Mathias. There is no way I am going to enjoy myself if he's here.
"We should go somewhere else," I said.
"Why? We haven't even parked," he said.
"Because there's my ex and I know I won't have a good time with him here," I said.
"You're going to let him spoil our night?" He asked.
"No. We'll just go somewhere else," I said.
"Where? Another club?" He asked.
"I know a great spot where we can go stargazing," I said.
"You want to go parking?" He asked.
"Stargazing. It's different from parking. More looking at the sky, less fondling," I said.
"Or we can do both," he said, pulling out of the parking lot.
I gave him directions to my favorite spot. When we got there, he took out a blanket and laid it over the hood of his car. I put it on the ground. I didn't want to mess up his car.
There was no one else around. We sat down and looked at the sky. Tim brushed the hair away from my shoulder then began kissing my neck. I moaned as he began sucking. He laid me down still latched on to my neck and settled on top of me.
He started to unbuckle his belt when I asked him to stop. He got off of me and I sat up. The look on his face was of disappointment.
"You think I don't know you're going to ditch me as soon as he comes back?" He asked. "I
see it every time I touch you. Why do you keep stringing me along if you're not interested?"
"I'm not interested in having sex with anyone other than my mate," I said. "I'm not stringing you along. I genuinely enjoy your company and we have fun together."
"This is me telling you I want more. If you're not interested in that, we should just end it now," he said.
"You're breaking up with me because I don't want to have sex with you?" I asked, surprised. "Then just take me home now."
"I didn't want this to turn into a whole thing. I just mean we can do other things besides kiss," he said.
"All things lead to sex and I'm just not there," I said.
"If I'm being completely honest, I have been seeing other people. I wanted you to be my first though," he said. "We could be mates. If I had you, I wouldn't need anyone else."
"I'm glad you're being honest. Let me do the same. I know for a fact that we're not mates. I've known since your accident," I said.
He put his head down. He was clearly going through something. I didn't want to interrupt and I also didn't want to stay on the blanket. I moved to stand up and he grabbed my arm.
"How do you know," he asked, in a would be calm voice.
"My brother," I said.
"The one with the sight? Why did you keep seeing me?" He asked.
"Yes that brother. I kept seeing you because I like you. A lot," I said.
He stood up pulling me with him. He kissed me passionately. I let out a soft moan. He pulled away and then opened my car door. He shook out the blanket then got into the car. He drove me home.
As soon as we got there he gave me a hug. I hugged him back with a little extra.
"I know either way this is goodbye," he said. "I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and hope you find your mate soon."
"I appreciate it. I hope this isn't the last I see of you," I said.
"I'm sure I will see you around," he said.
I got out of the car and walked into the Palace. Ezra was standing there waiting for me. He put his arms around me as I began to sob.
"Am I a bad person?" I asked.
"No. Just lonely. You were honest and so was he," Ezra said.
"But I used him to fill my time because Nick is away," I said.
"He was happy to be used. Don't beat yourself up. He actually found his mate. He just doesn't know it yet," he said.
"When am I going to meet mine?" I asked.
"I already told you. When you're eighteen. You're going to know exactly who it is at eighteen," he said. "Don't rush yourself."
I let go of him. All of my tears dried up as I got irritated. "You're saying I already know him?"
"At least you'll meet him before your eighteenth birthday," he said. "You may already know him. I can't say."
"Why can't you say?" I asked.
"Because there's a block or something. I can't see your mate so I literally can't say," he said.
"That's odd. Have you ever been blocked like this before?" I asked.
"No. Never. I wonder if I should be concerned," he said. "I can see my own mate. She's gorgeous by the way. I can see Hannah's."
"You can see my what," Hannah said, stepping into the entryway.
"Your mate," he said.
"Oh. Him. Yes, well can you tell me what I am thinking about right now?" She asked.
"Abdicating," he said.
"What? You can't do that," I said.
If she abdicates that would mean I would become Queen. I don't want that kind of responsibility. I want to be able to be with my mate and my kids.
"I can and I will," Hannah said. "I want to do more for the world than sit on a throne passing little judgements. You have no idea what to do with your life so you do it. Will I do it successfully?"
"By the looks of things, yes," Ezra said.
"Excellent. I will be on my way now," she said leaving the Palace.
"Why did you tell her that?" I asked, completely annoyed.
"Because it's true. You'll make an excellent Queen and you won't have to worry about deciding on a career," he said. "It's best for you both. Hannah will do great things, as will you."
I looked at him incredulous. How could he think that? I can't sort my own shit out and I'm supposed to pass judgement as Queen.
"Don't worry. You'll have the option to abdicate too once Mom has her other daughter. She won't do nearly as well as you but it's your choice," he said.
"Now that you've given me a lot to think about, I think I will head to bed. Thank you Ezra," I said.
"Anytime Addy," he said.
I gave him a hug and headed to my bedroom. I changed out of the dress I never got to use and took a shower.
That night I dreamed about stargazing with Nick.