Chapter 83 – Russell POV
Two months. That was the requirement Chelsea and Gabriel had. Wait two months and decide after that time whether or not I would be changed into a wolf. I didn't need two months, that wasn't in my nature. They thought I was rushing, not aware of what I was getting myself into but I did. I found Angel nearly dead, her life wilting away. I was gone for less than an hour and someone – or maybe a group – had entered our home, and took her away from me. 'I – you don't have to be changed for you to be with Angel,' Chelsea told me.
My response came as naturally as breathing, 'No, you're right I don't, but to protect not just her but my children as well I should be changed.' I wasn't going to rush into a romance or anything with Angel, I could see my love changing for her, but I – I also felt like without holding myself back, I would impede her progress. Give her one more thing to worry about when she was learning, speaking finally but also she was a parent. A good parent, caring but that shouldn't have surprised me. Angel had lots of love to give and to see her with them, my heart clenched and stomach flipped weirdly whenever I saw her giving them nourishment from her body.
When I found her, she didn't have that or anything left to give of herself, this was a milestone for her and each time I thought about Amara wanting to take her child, to nurture as her own, I fumed.
At the moment I couldn't be around Darren nor could I be near Vanessa, the two of them seemed to be blind and treating Angel harshly. In turn, their behavior was irritating well... Dana, McKenna, Thayer... everyone.
The two wanted me to visit Amara, but I held strong refusing, "Russ! Russ! Are you listening to me?!" McKenna waved her hand in front of my face, snapping.
Shaking my head, "sorry what were you saying?" I asked sheepishly.
"Amara. I was saying what happened..."
Amara had finally woken up, more lucid than any of times when family went to visit and McKenna was there.
She eyed before continuing, "She woke up and she was looking around the room, her hand went down to her stomach and she looked up at us. Smiling. Watery eyes, smiling. I gave dad a side glance because it was just – just too crazy – weird." I paid better attention now.
"Smiling? Happily?" she just lost a child.
"She asked where your babies were, if you were with them, could we call you or a nurse so you could bring them to see her," it wasn't funny, not in the least. However McKenna's facial expressions were seriously comical.
"Mom and I couldn't even meet her eyes, because honestly she – I could only compare her behavior as when Dana gave birth to Cody. So Darren stupid as fucking always, instead of just telling her the truth asks her 'what babies?' can you believe that?" she shook her head in disgust, tsking.
"She answers, 'Russell and mine, they were so beautiful, we saw them right when we got off the helicopter,' dad stepped forward to correct her you know? But Darren glared, 'Why weren't the babies on the helicopter with us?' he continued," my eyes were wide, what was Darren playing at.
"Amara says, 'Angel took our babies, but we found them, now Russell and I can be together. Has Sana seen the babies yet?' she just – it was just so – mom stood and left the room-"
"And – and no one thought to correct this bullshit?" I asked harshly.
McKenna winced, "It was just – the smiling and her words, it's – she needs help," the words whispered.
"Finally Thayer had enough, and he just told her the truth, she kept whispering and shaking her head back and forth, and gasping for air the next, they sedated her and we came straight back here," her eyes full of worry.
"So she's delusional and believes that my children, Angel and mine – are hers? What's with Darren?" I asked her just as everyone came into the apartment. I turned to Darren, who was actually glaring at me.
"Say something," I said dryly, "or are you going to try and kill me with your eyes?" I was tired of him.
"You could have the decency to visit her, in the least she is still part of the family, isn't what your – our parents always said?" Vanessa was nodding at his side, in unison.
I did know what he was speaking of, no matter what we promised things would be amicable between us before the family suffered for whatever spat was actually between two people, but this wasn't that.
It was neither here nor there really, "I don't know what she see's in you," Vanessa murmured and Mom just gasped her eyes filling with tears instantly.
"Stop putting yourself in things that have nothing to do with you Vanessa," I snapped, back on Darren once again, "You want me to go to her and tell her what? What I've been saying? What I said before I was even here? Amara isn't my concern... why would you want me to only hurt her more. Go there and be supportive, let her cry on my shoulder only to break down once again when I leave her? Because I will leave her... I will be leaving her for another woman and children. Why would you want her to suffer like this Darren? Let her live her life thinking I-"
"You're the only man she's ever loved... she loves you more than anyone in this room," he cut me off.
"We've never had a healthy love Darren, it was always unhealthy and obsessive," he just stepped back, sneering, "You-"
"Hey!Hey!Hey!" Dad hollered, "Darren, we don't get into your business with Dana, we won't be getting into Russell's. He said before we came here that they were done, he's keeping his distance; your sister and you need to respect that. They're letting her go home in a few days, I've already seen the place and I think it'll be good for her to be away from all of us, especially Russell," he paused, "You'll be able to visit her but she isn't welcomed here and that's okay because it would only hurt her right now with what she's lost to be around Russell, Angel, Livvy, Lena and Rusty." After what McKenna said, what she told me, the last place Amara needed to be was near my Angel or our children.
"You sound so ungrateful Darren," Dana finally spoke, "Our son is healthy and alive, but you can't seem to understand why or whom to thank. You're making things worse, as are you Vanessa. We get it, you have feelings for her, but she doesn't want you, she wants Russell. You can't – you teaming up with Darren, getting angry at Russell won't make her – stay out of it," Danas' words confused me. I glanced at Vanessa... did she have feelings for Amara? Romantic feelings? I froze as I sifted memories, things said, glances I caught but never read into... guilt bubbled up inside me.
"I just want to move forward in my life, I feel that anything to do with Amara would be a huge back step, please respect how I feel," I said leaving heading back upstairs to Angel and the babies.
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Gabriel POV
I've done interrogations more than I could count, and probably more than any actual cop, but sometimes I still manage to be completely astonished by the shit people will say in these situations. Chelsea, can you do the connection mind reading thing you did earlier? I asked not wanting to miss a thing and not trusting that Uncle Theo would be straight with me later. I mean I just had guns pointed at his people, no way no how was that water under the bridge.
Because it just happened four minutes ago human, Max pointed out.
"So – Essie, what's it going to be? Are you going to tell me whom you are working for?" she stared right past me. Sure no problem, Chelsea chirped and just like that I could hear what Essie was thinking. It wasn't much. No actually it was nothing. She was literally thinking nothing. Her mind was being forced to concentrate on something else. If her brain had fucking crickets I'd only hear that shit.
"What about Canada, and Cynthia May?" her eyes twitched, "They needed your family out of Canada, Micha out of Canada, I got him out," she replied thinking of just that answer as well. But what caught me off guard was her image of they, was a darkened shape. Ghostly black, like smoke curling in around and out of the figure, no faces.
Essie wasn't done though, "They've been trying to get you out for years, and they've tried it all. One by one each and every one of you fucking Gavino's are going to be shut down," Gavino's can't have all the control. I stepped back, knowing that the family could hear her thoughts as well as see the video feed outside on the jumbo-tron.
She rolled her head, almost cracking it, rolling her jaw, which I assumed was healing from when Emma decked her. "Who are they?" I asked again, searching her mind, which was equally interesting as the words coming out of her mouth right then.
"They are the ones trying to keep order, let things remain equal, they want more power, they have more power." A fucking riddle. But she was thinking the same thing. Stronger than you, right in your face and you don't even see it! "Their reach surpasses yours in all ways," the darkened shapes appeared in her mind.
Chelsea? You paying attention to this? I asked resting back against the wall, yes, is she talking about the Elders?
"Elders-" I said and instantly the black ghostly images disappeared and images of the Elders came up, "Are the 'they' you speak of Elders?" I ask despite what I see happening, the proof that whoever they are, they aren't Elders, not in her mind.
What does she mean right in your face? Is – is she talking about Nonno? Chelsea was reluctant to even ask the question, as was I. I don't think so sweetheart; she said each and every Gavino was going to die...
"Tomas – how was he involved in this?" I asked, the image in her head shifted and soon I saw what happened like it was a fucking horror movie. Essie was conniving, her scheme was – was well thought out. "He offered to help get babies that would look somewhat like me," she offered up easily, and I wasn't even fucking touching her. I hadn't hit her, or shouted, nothing. Something was up to say the least. Her thoughts were too controlled, there was no panic whatsoever, "Tomas was doing his duty," she said proud of his actions.
"When Micha found you, with your bought children, you were hurt. Who hurt you?" I asked curiously. Why is she just giving me this information? It didn't make sense. Maybe she's doing – saying this because she loves Micha... Chelsea offered. I doubt it though.
"Tomas hurt me," the words once again matching the images, she let him beat the shit out of her, but she starved herself, made her self weak.
I was reaching with this next question but it felt like there would be a connection, her words sounded like what Tomas has said to me first, but with less organization.
"Who is Robert Delaney?" I probed, intent on her thoughts as well as her spoken words.
"I am Robert Delaney. Robert Delaney is me. We are each other. We stand for the cause. We work for the cause. We are the cause. You won't see us coming." I didn't know if I wanted to shout of fucking laugh at this shit, I glanced where I knew the cameras' were. Micha banged this bitch over Remington? Then I wondered how the hell Uncle Theo never got these thoughts, these words. Essie was just crying a fucking river about how those kids were hers and now here she was singing a different tune.
"If you don't stop speaking in circles-" I started but Essie just laughed, "I'm not going to be killed by you," she sneered, the confidence too strong, the belief too high. She started to rock herself, falling onto her side, her jaw hitting the concrete hard. A loud crunch sound interrupted the silence loudly. Probably her jaw cracking – dislocating.
On the floor on her side, Essie groaned, not bothering to right her, I continued, "What is the cause?"
"We are the cause, you won't see us coming," she said in an almost mocking tone, before she gasped and begun to shake uncontrollably, but she was laughing, choking. Someone was banging at the door, "Gabriel let me in!" Nonno shouted, he must have already handed over the kids to Logan already and coming here. Leaving Essie on the floor I let Nonno in, who was followed by Wolf and Jack. Nonno rushed over to Essie, listening to her breathing, even attempting to help her but she only laughed louder, choking and gasping to breath, "Oldest Gavino – they're going to get you too-" she stopped abruptly her whole body shuddering, purple bluish foam coming from her mouth. In the small room, the almond smell, the poisonous fragrant strong as her last breathe is released.
"Out!" Jack shouted, grabbing Nonno and I, closing the door behind us quickly.
"What the fuck?" I roared angrily, "Did she – how the – I" I stammered, baffled.
"What just happened?" I faced Jack pointing to the closed door. "She just poisoned herself Gabriel, with Aconite-"
"No with cyanide," I corrected, but he shook his head, "Both," Nonno interrupted me.
"Okay fine, but how did she get it?" I pushed past this confusion because I was in here... she was just laughing on the bus before I brought her down here.
"Tell me what happened?" Nonno said heatedly, eyes boring into mine.
"Come," I said leaving the basement, and going straight to where Remington was watching, controlling the streaming.
"Pull it all up," I ordered Remy, "Sure thing Boss," and on the screen was the last five or six minutes with Essie. When she threw herself to the ground Jack asked Remy to playback.
"She swallowed poison, her tooth I'd bet, she did that," he pointed to when she threw herself on the ground, "to knock a tooth loose, that crunching cracking sound you hear is her tooth, not her jaw," Jack inspected the video. While I just stared in disbelief, "She wasn't even thinking about her tooth," or her plans.
Gabe, what just happened? Chelsea asked over the link, waiting for me to clue her in, but I don't know what the hell to even stay. She killed herself? She didn't respond, not that I expected her too.
"How – why?" I turned to Jack for answers; he had them, "In my line of work, before I was with Chelsea, when espionage, military type agents were in danger of being found or captured they were given a pill that contained a lethal dose. It was so they could prevent their capturer from getting intelligence as well as thwarting tortuous death."
He walked to the display, "Play it again," he turned to face the monitor, "slow it down," and he pointed to when she crunched down, "see right there, she knocked it loose with the blow," he waited, pointing to her throat, "and she swallowed right here."
I stood there in shock, "What – was this brainwashing you think?" I questioned, "she was – did you hear what she said? She is Robert Delaney, he is her, and they are each other?"
"Yeah you need to figure out who the fuck this Robert Delaney is..." Remy chimed in, saying what I already knew, "I'm going to see Chelsea," I said heading to the door. "I don't want Artemisia here," Remy said stopping me, I nodded understanding. Remy had purpose, Art was family. Was being the key word here, yes she birthed Mylene, Victors' daughter but they weren't together, they shared a child together but Art was useless to me in comparison to Remy.
"Logan came for the babies?" I finally asked Nonno, who just nodded in answer, I turned to leave once again, but the image from Remy's screen outside caught my attention. Uncle Theo was literally sitting on Micha, guns were still out and Micha was fighting, while Aunt Pena was crying, being consoled by her eldest daughter, my cousin Gia.
I went outside; ready to face what was coming, Aunt Pena growled at me, "You did all this? We are family boy... how – how can you treat family this way?" she cried, pointing to the floor, her devastated son on the floor and I saw the pain clear as day as Micha fell apart.
"And – and now – you are saying he has a child with this Cynthia, but can't be in her life? Who has made you God il nipote?"
I got angry, "Your son," I stopped addressing my cousin instead, "Micha you had an alliance with a pack, cheated on someone you claimed to love left her pregnant for another woman. Cynthia doesn't want you around her child because you killed her pack... because everyday she wakes up, your decision impacts her daily," Micha was on the ground crying, shaking his head back and forth, "You abandoned Cynthia," I finished.
"I – I didn't know..."
"You aren't a good man, what you did was a bad thing. You removed protection, you weighed your odds and went with a woman that wormed her way into this family, that as you – as all of you have seen wanted us gone, took her own life, you have to deal with this shit."
I walked away, "I want them all gone," I said to one of my guys going to where Victor was with Mylene and Artemisia.
"Artemisia you can't stay here nor are you welcomed here," I said coldly, Victor snapped his head at me.
"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she whined at Victor, "Yes. He is. Because his mate is in this pack and I have no use for you here, all you'd do is cause-fucking trouble. I have enough trouble and people trying to fuck with me, I don't need your shit with Victor either."
"You share a child, that's it, nothing outside of Mylene – about his life – is your concern," I added, making sure Victor knew I wasn't on bullshit right now, "Mylene is welcomed here, your ex-wife is not," I eyed Victor he nodded.
"You – you found your mate?" Mylene asked her voice shaking, "What about mom?" Victor's face was pained, "My adult life isn't your concern Mylene, all you need to know is that I love you, how I feel about your mother will not be reflected on the love I have for you," he said, sounding more fatherly than I had ever heard him saying before.
"How can – can you just – just replace me like this? Let Gabriel speak to me this way-" I growled, "First Victor isn't my keeper Art, I'll speak to you any way I want, but let me give you some advice. Stop embarrassing yourself and walk out while you have any pride left. Teach your daughter a real lesson; stop begging for a man that doesn't want you. He found his mate, he wants his mate, he loves his daughter and finding his mate won't change that shit," I saw the tears but not even that would make me change my mind about what was going on or what I said, or the glare that Art was giving me.
"So this is what you do now? Break families apart? Dormire con i bambini ottenere pisciato su," she sneered probably having heard what went on outside.
"I'd watch how I talk to me if I were you... you are no longer a concern of Victors..." I said with a smile on my face, grinning wider when the fear was rolling off of her in waves.
"Bravi ragazzi finiscono per ultimi," I said before walking away... Victor was too nice, and nice guys finished last, our family had hurt Remy enough.
But in relation to me, to Chelsea and I, what Art said, I knew what was going around, what everyone was saying, 'dormire con i bambini ottenere pisciato su' if you sleep with kids you get pissed on...
They just didn't understand, la pura verita, Chelsea was – is the truth.
The pure truth.
My truth.
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Chelsea POV
Four days Gabriel went around fuming – not at me of course – dreading what would have to come with the two children his cousin thought were his children. All around it wasn't the best position for anyone, not Victor or Remington, but it was, what it was. The entire situation was a model for me, on how you may not feel the impact right away, but ripples were created with each choice we made in life.
One person befriending Essie led to her having sex with Micha, then him making one decision, take his guards off of Remy and now he lost both women, and three children. I was astounded with Gabriel, pure awe in how he handled his family, the two children despite the hard feelings and intentions I know others would have towards him now. We had enough people to worry about, but now we really had enemies in his family as well.
He explained, told me that their main and scared rule was always family, prima famiglia, family first. Since meeting me he hadn't put his family first, not in their eyes. I was an outsider to them now; I had broken down their family, tore apart a pack, my appearance made Jay leave.
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When the day the rest of Gavino's were coming, I waited upstairs while Gabriel was confronting Micha and Essie, but eventually he asked me to help him listen in.
'I am Robert Delaney. Robert Delaney is me. We are each other. We stand for the cause. We work for the cause. We are the cause. You won't see us coming,' I thought about this endlessly, it had me worried and everyone else around us as well. For a few seconds, I doubted Jack and Casey as well, not knowing just whom I could trust, but it passed. Neither Gabriel nor Remy had been able to find more information on Robert Delaney than we already had, than they found when Madeline had taken me, helped to take me. We couldn't agree on much when it came to him, except that Robert Delaney wasn't in charge, there were others higher up than him, more of him. The words she said... I believed it was something she was programmed, brainwashed to say. And there were others like her that would replace his name with someone else's. We all went away agreeing on that point alone every other argument left on impasse.
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Things had returned some what back to normal, or as close to normal as we could get... For us. Gabriel, Jamie and I continued to go to class, avoiding Samuel, Madeline and Scarlet which was hard since we were in the production together, but even then Madeline never had her eyes on me too long.
The only other thing we left the hotel for besides school was the poll dancing lessons I continued to take with Jamie and Violet. Even taking Angel and McKenna with us. I had no idea what was going on with Jack and McKenna though; he seemed to be holding back with her and unlike Russell neither of the two brought up me changing her.
I didn't involve myself in anyone else's business because we were too busy, because the next day all the children arrived, three busses 31 young men and 6 little girls. We were supposed to have the girls in our house, but Nathan his mate Molly, Ray and his mate Andrea approached Gabriel and I. They wanted to raise the little girls as her own, four from Denver would live with Nathan and Molly, while two from the Maine home would be with Ray and Andrea. It wasn't a hard sell; they said 'we just want to give those girls what you're giving Ava and Chelsea you're spread thin as it is...'
When they offered I felt relieved, for the boys they would have Lukas, Violet, Greta and Zeke, Anton, Rico as well as David and Giovanni. Not to mention Dana, Rachel and Jeremiah – Russell's mother and father. Everyone had stepped up, they wouldn't have a traditional type family, but they would never be without support.
We had them settled in but Remy and I were planning a large dinner, almost a week later, so everyone in the pack could meet and interact, as well as the children knowing their Alpha and soon to be Luna.
"So... how are things with Victor?" I asked with a big smirk, he was relentless, following her around. She frowned, "What's wrong?" I asked we slowly went down the marble stairs heading to the ballroom of Gabriel's hotel. Remy's eyes flicked around, "His daughter is a monster," she whispered sadly, when she didn't see Mylene. I rolled my eyes, not because she was exaggerating but that she looked around to say the truth.
"I mean nothing I do is right, she's always comparing what I do with how her mother would do it," she said sadly her eyes welling up with tears, "it's hard because Victor just keeps saying she needs time to adjust but she comes here and is a complete brat." I let her continue despite witnessing it for myself already. "He's so good with Emmalynn, but when she comes over, he isn't the same, he's cold towards us," she whimpered as we continued down the stairs slowly.
She wiped at her face, removing evidence of her tears, from behind us someone was coming down, but we didn't turn around, all of a sudden a perky high voice rang, a body forcefully pushing between Remy and I, "Watch it," Mylene growled, flying down the stairs. Continuing on her way, knocking me a little off balance, but knocking an already wobbly on her feet Remy completely over, and down the rest of the stairs.
Tumbling down, I screamed running down to catch her, while Gabriel and Victor ran from inside the ballroom with wide worried eyes, guns cocked. Mylene ran right into Victors arms, crying, "Daddy she – she just fell."