Chapter 36 New Connections
thirty-six
New Connections
*MARCELLUS*
Imake sure to give off nice, teddy bear vibes when I introduce myself to our new pack members, and am glad to see that Eugene made sure they were safe and healthy in his pack.
“I will be coming with you if that’s okay,” Flo offers. “I can help them settle in. If that’s okay with you, Alpha Eugene?”
“Of course,” Eugene says.
“Also, I need to know all the juicy details about your hot vampire mate,” she whispers to me.
“What happened to you?” I grin. “The Flo from five years ago was always trying to be so cool.”
“The Flo from today is cool, while her teenage self just tried to be edgy,” she explains. “Oh, and I have been catching up on some romance novels.”
“You are still reading?” I ask.
“Of course. Never lost the passion for it, and you?”
“Don’t let him get started,” Silas sighs. “He was in an emo-dystopian phase a couple of months ago.”
“I read a lot of dystopian Sci-Fi,” I explain. “Before that, I tried to catch up on some European classics.”
“Aside from romance, I am into the more philosophical genre at the moment,” Flo says. “Boy, we need to exchange our literature lists and reopen our book club.” She turns to Silas. “Is that okay with you, Lord Silas? I don’t want it to look like I am hitting on your mate.”
“Oh, child,” Silas smirks. “I am not that insecure. Besides, we have marked each other.”
“And he himself is currently working together with his ex,” I tell Flo with a grin. “You don’t need to walk on eggshells around him.”
“It’s not like I am overly happy about working with that backstabber,” Silas points out. “Besides, Julianus found his werewolf mate. Creator have mercy if he messes that one up, because I might just kill him personally if he does.”
“So, we are getting the old literature club running again?” Flo asks.
“I am all in for that,” I agree. “What about you, Elliot?”
“I’ll have to, won’t I?” he sighs dramatically. “I originally only joined because I wanted to meet cute girls. Didn’t know I would end up with you in the same club and maybe three other members.”
“We’ll let you pick a book,” Flo offers.
“Any book?” he asks.
“Sure,” she says.
Elliot grins. “Alrighty.”
“Are you sure?” I mutter towards her.
“Yeah, he will probably choose something erotic,” Flo whispers back. “And then we’ll discuss it in detail, and he will get embarrassed. Will be great!”
I chuckle, suddenly feeling transported back in time. It’s like back in the days when we would pick awkward book choices to annoy each other.
While we are catching up, I notice that Benjamin and the warriors have finished loading the jeep with the belongings of our new pack members.
We agreed on taking everyone along immediately, as we are already prepared for them.
Two of Eugene’s warriors will accompany us, with a second car.
I think deep down, Eugene wants to come, too, but he obviously can’t just leave the pack.
Meanwhile, Mom has a bigger issue with letting me go again. “How about you visit us?” I offer. “So that you know that I won’t go anywhere again. And to see my pack and my work.”
She stares at me. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“You are my mother. I’d love to host you in my pack.”
“You are welcome anytime,” Silas assures her, without extending his invitation to the remainder of my family.
Mom still looks anxious, but then she nods. “I would love to. After all, now I have such a lovely son-in-law, too.”
Behind her back, I can see Dad and Eugene exchange a glance. Yeah, to them, it must be both hilarious and annoying to see Silas being so nice to Mom while he freezes everyone else out.
“How about we set a date immediately?” I offer, hoping it will make her less anxious.
“In two weeks, it will be my birthday, and the pack will celebrate,” Silas pitches in. “I would love for you to come.”
Mom’s eyes light up. “That sounds amazing!”
“Is it an invitation for all of us?” Dad finally asks.
Silas’ lips curl into his signature icy smile. “Well, you all seem to come in a package, so of course the invitation is extended to the…“ He adds a dramatic pause. “Whole family.” He shakes his head. “This reminds me of the 19th century, when one of my friends took a lady as his beloved.”
“The 19th century?” Eugene asks, shocked. “Just how old are you, Lord Silas?”
“Old enough to know how to protect what’s mine,” Silas says in an overly polite tone.
“Alright, let’s get going,” I say cheerfully, trying to shoo Silas and Eugene apart, before either of them loses their patience.
I am just incredibly thankful for Silas being here with me.
Having him next to me just put my whole mind at ease and helped me deal with this whole situation so much easier.
Before we can leave, Mom suddenly steps forward and hugs me.
To my shock, she breaks into tears. I hug her.
“I am so sorry I didn’t protect you more,” she whispers.
“I should have had your back. I have been thinking about this so much. I didn’t want you to leave the pack, and pushed for you to stay and do something that was completely out of your nature. I should have supported you instead.”
I am not sure what to say, so I just hug her, hoping that when she visits us, she will see how happy I am with my current life.
“I can’t believe we made it out of that pack,” Silas comments when we all take a seat in my jeep again. Sheila is driving in the other car with the victims.
“For real!” Benjamin grins. “A heads up would have been nice, Alpha.”
“Aw, look at who is suddenly finding his sass and making demands,” I tease.
Benjamin grins. It’s such a difference from how he was a couple of weeks ago. Every wrong look from me would trigger his fight or flight response, and now he can even joke with me.
Flo is the last one to squeeze herself into my car. She was adamant about driving with me. “So, fill me in,” I tell Flo while maneuvering us out of the pack. “I got the story from Mom and Dad, but I need your perspective now.”
“Got you,” she says. “After you left, it was utter chaos.”
“Really? So, it’s true what my parents said.”
“Of course, rumors were flying around left and right, and obviously, everyone noticed you were missing. Your parents sent almost all of our warriors out to find you, but boy, you know how to disappear. Where did you stay before you built your own pack?”
“Honestly, I was a rogue at first and helped two young wolves, which is how the idea of my pack was born,” I admit. “It’s also how I met Silas.”
“Yes, I was on the run, too,” Silas verifies.
“Goddess,” Flo mutters. “I wasn’t aware you were living as a rogue.”
“Don’t tell anyone, please,” I say. “I don’t want them to be even more upset.”
She nods. “I’ll make sure to keep it to myself. What about Eugene?”
“He will find out for sure,” I say. “But I doubt he would tell Mom. I bet he won’t want to worry her either.”
Flo eyes me curiously. “How did it feel to be back?”
“Honestly, weird. I don’t even know how to feel. It’s hard to reconnect with my family,” I admit. “This was not how I imagined it to happen. I thought I’d have more control over how it happened.”
“Maybe it was better that way,” Silas muses.
“Maybe. That way I wasn’t able to overthink it.” I gaze at Flo. “Tell me more about you. You said you are a nurse now?”
“Never thought that would become my passion,” she admits. “When you left, I took a job at the infirmary while wondering what to do. I wanted to study literature first, but somehow, I really liked the work there, so… I studied to become a nurse. Weird, huh?”
“Not weird at all! You always had a nurturing side to you, and you were so good with people.”
She beams at me. “I want to go back to school and learn more about psychology, so I can get a license as a therapist, too,” she explains. “Okay, enough about me. I want to know more about the pack!”
That’s easy, as pretty much all of us are very passionate about our pack. Silas and I explain our project to her before she starts to chat with Lori and Benjamin about their experiences. Benjamin is burning for the pack, and it’s obvious.
I haven’t seen Flo in years, yet I still feel the same sense of familiarity around her, like the sister I never had, and the friend who stood by my side and was loyal to me during the whole fuckup with Eugene.
I forgot to ask you something. How did you manage to join us so fast? I link Silas, asking the question I was dying to know the answer to, the moment he arrived.
When I am on my own, I have certain abilities I can use, he admits. Like, being very fast.
That’s pretty cool! I smile. Thanks for coming. It was so much easier for me to handle everything with you being there.
The drive is relatively long, but with Flo updating us on everything that happened during the last couple of years, it passes really quickly. She is much more confident than she was as a teen, livelier, but still with an earnest and kind touch to her. I can absolutely see her as a nurse.
When we arrive at Sunset Hills, Lucian is already awaiting us with a very tired Maddie.
“What’s wrong?” Sheila asks, climbing out of the second car.
Lucian hands her Maddie and sighs. “I think she is sick,” he says. “She is warm and is coughing.”
Sheila touches her forehead, rocking her in her arms. “She has a fever,” she mutters.
“I couldn’t get her to rest,” Lucian admits. “She was restless.” He pauses, as if he is choosing his words carefully. “Haunted almost.”
“Haunted?” Sheila asks, alarmed, before turning around to look at me.
What’s going on? I link Silas. Is that normal for vampire children or hybrids?
No, not really that I know of, but keep in mind that hybrids are still very rare for us, and I have barely any research material on them. It might be a surge of power in her. After all, her senses have become much sharper recently.
Silas steps forward, gently touching Maddie’s head. “Her eyes are bloodshot, too,” he mutters.
“I can take a look at her,” Flo offers. “Do you have an infirmary?”