Chapter 20 - Janella
“Do you want pickles on your sandwich?”
I scrunched my nose up, feeling my stomach churn at the idea. “No. I'd rather not vomit again.”
I could hear Kyla chuckle in the kitchen before she came back into the living room. “Alright, I ordered them. They should be here in twenty minutes.”
She threw herself on the couch across from me and smiled. “I still can’t believe you're pregnant. How do you feel? Do you feel different?”
“Like I can’t hold any food down and am fat.”
She snorted. “You’re not fat. You’re not even showing yet.”
“I’ve gained three pounds already.”
She smiled. “So, things must be good with you and Riley. You guys even redecorated in here. Which I should add, I love how you did it. Nice colors and this new couch. So comfy.”
I thought of how caring he’d been since he found out.
I was on bed rest for a week, where Riley tended to me.
I could see how tired he was after a long day, but he made me food and rubbed my feet.
He always smiled when he saw me, not showing any signs of regret. He'd been the perfect dotting husband.
“We’re doing well. We're getting into a new rhythm, and it's been nice.”
“So, have you guys picked out anything for the nursery yet? Talked about names or anything? Oh, have you picked out a theme? Oh my god, I love themed nurseries.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s still pretty fresh. We’re still digesting the news. I'm only maybe a month ago right now.”
“I get that. God, I need a man in my life. Someone to take care of me when I'm feeling under.”
I chuckled. “Are you sure? They require a lot of attention.”
She laughed. “True, but then you have someone to rub your back when you feel sick and love you when you first wake up in the morning. They see all your flaws and love you anyway.”
I thought of Riley holding my hair as I threw up. He rubbed circles on my back as I heaved. He’d carried me back to bed countless times and apologized when something that smelled made me sick. He'd been attentive and trying to learn what I could eat and what to avoid.
“Yeah, maybe some are worth the trouble.”
I heard the front door open, and Riley stepped into the house. He paused when he spotted us. “Oh, Kyla. I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Hey, Riley. Janella and I were watching a movie. Congratulations on the news. You must be so excited.”
Riley smiled, and I could see the sparkle in his eyes. If there was one thing I could believe, it was how much he looked forward to having a baby.
“Thanks.”
“I just ordered sandwiches for dinner. Shit. I didn’t get you one, though. Janella didn't say that you were going to be here.”
“That’s okay, I’m just here to change, and then I’m heading out to a town meeting. I'll grab something while I'm out.”
“There’s a town meeting?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was put together because everyone is starting to get worried about everything that’s going on, so the Council said I should have a meeting and remind them that everything is okay and that we have everything under control.”
I frowned. “Is everything okay?” Because last I checked, we hadn't gotten anywhere. We still hadn't found the Cauldron. People were still losing their minds, and the bonds were still failing.
Riley paused and clicked his tongue. “Have you had enough water today? Sherry said that you need to be drinking your water. We don't want you to have to get another IV because you got dehydrated.”
Kyla smirked. “Nice diversion there.”
I frowned, wondering if he was hiding something from me. “Riley, is there something I don’t know?”
“No.”
“We promised no secrets. What are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding anything. Things have just been tense the past couple of days. Everything is fine.” He walked over, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead, before he headed up the stairs.
“No secrets?” Kyla asked, giving me a confused look.
I groaned. “I didn’t tell him about the baby right away.”
Kyla’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, really? Why?”
“Because of everything that’s going on. I didn’t want to add another thing onto his plate. He’s already running around enough as it is, and now this. I just didn't want to make him worry more.”
She smiled. “It’s a baby, and he loves you.”
I tried not to react to her words. We’d never said them to each other. Sure, we were sharing the same bed and planned to turn his old room into the nursery since we never bought him any new furniture for that space. And sure, he held me at night, and I felt safe. But we’d never said those words.
We were married, but it wasn’t entirely real. We slept together, but it was only a couple of times. We were standing in a gray area. We weren’t together, but we weren’t seeing other people.
“So, when is the food arriving?”
Kyla left half an hour later, and I got bored. I stared at the ceiling as the time seemed to tick by. I twirled my fingers and knocked my toes together. I looked down at my stomach, not seeing a bump. I knew it was early still.
I groaned. “I’m bored.”
I turned the TV and tried to focus on it. I felt my eyes growing heavy as I watched, deciding not to fight it.
I opened my eyes and found I was standing in a room. There were sconces lighting the room in a dim hue. I looked around, seeing that I was standing in a dirty space. It was cold, and the walls were brick. It reminds me of a dungeon.
I stepped forward, feeling the cold underneath my socks. I was still wearing what I had on while lying on the couch, but I was somewhere else.
I swallowed and turned around. I froze as I spotted the Cauldron sitting across the space. It was bubbling and chained down to the ground.
I could smell the dark magic and the way it seemed to circle around the room, looking for an exit.
I stared at the Cauldron. I knew I hadn’t been insane and that it was real. But where the hell was I? It wasn’t in the woods but rather underground. There were no windows. I turned, looking at the door, trying to think if I’d ever seen it before. But it didn’t refresh any memories for me.
“Where am I?”
“Janella.”
I jerked awake to find Riley shaking me. He sighed, looking relieved. “You’re awake. Jesus, you were scaring me. You were mumbling in your sleep.”
I rubbed at my eyes and sat up. “What?”
“You were mumbling about the Cauldron. Did you have another nightmare?”
I nodded. “It wasn’t a nightmare, Riley. It’s real. I was there. I was standing with it. It’s locked up somewhere like an abandoned space.” I knew he might think I was crazy, and it would be understandable considering we’d looked all over town and still couldn’t seem to find it.
He ran his hand over my hair. “Do you know where?”
I shook my head. “No, but I swear. It’s real.”
“I believe you. I never doubted you.”
I was surprised by this. I expected some pushback from him. “You do?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We know that dark magic is causing all of these issues, and it makes sense. We just need to find it.”
I felt my heart skip a beat. I smiled, grateful that he believed me.
“So, what do we do?”
“I think we should bring it up to your brother and see if he knows anything. And then go to the council. You’ve had two visions about this. With how tense the pack is, I have a feeling this is connected. We don’t want to sit on it.”
“You think Troy will know anything?”
“Troy was a member of this pack for years before he got his own. He knows this pack well, and its members. If the three of us can’t find the Cauldron, then it’s been placed somewhere no one wants it to be found.”
The thought made my stomach sink. Was there a possibility that someone here was working against us? That made me want to be sick.
“But for now, I think we need sleep. You looked like you're exhausted, and I know I am.”
I frowned, remembering he’d been at the meeting. “How was the meeting tonight?”
He frowned. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
I could see the way his shoulders were tense, and I knew it hadn’t been good. I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how to.
He got off the couch and offered me a hand. “Bed?”
I nodded. “Sleep. Sleep sounds good.”
I didn’t dream anymore, and I woke up the next morning to chatter. I headed down the stairs and found Troy sitting at the island with Riley. I was a little surprised to see them sitting together, considering I knew they were still working through things.
“Troy.”
Troy got up and hurried to me. He smiled. “You’re pregnant!”
I smiled. “I am. You knew that, though.” I had called and told him a few days ago, just after I had called out my parents.
“But I haven’t seen you in person since I found out. Have you seen Mom? She’s just been talking nonstop about it.”
“I have seen Mom.” Troy pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m gonna be an uncle.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, you are.”
I moved past him, going for a cup of coffee while Troy sat down. “So, Riley was telling me that you guys were looking for a cauldron?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’ve had a couple of visions about it. This last one was in a dark room. It was chained to the ground. Can you think of anywhere this might be?
Troy shook his head. “No. I know places, but Riley showed me the map you were working with, and nothing comes to mind where you haven’t looked. If it’s underground, you could probably say it’s not in the woods.”
“You sure?” Riley asked.
Troy nodded. “If we had anything like that in the woods, we would have known about it either growing up or because you're the Alpha.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Party a lot, Troy?”
“I just knew where the cool hangout spots were.”
I groaned. “This has been useless.”
“I think you know you only have one option?”
“Which is?”
Troy shrugged. “Going to the council.”
“We’ve done that, and it was little help. I doubt this time will be any different.”
“Do they know about the Cauldron? That you’re looking for it?”
I thought about how it was clear they were hiding something last time. What if they knew? It was wrong to think of, but that’s where my mind traveled.
“I’m just saying,” Troy shrugged. “They think about what’s best for the pack, but they can make bad decisions. If you want to know everything, don’t allow them to lead the way.”
Troy had always been the one to fight against the council growing up. He was respectful, but he always said that if he were Alpha, he didn't want them telling him how to lead. I could see Riley was mulling the words over.
Troy left after a while, and Riley remained seated. He was tapping his hands on the table, his eyes glued to his phone.
“You good?”
He nodded. “It’s just frustrating.”
“I know. What are you thinking?”
“What I should have done to begin with.” He looked at me. “We’re going to have a meeting with them and get it all out in the open.”
The next morning, we went to the council. I wasn’t even sure if Riley had even arranged a meeting. I could see he was tense, and I was trying to remain calm. I had no idea how this was all going to go or what he was even going to say.
We headed inside, and I felt my stomach flip with worry. The council’s door was open, and Riley gripped my hand, taking me straight inside.
They were all sitting together like always, and Riley slammed the door behind us angrily. They all looked up, and Jasmine tilted her head as she took us in. “Riley. Janella. Did we have a meeting?”
“No.” Riley crossed his arms. “We’re here because Janella had another vision about a cauldron, and it seems no matter where we look, there isn’t one to be found.”
They remained quiet, not giving away if they were hiding anything. “And?”
“And we know you're hiding something.” He gripped the chair in front of us tightly. “And I don’t appreciate you lying to me. If there is something you know, I deserve to know it.”
Dean sighed. “There are things that you don’t need to know.”
“When it comes to the safety of my pack, I do!” Riley’s fingers tighten on the chair, his knuckles going white.
I reached out, placing my hand over his, forcing my magic out. I didn’t need him losing his shit while we were here.
Kelly sighed. “Janella, what did your vision entail?”
“The Cauldron. It was bubbling, and a dark force was coming out of it. It was chained in what looked like a basement.” I scowled as I looked at each of them.
That fear I’d felt before was gone as I started to wonder if they had been lying.
“I have looked everywhere for it, and I’m not finding it.
Which leaves me to think you must know and aren’t saying. I know it’s here in the pack.”
They remained quiet for a long moment before they looked at each other. They didn’t give away what they were thinking besides pulling themselves up. “Follow us,” Jasmine said.