Chapter 43: An Attempted Treaty

“Yes?” Audrey called the knock at her door tearing her away from her computer. She hoped it wasn’t her mother. She couldn’t stomach any more of the marriage pandering. She had already suffered through a few dinners with her intended husband and in-laws. She missed Cara terribly but hadn’t had a chance to sneak away to see her since her house had been flooded with Red Hoods.
The door creaked open and her “fiancé”, Cole, peered around it. She sighed inwardly at the sight of him.
“Can I come in?” he asked, looking awkward. She shrugged noncommittedly and shut her laptop. He closed the door behind him and stood looking around, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his expensive, tailored trousers.
“You can sit,” she said, pointing to the small sitting area near her balcony. He nodded slightly and placed his large frame onto one of the velvet slingback chairs. She sat in the chair opposite him.
“So, how can I help you?” she automatically slipped into her business tone. A year prior she had opened her own small boutique and now she found herself going into her management role; impersonal and distant yet helpful if only to hurry the transaction along.
His light blue eyes looked troubled. He was rather handsome in a general manner, Audrey thought. If she had been attracted to men, he wouldn’t be the worst choice her parents could have made. He had a strong jaw and thick black hair. He was large of course: her parents insisted on breeding strong, capable Red Hoods.
“I get the feeling that you feel the same as I do about this whole insane arrangement,” he started. She visibly perked up. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands open. “No offense to you, at all, but I don’t want to marry you. I have a girlfriend back home that I was planning on marrying before my parents received the letter from your parents. In fact, this whole…situation, is just insane. My parents are barely involved with Red Hoods' business anymore. They said we couldn’t ignore it though.”
Audrey studied him and pursed her lips. She wondered if she could trust him or if this was some crazy ploy from her parents to dig around in her life, test her loyalty.
“How do I know you are telling the truth?” she asked coldly.
“Your parents would kill me if they knew. This could be a suicide mission for all I know. You could be thrilled about this arrangement, although I really don’t think that is the case.” He replied simply, his face was open and seemed honest enough. Audrey sniffed slightly and a small smile peeked out.
“They really would, wouldn’t they?” she said with a laugh. She looked down at her manicured nails, painted a deep bloody red. “So, what is your plan to get out of this? My original idea was to just go through with it and then just lead separate lives once we are out of here,” He looked a bit shocked at this confession.
“I guess that is an option but I was thinking about something else,” he replied.
“Which is?”
“We run. We won’t be alone. A lot of the Red Hoods here aren’t happy about how your parents have been stretching the laws. My parents only came because they had to, due to your parents’ rank but there are a few Knights that are talking about not fighting. My dad is one of them. He says this is a personal crusade and he won’t be a part of it. My parents are planning on leaving tonight. They wanted me to see where you stood first. You can come with us,” his eyes were bright. Audrey tossed around the possibility. She could see it was feasible, to a degree. Then she remembered Garin. She knew that her mother planned to somehow get rid of him. She couldn’t leave yet.
She told Cole this and what her mother had planned. He looked horrified but she saw a resolve harden in his face.
“I’ll help you save your brother but there is something we need to do first, to help our odds of escape.”
“What’s that?” she asked, feeling her heart race at the idea of being able to live her life on her own terms.
“We tell the wolves. We let them know what’s coming and when,”
“I know just the wolf to tell,” Audrey replied.
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Willow drove to Rashida’s lodge. There wasn’t time to run there. She needed to get her to stop this war and time was not on her side. Her heart thrummed as her tires crunched over the gravel of the long drive up to the mountain lodge.
She felt as if she hadn’t slept for days. Her senses were heightened to a nearly unbearable degree and her vision was sharpened to the point where she could see the colors of objects bending in the light. She shook her head to clear it, but it didn’t help. She could smell, see, and hear everything. The sweet, rotted scent of a decaying rabbit stung her nostrils while the shrill cry of an eagle overhead pierced her ears.
Her skin felt as if it would vibrate off of her, sloughing to the ground, leaving only a skeleton behind the steering wheel. The sunlight was too bright as it filtered down through the leaves. Even behind her dark sunglasses, it was as if she were standing in direct light. Willow wasn’t sure what was happening to her, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She had to stop this, somehow.
Keena was waiting for her on the porch, leaning against the railing. Her face was hard and impassive. Willow hoped it wouldn’t come to a fight, but she could smell the fragrant, sharp tang of adrenaline spiking the other wolf’s blood.
Willow stumbled out of the SUV slightly. Her head pounded. If felt as if she were drunk and hungover at the same time. Her vision swam a bit, the colors melding and dripping. She took a few deep breaths and eventually the world righted itself again.
“Willow?” Keena called, her voice tinged with concern.
“I’m…fine,” she sputtered. “I’m just a bit under the weather or something. Is your mom home?” she replied and walked cautiously forward but the episode had seemed to pass.
“She is but she is preparing. She isn’t taking any meetings today. You should be home as well, resting. We move at dusk,” Keena made to leave.
“I’m not leaving until she agrees to stop this madness!” Willow called out sharply. Keena turned her dark eyes onto Willow.
“Go home, Willow,” her voice was steely, but it bounced off of the wolf in front of her. Willow looked different…wild somehow. Her eyes were so bright it nearly hurt to look at them. Her scent was strong, nearly overpowering. It pushed off of her in tumultuous waves.
Keena wasn’t as convinced that she would win one on one with her anymore. She had somehow grown in power over the past few days. Keena briefly wondered if Willow had also been mixing with witches. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise her.
Keena conveyed the picture to her mother, who was far above in her office. She felt the flicker of her mother’s surprise at the sight of Willow and then her decision.
“She says to go home, Willow. What is done is done. While you broke our laws, this goes beyond that. They asked for this war and they are going to get it. You’re either with the pack or against it. There is no other way,” Keena replied and went into the lodge.
Even in her altered state, Willow knew it would be suicide to go in there alone. She could smell the other pack members inside, willing to kill and die for their alpha. If only she could change someone’s mind, let them see that no one had to die.
She slumped into the SUV, her head beginning to pound again when her phone buzzed. It wasn’t a number she recognized but she answered anyway.
“Willow? It’s Audrey. Can you meet up? I think we need to chat.”