Chapter Sixty-One – The angry father

“Andvari!” The name echoed through the community as loud bangs were heard on the metal gate. A steady beat of thumps, like someone was banging one fist and then the other at a steady pace.

The gate was the only barricade between them and the dirt road leading to the property, with fencing on both sides, going wide before disappearing into the woods, ending someplace in the tree line one both sides. It was a way to keep intruders out, while also not keep everyone locked in. Even before the threats there had been patrol, in case someone stumbled across them in the middle of nowhere. And the only people who came to the gates were the humans.

The kids closest so the gate scampered back to the elder wolves as Devan made his way out of the pack house, feeling a little better after a rest and some food. But the scene before him was more than he could have prepared for in the short amount of time.

*‘Alpha, the gate’* Devan linked. He knew his alpha was at the clinic with Talia, and that there was probably a good reason, so he shouldn’t disturb, but the fact that the metal gate shook at occasion from the loud banging took president over the medical emergency. Had she been dying he would’ve known.

*‘I heard’* Adam was already on his way, taking the shortcut through the house, closely followed by Talia who refused to stay in the room feeling like a victim a moment longer.

“Andvari!” The voice called out again. There was no doubt who he was there to see.

“I’m here” Adam answered calmly as he walked towards the gate, taking in the scent of the person on the other side. Older male with a hint of citrus, Mr. Noye.

“I want my daughter. Let me in!” The older man shouted, banging his fist against the metal again. It vibrated on impact.

“What makes you think she’s here?” Adam asked, his voice still calm, not going up or down a note. His heartbeat was slow and steady. Negotiate, not fight, it was what he had learned, and to negotiate you had to be calm, to not tip of the other.

“I know she’s here. Where else would she be?” The old man spat back. Adam could smell alcohol, had he lost his grip without his daughter around?

“I don’t know” Adam answered.

Devan was eyeing the conversation, his shoulder tense. The other’s had already been guided inside, asked to go someplace safe in case something bad happened. Devan had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t scent anyone else, and even an angry father wouldn’t take on a pack of wolves by himself.

“She’s here, and I know it. You have my girl. Give her back!” He spoke like Ariel was some sort of property, not an actual human being. Talia wondered what he was like as a father. As a parent. Did he love his children, or did he consider them to be property? Only of value if they did something of importance?

“Ariel is at the hospital sir. She wasn’t doing so well after her boyfriend was killed” Talia answered, taking a stance beside Adam.

“You’re lying!” Mr. Noye shouted again. Adam could hear how his heartbeat picked up, how the blood was thumping against his veins. Even with the solid gate shielding them both from view he could make out a clear picture of the man on the other side. Hot, red face, sweat along the hairline, fists red and sore from the banging, but the adrenaline kept him from feeling the pain.

“I’m not. I made sure she got there safely myself” Talia continued to speak in a soft voice, like Lilith would speak to her when she needed to calm down and break out from the panic attacks.

“You’re lying” His voice was less frantic now. She got to him.

“I promise you I’m not. I’ll take you to see her myself, if you’ll let me” Talia glanced over at Adam, who in seconds got the hazy gloss over his eyes, he was communicating with the others. Nonverbal communication was gold, and despite not being part of the link he for once understood what she was asking of him.

“Who are you?” Mr. Noye asked. Talia looked to Adam, who shook his head.

“A friend. We’ve known each other for a long time” Talia answered vaguely.

Silence followed. Adam tensed up, he preferred the shouting and banging over the silence.

“What hospital?” He suddenly asked. “She’s not here in town, I’ve checked”

“No, I took her to the one in the city. She was so lost poor thing, having witnessed the most horrendous thing a girl can see. Here everyone knows everyone, and would pry, not leave her alone to heal. The one in the city felt like a better choice. And they promised to call you to inform you about her whereabouts” Talia answered, surprising herself with how steady her voice was, how easy it was to lie.

“You better not be lying to be girl!” He shouted before footsteps were heard in the gravel. He was walking away. A car door opened, and an engine roared to life.

Both Adam and Devan listened intently, neither of them wanting to pop over the gate to check if the man was truly leaving. They could hear the car drive away, hear the gravel under the tires, and kept listening to where the car turned off to the main road.

“Can we move her?” Talia asked once she could breathe again.

“They are working on it, but it's a challenge, she's still sedated.” Adam answered, impressed with the quick thinking.

“He will be livid when he realizes you lied to him” Devan said, still tense. He didn’t like Henry Noye one bit, and he was happy to chase him on a wild goose hunt. But this would surely come back to bite them in the butt.

“I know, but I’ll handle it” Talia shrugged, feeling more confident than before. That little boost had done her some good. Despite everything that had been done to her she could still be off use; it gave her meaning in an otherwise meaningless spiral of bad news.

“Nadine isn’t here to help. Where is she, and where is Xavier? I haven’t seen neither in a while”

Talia stopped and swallowed. She hadn’t had time to tell him about the little detour in France, the dead grandmother or the fact that Xavier and Nadine were still in France dealing with it. Shit. She should have thought about that.

“In France” Talia answered slowly, not wanting to invoke the potential wrath of the alpha.

“Why? When? Talia” His tone lowered to a warning.

“I promise, I wasn’t going to leave. I just had to see for myself if she was dead or not. And she is, in case you were considering going there yourself to put her six feet under. But it was just me and Nadine, and we weren’t exactly supposed to be there, but Xavier was there yesterday, so Nadine went to get him. And Lilith. And then she portaled us back, and then you know what happened after” Talia explained quickly, taking hasty steps towards the house to create some distance between herself and Adam.

But Adam just stopped and stared at her, blinking rapidly and opening his moth several times before closing them again. He looked a little like a fish come to think of it.

“Nothing happened. She was dead when we got there, and Lilith said she had been dead for at least a day. So, grandfather killed her because of what she did. Or because of Victor. I have to ask Xavier about who that is” Talia continued as she walked through the hallway, the scent of dinner hitting her smack in the face, making her stomach grumble lowly. Food was a necessity she had deprived her body off for too long and it needed to be rectified.

“I’m at a loss” Devan chipped in before shaking his head and walking into the dining area. Too much was happening all at once, and he couldn’t keep up with everything. Didn’t want to know everything either in fact. As long as he was in the loop about safety and possible threats he was pleased.

“I’ll explain another time” Adam answered Devan, still standing on the pathway looking at Talia. He wanted to be mad at her for just up and leaving without a word, but he couldn’t get himself to feel the anger. He just felt sad. Sad for everything she’d lost.

“Don’t pity me, please” Talia turned around when he didn't follow. She saw it in her eyes. It was worse than anger. “I’m not fine – but I will be. You promised me that. One day, everything will be fine”

“I’m still sorry for your loss” Adam found his words.

“Which of them?” There were many to choose from.

“All of them”