Filed to story: In the Shadow of the Past Luna (Lily & James)
“Ever… ever since you told them about what Lily did the night Stephanie died, their relationship with Lily has been strained,”
my mother explained.
“So you are saying that this is my fault?1?’ I snapped back.
“No, James, I am not saying that. It is just that, their relationship with Lily is complicated.”
Whatever. I am tired of trying to understand the me ntal gymnastics of Margie’s mind.
“Have you tried calling Red River Pack to find out if Lily made it back to school?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“And Alpha Brett told me that he had not seen or heard from Lily since she left for Stephanie’s memorial.”
“What about that doctor friend of yours? Dr. Hyder? The one who runs the medical school there? Maybe
Lily reached out to him?”
“My understanding is that Jay has been out of town on business for the past three or four weeks. Alpha
Brett texted me this morning telling me that Jay just got back this morning. I was actually going to call
Jay later on today to see if he could tell us anything.”
“Okay,”
I said, calming down a bit.
*James,”
my mother began hesitantly, “why do you care so much about where Lily is? You did not seem very happy to be mated to her, and that was an ugly fight that the two of you had during the memorial.”
I sighed. “I don’t know,”
I replied honestly. “I am not happy that the Moon Goddess paired us together. I do not understand it at all. But… I just feel like there is some unfinished business between us. I need to find her and figure out what that is.”
My father furrowed his eyebrows at me. “An accepted rejection should cut off any sense of unfinished business between the two of you.”
“Maybe it should, but it didn’t. All I know is that I need to find her and make sure that she is safe. I do not know what the Moon Goddess was thinking mating us, but I do know that the Moon Goddess decided that i should be the one to love and protect her. Maybe once I find her and confirm that she is safe, I will feel better.”
My father nodded. “Sit back down, Son. I will go ahead and call Jay now.”
“Thank you.
I sat down and watched as my father picked up his phone and called Dr. Hyder. I heard my father greet
Dr. Hyder and explain the reason for his call…. and then I watched as my father’s facial expressions changed from polite calmness to shocked rage.
Eventually, my father hung up without saying anything else:
“What did Dr. Hyder say?”
I asked.
“His exact words were, ‘I would rather my wolf f&&k you in the a&& than ever tell you anything about that girl. If you care about your pack, you will never, ever call me again.”
“
“What?”
my mother and I said in unison.
“I thought you were friends?!”
“So did I,”
my father said in angry confusion. “I mean, we really have not talked much the last couple of years, but I thought we were just both really busy.”
“Well, at least we know where to start looking,”
my mother offers, trying to be helpful.
“Maybe, but he is never going to tell us,”
my father counters. “Jay isn’t like other wolves. Once he makes his mind up, he is not going to budge.”
“He is never going to tell us anything by phone,”
I concede. “But I am going there now, and I am not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“James, no,”
my mother protests as she stands up.
“This is not up for discussion,”
I state matter of factly as I walk out of the office.
(James POV)
My parents were not happy with my decision to leave our pack and confront Dr. Hyder in Red River, but they ultimately chose to not try and stop me. They simply demanded that I take a few guards with me as a precaution. Given that Luke was still unwilling to shift or talk to me -and given that the drive would require going through some areas known to be populated by rogues- I agreed.
The drive to Red River took about five hours. That gave me time to think about how I would approach Dr. Hyder and what I would say when I got there. It also gave me some additional time to think about why I was going to talk to him at all.
Unfortunately, by the time that we arrived at the Red River pack, I neither had a prepared speech nor answers for why I had felt so compelled to come. Instead, I continued to feel completely, utterly confused. Those were feelings that were quickly becoming my “norm”
lately. In fact, literally the only thing that I felt sure of was that coming here -and, in turn, trying to find Lily- were somehow the right things to do.
How wrong I turned out to be.
Before I left, my father called ahead and got permission from Alpha Brett for me to enter Red River territory. That allowed us to get through border security fairly quickly, and the guards directed us to head.
immediately to the packhouse and up to Alpha Brett’s office. I was told that Dr. Hyder was already up there, waiting for me.
As we headed to the packhouse, I found it sort-of strange that a Red River guard was escorting us, but I assumed that was just an added security measure that Alpha Brett had implemented for all guests.
I was more nervous about seeing Dr. Hyder than Alpha Brett. I had known Dr. Hyder most of my life, but it had always shocked me that he and my parents were friends. Dr. Hyder was the sort of wolf that could make you pee your pants simply by looking at you. He had a reputation for punishing his enemies and killing wolves without remorse or hesitation. He had been the alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the nation until he took an early retirement so that he could focus on his passion for medicine. I had heard a few wolves joke that Dr. Hyder wanted to be a doctor because being an alpha did not give him enough power, he wanted to be a god.
Alpha Brett was quite a bit different than Dr. Hyder. He was just a couple of years older than me, and I knew him from alpha conferences that I had attended with my father. I liked him a lot. He was really down to earth, and we used to pal around at alpha conferences together. Despite only being in the alpha position at Red River for three years, he had already established a reputation for being a good and fair leader. Had it not been for me spending the last six years of my life in practical hibernation while grieving
When we arrived at our destination, I tried to set my nerves aside. I entered Alpha Brett’s office alone, leaving my guards and the Red River Guard standing outside in the hall.
When I walked in, Alpha Brett and Dr. Hyder were sitting together, with Alpha Brett sitting behind his desk and Dr. Hyder sitting in a guest chair right in front of him. Neither of them had a friendly or inviting looks on their faces.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the man of the hour himself, Mr. James Anderson,”
Dr. Hyder said in a mocking tone.
It had already been a long day, and after the long drive, I was not in the mood for games. I decided to sk ip the normal greetings and just cut to the chase.
“I am sorry, Dr. Hyder, but have I done something to offend you? The last time we saw each other, I believed that we were on good terms. However, after your words with my father earlier and that comment just now, I have to wonder if something has happened.”
“You could say that,”
Dr. Hyder responded.
Alpha Brett stood up before I could inquire further. “James, I am going to leave you and my uncle alone.
to talk. However, before I go, I want to make a few things clear.”
Uncle? How had I missed that Dr. Hyder was Alpha Brett’s uncle?