Page 88 of A Wolf in the Garden

Ellie grabs it, swiping to answer the call. “Hello,” she says quietly, her voice still thick with the aftermath of tears.

“Ellie, sweetie, can I talk to you for a moment? Toyou. It’s important.”

“Yes. Van is here, but yes, talk to me.”

I hear my mother’s shaky sigh of relief. “Thank you.” There’s a long pause, and then a rush of words. “I have to apologise — I-I am so sorry, sweetie. I am so sorry about the memory spell, and the way you’ve found out, and… and us not being… us not coming back to New Zealand. I am sorry for not telling you what I knew.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s really not, and I think you know that.” They’re both crying. Two of the women I love the most, bawling their eyes out. I lean my head against Ellie’s.Thisis why I’ve avoided contacting my mother. Especially after I found Ellie again, I knew, I just knew there’d be tears like this.

“I’m…” Ellie begins, her breath hitching. “I’m devastated that I may have put… you all in —”

“You didn’t,” my mother cuts in. “That’s what I have to tell you. I need you to know,do notcarry guilt on your shoulders. Nothing is your fault, sweet girl.”

“But I have brought danger, the fae have been after me again.”

There’s another long pause. “When?” Neither of us answer. “Evander,when?”

“Last month. The week before the full moon. Although I believe they were stalking her in the weeks prior to that.”

“Why didn’t you contact me?” I can hear the concern in my mother’s voice, and it pulls at my own fears that what I’ve done so far hasn’t been enough.

“There’s an elvish witch here, living locally. There’s protection wards in place.”

“Evander, that’s all well and good, but…”

I wait for her to continue. “But what?” I prompt, impatient.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard. There’s been an increase in these incidents in the past few months.”

“I’ve heard.”

I wait for her to say anything further, listening to the quiet, indistinct murmuring in the background. I can make out both my parents’ voices, but not what they’re saying, and in my mind I picture my mom with her thumb pressed firmly over the receiver end of her phone, blocking out their hushed tones, just like I’ve seen her do before. Finally, she speaks again.

“Evander, are you going to turn us away, if we show up on your doorstep twenty four hours from now?”

“Why would you do that, Mom?”

“Because you need me. And because I miss you so much, my sweet boy. But Van, honey, I’m sure this elf knows what they’re doing, but I would feel better if you let me look at the wards. Let me help you. Let me help Ellie.”

Ellie takes my hand. She’s stopped crying, at least, though her eyes are red. She nods at me.

“You and Dad are a package deal, right? You can’t just come on your own?”

“Not with fae involved. You know he won’t stand for that. You have a mate, I’m sure you understand. These days we don’t go very far without each other.”

I do understand, and I can acknowledge that this is inevitable, anyway. I was never going to shut my mother out of my life permanently — therefore, I was never going to be able to shut Dad out forever, regardless of what has happened between us. There’s a part of me that aches for reconciliation, too, though I don’t know how possible that is. I’mtiredof this aggression we’ve had going on for over half my life; I’m tired of fighting against him. Yes, I’m upset,deeplyupset and angry with him right now, and I’ve snarled and yelled and argued, but it occurs to me that this is the first time since I was a child that I have heard his voice and haven’t felt that darkest urge within me toshift, to let my wolf take over and attack him.

The absence of that urge leaves me feeling so strangely hollow.

“Van?” my mother asks, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Will you let us visit, or not?”

“Yes, yeah, of course. There is an empty house, here on the vineyard. It’s Lacey’s. We’ve been waiting on her residency to come through.”

“I know, she’s kept me updated. She’s been talking tome, at least, even if she refuses to speak to West. So your father and I, and perhaps Seth, if he wants to come along too… all of us will be there tomorrow night, if I can make this work. We have limited time before the full moon, so we need to get our butts into gear.”

“Fine,” I agree. After seeing Ellie so distressed today, there is no other choice. I’m not going to turn down an offer to keep her safe. It doesn’t matter what it costs me personally.

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