Page 91 of Red's Beast

I'd never beg.

She grabs something off the counter and places it in her hand. A mitten, I realize. Slowly, Emmeline opens the stove door and pulls out something that smells delicious.

I watch as she sits it on the counter, and I can't help but follow it with my eyes. The smell is just amazing, and I wonder if she'll let me have a taste.

"So, I will finish that story. My sister wasn't that smart, though, obviously. I don't think she was counting on Lillian to be that bold or the fact her grandmother would end up staying in your family’s cottage where the books were. It all backfired in her face.”

The books?

Emmeline laughs. "Oh, have you forgotten? The history of all the packs were taken from the alpha house and only certain ones were left. That was part of the curse over Dark Moon.”

I finally sit on my haunches, staring at the counter where the treats lie. It's driving me insane. I don't even hear what she says anymore. All I hear is the books were in the cottage and nothing else.

She follows my line of sights and laughs again. "Oh, I guess you want a muffin. I think you can have one early, but the rest are saved for my guests. They'll be here soon."

Guests? Who else is in this world? I thought it was just you.

Her smile is bright as our eyes meet. She hands the muffin over on a small plate and sits it on the ground in front of me. "Oh, you'll see."

I inhale the muffin in front of me and lean forward to snatch it between my teeth. Crumbs fly everywhere as I eat it, but I don't care, though I feel bad for leaving a mess on the floor.

"Never mind the mess. It's fine. I have a broom, after all."

Soon as I'm finished, she leans forward and scrapes the crumbs out of the fur around my mouth. They fall to the floor and I'm just sad they don't make it into my mouth.

"I'll make sure you get another once the guests arrive."

She sweeps the floor and has it clean in a flash. A soft knock at the door alerts me to the visitors' arrival, but I don't know who it is and I'm curious.

With a smile on her face, she rubs her hands against the apron before rushing over to open the door. "Oh, it's so nice to see you all. The muffins just got done and I have dinner on the stove."

The woman says, "Thank you. We brought some bread to go with the soup, if that is okay."

My ears don't believe what they are hearing. It can't be. All these years, I've wondered what happened to my parents and here they are. Ma steps through the doorway first, right into my line of vision.

I rush toward her and collide with her, causing her to fall to the ground. "Oh, my. Your puppy is quite happy to see me. When did you get a wolf?"

Logan reaches down and pats my head. "He sure is friendly."

Emmeline laughs. "Take a closer look."

They all look perplexed as they take me in. Pa's gaze meets mine and he gasps. "No, it can't be."

Ma looks confused, and Logan is eyeing me closely, but it seems Pa is the first to figure it out.

Finally, he says, "Don't you see who this is? Lydia, it's Lucian. We've found him."

"More like he came to us," Emmeline says, as she rushes back over to the pot of soup. "Looks like my sister sent him here before she met an untimely demise."

Ma falls to her knees and pulls me into a hug. Tears wet my fur as they fall from her face. "I never thought I'd see you again, Lucian. We've all missed you so much. What happened to you? Shift and tell us everything."

I pull away and whimper.If I could, I would Ma.

She sits and waits for me to shift, but when nothing happens, she blinks her eyes rapidly and looks confused again. "Lucian, shift honey."

Emmeline takes a step forward, the hot soup pot clenched tightly in her hands. "Oh, he can't do that. Didn't you know he's cursed?"

"What?" Ma asks as she looks between Emmeline and me, a look of disbelief plastered on her face. "What do you mean by he's cursed?"

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