Page 24 of The Wolf's Secret Baby

Vali’s gaze was locked upon the wolves and the scene before him. His warriors drew their weapons, training them onto the compound in case they were needed. They didn’t seem concerned about me at all, so I didn’t have to worry that this was some kind of trap designed to steal me away from the wolves. As I watched Typhon and Kull walk away, I did fear that something might happen to them. It was strange really. They were my captors and so if they were waylaid then I would be free, but I wasn’t sure I wanted that. There was still so much I could learn from them, there was so much to be experienced. I found myself clasping my hands together, wishing for their safe return.

Chapter Nineteen

Kull

“I don’t think she was happy about being left behind,” I said.

Typhon grunted. “We’ll make it up to her later. I just hope we can trust Vali.”

“I didn’t smell deceit on him.”

“No, but if we return to find they’ve taken Ambrosia or that anything has happened to her…” he didn’t bother to finish the sentence. I was in full agreement and nodded towards him with silent understanding in my eyes.

“You know that we shouldn’t feel guilty for this.”

Typhon glared at me. “Shouldn’t we? We are going against the interests of the pack.”

“And the pack has been going against our interests our entire lives. If Vance had been honest with us, then we might know what secrets he’s keeping. We deserve to know what’s going on here and just finding out the truth isn’t betraying the pack.”

“I’m not sure about that, but I’m here, aren’t I? You don’t have to keep going on about it.”

“I thought it was interesting what Ambrosia was saying about our driving force. It makes sense. It has always been the same with you. Everything you’ve ever done has been to impress them and you’ve always fallen short.”

“It’s not as though you haven’t wanted to stand tall in the eyes of the pack. Are you telling me you wouldn’t welcome praise from Vance?”

“I’m not saying that exactly but it’s not my driving force.”

“Then what is?”

I paused for a moment. “I want a family. I want to know what it’s like to have all the things that other people have. Don’t you ever feel like there’s been something missing from our lives?”

“A family?” Typhon asked, cocking a skeptical eyebrow.

“Yes. We don’t know what it was like to have parents. The people who raised us never cared about us more than their duty required and as soon as it was clear that we weren’t what they expected they cast us out without a second thought. I’d like to make up for that. I’d like to bring a wolf into the world that has a different upbringing to the one that we endured.”

“I’m not sure bringing a wolf into the world is a good idea at the moment. Everything is shifting. We don’t know what the state of the world is going to be and any offspring of ours is going to be tainted by our blood. They won’t have the luxury of having a different upbringing because it’ll just be the same.”

“We’ll see,” I replied, clenching my jaw. I tried to be positive when I thought about the future. Ambrosia’s presence had brought many things to my life, including a sense of purpose. With her I could imagine certain things. I hadn’t shared these thoughts with Typhon yet, or with Ambrosia herself. They were still tangled in my mind, and I needed to figure out a way to untangle them, but they were there all the same. There was something about the way she looked at me and the way I felt in her presence. It was uplifting and inspiring, and it made me feel wanted. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to enjoy that closeness and bring something new into the world. I had always watched with envy as other wolves paired up and mated, life swelling between them until it burst into the world with a loud cry. Frankly, I was surprised that Hana had not borne Vance’s child yet. There had been a time when she whispered that she would bear mine but that had all been designed to mock me. The right to create life wassomething that I didn’t think we should be denied. It seemed illogical for them to bring us into this world and then limit the things we could achieve.

But there were other times to think about this and our discussion was cut short as we approached the outpost.

“Look like we’re meant to be here,” Typhon said. He squared his shoulders and moved with intent. I mirrored him. We reached the entrance and hammered on the gate. It was made of wood and rattled under the impact of our fists.

“Who’s there?” a cry emerged from the other side of the gate.

“Vance sent us,” Typhon said.

“What for? We’re not due to give a report for another week yet.”

“You know what Vance is like. He wants it now, especially as things get closer. He’s eager to get this war underway.”

I was impressed by Typhon’s ability to think on his feet. There was some muttering on the other side of the gate, before we heard a bolt being drawn back. The gate opened and it was swiftly closed behind us. The wolf eyed us suspiciously.

“I don’t recognize you. Vance usually comes to us himself,” he said.

“He’s busy with preparations. He wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong when we finally begin this war. Of course, if you’d like to take it up with him then you can return with us and tell him why you’ve wasted so much time,” Typhon’s voice lowered to a growl. I stepped forward and wore a mean look on my face. The other wolf grimaced and shook his head, but he relented. It was clear that he was well-acquainted with Vance’s moods.

“Very well, come with me,” he said.

---