Page 51 of Triumph of the Wolf
Lorenzo noddedat Duncan and me when we stepped into my mother’s cabin, but he didn’t follow us inside. She sat in a chair in the living room, wrapped in a blanket and holding a mug of tea. Every time I saw her, her cheeks were more hollow, and I wondered if she was eating at all.
In case her taste buds would like a treat, I lay a bar of dark chocolate on the table near her elbow.
“Chocolate enhanced with reishi mushrooms?” She made a face. “Are you falling forallof the health-nut propaganda?”
“Only two-thirds of it.”
“Can’t you bring me something delicious without any supposed nutritional value or cancer-fighting properties?”
I delved into my jacket pocket and withdrew a half-eaten truffled caramel and dark-chocolate bar.
“That looks more promising.” Mom pushed the mushroom bar aside and pulled the other close to her chair, then eyed me, or, more likely, my borrowed clothing. Her nostrils twitched a couple of times as she sniffed, and then she looked at Duncan. He appeared perfectly normal—after all, he’d taken his clothesoff before shifting—but whatever Mom saw—or smelled—caused her to nod in satisfaction. “You’ve finally mated.”
I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes. “Yeah, I was overcome with ardor and aching desire for Duncan.”
“I assumed he would prompt such feelings in you eventually.”
Duncan arched his eyebrows but didn’t offer any hint of disagreement. He even gave me a slight smile.
Mom sipped from her tea. “He’s handsome and powerful.”
I sighed at the suggestion that a guy’spowerwas what would attract me but didn’t want to quibble with her, so I offered, “He ripped a bunch of cars to pieces for me and left their dented fenders in ditches and bushes alongside the road.”
“I heard there was some carnage on the way up here,” Mom said. “We assumed the vehicles belonged to the real estate developers, and many of your relatives were disappointed that they’d already been destroyed.”
“The early bird gets the worm. Or the fender.”
“Indeed.” Mom pointed to our medallions, which we again wore around our necks. “What did you learn in the cave? From the vision I had… Well, it seemed that instruction might be given to the chosen individuals about how to protect our people.”
“Ah.” I glanced at Duncan. “We haven’t been yet.”
Mom’s lips pressed together with disapproval.
“Life has been a little chaotic back in town. An enemy… well, we’re not sure exactly who was responsible yet… kidnapped a visiting werewolf. I think they meant to get me.” I waved toward myself. “And now they have Jasmine too.”
Mom nodded. She probably had more news about that than I did. “We suspect it is part of some plot. The real estate developers haven’t been pleased that we’ve fought them when they’ve tried to force the sale ofourland.”
“Rude of them.”
“They’re loathsome. I wish I’d seen the destruction of their vehicles. Did you, perchance, ruthlessly slay any of them?” Mom looked hopefully at Duncan.
“They would have deserved it, but I did not. Luna asked me to only scare them.”
“At the time, we didn’t know they might be involved in the kidnappings.” I still didn’t know if they were. “I don’t suppose you have any idea where, if theywereinvolved, they would have taken Jasmine?”
“I know very little about them except that they are conniving parasites.” Mom set her mug on the table, took a slow breath, and leaned her head back in the chair.
I sensed her weariness, and it saddened me. Even this conversation was tiring her. Her days of hunting or even changing into the wolf might be past.
“We’ll find Jasmine, Mom.”
“You must visit the cave,” she said without opening her eyes. “You should have already.”
I thought about pointing out that we’d had sexwithoutbeing lured into the cave by her and the medallions, but she’d mentioned protecting our kind more than once. Maybe my assumptions were wrong, and this wasn’t simply about her desire for me to mate with Duncan and have offspring.
“We can give it a shot,” I said.
“Tonight.” Her eyes opened, her expression firm as she held my gaze. “I don’t know what it will share with you, but I believe you will learn something important. When I had my vision, I had the inkling that if I’d been hale and capable…” She grimaced. “I think it would have told me more. But the moon knows I haven’t the strength to combat villains these days. Wear that.” She pointed to the female medallion. “The magic will know that you’re my successor.”
