The Lunam Ceremony (Book One) (32 page)

“How can he afford a business at his age?”

“His aunt and uncle probably help him.”

“The Lariats own a rundown motel. There’s no way they can carry two businesses.” Layla stands and looks out the front window. “He’s coming.”

The blood drains from my face, until I realize she means Monte and not Dillan.

Layla opens the door before Monte knocks. “Darling, what you doing here?” She pulls him to her for a kiss. “I told you not to worry. It’s just girl stuff.” She winks at me, and I flash a nervous smile. “How was the drive?” I love watching my mom in action. I wonder if I will be like her one day.
“The drive was horrible.” He kisses Layla again. “Kalysia, you look healthy.”

Is that the best he can do? “Thank you, Monte.” I remain on the sofa while Layla shows Monte around the cabin. I suspect she is telling him a lie about why she is here. I’m sure it’s something to do with me and Dillan. When he returns from the extensive tour of the bathroom, he is blushing.

“I’m glad to hear you are, uh, feeling better.” Monte gives me a tight-lipped grin and offers me a hug. I stand and hug him. “So, how do I get to the brew house? I might as well take a look while I’m here.”

“Oh, um…” I retrieve my radio from the kitchen. “Here, call Rusty and he can pick you up.” I hand him the walkie. “Have you seen Leah?”

“No, I uh, haven’t had a chance.” Monte fiddles with the knob on the walkie.

“Well, her cabin is right next door. You can say hi before you head to the brew house.”

Monte finally reaches Rusty and asks him to pick him up. “Hurry,” he adds and then hands me the walkie. “Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll have time to see Lisa, er, uh, Leah. I’m on a tight schedule.”

Layla decides it’s best for her and Monte to wait outside for Rusty after she sees my reaction. He doesn’t even know her name! I doubt he even knew mine before Lunam. I know Leah’s birth was for the pack, not because he wanted her. Will Dillan be just as cold as Monte is with his child? I run to the bathroom and puke. It’s mostly wine and water with a few undistinguishable chunks. I flush it down and wash my face. How could I have assumed Dillan and Cassie’s baby was just a business transaction? What kind of monster would I be if I asked Dillan to abandon his child for me?

I sip water from my hand and spit it at my reflection. “Idiot.”

I hear the door open and close. Layla must have forgotten something. I pat my face dry and wipe off the mirror. I listen to the footsteps crossing the living room towards the hall. Those aren’t Layla’s boots. I smell her before I see her.

“I saw Layla and Monte leave with Rusty.” Cassie looks tired from staying up all night with my boyfriend.

“What do you want?” I growl. Murderous fury builds in my chest as I step towards her. The image of her and Dillan sleeping beside each other burns in my head. Images in the room start to turn fuzzy; I feel like I’m about to phase.

“I just want to talk to you, to explain before the others try…” She steps back into the living room. “It isn’t what you think.” She holds her hands in front of her, as if her weak ass could stop me if I attacked. I’m stronger, smarter, and deadlier than she will ever be. “Kalysia, please.” Her back is pressed flat to the front door. I press my forehead to hers and I smell him. I smell him on her face, her hair, even her breath smells of his.

“Phase,” I hiss. Cassie’s eyes are a mix of fear and bewilderment. “Phase.” The word roars from my chest. I step back to allow her room to turn.

“Here? Now?” Cassie’s eyes are wet with tears yet to fall. Her weakness fuels my rage.

“Outside.” I point towards the backdoor, and she cautiously moves past me. Once we are on the back porch, I tell her to strip.

“You want me to take off my clothes?” She wraps her arms around her body. I nod, and she squeezes herself tighter. I step towards her, and she begins to undress. She unzips her fleece jacket and then takes off her shirt. She isn’t wearing a bra. Next she unzips her pants and pulls her underwear off. “Kalysia, please. Don’t make me do this.”

Seeing her weakness breaks me a little. The insecure way she holds herself, the smell of fear emanating from her skin. “You have to.” My tone softens. “It’s the only way to remove
his
scent.” I look at the tower and wonder if Carrick is watching. If he is, he will call Rusty. “Just phase now, hurry.” I gather her clothes in my arms. “I’ll meet you at your place.”

Cassie slowly descends the stairs; her arms are wrapped around her body. When her feet make contact with the icy dirt, she shrieks. She lifts her foot and examines the mud, making a noise of disgust.

“Just phase already!” I yell down to her. She takes another couple of steps and focuses on the woods. Her phase is sloppy. Her body twists and she lands on her side with a yelp. Her paws slip from under her and she looks up at me like a scared puppy. “Go home,” I command, and she takes off towards her cabin.

My arms are filled with Cassie’s discarded clothes. I don’t see the sled lying in the middle of the path until I’m on the ground. “Ouch!” I yank the sled from under my back and sit up.

“Are you ok?” Leah is suddenly by my side. She offers me her hand.

“I’m fine.” I dust myself off and kick the sled.

“I’ll make sure someone is punished for this.” She tosses the sled into a bush.

“No, Leah, geez. It was an accident.” I gather Cassie’s clothes from the ground.

“Do you need help with that?” Leah gestures to the muddy clothes in my arms, but I can tell she doesn’t want to touch them. Leah was raised as the daughter of an alpha. She’s used to being waited on by betas.

“I got it.” I wait for her to move on. When she doesn’t, I ask her if she needs anything else.

“I was just, uh, wondering if you spoke to our father.” She looks nervously at the ground.

“I did.”

“Do you know why he’s here? Is everything ok?” She looks up at me.

“He’s here because of me.”

Leah’s face turns red. “Oh.” I feel the bitterness in her tone.

I feel bad about Monte not knowing her name. I wonder if she knows how unimportant she is to him now that I’m back. “He’s not really here for me, he came because of Layla. She’s here for me. She wanted to make sure I got back safely.” I roll my eyes for a dramatic effect. “He’s at the brew house. Why don’t you ride up there with Drake and say hi?”

Leah shrugs. “I don’t know, he’s probably busy. I don’t want to bother him.”

“He’s your father. You have every right to disturb him.” I nudge her with my elbow in a sisterly fashion. I don’t truly believe what I’m saying. How much right do we have as Monte’s children? I know I can call Layla anytime night or day and she will pick up. She would drop everything for me. She would drive two hundred miles at the drop of a hat to make sure I’m ok. Will Dillan do that for his child? Will I let him? Do I have a right to decide?

“Honestly, I’m scared of him.” Leah says this with a laugh. “I mean, shit, I’ve only spoken to him a handful of times in my life. The longest conversation we ever had was when he told me about you going to Lunam.”

I never thought to ask when my brother and sister found out I existed. I thought everyone knew about Layla. “You didn’t know you had a sister?”

“I didn’t. Rusty knew, I think. He didn’t seem surprised to hear your name, just shocked that you showed up for Lunam.”

“What did Monte tell you about me?”

Leah shrugged and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. “He said he had another daughter, a pureblood daughter, and that there wouldn’t be as much pressure on me to make a good match. He actually pointed you out to me and said, ‘She’s the prettiest girl here.’ So, yeah, it sort of stung.”

“I’m sorry.” I readjust the clothes in my arms. “I guess Monte can be a bit of a douche.”

Leah giggles. “Yeah, I guess. But you are nothing like I thought you’d be.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Definitely good.”

Leah’s walkie interrupts our sisterly bonding, and she takes off for the kitchen.

As soon as she rounds the corner to the lodge, I hurry to Cassie’s. I creep in slowly and call her name. She doesn’t answer. I look at her unmade bed; the sheets have been stripped. The smell of pine mingles with her scent and Dillan’s. Rusty must have instructed the beta that cleans her cabin to use the pine.
Thanks, Rusty.

I hear a rustling at the door before Cassie’s naked body stumbles inside.

“What took you so long?” She shivers and runs to the bathroom.

“Leah stopped me.” I place Cassie’s dirty clothes on the floor near the door and close it.

I stay while Cassie showers. I don’t know why; I’m hiding I guess. Cassie’s is the last place Dillan would look for me. Or maybe I want to see if Dillan shows up.

Cassie jumps when she opens the bathroom door and sees me sitting at her small dining table. She doesn’t speak; she crosses the room to a mini-fridge and pulls out a bottle of water. She places it on the table in front of me and then takes one out for herself. We drink the water in silence.

I don’t know how much time passes, but the sun is high in the sky, and some of the older kids are running past the cabin, towards the field to play kickball. I feel my stomach rumble. I haven’t had a real meal since the pulled pork sandwich at Gallup. Bill and Deb shoved plates of food in my hands, but they were replaced by red solo cups from Delilah.

“Are you hungry?” I stand and walk to the garbage can with my empty water bottle. Her trash can has the little step on the bottom that flips the lid open. I step on it and toss the bottle inside. It shuts just as quickly as it opens, but not before I see the gold and brown box inside. I place the toes of my boots on the lever again. The lid pops open. I reach down and pull out the empty box of chocolates.

“I’m sorry, Kalysia. I didn’t ask for them. He just brought them over.” I imagine him feeding her chocolates in bed and I want to snap her neck. “We talked about stuff during the drive here, the day I moved in. I mentioned I liked chocolate, and he brought them to cheer me up. He knew how much I missed my family.”

I believe her. At the end of the day, Dillan is a sweet guy. The chocolates could have been an innocent gift. He signed them out himself. He wasn’t hiding anything. “Ok.” I exhale and walk to the door. “Are you going to the lodge for lunch?” I realize how awkward it will be if she does show up, and I hope she says no.

“I don’t think so. I’ll stop by later and pick something up or grab a snack from Hopi.”

“That’s probably best.” I open the door and leave without saying goodbye.

I’m surprised to find Monte and Layla in the lodge eating lunch when I arrive. Leah is all smiles as she serves Monte a helping of her chili. Monte tells me the brew house looks great and that Lowell reported good numbers so far. “If things keep going this well, you’ll be able to leave sooner than expected. I mean, after you have a child.” Layla kicks Monte under the table and he yelps. “What?”

“Will you be heading back soon?” I push my untouched bowl away and take a sip from my beer. Monte insisted we all join him for a taste. He said we have to know our product inside and out.

“As soon as Rusty gets back with a keg for the road, we’ll be on our way.” Monte pats his stomach. “Leah, this was just delicious.” Leah jumps up from her seat and clears his bowl.

“It’s nothing.” She waves off the compliment, but she’s beaming with pride.

“I’m a horrible cook,” I tell the table. “Isn’t that right, Mom?”

Layla hates when I put myself down. It’s very un-alpha of me, but I nod my head toward Leah so she understands the self-deprecating remark. “Oh yeah, Kalysia’s the worst. She almost burned down our apartment trying to make microwave popcorn. The smell didn’t go away for a week.” Layla winks at me then compliments Leah on her cooking skills.

As lunch winds down, Monte invites Drake and some of the other men to have a drink with him before he heads out at the bar they set up on New Year’s Eve. It’s still fully stocked and used pretty often. Dillan doesn’t mind if the guys unwind with a drink, as long as it’s in moderation.

My eyes are glued to the door. If you told me a week ago that the thought of seeing Dillan would instill this kind of fear, I wouldn’t believe it. But fear is exactly what I feel. I’m afraid to see him, like he will see through me. Or maybe it’s because I’m afraid that I’ll see him differently. Either way, we’ve both changed.