Chapter 48: The Price of Trust

(LOCKE)

A small figure moves toward the window, which is then slid open. I watch my son climb through and sit on the ledge before jumping down. He looks around before shifting into a wolf and heading toward the park.

When he doesn’t notice me, I realize he hasn’t caught my scent. He’s still young. And living in the human world, he probably doesn’t get to spend much time in his animal form to hone his instincts.

I watch in amusement as the little wolf cub streaks across the street. He has clearly done this before. I have a feeling my mate doesn’t know about his little late-night adventures.

I’ve seen the defiance in the boy’s eyes. He’s going to be a handful in the future if he’s not difficult enough already. He has nearly made it to the edge of the woods when I pounce, grab him by the scruff, and give him a rough shake. “I don’t think so, Finn.”

He lets out a howl of fright before looking at me. I see the recognition in his eyes. It is instantly followed by dismay.

“Shift back,” I order.

He just goes limp, refusing to obey. I give him another rough shake, and he whimpers.

“Shift back, or I will give you a walloping that you will never forget.”

His ears twitch at the threat, and reluctantly, he shifts back into his human form in a shimmer of light. Staring at me now is an angry, sulking boy. I readjust my grip so that I’m holding him by the back of his shirt. “And where were you off to?”

His lips move, and I see him try to come up with an explanation quickly. “Nowhere. I just wanted to—I had to pee.”

“In the woods?” I ask in disbelief, not buying his tall tale. He shrugs.

“And does your mother know you’re out here to relieve yourself?” I demand. From the guilty look in his eyes, my suspicions are confirmed. “How often do you go out like this?”

His scowls at me. “None of your beeswax!”

I stare at him. “What do bees have to do with this? I asked you a question.”

He gives me a frustrated look. “Are you stupid?”

Now, that, I understand. I give him a light smack on the back of his head, and he lets out a howl, clutching the spot. “You can’t hit me!”

“That wasn’t hitting, boy,” I say darkly. “That was a warning tap. Does the human world not teach young ones to respect their parents?”

“I respect my mom!” Finn grumbles, instantly offended. I realize I’ve made a slip of the tongue, and for a moment, I’m relieved he doesn’t catch it. However, for a seven-year-old, my son is quite perceptive. He blinks. “Wait. Were you talking about yourself?”

I drop him on his behind.

“Ow!” he hisses from the ground. “Why’d you do that?”

“Go inside,” I order.

He doesn’t budge. “Who are you?”

I stare at him, not knowing what to say. I don’t think Corrine is ready to reveal my identity to him. And my gut instinct says not to piss her off any more than she already is. I’ve never been afraid of a female before, but this tiny slip of a woman has more power over me than she realizes. I don’t want to risk upsetting her.

I’m not worried about when my son discovers who I am. Eventually, he will have to be told. But seeing how suspicious my mate is of me at the moment, I don’t want her thinking I deliberately told Finn that I’m his father. Given her current suspicious mindset, she may assume I’m trying to strong-arm her into something.

I don’t think I’ve ever given anything as much thought as I’m giving this situation.

“Go inside, boy.”

But my son is stubborn, and he digs in his heels. “My name is Finn. And not till you tell me who you are. Why are you watching our house? You made my mom cry, you know. I don’t like you.”

My jaw tenses. “Your mother is going to be pissed off if she finds out you were sneaking out of the house. Should I go tell her?”

His eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I’m not about to be challenged by a little pipsqueak. Picking him up with one arm around his waist, I start carrying him back to the house.

“Wait! No, I’m sorry! Don’t tell her!” We’ve already crossed the road, and he is beginning to sound panicked. “Please don’t tell her! She’s going to be so mad at me!”

I reach the front door and stand him up so I can look him in the eye. “Mad? Oh, she’ll be angry, alright. You don’t disobey your mother. That’s disrespectful, and I won’t allow it. If I ever catch you leaving the house without her permission again, I’m going to take you to the border and show you what happens to disobedient little boys.”

I’ve been told that I am terrifying to young children. But my son doesn’t flinch. He scrutinizes me, as if checking how authentic the threat really is. I doubt he even knows what the border is.

“Fine. I won’t sneak out again.” He looks irritated. “I just wanted to go for a run. Mom’s always busy. I just wanted to run and play for a while. I couldn’t sleep.”

I study him. He seems to be telling the truth. I know that Corrine has some sort of job here. However, I didn’t realize my son was being neglected as a result of this job of hers. “What do you mean? Doesn’t your mother have time for you?”

“She has time, but she doesn’t like me going out in the woods without her.” Finn shrugs. “She doesn’t understand that I hate staying indoors. My wolf wants to run like crazy all the time.”

His words don’t surprise me. Finn has my blood running through his veins. His wolf is going to become even more restless as he reaches puberty. He has to burn off the energy somehow.

“Look,” I tell him, “I’ll talk to your mother. I’ll see if she’d be willing to let me take you out on daily runs for a couple of hours.”

Finn’s eyes light up. “A couple of hours? You mean it?”

That should be enough time to tire him out. “I’ll talk to her,” I repeat. “What if she says no?”

My son suddenly deflates at the idea. “She doesn’t like me shifting in front of others. But you can convince her, right?” He seems to have a lot of faith in me for some reason.

“I can try.” Corrine is unpredictable. But the idea of spending time with my son is quite appealing. “Now, go inside. And I better not catch you sneaking out again. If you want to go somewhere, you ask for permission from your mother. And if you upset her, I’ll knock some sense into you. You won’t like that.”

Finn scowls at me. “Why do you care so much about my mom?”

“That’s none of your business.”

He folds his arms and glares at me. “She’s my mom, so it is my business. You’re the one who said I have to protect her.”

A flicker of amusement moves within me. “That’s right. But I’m not the one she needs protecting from.”

Finn gives me a suspicious look. “Why do you look like me, anyway?”

“You’re the one who looks like me.” I narrow my eyes and see a hint of triumph in his.

“Fine. Why do I look like you? Who are you?”

He’s closing in on the truth, and I scowl. “Go inside before I wake up your mother and tell her what you’ve been up to at night.”

Finn scrunches his forehead. “I can’t go through the front door. She’ll catch me, and she’ll be really mad. I have to go in through the window.”

“And how are you planning to do that?” I ask.

He gives me a small smirk. “There’s a vine growing outside my room. I use it to climb back up. But if you want, you can toss me up there.” His eyes glitter impishly.

It seems like a feasible idea, and I consider it.

I’m still mulling it over when the front door is pulled open and a furious Corrine is standing on the other side, wearing what looks like a bathrobe. “Don’t even think about it.”

My spirit nearly leaves my body. I was so engrossed in the child that I didn’t even realize she was standing on the other side of the door, listening.

“Corrine!”

“Mom!”

I don’t know which one of us sounds more terrified. I’m ashamed to admit it, but my heart nearly stops for a moment.

“Go to your room, Finn!” Corrine says tightly.

My son inches away and then practically runs up the steps to his room, leaving me and Corrine facing off against each other.

“I was just bringing him home,” I try to explain, but she holds up a hand. The look on her face is not a happy one.

“Come inside,” she says.

I follow her into the kitchen, and she puts a kettle on the stove.

Wrapping the robe tightly around her, she turns to face me.

“I’m not neglecting Finn,” she tells me. “I know he’s been sneaking out. I figured if I tried to stop him, he’d find another way, so I usually just follow him to make sure he’s safe. He has a rebellious streak, and if I offered to accompany him, he would just find some other disobedient thing to do. Something that might be more dangerous.”

Her words take me by surprise. “You should’ve just told him not to go.” She rubs her temples. “You really think that would have worked? Have you met your son? He would’ve gone anyway. At least this way, I can watch him and make sure he’s safe. Finn isn’t the easiest child. He likes to test me. I love him, but I know how his mind works. He’s mischievous.”

I feel guilty for thinking that she wasn’t paying enough attention to him. “The boy isn’t trying to cause trouble deliberately. I told you that his wolf is different. Wolves with warrior blood don’t like being controlled. That’s why he likes to rebel. It’s his dominant spirit, the bloodlust. He needs to run wild and tire himself out. Finn does not understand what he needs yet, so he just runs around till he’s exhausted. I used to do the same thing.”

Corrine swallows, averting her gaze from mine. It’s only when the kettle begins to whistle that she finally speaks. “If you think you can help Finn, you can take him out for runs every day. I’ve tried to keep up with him, but I get tired. He can go for hours on end.”

I blink, surprised. “You would be willing to trust me with our son? Just a few hours ago, you were saying that—”

“I know what I said! I’m the one who said it.”

She glares at me, then turns around and pours the hot water over some tea leaves in a pot. I notice that her hands aren’t quite steady.

“Corrine?”

She takes two cups out of the cupboard and slams them down on the counter, her back still to me. Her hands grip the edge of the counter, and now I see that she’s trembling.

Her voice is distraught. “Why is she still there?”

For a heartbeat, I don’t understand what she’s talking about. Then, it hits me. “Ravenna?”

“Even if you thought I was dead, you knew what she had done to me. You knew what Bella had done to me. Why are they still in that castle? Why didn’t you make them pay? You and Sigrid keep saying how upset you were, but they’re still alive and well. Why didn’t you avenge my death? You say the elders forced you. Well, now they’re going to be a threat to my son.”

When her voice breaks, my mouth turns dry. “Corrine.”

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