Page 12 of His Sunshine Baby (The Silver City #2)

Sipping my coffee, I still think that this is the shittiest idea ever. Daniel spent half of last night trying to convince me before we both fell asleep, exhausted. And he’s at it again this morning. The only difference is that while I was away and busy with the training, he brought reinforcements.

Caught in between us and standing in the kitchen, Bobo is looking at me, a bit surprised and confused after we explained a lot of things. Things he probably didn’t want to know in the first place.

“So, the man you were seeing…”

“... was Nathaniel Black,” I sigh, repeating myself again.

That’s right. Boyan didn’t know anything about my relationship until now. For starters, Daniel and I had agreed it would be best to keep his boyfriend out of it, especially since their own relationship was already complicated enough. Moreover, we thought it would probably be better for him not to know his boyfriend’s roommate was having sex regularly with his Alpha’s little brother, who also somehow happened to be his boss.

But now, the poor guy is totally at a loss, trying to put the pieces together.

“And you want to stay on the Velvet Moon territory because your ex-boyfriend is returning here?”

“Well, that’s Daniel’s idea, but yes.”

“Daniel, who has great life-saving ideas,” adds my best friend, humble as usual.

I ignore him. Boyan is frowning, his eyes on his huge cup of coffee. I thought he would side with Daniel right away, but I might have been wrong on this one. After a while, he raises his head to look at me.

“What’s the deal with your ex-boyfriend? Why do you want to elude him?” he asks.

I don’t know how to answer that. I leave the barstool to go sit on the couch, a bit annoyed. That’s why I didn’t want to involve Bobo. From behind the kitchen counter, Daniel explains first.

“He is a bastard, a good-for-nothing asshole. Everything’s wrong with him, baby bear, that’s all you have to know.”

Baby bear? Damn, Danny has used almost every existing cheesy pet name by now. At least he’s moved on from pumpkin or sugar.

Boyan glances at me, a bit confused.

“I don’t wanna talk about him, Bobo. The guy’s a mythic jerk, that’s all you have to know, okay? I don’t want to see him ever again.”

“Okay, but can’t you just ignore him?” asks Bobo.

I shake my head at the same time as Danny.

“No, baby bear. That dirtbag will definitely come after Elena. It’s already a miracle that he respected his five-year ban, trust me.”

“ You don’t want to tell Boyan about the baby? ”

“ Hell no, Danny. ”

“ Got it. ”

I don’t want to talk about it to anyone, at all. Even within our pack, very few people know exactly what happened back then. Aside from my parents, Daniel’s family, Reagan, Clark, and my uncle, we didn’t let anyone know. I am not even sure if Isabella or my cousins know about it. It’s such a sensitive topic, everyone was relieved when it was settled.

Moreover, I didn’t want people to pity me. I just wanted to get better and move on. I could hate Diego all I wanted and regain my freedom.

“I still think it might not be a good idea.”sighs Bobo.

“Why?”

“I think Damian knows about you.”

Daniel and I freeze. Damian? Does he mean the King, for real? How would he know? Nate told me he didn’t talk to his siblings about me! He only told his Beta, and only because the guy was the nosy type! So how the hell would his older brother know I even exist? I exchange a glance with Daniel.

“Is that bad?” asks Danny.

“Not really. But my older brother is the King’s Beta. He’s the one who told me that Nate was seeing someone and he had to look into it. I never thought it would turn out to be you,” he says with an apologetic face.

“He didn’t say anything,” I sigh.

Nate was long gone when we got home last night. It feels a bit odd to think about everything that happened yesterday, all in one day. There’s still the cold pizza in the fridge, and some leftover ingredients.

Daniel clicks his tongue. I guess going to the Velvet Moon territory is out of the question now. I don’t feel too good about it, either. Being on the King’s radar is never a good thing; I’m starting to get a bit worried. I peek at my phone. Should I call him later? I was a bit mean when I threw him out last night.

“Don’t you have anyone else who could help out? I thought you were close with the Alpha?” asks Bobo.

I shake my head.

“Clark is my godfather, but the Opal Moon is part of the White Moon. He can’t hide me, and he can’t really interfere either. If he wanted to, he should have done it earlier. That’s why Reagan was so mad.”

“Maybe you should leave with Reagan.”

I glare at Danny.

“Seriously, Danny? I should run away from my territory because that asshole is coming back? No fucking way.”

“There isn’t a big difference.”

“He should be the one to leave in the first place!” I growl, annoyed.

“I know that, babe, but I’m not taking any chances of having you near him. We’re running out of ideas here. We can’t keep him out and we can’t find a place for you to stay! Once his ban is lifted, there will be no place that you can go where Diego can’t go either!”

Damn it. I know Danny’s right, but it’s painful to hear.

“Is it that bad?” asks Bobo.

“Yes, it is that bad, Boyan. If my ex comes back, I’m going to be in big trouble, trust me. He won’t leave me alone. So, I have two weeks to find a solution, or else I’m going to do something I’ll regret.”

With that, I get up and head to the shower. I’m so mad I don’t even know what to do. I tried to exhaust myself with training this morning, but I only managed to scare the younger ones, while I didn’t even calm down one bit.

I pick a new outfit from my wardrobe, something boyish and practical, and go back to the kitchen. Danny just finished preparing breakfast, and I grab a burrito for myself. He clicks his tongue at my lack of manners as I walk past the counter with my mouth full to grab my shoes.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“To grab some fresh air.”

“Where, Elena?”

“I’ll text you. Can I take the car?”

“Not when you’re mad like this, babe. Text me later.”

I roll my eyes and exit the apartment promptly. I know Danny’s just worried about me, I don’t hold it against him. We’ve been friends for so long, he knows I’m mad at pretty much everything and everyone right now.

Walking down the familiar streets, I’m in no mood for chit-chat. I decide to avoid the main street and walk through more deserted alleys. The weather is still cloudy, with a light drizzle. I put my hood over my head and grab my phone and earbuds. A few seconds later, some adequate music is echoing in my head.

The singer’s voice calms me down for a while, and I decide to head for the hospital. I didn’t visit my dad yesterday. I miss him. I visit the hospital for only a couple of hours, but my gloom is back again once I leave my dad. I stand at the entrance, a bit lost.

Where to go now?

I don’t want to go home yet. For a while, I stare at my phone. Should I call Nate? The fact his brother knows about us is seriously worrying me. I should probably leave him alone for a while, right? Seeing an Opal Moon girl probably isn’t any good for him, I guess. Nate always acts as if he controls everything, but I feel like it might not be the case when the King is involved.

When I’m about to press the call button, I stop. I know I said I’d call, but to say what? “Hey, my ex is back, the situation is crappy, how have you been doing?” What a mess… I can’t clear up my own mind, yet I can’t involve Nate in all this. I sigh and put my phone back in my pocket. I stay here for a while, leaning back against the clinic’s wall, watching the downpour amplify on our little turf of Silver City.

“Elena?”

I turn my head. Bianca is here, just exiting the hospital holding an umbrella over her head. She walks up to me with her little smile.

“So, it is you! What are you doing here? Got caught in the rain?” she asks, innocently.

“Hi, Bianca. Yeah, you could say that. I’m just waiting for it to pass.”

She frowns in a cute pout.

“It will last for a while, you know. How about you come with me to Henry’s bar? My friend’s band is about to rehearse!”

Damn, that girl is so cute and nice. I give in and nod. A cold beer and hanging with the kids might do me good and help chase away all the gloom. Bianca, all too happily, shares her umbrella with me until we get there, about ten minutes later. The bar is not very lively, as usual, but a few teenagers are setting up their instruments, very enthusiastic about their rehearsal.

At the bar, there’s only old Henry, grumpy as always.

Bianca greets her friends, forgetting me for a few minutes. I just ask for a drink meanwhile, wondering if my mentor is around.

“That’s right, Elena! Don’t you want to play for us?” says Bianca, turning to me.

“What? She can play something?” asks one of the guys, another of my cheeky trainees.

Bianca glares at him.

“Of course, she can, she has the best ears in the pack! Come on, Elena!”

The guy, a bit surprised that Bianca rebuffed him, looks down. Seems like he was just trying to act cool, but her answer wasn’t what he expected. So cute, these teenage crushes. I smile at her and walk over to borrow one of their guitars.

“What should I play?” I ask.

“Anything! Whatever comes to mind,” says Bianca. “I just want to hear you, it’s been a while!”

Her smile is contagious, but I’m still feeling a bit down. What should I play? Something that matches my emotions. It might be a bit sad though. I strum a few chords on the guitar and decide to play the acoustic version of “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora. It’s so similar to my current thoughts.

“I should’ve stayed with you last night instead of going out to find trouble. That’s just trouble... I think I run away sometimes, whenever I get too vulnerable. That’s not your fault… See, I wanna stay the whole night, I wanna lay with you till the sun’s up, I wanna let you inside. Oh, heaven knows I’ve tried. I wish that I could I let you love, wish that I could let you love me…”

I keep singing, that song I know by heart, my eyes closed. It reflects my thoughts about Nate so well. In another life, with different pasts, maybe we would have been great for each other. If we both weren’t so afraid to love, perhaps we could have healed each other.

I immerse myself in the song, pouring my heart and feelings into it, in the strings under my fingers. I sing loud until the end, not caring about anything else but the song. It’s been a while since I last sang my heart out like this, it feels great.

“Say what’s the matter, what’s the matter with me? What’s the matter with me? Oh, I wish that I could I let you love, wish that I could let you love me now…”

I pour out the last words and stop, satisfied. When I open my eyes again, Bianca and her friends, their eyes shining, suddenly start clapping, excited.

“Moon Goddess, Elena, that was so good!”

“You have such a good voice!”

“Can you sing again?”

I shake my head.

“Thank you but it’s your turn now. I have my beer waiting for me.”

Because of their insistence and disappointed expressions, I have to promise I will sing again later before I can breach the wall of excited teenagers to reach the bar again. Once I finally get there, I notice someone had taken the spot next to mine.

“Hi, kiddo. It’s been a while since I heard that singing voice,” says Reagan.

I look at my mentor, suspicious. What is she doing here? Her leather jacket is still dripping. Did she come all the way here despite the rain? The way she took the seat next to mine too. Usually, Reagan avoids me, so what now?

I grab my beer and take a sip, waiting to see what the old woman has to say. She sighs.

“What’s your idea?”

“For what?”

“Your ex, Elena. You know it’s going to be a problem,” she says, tapping her finger on the counter.

“Of course, I know.”

But I haven’t figured anything out yet. All I’ve done today is be angry about it and wonder what to do next. The idea of Diego coming back is just driving me nuts. It brings back way too many dark memories that I can’t handle. Reagan growls.

“That dog. I should have killed him while he was still out.”

“What for, Reagan? And Diego is not weak either. You probably would have been killed instead.”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as I keep that mutt away.”

I frown. What is that supposed to mean? I’m not overestimating him. Five years ago, Diego was undoubtedly one of the strongest alphas in our pack, aside from myself. Now I wonder if he’s gotten any stronger... well, probably. Many years spent as a rogue should do that, right? I drink some of my beer again.

“Let him come,” suddenly says Reagan.

I almost spit out my beer before turning to her. Is this old hag going nuts?

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Reagan.”

“No.”

She puts her beer down and looks me right in the eye, resolute.

“Look at me, Elena. I did not train you to be a she-wolf that runs away. You were born and raised as an alpha, and you’re going to act like one.”

How did she know that was my first idea? And why is she going on about my alpha condition all of a sudden? It is true she raised me, trained me to be a strong woman, but I don’t think this is going to help at all!

“But Xavier–”

“I don’t care what your uncle says, kid. Stop using him or Clark as excuses. You know what you are, and you should not submit to them, your ex, or anyone.”

“I am not using them as excuses!”

“Oh yes, you are,” says Reagan, angry. “Look at you. Why are you even here? You don’t meddle with the pack’s affairs. You never fight. You stay the farthest you can from the rest of the pack. You only train those kids half-heartedly.”

I glare at her, angry. How dare she judge me? I’ve only been trying to do what I’m supposed to do ever since I was raised here. What does she know about my childhood? What it was like to be the outcast of the pack while she was gone Moon-Goddess-knows where!

“You’re the one who never gave me any answers!” I growl back.

“You don’t need that to know who you are! You have an inner wolf! You have your Alpha Aura, even if you never use it! Stop acting like a coward, Elena! If your ex comes back, do what you must, but don’t you dare lower your head to anyone.”

I’m speechless. Since when does Reagan push me like this? She is the one who’s never around and when she is, she eludes me! I remember her conversation with Clark, the one Levi recorded. Reagan always denied it, but she knows who my mother is and where I came from. But if I ask her about that, she might run away from the White Moon again.

I grab my sun necklace between my fingers, trying to calm down with the cold metal under my fingers, and take a deep breath.

“I’ve always wondered why I had this, why I was different. I tried so hard to be like the other pups in this pack, Reagan. But I couldn’t. I was too strong, too fast. The only ones whom I could fit in with were the other misfits. Daniel and Diego. They became my whole world… my only friends in this pack.”

“Elena…”

I shake my head. I need to finish speaking, to let her know what I’ve been carrying around all these years.

“When I stopped trying to fit in, I thought I had finally found my place. But that’s when everything changed, again. You left, and Clark made me his goddaughter. I was placed a step higher than the others, and I didn’t understand the reason why. I thought Clark had chosen me because I was the strongest, but neither Eric nor Orpheus are anywhere near as strong as Diego was. I wasn’t leader material either. I was just a wild, rebellious, teenage she-wolf. I knew it had to be something else.”

Reagan ignores me, her eyes wandering to the foam of her pint.

“There is something about me, something that you and Clark know and are desperate to hide. Something that is connected to me being so strong.”

The old woman sighs. She turns to me, whispering in a very low voice so that no one but me can hear her, even with werewolf ears.

“All right, I will tell you more.”

I stare, shocked. Is she for real? She never agreed to say anything no matter how long I begged for it before!

“What, really? Are you serious?”

“Yes, yes. But you have to promise me two things, Elena.”

I frown. Why are we bargaining now? It’s never easy with this woman! After a while, she looks around us and murmurs again.

“First, I want you to promise me you will not leave Silver City once I tell you this. I don’t even want you to leave the White Moon or Opal Moon territories, you hear me?”

What the heck? I thought she would ask me to keep it all a secret.

“Why?”

“Because once I start talking, you will want more, and I don’t need you to be in danger recklessly.”

“All right. What is the second condition?”

“Everything has to stay between us. Only Clark and Xavier know what I’m about to tell you... well, your uncle Xavier knows the big lines. But aside from them, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone else.”

“I’ll tell Danny,” I answer honestly.

Whether she likes it or not, Reagan knows how close I am to him. There isn’t anything about myself I haven’t told Daniel, and I’m pretty sure the same goes for him. So, I know my mentor has to be aware anything she says will get to Danny’s ears as well.

Indeed, she sighs.

“All right, I guess that kid is part of the deal. Are you sure you can trust him? He’s not going to talk?”

“With my life, Reagan. And you already know how important Daniel is to me.”

She can’t ignore he was my only friend after everything that happened. There really isn’t anyone else I would think of sharing my secrets with. Even Nathaniel only knows very little about me, despite the fact that we have been seeing each other for two months now.

“Just make sure he doesn’t talk about this to anyone, Elena. This is very serious.”

“I get it.”

“No, you don’t get it. It’s your life that’s hanging in the balance, kid.”

Reagan’s serious tone is giving me chills. What could be so big that it impacts my whole life?

Behind us, the group of teenagers is paying no attention to us, rehearsing their songs and joking around. They wouldn’t think of getting involved with someone as odd as Reagan anyway. And the barman is busy wiping glasses while eyeing them too, not paying any attention to us.

“I get it, Reagan. This is serious, I can’t tell anyone but Danny, and I can’t leave the territory recklessly. Will you talk now?”

I’m seriously on edge. I want to know, I’m dying to know. Reagan brushes her gray hair back, taking a big breath before she starts talking.

“First, I lied to you. I never belonged to the White Moon clan in the first place.”

What? She and Clark had always told me that she was just an omega that had left the pack many years ago and came back when she found me! I did find it weird that she was allowed to come and go as she pleased, though.

“I was born in a much, much older pack than this one. Far in the north, a clan so big it had over a thousand members.”

A thousand! That is at least twice the size of any of the big packs.

“We had a Luna Queen, a very powerful woman. She was as strong as she was gentle. We all loved her and worshiped her. She was special.”

It is unusual for a Luna to rule a pack by herself indeed. What about her mate? Didn’t she have one?

“Once, I had a big fight with her. We couldn’t agree on something and argued a lot.”

“About what?” I ask, curious.

Reagan growls.

“You don’t need to know that! Anyway, since I was being stubborn, she decided to send me to the south. She asked me to go find a smaller group that belonged to our pack. Her younger sister was leading it, but they had been gone for a long time, and we didn’t have any news. She asked me to return once I had found her younger sister.”

“Did you find the group?”

Reagan shook her head, looking very sad.

“No. Many years had passed since that sister of hers had left, and we had no idea how far south she had gone. I kept going, but after a few months, I decided to turn back.”

“Wait, you were gone not for days, but for months?”

Reagan nodded.

“I’ve always been very stubborn, okay? I just didn’t want to go back until I had found them, and I was still mad about the reason I left in the first place. But… when I got back…”

“What?”

She suddenly looks very sullen, frowning, and staring at her beer with a mix of anger and sadness in her eyes. I wait for a while and see her fist clenching.

“Reagan, what happened to your pack?”

“They were killed. All of them.”

… What? It can’t be… Such a huge pack? How could that happen? I’ve heard of big fights between packs, but never a full clan being killed! And from what she had said, their Luna wasn’t weak either.

“B… But how?” I ask, restless.

“I don’t know. Whatever it was, it slaughtered all of them, Elena. This is why I’m telling you this is very, very serious. Something was strong enough to annihilate a full pack of werewolves.”

“… Then, what about me?”

I remember a bit of her conversation with Clark that Levi recorded and try to piece it all together with what she said so far. That would mean… Reagan looks at me and seems to hesitate a bit. What is it that she can’t tell me? She turns her eyes away, staring straight ahead as if she couldn’t face me.

“I found you in the middle of the massacre. Alone.”

So, what I heard was true…

“What about my parents?”

Reagan suddenly frowns and shakes her head, upset.

“Dead. Both of them.”

Why is that old hag lying to me again?