The Kingdom of Wolves

Chapter 16

Everything after that was a bit of a blur. We were brought inside - though I think it was mostly out of surprise than anything else - and fed, even though it was still the middle of the night. There was a lot of hugging, kissing, and crying, though I was pretty sure they had been the ones that left her in the woods. After a while, everything settled down and we were seated at the dining room table with her father and mother, who were playing the game of "I'm so sorry."

"We realized that we were wrong," Her father was saying. "We shouldn't have abandoned you because of your differences. We should have helped you through it."

Her mother nodded in agreement and reached across the table for Lena's hand. "We're so very sorry, honey. Can you forgive us?"

Lena nodded, though I could tell by the fist in her lap that they were not forgiven. She looked at her father intently. "We need your help. Well, your's or Grandpa's. Maybe both."

He looked surprised. "Is that - is that the only reason you came back?" He looked a little hurt, like he actually thought she was going to come back just to visit the people who abandoned her.

Lena's face was slightly pink. I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry. Maybe a little bit of both. "Well - um..."

I jumped in. "That's beside the point," I told them, looking her father right in the face. "What matters is that we need help from you, and we need it now."

He regarded me as though I was the crumbs at the bottom of a package of crackers. "Who are you?"

I leaned across the table on my elbows. "My name is Lucia O'Connor. I am working with Lena and we need your help," He looked at me blankly and I could see the gears turning as he connected the dots. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I am the daughter of the king."

"Ah, King O'Connor!" He smiled. "Good father you have there!"

The three of us exchanged a glance.

His smiled faded. "Is there something I don't know here?" He looked genuinely concerned.

Lena looked at the two of us, asking for permission. I hesitated for a brief second before giving her a slight nod.

"Dad, I - they - we're all werewolves," She said breathlessly, continuing on to relate the plan of the king and the measly plan we had come up with so far. "So will you help us?"

We all leaned forward, eager for an answer. Lena's father frowned, seeming to struggle for an answer. "I would have to talk it over with your grandfather first. We are working for the king. I'm his right hand man, you see," He looked so proud of himself that I had to fight the urge to gag. Then a shadow crossed over his face. "But if anyone wants to hurt my precious daughter, then they mustn't be worth any of my time. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find an answer for you three. I think you'll leave happy," He pushed back his chair and excused himself from the table. His wife followed, flashing us a quick smile before we were alone.

I sunk back in my chair and fought the urge to sigh in relief. Leaving happy meant he was going to help us, right? I didn't really trust him yet, though I didn't want to say anything to anyone because we were definitely going to need his expertise if this was going to work.

"I think that went well," Syl said to no one in particular. Lena and I nodded in agreement. I looked over at Lena with an air of respect. She had kept it together really well. I could tell that she was slowly losing her composure, though. Not that I could blame her.

All of a sudden, an old woman burst into the room. Two little boys came running after her. I glanced over at Lena and saw tears threatening to spill over. The little boys - her brothers, I assumed - raced over to her as she stood up and shakily walked around the long mahogany table. The three of them collapsed in a huge hug, their cries echoing around the large room. After a couple minutes of hugging, kissing and crying, Lena stood up. The boys absolutely refused to let go of Lena's legs as she walked over to her the woman.

"Nonna," She whispered, her voice cracking.

Nonna (I think that means Grandma) reached out, cupping Lena's face with her shaky hands. "Nipotina," She cried. She threw her arms around Lena as Lena wept into her shoulder.

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Hi!  I had some writer's block problems with this chapter so that's why it's not as long as I would have liked (790 words.  My goal's a thousand).  I really have been trying to make my chapters longer!  

School starts for me on Tuesday, so I'm going to be really busy and I might not get as much writing done.  I'll try to at least keep the length to at least 700 words, but no promises!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!  I just decided on Lucia's last name.  Tell me what you think in the comments!

Thanks for again for reading!

Ravenclaw567