Wolf Heart

Chapter 17

Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

RAYAN

As before, he refused to stand by and let it happen. Instinct drove him forward at the fear and desperation on Meryn's face. I just... hate it. Just like last time, I couldn't...

Mom took him back to the house, and his words failed him. His reasoning to fight, a simple reason, and he longed to bite down on his tongue and force out the words he was too scared to say. Shadows weighed heavy underneath her eyes, and he swallowed in shame. "Mom, I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"You said I should avoid getting into fights," he reminded her, but hesitated at the gate as it slid open when she entered her ID code along with the key. "You also told me to stand up for what I believe in. I believed helping a friend was worth any punishment I got in response. From the school or from you."

Her gaze never wavered. "You are my son," she said with a soft laugh. "You're too much like me sometimes, Rayan."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"We'll discuss this more inside the property." Mom led him along the gravel path to the mansion. "I will be calling the school to discuss their idea of a punishment. You're right in that I don't think you should be punished for what happened."

No Sanctum Personnel or Elites loitered on the grounds, who quite a number of times gave James a surprise. None of them took Mom away for work. "Am I still in trouble with you though? I..." He pressed his boots into the clean floor. "That's why you moved here, isn't it? You wanted me to keep getting my education, but that was kind of hard if I was suspended from Odaport Collegiate."

"Not from me, no," Mom said. "I actually want to talk to you about something."

"What type of talk?"

The open nature of his house reminded him of the warmth of James' and Ava's. He longed for a shred of that belonging in a massive universe of which he painted the stars. I hope this surprise birthday party will help. I'm going to have to set up the cleaning bot. James warned me that Jon is the type to make a mess unintentionally.

Mom put her coat in the sliding closet. "I want you to sit down, Rayan," she instructed and gestured to the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Rayan took a seat and waited for the inevitable lecture as she turned it on, and the shred of warmth spread across his shoulders as she joined him on the couch. Her hand rested on his shoulder as her smile echoed the warmth of home. "I think I should explain to you why I don't want you getting into fights."

"I thought it was because I'd ruin Dad's image." Bitterness salted his tongue, but he kept his gaze on the flames.

Her smile tightened. "No, Rayan. You don't know your own strength."

"My own strength?" Rayan mused. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I know that?"

"Do you remember anything about what caused your suspension of the Odaport school?"

Rayan tried to grapple with the distant past, through the starleagues between Kestra and Eteran. "I..." He frowned. "Not that well. I remember that I moved without thinking. I was so focused on what was in front of me that it's like... it carried me straight to the problem." He held out his hands, which trembled. "I had to be torn off by an Elite, right?" Memory nothing but painful fog, he frowned up at her. "The other kid got off worse than me. I gave him a broken nose."

Mom gave him a smile full of pain. "Yes." A soft sigh escaped her. "You know what I am, Rayan?"

"Is that a trick question? What do you mean?"