His Redemption (Complete His Series)

After Kol left last night, I did some laundry before sitting down in front of the fire. I drank some tea and just stared at the slowly dying fire until about 6:30 when Amy came trudging through the front doors with Abi on her heels. When Abi entered the Inn, she saw me immediately, dropped her little Frozen bag, and ran to me screaming, “Ayla!”

I opened my arms and scooped her up into a big hug. I was delighted to see her again and hoped maybe I could get back to normal. Channeling all my energy into the Inn and Amy and Abi would be a welcome distraction.

“Glad you are alive,” Amy said, coming over to me with a smile.

“Sorry, I meant to call. How was your time off?” I asked her.

“We went to Grammy’s!” Abi cheered in my arms. Amy rolled her eyes.

“Mother-in-law drama?” I asked her with raised eyebrows.

“Always, but she dotes on Abi, so what can I do?” she laughed. I got up to follow her in the kitchen. Abi began to babble away, telling me all about what her, Grammy, and Pop-Pop did. She seemed more talkative than before I left.

“Is she talking more?” I whispered to Amy as Abi prattled on.

Amy nodded and opened her eyes wide. I giggled at her expression. Amy pulled out Abi’s chair, and I got her settled. Looking at her sweet face, I bent down and asked, “So what does Abi think we should make for breakfast today?”

She smiled impossibly larger and shouted, “Pancakes!”

“Pancakes it is!” I cheered. Amy shook her head at us. I grabbed her coloring books and settled her while Amy started pulling out ingredients. With Amy coming back today, there wasn’t any kitchen staff until lunch. We were all going to have to adapt to some changes. The extra staff around here would definitely be an adjustment for us.

I began helping Amy prep the sides while she whipped up some pancake batter. “So,” she started, “Where is he? Where is Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous?”

I stilled for a moment. I quickly recovered, hoping it had gone unnoticed. “At home, I guess,” I said, trying to be nonchalant.

“Wait,” she stopped. “What happened? You were falling head over heels for him before you left on this spur of the moment trip, and then you come back and poof. Nothing. He is nowhere in sight, and you guess he is at home when he was here almost every day before you left? I am not buying this at all. Spill it. What happened?” she said with a stern voice.

I should have known I would not be able to pass it off with Amy. I sighed. How did I explain this? “I just… don’t think we want the same things right now… It just isn’t in the cards for us.” I avoided her gaze as I began to cut up some strawberries.

“I don’t buy it. Lea, what happened?” she asked again, more earnest this time.

I could feel the tears threatening to fall. Just then, the old man hobbled into the kitchen. “Azalea, you might as well tell her everything. Not like she isn’t owed the explanation.” I stared in amazement at him as he poured a cup of black coffee and left the kitchen. He wanted me to blatantly break wolf law and tell a human about us.

On the one hand, it may help Amy understand everything better, and I would not feel like I was lying to her. On the other hand, she could freak out and run from here. I sighed. A wolf usually needs the permission of their Alpha before telling someone this. That was not an option currently. I could call Lily, but I don’t think she would understand this.

“Okay, what is he talking about?” she questioned. “Tell me what? Explain what?” Amy looked at me expectantly.

“Okay. I am going to tell you something, but you must swear that no one else will ever know. You can’t even tell your husband.”

“Okay… why do I feel like you used to be in a cult?”

“Haha. Almost,” I laughed shallowly. I let out a breath before beginning. “So, I am a werewolf. Well mostly. And so are the old man and Liam. I grew up in the same pack as Liam; that is how he knew me.”

I paused, waiting for her to react. Her face was contorted in a confused expression. “Huh?” she finally said. This was going to take a while.

–

It took me over an hour to fully explain everything to Amy. We did manage to get breakfast made, but she had so many questions. There was a lot to explain, and she was patient the whole time. By the time I got to the end of the story and why I came back, Amy looked like she was ready to rip Liam’s head off. I told her I had no intention of seeing him again, which helped pacify her slightly. I left out the parts that Lily had just told me yesterday. I wanted to pretend they weren’t real as long as I could.

We sat in the kitchen with coffee as I yawned. “You look so tired, Lea. Like worse than a couple of weeks ago. You should go nap,” she said.

I shook my head. “I can’t sleep. I don’t know what it is. Plus, I want to keep an eye on things up here,” I told her.

“All this extra help we got has really helped, you know. We don’t need to work so hard now. We can probably have a couple of days off without worry now. Take the day. Go read a book and fall asleep,” she said. I knew she was trying to look after me.

“Excuse me, Azalea?” came Lemon’s voice from the doorway.

“What’s up, Lemon?” I asked, turning to her.

“There is a Doctor Ronald out front for you?” she said hesitantly.

“Uh, okay? Be right there,” I told her, looking back to Amy. She raised her eyebrows. Once Lemon was out of the room, she spoke.

“So, Doctor Ronald is Doctor Blackfur, Liam’s uncle right?” I nodded my head. “Why is he here, though? He didn’t bring Liam, right?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t think Liam is here, or Lemon would have said so. I think she has a crush on him.” I stood up. “I’ll be back. Maybe me and Abi will go play in the lobby for a bit.” Amy gave me a tight smile and nodded as she took my coffee cup. I left the kitchen to go upfront.

When I got to the front, Doctor Blackfur was indeed waiting for me. When he laid eyes on me, he smiled warmly. “Azalea, how are you, dear?” he asked nicely.

“I’m okay. How are you, Doctor Blackfur?” I replied.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

“I told you, call me Ron. I wanted to come check on you. Maybe talk to you about my nephew for a few minutes,” he said. I could feel myself pale slightly.

“Uh, sure. We can go to the dining room; it’s empty for a little while longer,” I said. I led the way into the dining room, offering him a chair at a table near the window. We both sat down. I sat there with my eyes down and my hands fidgeting in my lap.

“So, I see you guys are back from your little trip. How was that?” he asked.

“Uh, fine. I met Lily and Damien,” I said. I knew I wasn’t being very forthcoming, but I wasn’t sure what, if anything, Liam had told his uncle.

“I get the feeling it was not very fine. Do you want to tell me what happened? Doctor-patient confidentiality,” he said, raising his hand like he was swearing an oath.

I shook my head. “Everything was just fine,” I said, probably not very convincingly.

“Well, according to some, my nephew came home in quite the mood. But if you do not want to spill the beans, I won’t make you. I wanted to talk to you about your situation.” I nodded my head as he continued. “How have you been feeling lately since spending time with Liam?” he asked.

I thought for a moment. If I was being honest, I felt so much better with Liam around. I slept better; I felt safe and secure. I was worried about the hunter but never felt insecure knowing Liam was close. I felt light and happy when we were together. Since that night, I have felt heavy and cold. There was this sadness that would not go away and this anxiety that I couldn’t soothe. It was like my body still yearned for him even after what happened.

“I have been feeling much better when I spend time with him,” I said with a small smile.

“How does it feel when you are with him? Do you physically feel any different?”

“Um, I guess I feel warmer and lighter. He makes me happy,” I said quietly. Doctor Ron smiled.

“Good, that is great to hear. When Liam touches you, what do you feel?”

I blushed a little. “Warmth. Pleasurable warmth that spreads through my body. It feels amazing. And when he k****s me… it’s like tiny sparks from his lips to mine.”

“Fantastic. That is great news.” I looked at him quizzically. “I believe this means your bond is growing. It is a good sign that you are feeling the effects as well.”

“So, have you found out anything about my… condition? Will I be able to get my wolf back?” I asked a little hopefully.

“I am afraid I don’t have a good answer for you yet. If you could give me a little more time, I would like to keep monitoring your progress as I research,” he said with an odd look on his face. I nodded.

“Well, if there is nothing else you would like to tell me or questions you have, I will let you get back to your day. Thank you for indulging me today, Miss Simmons,” he said as he stood. I stood up as well and walked him to the front.

Before leaving, he turned and said, “I don’t know what happened with my nephew, and I know he can be difficult. But I do know that he cares deeply for you, Azalea. I know that he will do anything to keep you safe and happy. Please remember that.” He left me standing in the lobby of the Inn feeling very conflicted.