Fenrir reached out to open the curtains and winced at the pain in his shoulder. He wasn't used to feeling pain on a daily basis, like a bloody mortal, but the wound would heal with time. The bleeding had stopped hours after that French bitch bit him, but the flesh was still an angry red and sore to the touch. It would certainly leave a scar – a scar to match the one on his other shoulder, the one that had transcended him.
He glanced outside the window of his office. It was a pleasant July afternoon, sunny and warm. The children were playing in the gardens, and some of the older cubs were having a game of football. Others were seated on the terrace, drinking iced tea and lemonade.
This was one of Grigori's estates in England. He owned several residences in Great Britain, and none of the other Wolves knew about them. The main building wasn't quite big enough for Fenrir's pack – many had to camp out in the gardens – but at least they were safe here. Fenrir had reapplied all of the wards that protected Asgard, with the assistance of a hired dark wizard whom Fenrir had then killed as a precautionary measure.
Fenrir wanted nothing more than to return to Macnair manor and wait until Evangeline finally gave in and stepped outside her own wards, but after killing that Ancient hag in June, he ought to keep a low profile, at least for a few months. The bloodsuckers would be after him, and some of the Wolves, too, including Blackstripes.
Fenrir couldn't risk it. He didn't want to end up like his maker.
Truth be told, Fenrir often wondered why he was still alive. The Ancients had been oddly protective of Evangeline since they'd learned of her existence, but didn't they realise that they could have revenge for the Swindler's death simply by killing the girl? The vampires were weak, but their leader was considered ruthless. Fenrir always expected his next breath to be the last, but he didn't live in fear of his imminent death. He wasn't afraid of dying. He'd accomplished more during his short time on earth than most of the other immortals – Ancients and Wolves alike. He would die with a feeling of fulfilment.
Though he would have liked to have more children before the end, admittedly, to leave a proper legacy behind. He was convinced that Evangeline was the key, but it would have to wait. If Fenrir was still alive by next year, when everyone had forgotten about him, he would capture her again, one way or another.
And this time, he wouldn't let her go.
Alice had never heard such brouhaha at an Ancient gathering.
Every single one of her peers was talking, if not shouting, except for Alice herself. The Bloodmother had yet to join them. Hopefully the ambient noise would recede once she made her entrance.
It'd been two weeks since Jeanne had been savagely murdered by the Wolf known as Greyback. Two weeks was the time it had taken to contact everyone and gather them all in the same place – not Scotland or France this time, but Germany, in the ancient city of Cologne. Zenobia owned a residence here, and it was easily accessible from the local airport and the main train station.
As she waited for the meeting to begin, Alice couldn't help but pick up bits and pieces of conversation.
"…don't understand why the beast is still alive…"
Because Alice didn't know where Greyback was. Because Antonin would never forgive her if anything happened to his precious Evey.
Because killing the Wolf wouldn't bring her Jeanne back.
The first few hours after her daughter's demise, Alice had been shaking with rage and lust for immediate revenge, and she had been intent on ripping Greyback apart, no matter the consequences. Then grief had fully hit her, like taking a wrecking ball to the face. Alice had been practically brain-dead for two days, unable to process anything that was happening around her. The kids had left her on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, and she hadn't moved from her seat.
Then her brain cells had slowly sparked to life again, and Alice knew that she had to pull herself together, if she ever wanted to avenge Jeanne's death.
Nothing good would come out of an open attack against Greyback, provided that he could be located. They had to deal with this situation rationally, to prevent more futile losses. Hence the present gathering.
"…should have killed the hybrid when we had the chance…"
Evangeline. Her name was Evangeline, and killing her wouldn't solve anything.
It wouldn't bring Jeanne back.
"…it's all the fledgling's fault…shouldn't have been allowed to return to his brother in the first place…"
"The Wizard shouldn't have been turned in the first place!" Pat exclaimed, briefly drawing everyone's attention to her. "I keep saying that! No one ever listens to me!"
Antonin had done nothing wrong. He always did what he thought was best – not for himself, but for the people he loved. He'd rushed to Hogwarts to assist his friends. No one could have guessed that Greyback would be there; the Wolf had never actively participated in a magical fight alongside Voldemort's puppets before, according to Walden. Even the Death Eaters were uneasy around the Wolf, and Voldemort didn't seem to trust him with anything important. Up until that fateful June night, Greyback had been a bully and a promise of violence in case of non-compliance, nothing more. His mere presence was usually enough to dissuade Voldemort's opponents, but he always acted on his own.
"…we don't even have a body to bury…"
"…had no idea it would evaporate like that…"
Jeanne wanted to be cremated anyway. Don't let the maggots devour me, she'd told Alice not so long ago. In French, and with a fair amount of cussing, but that had been the gist of it.
Had Jeanne somehow foreseen her own, final death? Immortal beings were the least likely people to discuss funeral arrangements.
"…have you talked to Alice?...me neither…what could we possibly say in such circumstances?..."
There was nothing to be said. Alice didn't want to hear any of that 'thoughts and prayers' bullshit or paltry condolences. She didn't want their pity. It wouldn't comfort her – if anything, it would make her feel even more sorry about herself, and that was the last thing Alice needed right now.
"…she's obviously in shock…poor thing…I can't even imagine…"
In shock? That was putting it mildly. I can't even imagine… No, you certainly couldn't, Ching. No one possibly could. Jeanne felt like a phantom limb – Alice knew that she was dead, but somehow always ended up looking around the room to try to find her daughter. And every time, it hit her anew: Jeanne was gone. Forever lost to her. Alice was doomed to wander the earth, daughterless, for all eternity.
"…and Imhotep is not doing any better, by the look of him…"
Imhotep. Alice had not talked to him yet. She was not ready; the loss was too recent, the pain too raw. If she talked to her maker now, she would fall apart.
"…at least he has Gorgo…Alice must be so lonely…the Wizard is hardly fitting company..."
Alice was actually surrounded by considerate people who cared about her, Antonin most of all. And yet she did feel inexplicably lonely. She had always been close to Jeanne. Perhaps too close. Would it hurt less if they hadn't had such a strong mother-and-daughter relationship? If Alice had behaved as Catalina did with the Ripper, practically ignoring her even when they were in the same room?
"Not so lonely," Liz said, her shrill voice cutting through Alice's train of thoughts. "She has a pet Wolf now, doesn't she?" All conversations quietened at that.
A pet indeed. Ted – Alice had finally given up on calling him anything longer than that, at his insistence – was like a giant teddy bear. After she'd nearly fainted in the bathroom, that night, he'd crushed her into an unwanted hug and had refused to let go for several minutes, claiming that she 'needed it'. When he'd finally released her, he'd been annoyingly caring and attentive, even after she'd threatened to slice his throat open if he didn't leave her alone. He hadn't relented, not until Antonin had returned and the Wolf had deemed that Alice was now 'in good hands'.
In truth, grieving together with Antonin had been difficult; the fledgling did his best to show none of his emotions, probably for Evey's benefit. Lilith knew, the girl worried enough about him as it was. In any case, Alice had quickly found herself wishing for Ted's loud and uncompromising commiserations, though she would never admit it to him or anyone else.
Ted was here today, but he'd been told to remain outside of the chamber until he was formally invited inside. Antonin was with him. Walden and Evey had not been invited at all. Alice wasn't sure what to make of that; perhaps the Mother simply wished to avoid making Evey the centre of attention, when everyone should be focusing on Greyback.
"Show some respect," Imhotep spoke into the heavy silence. "Keep your hurtful remarks to yourself for once, Elizabeth."
The abhorrent woman sneered, satisfied that she'd hit a nerve, but she didn't reply. People began murmuring again, but this time Alice emptied her mind and ignored it all. She'd heard enough.
A few minutes later, the door opened and revealed the Mother, resplendent as always in a silky magenta gown. Silence fell again. She glided toward her chair at the end of the long table and sat on a cushion, smoothing her dress meticulously before facing them all. "Zenobia, my daughter, thank you for lending us this room on such short notice." Zenobia bowed her head in acknowledgement. "You all know why we are here," the Mother went on. Everyone nodded politely.
The Mother opened her mouth to speak again, but was rudely interrupted by Catalina. "What we don't know," she said harshly, "is what we are going to do about it. ¿Dónde está el Lobo maldito? Does the stinky pirate know? Where is the hybrid? What are we going to do about her?"
Alice didn't consider herself a cowardly woman, but even she would have recoiled at the Mother's glower. Catalina swallowed hard and averted her gaze, as though she'd only just realised that she'd interrupted the Bloodmother.
"Evangeline is alive and safe. And she will remain that way," the Mother added firmly when several people began to whisper. "We have already lost one of ours. I will not allow the girl to come to harm."
"She's hardly one of us," Darya muttered. "She's tainted by the curse, more Wolf than Ancient." The three women whom Alice – and Jeanne – used to refer to as "The Infernal Trio" acquiesced in assent. Cleopatra, Elizabeth and Catalina; these bitches were never up to any good, and it looked like they'd decided to include Darya in their little club. Alice couldn't believe that the homicidal Russian woman was in any way related to Gorgo, who was kindness and common sense incarnate. For that matter, the Dragon was a lot more poised and civilised than his unlikely progeny.
Alice just couldn't fathom why certain people had been deemed fit to become Ancients. Elizabeth, Darya and Catalina were all serial murderers, as was, obviously, "Jack" the Ripper. They deserve a second chance, Gorgo had argued, but none of them had ever repented nor decided to better themselves, as far as Alice knew. More likely, the Queen had simply been running out of candidates. Very few mortals had the spark, and a surprising number of them were people with violent and/or immoral tendencies.
"I do not remember asking for your opinion on the subject, child," the Mother said flatly. Darya bit her lip, but she stubbornly held the Bloodmother's gaze for another three seconds before finally dropping it, pouting. The Mother looked around the table. "Most of you have not felt it. You have not experienced first-hand the sudden twist in your heart, the sensation of crushing emptiness at the death of one of your own bloodline. This void is still there. I doubt it will ever be filled again." Alice briefly closed her eyes. She had no doubt about it; she would feel hollow for the rest of eternity. "I sincerely hope that none of you will ever experience it. My hearts bleeds for Alice and Imhotep."
"If I may speak, Mother?" Vlad said quietly. She gestured for him to proceed. "We share in your grief, of course," he told Alice and Imhotep, who were seated side by side. "Jeanne is irreplaceable. But do you not wish to avenge her?" He raised his hands preventively, anticipating arguments about Evey's connection to the murderous Wolf. "We know that the Wolves have dealt with threats within their pack before." He must be referring to Goldeneyes – Grigori Rasputin, Greyback's maker. "I'm sure that Mr Teach…Thatch?…will be able to clarify what happened to his progeny, but I…" He must have caught Alice's frown. "Will he not?"
Alice shook her head. "He was excluded from the trial. He has no idea what they did to him. But I think we can safely assume that they did not kill Rasputin. As far as we know, that is still impossible to achieve without us. And I, for one, am inclined to believe that Ted would have felt it, had Rasputin perished," she murmured.
Vlad stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "Interesting, though equally disappointing. Mother, if I may enquire, what exactly is the Wolf Blackstripes doing here? Will he be…questioned? Does he know where Greyback is?"
"No one knows where Greyback is," came the curt reply. "Edward is here as a show of good faith. Malkoran has commanded him to obey my every order, and to cooperate in any way he could."
That left them all stunned, Alice included. She'd assumed that Ted was here as a close friend of Evey and Antonin, and possibly to weigh in on their options regarding Greyback. She wasn't aware of Malkoran's sudden reappearance and, judging by the others' reactions, neither were they. Alice was mildly miffed that Ted hadn't told her, at least. After all, they'd travelled here together, with Antonin teleporting them across Europe, using the illegal Apparition network. "Why are Blackbeard and Antonin not attending this part of the meeting, Mother?" Alice asked, masking her anxiety as best she could.
"I did not want Edward to take part, not unless he was needed. Antonin is merely keeping an eye on him. I have discussed this with them. They understand." I hope you will, too, her look seemed to convey.
It made sense, but Alice still would have preferred to have at least Antonin at her side.
"Mother, I don't mean to be rude, but since when is Malkoran involved in our affairs? I thought he'd retired," the Ripper said bluntly.
The Mother pursed her lips. Whatever had happened, she still couldn't stand the Wolves' Alpha. "Since I pressured him to be involved. I do not trust his cubs to handle the situation. Not with Evangeline displaying so many Wolfish traits," she said.
"You think they might try to claim her?" Vlad enquired.
The Mother nodded, but Liz, once again, spoke over her. In her seven hundred years of existence, Alice had never witnessed such rudeness toward the Original One. "Let the beasts have her, I say," the harpy proclaimed. She received a few approving looks, and a lot of glares. "Why not? Can you think of a better way to settle this, without killing the hybrid or Greyback, without risking a war with the Wolves?" Several people shifted awkwardly on their seats. The Mother was staring blankly at Elizabeth, but she didn't say anything, which seemed to encourage Liz. "Greyback wants her, yes? That's all he wants. When you think about it, Jeanne's death, while unfortunate," – Unfortunate?! Alice very nearly jumped out of her chair to strangle the bloody cunt, but Imhotep lay a hand on her arm, shaking his head a fraction – "was merely provoked by the fact that Greyback couldn't get his hands on the girl. If we hadn't 'rescued' the hybrid, Greyback wouldn't have killed Jeanne," Liz went on matter-of-factly. "So I say, let's give her back to him. Darya's right; she's more Wolf than Ancient. She belongs to them. Let them deal with her, and good riddance."
Alice had not expected cheers or jeers, but the tense silence that followed Liz's statement was somehow even more daunting than either reaction. It felt as though they were actually considering this madness.
Alice had never been Evey's greatest fan, but she'd gotten to know the girl fairly well. Evey had invited her to stay at the manor, after Jeanne died. And Alice had accepted. She had many places of residence all over the world, but all of them were desperately empty. Alice couldn't bear to be alone at a time like this.
Evey didn't deserve anything that had happened to her. Didn't they understand that none of this mess was her fault? She hadn't asked for this. Hadn't asked for her family to be butchered, for her entire life to be upended. She'd made the most of it, yes, but how could anyone blame her for that? Greyback would make her life a living hell, and once he had a hold on her, he would not let go. This time, there would be no rescuing her. Evey's only way of escape would be death.
The Mother was right. They couldn't afford to lose anyone else. Alice certainly couldn't afford it, and Evey's death would likely mean that Antonin… Well, he wouldn't die, but…
Unless he asked Ted to…
No. No, surely he wouldn't. Ted wouldn't do it, anyway. He wouldn't dare.
Gods, why was she even thinking about this? She should be paying attention to what the others had to say. Should make certain that nothing would sway the Mother's resolve, unlikely as it was.
The sharpness in Alice's voice broke through the hushed conversations that had followed Liz's speech. "You said you didn't trust the Wolves, Mother." The Bloodmother fixed her gaze on her when she spoke. "Do you trust Malkoran?"
For the first time that Alice could remember, the Mother chuckled. It was a sound devoid of amusement, and instead filled with millennial resentment. "I trust that he has no choice. Malkoran knows that displeasing me in any way will mean war. I think that most of us, the ones among us who are still sane, at least," she amended with a pointed look in Liz's direction, "wish to avoid that at all costs. If we go to war, there will be losses on both sides. There will be no justice, no satisfying conclusion. Only blood and death."
"So what do we do about Greyback, then?" Darya demanded.
"Until he can be rooted out, there is nothing to be done. The Wolf is not stupid. He knows that we'll want revenge, and he is likely distrustful of his own kind, given what happened to his maker."
"You want us to wait," Cat blurted. "You want us to wait and do nothing, while the hybrid happily frolics on that giant estate of hers, with her mongrel husband, while Greyback bides his time until he can murder us all. While poor Alice grieves-"
"Oh for Lilith's sake, will you shut up?!" Alice yelled, standing up, palms on the table. This was simply too much. She pushed away Imhotep's hand when he attempted to get her to calm down. "You don't get to say that. You have no idea how I feel. You don't even care that Jeanne is dead. You're just pissed off that we bypassed your vote against turning Antonin, and then completely ignored you and your evil minions when you tried to have him and his brother executed last year. You're just being petty. You should never have been turned, you obnoxious, psychopa-"
There was a loud knock on the door, and Alice fell silent, the flow of carefully crafted insults dying on her tongue. She dropped back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest, fuming. Cat was glowering at her, but Alice couldn't have cared less.
After a few seconds, the Mother finally gestured for the Ripper, who sat closest to the door, to check on the caller.
Ted grinned at the Ripper. "Well, hello there." Dear gods, was he ogling her?
The silence could have been carved with one of the Ripper's daggers. "What do you think you're doing, interrupting us like that, you bloody mountain of a dog-spawned-" The Bloodmother quietly cleared her throat. The Ripper cut off abruptly, but she kept glaring at Ted.
"Yeah, sorry, but we couldn't help but overhear," the Wolf said. "I mean, we heard everything. I don't know why you bothered to make us wait outside, really." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "Might as well include us." He cocked his shaggy head toward Antonin, who stood half-hidden behind him.
The Bloodmother eyed Antonin with an air of resignation. "I seem to remember asking you to magically ward the room against eavesdropping, child," she said chidingly.
The fledgling didn't appear apologetic at all as he held her gaze. "I seem to remember you promising that nothing would happen to Evey. Can you really ensure that these four creepy ladies won't go behind your back?" he said with a vague gesture in Cat's direction. Catalina glared murder at him, but he ignored her. "You let them spew nonsense as though we didn't already have an agreement."
"I was getting there," the Mother retorted. For once, anger seeped through her apparent calm façade.
"If... I mean, as soon as we find Greyback, we capture him," Antonin went on heedlessly, addressing everyone now. "Ted and I will conduct experiments. Evey has given her consent, and even Walden understands that it's necessary."
Alice remembered that particular conversation, just a few days ago. Walden's "understanding" had been difficult to obtain and, even now, Alice doubted that he would allow anyone to harm either his wife or Greyback, if they ever got the opportunity to do so. Evey, on the other hand, had accepted without much hesitation. The girl must feel terribly guilty about Jeanne's death to agree to this, which was simply ridiculous. Jeanne's death was Jeanne's own damn fault, and Greyback's. She had no reason for being at Hogwarts that night – but then, if she hadn't showed up when she did, Antonin would likely have been Greyback's victim…
Either way, Alice would have lost someone dear to her, all because Jeanne was stubborn as a mule, overconfident, and refused to communicate like a normal person. If Alice had known what was going on at Hogwarts… If they'd both been there, with Ted as reinforcement…
But no amount of "ifs" would bring back her daughter.
Evey had aptly quoted one of her beloved fantasy novels the other day, and Alice ought to heed the advice: "Let the dead rest, and care for the living."
Well, the living undead, in this case.
Blackbeard nodded in approval of Antonin's words. "Malkoran is gathering all of his Wolves. One week from now, we will discuss the issue of Greyback sowing chaos and being a threat to us all, and the possibility of…dealing with him in a way that suits everyone. I will not bring up Evey's peculiarities, and I doubt that Silverclaws or Demonslayer will."
Alice mentally rolled her eyes at Evey's indiscretion. The girl might as well have put an advertisement in the Daily Prophet to announce her ability to turn into a werewolf. "This is the only option that makes sense," Alice concurred. "At this point, a war would only profit Greyback. Ancients and Wolves would kill one another while he safely awaits the outcome. If the Wolves were victorious, Greyback would likely attempt to become the remainder's Alpha, and if we 'won', for lack of a better word, then he would eliminate the few stragglers one by one until he was the only immortal left in the world."
"Indeed," the Mother said. "Edward will contact us after meeting with his kin," she added, "but I do not expect much from it. Malkoran is apparently as powerless as we are, or so he claims."
"It's true," Ted said. The Bloodmother scowled at him darkly, but he didn't falter. "I told you before, no one will be able to find Greyback if he doesn't want to be found. Old Mal is no exception, but I'm sure he will do his best to track him down regardless. If he gave you his word, he'll do it."
"You seem awfully confident," Liz said with disdain. "This is the man who forsook you, who abandoned you, who made many mistakes and allowed for grievous oversights in the past century. Not the sort of man I would trust."
"You don't trust any man," Alice muttered.
"And rightly so," the venomous Asp defended her ally. "What is Malkoran's angle here? He retired…what, eighty years ago? How do we know that he has our best interests at heart, that Blackstripes is even on our side, that this is not a Wolfish scheme to-"
"Mal was not responsible for the mistakes that were made in this century," Ted cut her off. His voice had lost its usual cheerfulness. "He didn't abandon us. He gave up on the world at large, this screwed-up place where people kill other people for no reason. Eighty years ago he left, precisely. After the War." He scoffed. "'The war to end all wars', these naïve fools called it. You're not exactly a youngling yourself, Miss Asp. How many conflicts have you witnessed? I know that many of my peers have opted for indifference. They choose not to care. They accept the senseless violence with bleak resignation. But some of us look at it all and wonder: Is humanity still salvageable? I held on to hope after the Great War, unlike Mal."
Alice was captivated. She'd known the Wolf for months, but she'd never imagined that there could be such a depth to him. He was always so ridiculously optimistic, so boisterous. It was like hearing a completely different man speak. "Then we found out about the gas chambers," Ted continued. "They bombed Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Several hundred thousand innocent people died in the blink of an eye. And for what?" He shook his head sadly. "I don't blame Malkoran for retiring. How could I, when I've considered it myself? That would be utterly hypocritical." There was a moment of silence, and even the Infernal…Quartet remained mercifully quiet. "For that matter, I find it difficult to blame Greyback for what he is, for what he did. The mortals nearly broke him, and Grigori finished the job. I'm not trying to excuse what he did. I'm just…I understand. But I know that I am partially to blame for his existence, and I promise you that I will do everything I can to stop him and bring him to justice in Jeanne's name." He looked at Alice when he said these last words.
"Thank you, Ted," she acknowledged. "I trust that you will."
"And I will protect Evey with my dying breath if I have to," Ted added, turning his face toward Antonin.
"That won't be necessary, mate," Tony said, patting him on the back. "Nobody else is going to die. I won't allow it."
The Bloodmother rose from her seat, her long braid swaying lightly. "Then we are all in agreement." She gazed at Cleopatra and Catalina, then at Darya and Elisabeth, on the other side of the table. They didn't voice a protest. "The Wolves will attempt to track down their cub, and I suggest that Alice stay at Macnair manor with Edward until the threat has been dealt with. Keep watch on Evangeline. I doubt that Greyback will casually stroll within our grasp, but if he is going anywhere, it will be wherever the girl is. Keep her safe, and be on your guard at all times. I could not bear to lose another child."