Page 1 of His Curse
Frankenstein’s Bride
COLT
Devil's Lake Reservation, North Dakota. 1891.
"This is not a good idea."It's a fucking terrible idea."They aren't going to accept us."
My mother glares at me in the mirror as she fixes whatever the hell twist her hair is in. "It'll be fine, Colt. Just you wait."
I roll my eyes—hard—which earns me a scowl, and a little attention from her other half as those light brown eyes flash white.
"Besides…” Mama goes back to checking her appearance in order to make sure it’s nothing short of perfect. “They've already accepted us into their pack; they expect us to be there for this. And it's not like you or your sister are getting any younger. Your father and I were already mated almost forty years by the time we were your age."
"Which means nothing.” I sigh. "What? You afraid Marigold is all of the sudden going to look like she's fifty-three-years old? Won't stay perpetually twenty-one anymore?" I smirk and fold my arms against my chest. "Worried my balls are going to sag too much and I won't be able to give you those grand-pups you keep dropping hints about?"
Mama frowns and sticks another pin in her hair. "You know what I mean, Colt. It's just a little strange for two gorgeous, intelligent, virile young wolves such as yourselves to go so long without finding their mates. It should happen shortly after your first shift; after the first time you answer the call of the moon."
"Says who?"
"Says every generation before you.” She shoots me a smirk just like the one I'm wearing. "Saysme. Just because I'm not a Luna over a pack anymore does not mean I'm not a Luna at all.” Lifting one elegant finger, she taps it against her temple. "It's all up here, son. All the knowledge the true Lunas of the Moon Goddess pack possessed up until me, knowledge I will share with your mate one day when you become Alpha in your father’s place."
"Alpha over what?" I scoff. "Alpha over wild wolves? Maybe some coyotes? Hell, I think I saw a few stray dogs running through the woods the other day, maybe they can join mypackand acknowledge me as their Alpha. Then they can bring me all the scraps of food they find while scavenging.”
Mama's eyes go solid white then swirl blue and amber—a sure tell that I have gone too far and pissed off the Lunaandher wolf. I'm not trying to pick a fight though, so I drop my gaze out of respect and submission—not just to my mother but my Luna as well.
"Colt..." She sighs. "Son, I know this is hard and I know you blame yourself for everything that's happened, but maybe this is what we needed. A fresh start somewhere new. Alpha Rivers welcomed us warmly into the pack; he said they could really use the help and even hinted at needing your father to take on a leadership role because of how big the pack has gotten. Everything happens for a reason and maybe this was it."
Bullshit.
Everything my mother is saying is total bullshit.
This isn't our firstfresh start.
My mother knows better than to get her hopes up and to put faith in anything other than her family because at the end of the day that's the only thing she'll have left.
It'll happen again; there's no question. It's only a matter of time, just a matter of days probably, and when it does happen we'll just have to move again. If they had been smart about this from the beginning they never would have brought me with them in the first place.
But I keep my trap shut and give my mother a shrug and smirk. "Or maybe you're hoping thereasonwill be at this little get-together where you can maybe get rid of at least one of your children before the next century."
"Don't ruin this for me, Colt!" Mary chirps as she blows past me into our parents room and starts fixing her own twisty hairdo next to Mama. "I have every intention of bagging me a male tonight, and if your bad mood gets in my way I might just have to strangle you.” Then she puts her hands on her chest and adjusts her bodice in a way Ineverwant to see my sister do again.
A disgusted shiver racks my body as I grimace and give them another eye roll.
Why The Maker had to give me the most stubborn, outspoken, oversharing females ever to live as my mother and sister, I will never know. I wouldn’t change a thing about either of them but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to occasionally bang my head against the nearest wall because of how they are.
"That's the spirit.” Mama smiles as she also adjusts her bodice—gross—while the two of them finish primping. "Now go get your vest and finish getting ready before your father comes back."
I shake my head and can't help but smile.
Her optimism—though naive and most likely misplaced—is a nice change of pace from the heartache and dread we've all been experiencing lately. And it's a nice balance to my naturally pessimistic… no, myrealisticapproach to our currentcircumstances.
"Where is Papa?" Mary asks as she pinches her cheeks and turns to me with a raised brow. "I thought you were keeping tabs on him so we wouldn't be late."
"I'd do no such thing, making you late,” the man himself says as he strolls into the now crowded room, his wide, six-foot-five body eating up even more space than mine does. "I'm not about to cross either one of you beautiful ladies this evening."
I watch him press a kiss to my mother's temple, and watch her all but melt from the sweet sentiment.
It warms my heart, their bond, the love my parents so deeply have for each other, but it's also a little hard to watch, and not just because they're my parents and sometimes it's gross.
