Part 47

Part 47
Adara was sad to leave Ireland, but also excited to go back home. We stayed for the rest of that week, then flew home. I couldn’t wait to get back to Seward, to our home, and to our pack. Promises were made of visiting again soon,  and Malachi invited Peter and Claire to come visit us as well.

Christian had gone back to being the angry, sullen little boy that first moved in with us, with his anger outbursts and tantrums. Unruly was putting it mildly. I didn’t know why he was acting out again but I would find out.

“Talk to me, little man.” He was sitting on his bed after I’d sent him to his room for yelling at Adara.

His bottom lip trembled a little bit and he looked up at me. “Now that she’s here, you won’t have time for me anymore.”

I almost smiled at his words, he was jealous. “I will always have time for you. You’re my little man, nothing’s going to change that.”

“I don’t think she likes me.” His voice was full of sadness and I realized that this wasn’t just a fleeting moment of jealousy. Christian was really worried about this.

“Of course, Adara likes you; what’s not to like? You are absolutely the coolest kid in Alaska.”

“Promise you’ll never leave me.” Christian’s lip quivered again, and I pulled him into my arms, hugging him as tight as I could.

“I promise. It’s you and me, little man. I’m never leaving you.” My hand was smoothing down his hair and he placed his face in my neck as he nodded his head.

I stayed with Christian until he drifted off to sleep and tucked him into his bed. Watching him sleep gave me an inner peace I hadn’t known I needed until he was there. Christian had become so integrated in my life that I couldn’t imagine it without him.

I took the stairs down to the kitchen and looked at Adara where she sat with Malachi next to her. They both looked so serious. “Everything okay?”

“I’ve been looking at the admissions for pre-med and it’s harsh. I don’t have the grades for acceptance.” Adara looked down briefly because it was her own fault for hiding so long and since knowing she was a healer it had become her dream to go to medical school.

I could see the regret around her aura. “Yeah …”

“Malachi had an interesting idea. He suggested that I skip medical school and study herbalism. The great thing about studying herbalism is that I can do it from home.” Adara gave me a nervous smile, basically asking for my permission to do this.

“You should do what feels right to you.”

“If I study herbalism, I can open a shop. Think of all the people I could help with my powers without letting the actual wolf out of the bag.” Her smile was weak, and I couldn’t really be bothered to comfort her.

There was a reason Christian thought she didn’t like him. I had noticed little things but I didn’t want to start a fight. Christian was important to me but so was she. I needed to talk to her about him tonight.

“You can, but you’d have to be very careful.”

“What do you mean?” She had a slight frown on her face and I sighed internally.

“You can’t just study herbalism and open your shop, then all of a sudden, you’re curing cancer with herbs. The attention that you’d bring to yourself, this family, and to this pack, could be catastrophic.”

“I’m not an idiot, Kiran. I wouldn’t ever do anything to harm this family or this pack.” Adara looked at me through narrowed eyes, headstrong like always.

“I never said you’re an idiot …”

“Then don’t treat me like I am. I have a chance to do something really good here and I’m going to do it whether you like it or not.”

Malachi chuckled low in his throat, he hadn’t said a word the entire time, just watched the exchange between myself and Adara.

“I have an early day tomorrow.” Malachi left the kitchen and I watched him walk up the stairs.

“You just had dinner two hours ago.” I was rummaging in the fridge and pulled out a container with cold chicken and bit into a piece.

“I’m still growing.” Adara laughed loudly at that comment and shook her head.

“The only way you’ll grow is sideways, if you keep this up .” I looked at her with my mouth still full of chicken and swallowed as I put the container away.

I stood on the other side of the counter and leaned with my elbows on the surface. “Christian thinks you don’t like him.”

“It’s not that I don’t like him…” I didn’t like the silence that followed the start of her sentence and I willed her to look at me.

“But?”

“What are you doing with him, Kiran?”

“What do you mean?” Now I was confused as she turned the tables on me.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a cute little boy but what exactly are you doing with him?”

“I help Malachi look after him. He doesn’t have anybody but us.” My voice sounded defensive, even to me, but I felt protective over him, he was mine to protect.

“Kiran, you don’t help Malachi to look after him. You are Malachi in this story.” Her gaze pierced right through to my soul.

“How am I Malachi in this story?” I wished she’d just get to the point already. I didn’t like talking in circles.

“You do everything a father does for his child. Think about it. While you’re playing daddy to Christian, where does that leave me? What role am I playing here? You get him ready for school, take him to school, you train him, feed him, put him to bed. Kiran, you even wait for him while he’s in the tub.”

“He’s four, he can drown, and it’s not really like that.”

Adara outright laughed at me. “Yes, it is.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Adara. You need to figure out your own role with him, but he’s hurting, and that kid’s been through enough in his life. Figure out what you want to do because I won’t have him thinking that he’s not wanted in this house.”

“I never said I didn’t like him, I don’t want him to be sad either, but there needs to be clear boundaries here. He acts out because he doesn’t want me here. He never asks me for anything or talks to me, it’s always just you.”

“He’s four, Adara…neither of you are going anywhere and maybe I’m partially to blame here because I’m always alone with him. We should do more things together, the three of us.”